Post in State of the City - New Voices

Mar 26 15:30 UTC

Tim:

At the risk of possibly entering a grey (gray?) area of what's permissible on
SPIF, but assuming the rules are slightly relaxed this week, I think the
perception shared by the mayor's staffer should be embraced, especially since
you're reporting that "it's something we hear frequently about SPIF." I don't
think such comments reflect negatively on those folks, like yourself, who
brought SPIF into existence, maintain it, do the outreach, etc.--everybody who
participates in the forum owes a debt of gratitude for those efforts.

But in examining the data about participation, I don't think that citing the
number of people who participate is really that accurate a stat, because one
post by someone, even if it's just a brief rejoinder, would count as
participation. What I think your stats will tell you is that while many people
may post from time to time, there is a very short list of folks who post
frequently, and thus tend to dominate the forum. I don't know if that's good or
bad, but I think it's an arguable point as to whether civic dialogue has
increased, decreased, or stayed about the same during the years that SPIF has
existed.

Again, this is not meant as criticism of electronic list servs, the potential
value they offer, or the hard work of the volunteers who keep it all going. But
my own perspective is that every medium has its limits in usefulness, including
this one. At times, I've found SPIF to be extraordinarily valuable; in fact, I
thought enough of SPIF as a public medium that it was the first place that I
announced my candidacy for the school board in 2005 (and it's also how I "met"
several folks who I was able to recruit as volunteers in my campaign). Yet, at
other times, I've found the comments and churlishness of some people on SPIF to
be extremely disheartening. I think some great ideas have been put forward on
SPIF, and at the same time, I've watched people regularly not only trash those
ideas but trash the person putting forward the ideas. So, in some ways, SPIF
can unwittingly contribute to uncivil dialogue, because I doubt very much that
some of these extremely negative statements would ever be offered in a public
forum or face-to-face with someone, yet it's fair game to do so on this list.

Unfortunately, every medium is limited or enhanced by the personalities and
characteristics of those who participate, and ultimately the "group" drives the
dynamics of the forum. So I understand why the public perception of SPIF, or
even the perception of public officials, might be what it is. I'm not sure that
any of this matters, because no medium is perfect, but it might explain why
you're getting the feedback that you do.

Tom Goldstein
Hamline-Midway