about the way our IMC sites work....

by lynx-13 Sunday, Aug. 03, 2003 at 4:36 AM

do you have any of the same problems / ideas for solutions at your IMC? what can we do as concerned communities to implement much needed changes without becoming part of the problem?

about the way our IM...
_more_options_not_fewer_.jpg, image/jpeg, 400x286

(IMC, AZ, SF)
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to all IMC participants,

i am posting to your site in hopes of opening up constructive dialogue about the way our sites work and how we can make them more useful. here are some proposals for LA-IMC intended to start the ball rolling.

do you have any of the same problems / ideas for solutions? what can we do as concerned communities to implement much needed changes without becoming part of the problem?

thanks,

lynx-13

here's the proposals....
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1. maybe the more that members of IMC collectives use the public IMC newswires both generally and specifically to propose , discuss, and debate developments in IMC structure, the better the IMC will be.

2. maybe improvements in the quality of interaction on the IMC website will be ongoing, hopefully for many years, through a continual process of adjustments rather than a sudden transition to a perfect solution.

3. maybe problems arising from public participation in the site will in the long run be solved by giving people more options, not fewer.

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- - - la-imc should make clear that it understands that lack of transparency is a problem and that la-imc is presently not adequately transparent. la-imc should post minutes or notes or journalistic accounts of regular la-imc meetings in some very visible place on the front page of the site.

- - - - la-imc should publicly post explanations of significant or total losses of function as soon as possible after the lapses occur. when explanations are unavailable for any reason, that should also be posted. these notices should tell imc users how they can help. all this info should be highly visible.

- - - - each link in the "latest comments about this article" box should open to display a stack of comments selected BY THE COMMENTER WHO POSTED THAT COMMENT. the next link should open a stack selected by the next person. and so on.

- - - - la-imc should make clear on the front page that it understands that anglo-centrism is a problem and that la-imc is presently and has always been anglocentric and la-imc should publicly seek help fixing this problem. if la-imc is not in consensus on this matter, some prominent space on the front page should be devoted to publicly discuss this important issue.

- - - - a latest comments link should automatically appear at the bottom of every comment.

- - - - la-imc should provide prominent space on the website for the Free Pacifica movement.

- - - - kpfk has consistently given la-imc airtime. la-imc should reciprocate for kpfk

- - - - banners should be changed regularly.

- - - - center column should change at least every day. if orginal work by the collective is unavailable, then user posts should be selected and imported into the center column.

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p.s. it seems like "latest comments" pages, like the one at la-imc, are being abandoned instead of improved. this is especially sad because the IMC was started in order to facilitate constructive interaction. the IMC has set the standard for alternative internet journalism networking and the only reason to turn away from interactivity at this point is in order to rob the IMC of some of its nascent potential. solutions to problems caused by so-called flame wars are abundant without abandoning the inspiring and legitimate demand for free, open, and constructive dialogue. internationally, IMC's could easily feature more and more useful, free, and constructive boards and forums that are interactive and journalistic. the abandonment of "latest comments" pages is a step away from interactivity, a step in the wrong direction.

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anticrisis

lynx

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