Plugging my work and asking a question

[Roy Pitchford]

I'll ask my question first:
Is it just me, or can other people NOT post in the "Lakewood Businesses" forum? That would be the more appropriate place for the "plugging my work" portion of this topic. I don't feel particularly "encouraged to post" as a "Business or consumer" if there is no New Topic or Reply buttons for me to click?
In my opinion:
a. Open up the forum so anyone can post.
b. Change the description to be more accurate.

Now, plugging some work:
Over the course of the last 6 months, I have labored during my off hours to make The Harvard Classics into a series of Kindle compatible e-books.
For reasons that are Amazon's (not mine), roughly 30 of the 51 volumes were accepted and are now available for purchase.
In addition to those 30 volumes, yesterday, a special compilation went live on Amazon's website.
The Harvard Classics, Youth Compilation

According to Dr. Charles Eliot, this collection of books, essays and poems is "for the use of boys and girls from twelve to eighteen years of age."

[Jim O'Bryan]

I'll ask my question first:
Is it just me, or can other people NOT post in the "Lakewood Businesses" forum? That would be the more appropriate place for the "plugging my work" portion of this topic. I don't feel particularly "encouraged to post" as a "Business or consumer" if there is no New Topic or Reply buttons for me to click?
In my opinion:
a. Open up the forum so anyone can post.
b. Change the description to be more accurate.

Roy

I like it, when can we get together and talk?

Jim O'Bryan


.

[Peter Grossetti]

Roy (and others) - while I do not represent the techno-geek side of the Observer house, I can assure you that in my role as Associate Editor for Community Engagement, I (and the rest of us) appreciate questions, comments and concerns such as these ... so much so that I will be soon announcing the reintroduction of the Observer Coffee Chat Sessions which will delve into things like: "what do you think the Lakewood Observer/Observation Deck should/could be/do?" (Not to be confused with our LOKOL Public Forum Series which has been "on the shelf" as I get used to my new "real job" ... but that, too, will be rebooted very soon. Stay tuned!

Peter Grossetti
Associate Editor for Community Engagement
The Lakewood Observer Project

[Roy Pitchford]

I'll ask my question first:
Is it just me, or can other people NOT post in the "Lakewood Businesses" forum? That would be the more appropriate place for the "plugging my work" portion of this topic. I don't feel particularly "encouraged to post" as a "Business or consumer" if there is no New Topic or Reply buttons for me to click?
In my opinion:
a. Open up the forum so anyone can post.
b. Change the description to be more accurate.

Roy

I like it, when can we get together and talk?

Jim O'Bryan


.

I'm curious why you think a discussion would be necessary. It's your website, or at the very least, you play a very large role in its operation. If you like my suggestion (either part), it is your prerogative to make the change.

[Peter Grossetti]

It's your (Jim's) website ...

Actually, Roy ... it's YOUR website (and newpaper and project) ... and it also belongs to the other 51,000+ residents of Lakewood. Jim merely runs the business.

This is precisely why I think I better hurry up and put together an Observer Coffee Chat Session .. so we can all discuss such matters and chart a course for the future!

Peter Grossetti
Associate Editor for Community Engagement
The Lakewood Observer Project

[Thealexa Becker]

Gotta go with Roy on this one. If it's OUR website, why can't we just post on all the forums...I think a discussion on this particular issue is overdoing it. Few clicks of a button and problem solved.

[Roy Pitchford]

This is an interesting dynamic that is forming...

Through Peter's statements, it sounds like the Observer is communist. No one person "owns" the paper and website, it "belongs" to everyone.
If it belongs to everyone, can I get a look at your financial statements? I think its only "fair" that everyone in the city begin to receive checks for any profits made from the sales of advertising on the website and newspaper. $510+ is all it needs for us all to get a 1 penny check in the mail...

If Jim runs the business that belongs to everyone, than I would also have to label this as oligarchical or maybe even totalitarian, because I don't believe I was ever consulted, as a "shareholder," in the election/installation of Jim as the executive running the Observer. Neither have I ever seen any subsequent opportunity to replace him, if we, the "owners" so chose. Where does one go to call for a vote of no confidence?

It wouldn't happen. I know that. The Observer is a business, with business interests. If it took the advice of everyone in Lakewood for its operations, it would never get anything done because each of us is different and has their own ideas of how things need to be run. Jim calls the shots and that is his prerogative. If he wants to take advice from me, cool. If not, I might not think its cool, but it's still his choice.

