[Themaintainers] Maintainers email list update

[Andrew Russell]

Hi Bastien - inline, so I don’t top-post on your bottom-post :)

> On Jun 17, 2020, at 5:47 AM, Bastien <bzg at bzg.fr> wrote:
> 
> Dear Andrew,
> 
> thanks for your message.
> 
> Andrew Russell <arussell at arussell.org> writes:
> 
>> The reason we did this is that we wanted to be sure that messages
>> sent to the list were appropriate, and aligned with our Maintainers
>> values and the code of conduct we developed for MIII.
> 
> I understand the need to ensure that all messages sent to this list
> are appropriate but, as far as I can remember, all messages I received
> through the list so far were appropriate.  So this announcement sounds
> a bit weird, like trying to fix a problem that we did not have (yet).
> 
> If subscribers are not sure what real problem is being fixed by the a
> priori moderation, they may end up censoring themselves, just because
> they don't know what wrong they could do (e.g. I hesitated before this
> very message, which is clearly a bit too "meta".)
> 
> Or maybe I'm not just aware enough of previous real problems?

In a general sense, I think it’s a good thing if we all think twice before posting to the list - it’s nearing 1000 people at this point, full of people from different countries, backgrounds, walks of life, you name it.  Of course, if anyone is uncertain if a post is on-topic, they are welcome to reach out to me, Jess, or Lee for feedback.  (Indeed, I do this regularly with messages I send to this list - even this message, to go all-in on “meta.”)

I hear you about the deeper issue, which is to identify the problem we’re trying to fix.  We’ll certainly address this once we make the time to issue the invitation to the community for feedback, and dig into the work of creating an updated approach to moderation and code of conduct that is specific to this list.  We believe this admittedly cautious approach is the best way to get out in front of any problems before they become more difficult to manage, while at the same time preserving everyone’s ability to interact, participate, and share.

I hope that makes sense, and we truly appreciate your presence and ideas here!

Andy

> 
> Best,
> 
> -- 
> Bastien
>