[Foundation-l] the easy way or the less easy way

[Ray Saintonge]

daniwo59 at aol.com wrote:

>Right now, it seems that the membership model is so inclusive, it seems  more 
>reasonable to ask who is *not* a member?
> 
>This is not so unreasonable a question. Plenty of people contact us daily  
>about advertising with us, or using us as a place to add links to their sites.  
>Just Friday I got a call from a PR firm that suggested we pay them to add  
>content about all of their clients. Are they "members"? 
>
Asking you to make the edits is not editing.  Is a corporaion itself 
capable of editing, and thereby becoming a member?  It seems that only 
individuals are able to edit.

>(Note that other PR  
>firms have been making edits and complaining if they are reverted. Are they  
>members too?)
>
I guess they could be.

>Willie on Wheels has thousands of "edits." Is he a member?
>
Why not?  His thousands of edits would still only give him one vote.  
People of that caliber are still a tiny minority.  There is less agony 
to marginalizing their effects than to putting enormous effort into 
weeding them out. 

>Some of the most active members on this list make very few real content  
>edits. Are they members?
> 
>Membership in any organization implies a certain level of responsibility.  By 
>granting membership--and with it, the right to vote--we are allowing people  
>to determine the future direction of the organization. It seems that this 
>would  necessitate something more than just goodwill, presence, or a vested 
>interest in  the course of the foundation.
>
The proposed changes would strenghthen the hand of only those with a 
vested interest, and not the others. 

Ec