I will, however, disagree with Thealexa on a point: I don't think I need or want full posting ability in every single forum. If the administrators of the site want to have certain areas restricted to only certain people, that is their prerogative. Creating a forum for, let's say, city government announcements which is restricted to the Mayor, Council members and select members of the city government, is perfectly legitimate to me. If everyone in Lakewood has the ability to post there, at that point, it stops being a forum for city government announcements.

The forum description was incorrect/deceptive. Fix the description or fix the forum itself. It could have been done by now. Instead, we're talking about it needing to be done and creating chat sessions. This is like a government bureaucracy.

To quote Daffy Duck, "This is a fine way to run a railroad."

[J Hrlec]

This is an interesting dynamic that is forming...

Through Peter's statements, it sounds like the Observer is communist. No one person "owns" the paper and website, it "belongs" to everyone.
If it belongs to everyone, can I get a look at your financial statements? I think its only "fair" that everyone in the city begin to receive checks for any profits made from the sales of advertising on the website and newspaper. $510+ is all it needs for us all to get a 1 penny check in the mail...

If Jim runs the business that belongs to everyone, than I would also have to label this as oligarchical or maybe even totalitarian, because I don't believe I was ever consulted, as a "shareholder," in the election/installation of Jim as the executive running the Observer. Neither have I ever seen any subsequent opportunity to replace him, if we, the "owners" so chose. Where does one go to call for a vote of no confidence?

It wouldn't happen. I know that. The Observer is a business, with business interests. If it took the advice of everyone in Lakewood for its operations, it would never get anything done because each of us is different and has their own ideas of how things need to be run. Jim calls the shots and that is his prerogative. If he wants to take advice from me, cool. If not, I might not think its cool, but it's still his choice.

I will, however, disagree with Thealexa on a point: I don't think I need or want full posting ability in every single forum. If the administrators of the site want to have certain areas restricted to only certain people, that is their prerogative. Creating a forum for, let's say, city government announcements which is restricted to the Mayor, Council members and select members of the city government, is perfectly legitimate to me. If everyone in Lakewood has the ability to post there, at that point, it stops being a forum for city government announcements.

The forum description was incorrect/deceptive. Fix the description or fix the forum itself. It could have been done by now. Instead, we're talking about it needing to be done and creating chat sessions. This is like a government bureaucracy.

To quote Daffy Duck, "This is a fine way to run a railroad."

I was thinking the similar.... but none the less, I wouldn't mind the admin password to this website, I mean my website, so I can add some other items and do some re-design work. When can I get that?



I do think this site is nice and has some good info, but let's be honest, in terms of this particular topic the LO is no more "ours" than any other forum on the web so I'm not sure why it has become a re-occurring theme other than feel good marketing.

[Peter Grossetti]

... it's YOUR website (and newpaper and project) ...

Roy, Thealexa, J, et al -

Oy!!! Look up the word "metaphorically" in the dictionary! Really!??!?

Though ... from the standpoint of community engagement, I guess I did my "job"!

Peter Grossetti
Associate Editor for Community Engagement
The Lakewood Observer Project

[Betsy Voinovich]

Hi all--

The point of the Deck is that Lakewood citizens have a place to share information. So Roy, your original question regarding the Business Forum: "Where are the new topic buttons and reply buttons?" accurately describe how this works. Anybody can post, anyone can respond, so why doesn't that forum work that way? It isn't a "City announcement" forum or whatever.

It seems like it should work that way--

I've had issues with the use of many of the various forums, particularly "Education" because it seems to me like most information should be under General Discussion, at least at the beginning. I've missed posts in the Urban Dynamics forum and the Education forum just because I forgot to look there, and the discussions were relevant to the Lakewood general population (that is me).

And Roy, to me, it's great news that Amazon accepted your Harvard Classics Youth compilation. Congratulations! How cool to be able to get something on your Kindle that you put together. "This guy's from Lakewood! He's one of my Deck mates." So I think it's news first. And as for "plugging your business" I think you should list it in more detail over in the Business Forum, like how exactly do you search for it, etc, how much does it cost. The Deck programmers are probably looking at that now. But I don't know whether I would ever have seen it if you did put it there.

Overall I think announcing it here is a good place for it. And again, congratulations.

Betsy Voinovich