Re: Resignation of Suresh Ramasubramanian and Udhay Shankar from the india-gii moderator role

To all,

It would deeply sadden me to see such a valuable resource as this list 
devalued due to the actions of one member. No one should hold that power 
over us all.

After reading through this thread, it appears that the underlying issue 
is; were the list's fundamental rules broken and if so what actions 
should be taken.

The fact that our moderation team is so divided would indicate that a 
breech of the rules has occurred, even if the team has a difference of 
opinion as to how the response should be framed.

Speaking as someone who has also tested the boundaries of this list on 
more than one occasion, my philosophy has always been that no one has a 
right to be free from offense. For any moderator to attempt to keep a 
list to the point where no one is ever offended is asking a human being 
to do the impossible. Conversely, at no point should valuable, 
contributing members feel harassed to the point where removing 
themselves from the list appears to be a better option than staying.

During this last exchange, what was said on the list became somewhat 
heated but still tolerable, in my evaluation. However, taking this 
discussion to a personal level and calling a list member at home crosses 
the limits of list decorum, even with the question of a home office is 
raised.

Personally, anyone who would disrespect a person's privacy has shown a 
lack of judgment indicating their inability to interact on this list at 
the level of discourse required. When faced with a very similar 
situation, I resigned from a list I once moderated as well as left the 
organization I co-founded - so I not only understand Suresh and Udhay's 
decision but side with them as well. In my view, when the power of 
moderation is assigned to someone, any decision made in the group's best 
interest needs to be supported. And should an appeal on any such action 
be raised, it should be moved through the moderation team as a whole and 
not overturned without due process - otherwise a moderator has no 
credibility.

None of the above suggests that I will be leaving this list nor that I 
would join another list.

I humbly ask one of the best moderation teams I have ever had the 
pleasure of dealing with to find a mutually acceptable solution to this 
issue so that we can move forward. As a member of this list, it is 
understood that I hold a responsibility to introduce content for 
discussion as well as participate in those topics where I can provide 
insight. As such, going forward, I pledge to put more effort towards 
making this list a more active resource for us all.

Respectfully,

Ken DiPietro
Cumberland MD