LDW123456
02-14-2008, 12:43 AM
New Ideas for sharing more work, advisory and management Power with the Volunteers at Factnet...
One of the most important things in an online community and in a non profit organization is to share as much of the organization’s power to act, advise and manage to volunteers and individuals who have the best first hand knowledge and are willing to help. The time has come for volunteers to have an even greater voice in the Factnet management and policy decisions that effect the areas of their interests. Ideally volunteers (through the suggested new power sharing structure that I am laying out below) would do most of the non legal, security and bookkeeping work as well as make most of the advisory and management decisions outside of those legal, security and bookkeeping areas. (And even in those areas volunteers should still have a voice to advise on what they would like to see happen.)
At this point Factnet simply needs to do this a lot better and evolve in the direction of more volunteers running and managing the organization's non legal, security and bookkeeping areas. Before I share my suggestions on how Factnet proposes to do this better, I need to be clear about who will be eligible for the following proposed new volunteer work, advisory and management positions. To help you understand the criteria it is necessary to talk about how Factnet has some unique problems not found in other non profit organizations…
First and foremost, Factnet is an organization dedicated to victim healing, support and education. Cults or other groups we discuss occasionally send in their own trusted people or hired private investigators to become "fake" volunteers at Factnet. Their purpose is usually to either gather intelligence to handle their own dissident members using Factnet or to stir up conflict within the organization so that Factnet staff can not do their jobs as effectively. Therefore after years of regular infiltration attempts and experience has taught Factnet to be unapologetic about the following special volunteer criteria and checks and balances for the new volunteer positions we intend to offer.
a.) Anyone who is recommended, voted on or volunteers for any of the new positions below must have demonstrated in concrete ways (vs. just words) that they support Factnet's victim healing, support and education goals either in their history using Factnet or outside of Factnet. Factnet strongly supports vigorous dialog of opinions and the disinfecting quality that promoting transparency promotes.
b.) They may not be an apologetic for some group or have any history of attacking individuals using Factnet who do support Factnet's victim healing, support and education goals.
c.) They have already demonstrated trustworthiness and balance in their activities at Factnet or outside of Factnet. Overly angry, vengeful, vindictive or imbalanced individuals are definitely not people you want in the volunteer advisory and management groups below no matter how dedicated they are. To help others you have to have a certain level of balance and healing yourself.
c.) Wherever and whenever possible, it is their peers in a specific area who recommend them or vote on them onto the groups below.
The Proposed new Factnet Volunteer Advisory and Management Groups
(Please note it is an honor and a recognition of both trust and competency to be in any of the new groups below.)
1.) The new Forum Moderators Advisory Group: We intend to actively recruit more volunteer moderators so that we eventually have one forum moderator for each active group or organization. All of these various discussion board moderators would collectively compose the new Forum Moderators Advisory Group. The new Forum Moderators Advisory Group would focus on advising Factnet on needed forum policy or policy changes and would assist and support their fellow moderators in tough situations and calls or, when a volunteer moderator went on vacation other volunteer moderators within the new Forum Moderators Advisory Group could cover their group temporarily.
2.) The new Council of the Wise and Trusted for each active group and/or area on the site and for only that specific active group and/or area on the site. For Example there would be a coujcil of the wise for Scientology, Mormonism, the Church of God, Corporate cults etc
These Council of the Wise members work with and advise the Forum moderator(s) for only the specific group which that Council of the Wise oversees. They (through a liason also advise Factnet’s management staff on the best handlings of situations specifically related to only that group, area, forum and its materials. They are in fact the key managers of a specific area or forum. They make decisions in a democratic manner where ever possible. (They probally will have their own private sub forum.)
All Council of the wise members are allowed to post stories in the new WP home page blog for that specific group only.
All Council of the Wise members are allowed to make changes to the Wiki for that specific group if we wind up implementing Wiki software for each group that would help organize the following key sections of information we would like to offer on each group on the groups Wiki page:
1.) The Organization’s General profile: Brief Description and overview of key aspects of this group. Includes listings of known leaders, locations, assets, known front groups, known apologists, etc for this group…
2.) The Abuse/Problem FAQ - Litigation, Security, Medical, Governmental or Expert commentary or decisions relating to any form of financial, sexual, physical, psychological, theological or indoctrinational abuse or problems in a specific group or organization.
