Re: Bulletin Proposals: Response from Anner Whitehead

["William Plotner" <gardens@molalla.net>]

Here, here to Anner,

all good points bust especially this one..."Regarding discretion, I suggest
you eliminate the Bulletin Advisory Committee. The Editor should find
his/her own advisors, and should bring his/her business to the greater Board
for insight and discussion, like  any other Officer
of the Society. "

As to the past white space complaints...tis is more a responsibility of the
publisher and layout people that the editor.

All My Best

Will
William Plotner

----- Original Message -----
From: <ChatOWhitehall@aol.com>
To: <AISdiscuss@aisboard.org>
Sent: Thursday, January 11, 2007 10:25 AM
Subject: [AISdiscuss] Bulletin Proposals: Response from Anner Whitehead


> Greetings.
>
> Ms. Plank said: "Earlier this week I notified [. . .] the AIS Board of
> Directors that I had received a letter of resignation from [. . . ] Bruce
Filardi.
> I returned a letter accepting his resignation with regret."
>
> I am profoundly disappointed at this lamentable turn of  events.
>
>
> Bruce Filardi has been a fine editor, passionate and  mercurial to be
sure,
> which is not  unusual with dedicated, intelligent  creative people.
Considered
> as a group, the Bulletins issued under his  direction have been fresher,
more
> attractive, sounder in their information, and  more interesting than
others I
> have received in the course  of my AIS membership. There has been abundant
> meat, and other  food for thought, as well as much beauty.
>
> As you seek to resolve this problem, I caution you that although there
are
> many persons who might produce one excellent issue of a  publication,
truly
> sound editors, individuals capable of  sustaining a publication over time,
are
> not thick on the ground; indeed,  they are rather rare. When found they
must be
> cherished, and  cultivated.
>
>
> President Plank has asked whether one found her summary of various
private
> discussions interesting, and helpful. I can respond yes, to  the extent
that
> any summary has interest and utility as compared  with the primary
documents it
> summarizes. Now, I wish to speak to several  points from her two notes,
and I
> intend to speak plainly.
>
>
> FIRST:  The problem with the notion of having a series of guest  Editors,
> persons undertaking to audition for the job in effect, is that under  the
Bylaws
> the Editor of the AIS Bulletin is not just a worker  bee, much less a
worker
> bee obliged to remain biddable and  docile regardless of the conditions of
his
> or her service, or the  prevailing tone of discourse.
>
> Within the hierarchy of the Society, the Editor, and the  Administrative
> Officers as well for that matter, are close to the  stars. They are not
the hired
> help, they are not pack animals,  and they are due all the respect of
their
> positions. I say this  because I believe there has been a tendency in some
> quarters to  forget it.
>
> Now, as all here no doubt remember, the AIS Editor is 1) an Officer of
the
> Society, 2) an ex-officio member of the AIS Board of Directors, with full
> voting privileges. It would be difficult, I think, not impossible but
difficult,
> to reconcile this with the concept of a "guest"  Editor, for it is clearly
the
> intent of the Bylaws that an Editor  shall enjoy the power, privilege, and
> discretion fully  commensurate with his or her enormous responsibility.
>
> Regarding discretion, I suggest you eliminate the Bulletin Advisory
> Committee. The Editor should find his/her own advisors, and should bring
his/her
> business to the greater Board for insight and discussion, like  any other
Officer
> of the Society.
>
> I urge you not to seek to  micromanage all else you bog down, loosing
sight
> of  important goals in a confusion of trivia and personalities. You must
avoid
> strangling the life out of processes which must remain fluid. I also
suggest
> you contemplate this notion of accountability which appears to be  so much
in
> the air. Observe who actually delivers, and ask yourself how  much
> supervision is actually beneficial or necessary. I can tell you that
while Membership
> Secretary I found it uniquely galling to have to fend  off interference in
my
> affairs from parties notorious for  not giving due diligence to their own
jobs.
>
> SECOND: Anent this idea of reprinting articles from Section or Regional
> publications: This is not a bad idea per se, indeed a Bulletin piece  of
mine was
> initially published Regionally and found wider favor thereafter,  but such
> should not, I believe, be a major means of obtaining  material for the AIS
