Template:CharterVote2/31/Discussion

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Make it clear that he helps with decisions about content, not behavior:

• The Managing Editor has the following duties:

1. to ensure — by means of executive decisions — that the principles and policies of the Citizendium concerning content and style are effectively and coherently observed;such decisions shall be based on established policy unless required in the case of a policy deficit. They may be overruled by the appropriate Council.
2. to represent the Citizendium in its relations with external bodies, such as the mass media, and academic or non-academic institutions.

D. Matt Innis 20:31, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

• Agree D. Matt Innis 21:32, 17 July 2010 (UTC)
  • Agree, reluctantly, with the first clause.
  • Second clause: to be a primary point of contact for external bodies, consistent with the principles and policies of the Citizendium about external relationships.
  • The language should make it clear there could be other representatives and all work within policy.
  • I would prefer seeing Clause 2 deleted, and Clause 1 reflect Russell's analogy that the ME is to the EC as Constables are to the MC. Actually, I'd rather see the ME deleted, but this is a compromise.

Howard C. Berkowitz 22:01, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

I also prefer Howard's "to be a primary point of contact" to replace "to represent" for the same reason. D. Matt Innis 22:41, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

Taking the above into account and adding a small piece of my own:

1. to ensure — by means of executive decisions — that the principles and policies of the Citizendium concerning content, style and community administration are effectively and coherently observed; such decisions shall be based on established policy unless required in the case of a policy deficit. They may be overruled by the appropriate Council.
2. to be a primary point of contact for external bodies in their relations with the Citizendium

Joe Quick 05:05, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

Agree D. Matt Innis 12:10, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

What does "be a primary point of contact for external bodies" mean in practical terms? Does this mean that the ME becomes the name to which citizendium.org is assigned at the DNS? Does it mean that when someone contacts me about CZ, I'm to say, "go talk to our ME?" How will any "external body" plopping down on CZ ever know to contact our Managing Editor? What if a Lawyer wants content removed? Who will they contact? I'm willing to bet they'll look up the name attached to the DNS of citizendium.org and contact Larry. Is that what we want? Russell D. Jones 13:03, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

All good points.. Howard, what ya think? D. Matt Innis 13:44, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

I don't want to be excessively long, but I think I can make some specific suggestions. As I consider them, however, it strengthens my opinions that the ME has confused reporting to both the MC and EC, and really should have the details worked out in the Councils, not Charter, if indeed the Councils decide the position is needed. Ask yourself, long and hard, if people would have created a position with only these two roles, or if they are simply what was left after fighting.

Apropos DNS: It's perfectly acceptable to have what is called either "role" or "person" information in DNS. "Role" would be DNSmanager@citizendium.org, while "Person" would be "MariaRodriguez@citizendium.org". DNS also provides for points of contact for administrative/billing, technical, and registration matters.

With the external roles ill-specified, we are forcing together things that aren't necessarily realistic skill sets. Ideally, the initial contact has media relations expertise and probably some basic legal knowledge. There will be external relations for things clearly within the primary purview of the EC, such as workflow integration -- hypothetically, we might need one person intimately familiar with the discipline and another familiar with the integration technology (and internal standards on how we use the technology with different organizations).

More and more, I come back to an idea first floated by Russell (credit, not responsibility): the ME can be to the EC as the Constables are to the MC: policy executors. Trying to make it a first point of contact for everything doesn't make good organizational sense. It's a role supporting Councils, not supplanting them unless one is of the belief that Councils can never be effective. Since the position can't be elected, under current rules, without actions by a functioning EC or MC, I see it properly as not a major office, but as a Task Manager (do we still have Task Managers) with a well-defined set of functions deemed necessary by the Councils. It's less that some of the ME functions don't need to be done and more that it may not be logical to vest them in the same person.

Task Manager. Howard C. Berkowitz 15:30, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

I'm thinking I'm going to go back to my first vote. D. Matt Innis 21:32, 17 July 2010 (UTC)