Re: understanding consensus

[Laurent BERNARD <lbernard@artinternet.fr>]

Hi,

At 09:33 27/12/96 PST, you wrote:
>Then that begs the question - if this is such a hot topic, where are
>all the posters? If this topic is such that only 10 people are making
>the vast majority of the posts, and there seems to be agreement
>amongst most of them on some points, wouldn't that suggest that
>most people, while interested, don't care?

or otherwise : my opinion was already expressed, why
crowding this list with redundance ?
With the time "offset" between my country and others,
I often come late on a topic, and nothing else I may add.
Already, I've received 300 mails from the list this very monday.

>If the IAHC is getting comments from outside of this list - the list
>that THEY set up to discuss this issue - they should post it here so
>we can accurately gauge the opinions of those who care to give them.

this is not, IMHO, a voting list.
then again : 10 persons = 100 mails/day.
300 persons = what if giving their very own opinion on each subject ?

>As to the rest, the lurkers, they are urged to speak up, but nobody
>can force them. If consensus is made by 20 people when only 20
>people care to speak, then so be it, no?

Excuse me, but I can't help finding the term "lurker" offending.
Anyway : I would urge these NOT to say anything if not new
and/or ADDING something to the discussion.

With respect to their opinion. (then mine :-)

May a consensus be gauged directly from a mailing list ?
I'm not sure.
Here is a matter of choosing the best solution to actual problems.
I IMHO think solutions appear in this case by discussion, not
counting E-mails.
Again : I'm NOT here to VOTE.
Or otherwise, we need some more formal procedure.
And then, I may vote with several personal accounts, which
obviously make this process flawed as many here may do the same.

Best regards.

>Christopher Ambler
>President, Image Online Design, Inc.


Laurent BERNARD
"Not knowing it couldn't be done, he went ahead and did it"