> Bulletin. Quite aside from the fact that it seems  barely possible that
the AIS
> membership, all of whom are members of Regions and  many of which are
members of
> Sections, does not want to encounter the  same tired copy over and over
again
> in lieu of something fresh and  interesting to read, the task of rounding
up
> interesting  copy is definitionally one of the duties of any Editor.
>
> The AIS Editor needs to develop his or her resources so as to have  high
> quality original copy available for the Bulletin on an ongoing basis.
> Understanding this fact, and demonstrating dedication to this  process
should be one of
> the first qualifications for the  job.
>
>
> THIRD: Whereas it is, no doubt, very well for the  Editor to listen
closely
> to what the members say they are  interested in reading, it is also
important
> to bear in  mind that the Editor of the official organ of the Society has
a
> duty  to educate, which means educate not only the public, but also a
diverse
> membership. A good Editor must meet the needs of the most  conventional
members,
> certainly, but that is not enough. He or she must  also must present new
> ideas, stimulate new enthusiasms,  and encourage productive dialogue, even
if this
> alienates some  folks along the way. If this organization is to go
anywhere
> in  future, the AIS Editor must lead, and must inspire, not  just traipse
along
> behind.
>
> It would be folly to dumb down the Bulletin down in a  misguided attempt
to
> appeal to an imagined least common denominator,  else AIS retain only
those
> members who like things dumb. And as for  the presumption that AIS is, de
facto,
> an organization for  senior citizens and retirees, I'd like to say: Who
sez?
> And ask: So, how is that working out for you?
>
> I have written about these and similar Bulletin issues at length on the
Iris
> chat list of which, I believe, most of you are quiet members. I  am
> disinclined to chew that cud again. In passing, however,  I will observe
that much of
> the duty of making new members  welcome and comfortable, and providing
them
> with useful beginner  information, lies squarely with the Regions, which
are
> uniquely  positioned to effect a warm welcome in a more direct,
immediate,
> personal, and location-specific manner.
>
> FOURTH: Regarding pesky practicalities. It seems to me that  if you are
short
> of money for the Bulletin, then it might be well  to send out one issue a
> year, the October, say, in black and white.  Call it the "reading issue",
and
> pack it chock full of longer  articles, articles from past Bulletins which
bear
> reprinting, some of  Ben Hager's stuff, perhaps, or Warburton's, pieces
from
> Section or Regional  publications, research, correspondence to the Editor,
as
> well as the AIS  business reports, Minutes, and such. Cut your suit to fit
your
> cloth,  and make a virtue of necessity.
>
> Now, it appears that this question has arisen: Obviously the Editor  needs
to
> go to the Board Meetings whenever feasible, not simply  to be available
for
> the Board's questions, but also because he or she is an  Officer of the
> Society, and a voting member of that same Board.  And the Editor is also
likely to
> have useful and insightful opinions on  many subjects, and perhaps probing
> questions for other Board members and  Committee chairs. As a voting
memvber of the
> Board his or her range of  responsibility to the Society and the
membership
> is not limited to the Bulletin,  and he or she needs to be present to
exercise
> his or her duty of oversight,  too.
>
> Anent that pesky salary issue: I encourage you strongly to be
businesslike
> and professional about these matters; to document  fully; to take legal
> counsel regarding employee/employer
> cf. independent contractor status as defined under the tax code; and to
> resist any temptation to invite those receiving AIS funds intended to
offset
> heavy personal expenses or the unusual time demands of their  job to feel
> uncomfortable accepting those funds.
>
>
> In filling this position, you need to find a genius, a highly  responsible
> one. When found, you must give them their lead, support  them, and pick up
their
> tab cheerfully, because that is how you will  save AIS; furthermore, no
good
> Editor is going to tolerate  anything less.
>
>
> I have banged out this note off the top of my head and at a swift  gallop
> because the President has asked for comments. It is far too long,  but I
am in
> the middle of writing an article and do not have  time to redraft to make
it
> shorter, for which I ask your kind  indulgence.
>
> Cordially,
>
> Anner Whitehead
>
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