[IndiChix] COC and Policy for Chapters

[Vid Ayer]

Hello All,

From, http://www.linuxchix.org/founding-local-linuxchix-chapter.html ,
"Local Linuxchix chapters are completely autonomous provided that your
chapter observes the central aim of LinuxChix: "supporting women in
Linux", and your chapter observes the "be polite, be helpful" rules.
You can do anything you like beyond that."

Unfortunately this freedom and autonomy is being misused by a select
few for unknown reasons.  I am aware that local issues should be
solved locally but its entirely demotivating to have vitriolic abusive
responses when one is trying to ensure transparency in the project.  I
state this because Linuxchix-India domain is currently owned by a
woman who has left the group and has not communicated with LCIN for
about a year now.  Fwiw, previous attempts last year and more recent
attempts, as is evident in the ensuing thread[1][2], resulted in a lot
of vitriolic personal attacks[3] and threats to fork the group by only
one person (Mr. Atul Chitnis, and there is a precedent in this regard
[4]) on the basis of LC having no specific rules for chapters.  That
is neither polite nor helpful and our problem remains gridlocked as I
said here [5] : "That said, threatening to fork the project is not the
best way to behave in a community. Quoting the LC motto "Be polite, Be
respectful", I'd add that "People come and go, Projects remain" and
any community is made up of its people."

[1] http://mailman.linuxchix.org/pipermail/indichix/2008-December/001309.html
[2] http://mailman.linuxchix.org/pipermail/indichix/2009-January/001332.html
[3] http://mailman.linuxchix.org/pipermail/indichix/2009-January/001326.html
[4] http://mailman.linuxchix.org/pipermail/indichix/2009-January/001334.html
[5] http://mailman.linuxchix.org/pipermail/indichix/2009-January/001340.html

So this is a request and a suggestion that LC draft a policy for
chapters with respect to domain ownership, hosting and server access
issues.  Its certainly not nice to curtail freedom but misusing the
freedom LC provides is not helpful and very demotivating.

Since there has been no precedent like this in the 10 years of LC's
existence, I'd like folks to suggest a way out of the current
gridlock.  I am sending this mail to the grrl-talk list so that
everyone can participate and discuss the issue and its discussed
publicly with archives** so we can avoid future mud-slinging and
finger-pointing.   In case someone has a thought to share on how to go
ahead and resolve the (linuxchix.org.in) domain and keep things in one
place. Am also keeping the Indichix list in the loop so people can
suggest how we go ahead from here.

** NB: Grrl-talk is open to men subscribing but I'd also like to
request the archives be made public (its currently only available to
subscribers).

Thanks for reading,
-- 
Vid
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|| You are what your deepest desire is ; As you desire, so is your
intention ; As your intention, so is your will ; As is your will, so
is your deed ; As is your deed, so is your destiny | ~Upanishads ||