[Imc-lwg-work] [design] termination of project and imc-london proposal comment

[Toby Ralph]

I have decided to terminate the project group to redesign the imc-uk 
website. This is due to the nature of the collaboration on the 
project from the imc-uk at large.

ALSO

I've been following the proposal for a imc-london with interest and 
would like to comment.

BACKGROUND

My experience of imc-uk has been one of alienation - a tightly 
controlled and exclusive group of people, not interested in indymedia 
as an inclusive, growing, dynamic volunteer project at all. It seems 
that if you can't make it to a meeting in the pub, (because you might 
happen to be working) you might as well forget it, because that means 
you are not interested!

I had been interested in improving the graphic interface of the 
imc-uk website inspired by the sf.indymedia.org page, and as such 
started work on a redesign within the umbrella of the imc-lwg where I 
found an inclusive and open approach, based on making a specific 
voluntary contribution to the imc-uk website.

The moment I announced that I had a contribution to make - a flurry 
of responses came, initially very positive and encouraging. Then I 
was let know that a redesign group already existed, and were  in the 
middle of a redesign - even though i had found no evidence at all of 
this in any online group or list. Quickly this group became 
bureaucratic, discouraging, dismissive and exclusive. This seems to 
be because I can't make meetings that are called at two days (or 
less) notice.

The design that I had put forward was pretty much dismissed by 
suddenly very interested group of people who made a bunch of 
decisions at the meeting, and came up with a whole range of steps to 
take in order to reach the point that I was pretty sure I already had 
come to. Rather than collaborating online and suggesting, it was 
decided to redesign the redesign again...

This all seems to me like simply a method of control - rejecting any 
input from people outside some kind of inner circle (if you can't 
make it to the pub) - and I don't get it. Worse than that - nothing 
seems to get done because the priority seems to be having the 
meetings to talk and talk and talk about what to do - instead of 
actually doing anything about it.

If the aim of this sort of organisational obfuscation is to frustrate 
anyone from outside the exclusive inner circle and discourage them 
from making a contribution, then it is a very successful policy 
indeed.

I wanted to make a simple positive contribution to the imc-uk website 
- and wanted to do it in a way which took advantage of the online 
technology - using email and web postings to develop a redesign. The 
reaction from people involved was to meet at the pub and post a list 
of commandments and judgements - rather than engaging in an online 
process of development.

THE POINT BEING

As far as I can see from the people posting the proposal for a new 
imc-london are the same that have frustrated me out of my interest in 
the redesign of the site - and that seems to be a road leading to 
more and more exclusion and negative control of what could be a 
growing, vibrant, positive and inclusive space on the web and in the 
global network.

And that's a bloody shame.

Toby