3.) The News and Media articles and archives for this group
4.) The FAQ describing Group’s Teachings / Doctrine / Joining or Recruiting Practices / includes Glossary if needed.
5.) Personal Stories detailing the individual’s history in the group, personal recovery process and personal knowledge of all forms of sexual, physical, psychological, theological or indoctrinational abuse by this organization.
6.) The Resources FAQ for Exiting this group: Suggested Books, Articles, Blogs, Discussion forums, Newsgroups, web Sites, Web multimedia audio visual links, RSS News feeds, archives etc. on this group ….
7.) The List of X-members currently willing to help exiting members with Peer to Peer support for this group. Individuals on this list could have a Private sub Form for this work if they wanted.)
8.) Expert contacts FAQ (exit counselors, therapists, lawyers, ministers, security, family and children specialists or other professionals available for help exiting this group and/or getting resources back given to this group. (I am thinking of opening a private sub forum only to the above professionals for their one on one private counseling services for another level of healing.)
9.) Questions to think about List for Current Members
10. Questions to think about List for Ex-Members
11.) The Support FAQ for Family Members and Friends trying to understand or help in recovery.
12.) Public and Social Activism regarding this group’s Abuses…
13.) General & Miscellaneous on this group that does not fit anywhere else….
- 14. Current Council of the Wise and Trusted members for this specific Forum.)
-
3.) The Senior Council of the Wise and Trusted: Each active Council of the Wise and Trusted for each Specific Group will elect 1 member (hopefully their wisest, most balanced and most trusted) to be on the Senior Council of the Wise and Trusted. The Senior Council of the Wise and Trusted votes on and advises on situations and policy issues or changes needed that affect any area of Factnet. They are the ones who also evaluate and advise on how to clean up some forum or other area that has been compromised by some coercive group's activity.
The Senior Council of the Wise and Trusted also elects a single Liaison to Factnet’s management. This individual presents the information from the Senior Council of the Wise and Trusted to Factnet's top management. Hopefully this liaison is their wisest, most balanced and most trusted member.
Please let me know what you think about this new structure to push power down the organization and still have necessary safeguards for the security of the organization.
Best,
Lawrence Wollersheim
Director Factnet
One of the most important things in an online community and in a non profit organization is to share as much of the organization’s power to act, advise and manage to volunteers and individuals who have the best first hand knowledge and are willing to help. The time has come for volunteers to have an even greater voice in the Factnet management and policy decisions that effect the areas of their interests. Ideally volunteers (through the suggested new power sharing structure that I am laying out below) would do most of the non legal, security and bookkeeping work as well as make most of the advisory and management decisions outside of those legal, security and bookkeeping areas. (And even in those areas volunteers should still have a voice to advise on what they would like to see happen.)
At this point Factnet simply needs to do this a lot better and evolve in the direction of more volunteers running and managing the organization's non legal, security and bookkeeping areas. Before I share my suggestions on how Factnet proposes to do this better, I need to be clear about who will be eligible for the following proposed new volunteer work, advisory and management positions. To help you understand the criteria it is necessary to talk about how Factnet has some unique problems not found in other non profit organizations…
First and foremost, Factnet is an organization dedicated to victim healing, support and education. Cults or other groups we discuss occasionally send in their own trusted people or hired private investigators to become "fake" volunteers at Factnet. Their purpose is usually to either gather intelligence to handle their own dissident members using Factnet or to stir up conflict within the organization so that Factnet staff can not do their jobs as effectively. Therefore after years of regular infiltration attempts and experience has taught Factnet to be unapologetic about the following special volunteer criteria and checks and balances for the new volunteer positions we intend to offer.
a.) Anyone who is recommended, voted on or volunteers for any of the new positions below must have demonstrated in concrete ways (vs. just words) that they support Factnet's victim healing, support and education goals either in their history using Factnet or outside of Factnet. Factnet strongly supports vigorous dialog of opinions and the disinfecting quality that promoting transparency promotes.
b.) They may not be an apologetic for some group or have any history of attacking individuals using Factnet who do support Factnet's victim healing, support and education goals.
c.) They have already demonstrated trustworthiness and balance in their activities at Factnet or outside of Factnet. Overly angry, vengeful, vindictive or imbalanced individuals are definitely not people you want in the volunteer advisory and management groups below no matter how dedicated they are. To help others you have to have a certain level of balance and healing yourself.
c.) Wherever and whenever possible, it is their peers in a specific area who recommend them or vote on them onto the groups below.
