please be excellent to each other (Re: application for FSFE e.V. membership and resignation)

[Erik Albers]

Hi Daniel,

I like to believe that your activities and communication are with good
intention and you like to change things for the good. However, you should keep
in mind that we are a organically grown organization with an established
communication and community culture. And although we are in a process of
change, the methods you use are currently maybe not the best approach to
achieve your goals.

In any case it would be helpful if you could to stick to our rules of
communication and try to be excellent to each other.


On 27.08.2018 13:19, Daniel Pocock wrote:
> The notice of meeting for 2018 (attached)

This message was sent internally to all (temporary) members of FSFE. It is not
allowed on FSFE mailing lists to forward private notes without prior consent
of the original author.

If you like to make a point about something having been discussed in a private
channel, you can paraphrase the content but you are not allowed to forward it
to one of FSFE's public mailing lists that is even publicly archived [1] and
therewith available for everyone with an Internet access.

Such an activity, I guess, is illegal in many jurisdictions as a potential
invasion of privacy. Definitely it is forbidden on our lists.



> For example, you previously wrote in a private GA discussion that my
> communications to fellows should be censored to ensure that
> communications maximize donations (your comment in February: "people
> might even stop to support us financially" if I write emails to the the
> people who I am mandated to represent).  But that is nonsense: the role
> of a representative is not to maximize donations, my role is to ensure
> the money already given to you is being spent as well as possible.  For
> trying to fulfil that role, you immediately set up an illegal conspiracy
> to stab me in the back, publishing an internal censorship policy for
> future communications and calling an extraordinary general meeting[4] on
> a Saturday while I was out in Kosovo doing real free software activities
> and voting on a motion tacked onto the end of the agenda to immediately
> terminate my membership without cause.  It is never nice to write such
> strong words, but in a case like this, fellows deserve to know the ugly
> truth about FSFE Council's behaviour and as the elected representative I
> would be negligent if I didn't blow the lid on this.  As the #MeToo
> movement has demonstrated, sometimes it is necessary to call out
> obnoxious behaviour to begin a process of reform.


You are using very offensive language here that is against our code of conduct:

	"To foster tolerance, respect and hospitality in our community, we
	agree not to engage in discriminatory, disparaging or offensive speech
	or actions"

Please refrain from doing so.


> Personally, I feel that my highest responsibility is to those who
> elected me and gave me a mandate and I do not wish to be in a position
> that puts me above the rest of the wider FSFE community 

Then please consider your audience and as a representative of our community, I
kindly ask you to help establish a friendly and peaceful environment for every
participant.

Personally, in times of fake-news, populism and attention economy, this is
something that I would love to see the Free Software community to excel:
transparent, fact-based discussions with respect towards each other.

And I see the FSFE community is already taking part in this.
So let us work together to keep it like this.

Best,
   Erik

[1] https://lists.fsfe.org/pipermail/discussion/

-- 
No one shall ever be forced to use non-free software
Erik Albers | Communication & Community Coordinator | FSFE
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