On Sun, Oct 11, 2015 at 2:12 AM, Anthony Cole ahcoleecu@gmail.com wrote:
- Greg Kohs was banned from attending. I think that was a mistake. He is a
fierce critic of Jimmy Wales and Wikipedia. I am aware of the lines he has crossed in the past (and the seemingly sincere apologies). Notwithstanding those past crossed lines, and his propensity to walk very close to the edge of propriety today, he has a valid critique and, along with those of more temperate critics, his voice has a place in a truly comprehensive conversation about this project.
No one has replied to this, so I'll just say that I support the conference organizers efforts to make conference events safe and comfortable for all attendees. To me, safe is not a euphemism for censoring criticism; face to face encounters inevitably involve the exchange of personal information, and I can certainly understand why many people may hesitate to meet Greg in person for that reason.
I don't know if this arrangement was contemplated for this year, but if Greg or other critics with a difficult project history want to address future conferences then perhaps the conference committee can consider broadcasting taped remarks or videoconferencing sessions.