The Proposed new Factnet Volunteer Advisory and Management Groups
(Please note it is an honor and a recognition of both trust and competency to be in any of the new groups below.)
1.) The new Forum Moderators Advisory Group: We intend to actively recruit more volunteer moderators so that we eventually have one forum moderator for each active group or organization. All of these various discussion board moderators would collectively compose the new Forum Moderators Advisory Group. The new Forum Moderators Advisory Group would focus on advising Factnet on needed forum policy or policy changes and would assist and support their fellow moderators in tough situations and calls or, when a volunteer moderator went on vacation other volunteer moderators within the new Forum Moderators Advisory Group could cover their group temporarily.
2.) The new Council of the Wise and Trusted for each active group and/or area on the site and for only that specific active group and/or area on the site. For Example there would be a coujcil of the wise for Scientology, Mormonism, the Church of God, Corporate cults etc
These Council of the Wise members work with and advise the Forum moderator(s) for only the specific group which that Council of the Wise oversees. They (through a liason also advise Factnet’s management staff on the best handlings of situations specifically related to only that group, area, forum and its materials. They are in fact the key managers of a specific area or forum. They make decisions in a democratic manner where ever possible. (They probally will have their own private sub forum.)
All Council of the wise members are allowed to post stories in the new WP home page blog for that specific group only.
All Council of the Wise members are allowed to make changes to the Wiki for that specific group if we wind up implementing Wiki software for each group that would help organize the following key sections of information we would like to offer on each group on the groups Wiki page:
1.) The Organization’s General profile: Brief Description and overview of key aspects of this group. Includes listings of known leaders, locations, assets, known front groups, known apologists, etc for this group…
2.) The Abuse/Problem FAQ - Litigation, Security, Medical, Governmental or Expert commentary or decisions relating to any form of financial, sexual, physical, psychological, theological or indoctrinational abuse or problems in a specific group or organization.
3.) The News and Media articles and archives for this group
4.) The FAQ describing Group’s Teachings / Doctrine / Joining or Recruiting Practices / includes Glossary if needed.
5.) Personal Stories detailing the individual’s history in the group, personal recovery process and personal knowledge of all forms of sexual, physical, psychological, theological or indoctrinational abuse by this organization.
6.) The Resources FAQ for Exiting this group: Suggested Books, Articles, Blogs, Discussion forums, Newsgroups, web Sites, Web multimedia audio visual links, RSS News feeds, archives etc. on this group ….
7.) The List of X-members currently willing to help exiting members with Peer to Peer support for this group. Individuals on this list could have a Private sub Form for this work if they wanted.)
8.) Expert contacts FAQ (exit counselors, therapists, lawyers, ministers, security, family and children specialists or other professionals available for help exiting this group and/or getting resources back given to this group. (I am thinking of opening a private sub forum only to the above professionals for their one on one private counseling services for another level of healing.)
9.) Questions to think about List for Current Members
10. Questions to think about List for Ex-Members
11.) The Support FAQ for Family Members and Friends trying to understand or help in recovery.
12.) Public and Social Activism regarding this group’s Abuses…
13.) General & Miscellaneous on this group that does not fit anywhere else….
- 14. Current Council of the Wise and Trusted members for this specific Forum.)
-
3.) The Senior Council of the Wise and Trusted: Each active Council of the Wise and Trusted for each Specific Group will elect 1 member (hopefully their wisest, most balanced and most trusted) to be on the Senior Council of the Wise and Trusted. The Senior Council of the Wise and Trusted votes on and advises on situations and policy issues or changes needed that affect any area of Factnet. They are the ones who also evaluate and advise on how to clean up some forum or other area that has been compromised by some coercive group's activity.
The Senior Council of the Wise and Trusted also elects a single Liaison to Factnet’s management. This individual presents the information from the Senior Council of the Wise and Trusted to Factnet's top management. Hopefully this liaison is their wisest, most balanced and most trusted member.
Please let me know what you think about this new structure to push power down the organization and still have necessary safeguards for the security of the organization.
Best,
Lawrence Wollersheim
Director Factnet