On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 10:50 AM, Lisa Kachold <lisakachold@obnosis.com> wrote:

After interacting in PLUG events over the last 3 years here, teaching at freegeek.org and running the POWUG for 3 years in Oregon while also after interacting in technology for more than 25 years in the trenches, I have seen a great deal of bad manners, ineffective competition, and behavior that leads anywhere but toward free and open discussion and interaction.

I have also observed interaction styles and personality types that save a group with their fun approach, easy going nature and humanism.

As you read these you might try not to descend to black and white thinking, but see what each type ultimately provides to the group experience.

I am sure some of these basic types everyone will recognize:

1) Mr. OneUpMan:

Rather than happily bantering along in information exchange, he powers out to look more Intelligent or rudely talks down to others.  This can include a swift change of subject to something not even similar to the issue or subject stream.   He can never just "play" with others, and never ever asks a question.  He can be so dominating that the whole discussion around him has to be limited to his experience, his training and his viewpoint. 

2) Mr. Academic:

This person will always fill in extraneous details and add additional information.  He is certain that he is the one and only authority.  Unfortunately, often this limits others from actually doing their own research (via google or other written documentation).

3) Mr. Gossip:

This person, rather than discuss technology, complete lab exercises or listen to others, spends a great deal of time discussing others, local shops, history (skewed by their own resentments and losses or those of their ally fellows).  Anything this person overhears in first person singular humanism becomes fodder for their next ten sessions.  They generally do not show up at events prepared for and interested in technical viewpoints.  They often take "sides" without evaluating the truth from a distance or without determining if it's actually their business.

4) Mr. Serial Processing:

This attendee cannot equate and absorb any information that he does not direct.  He will take great measures of everyone's time by asking directed questions to one individual about material that was just covered by group discussion or presentation.  Often his frustration becomes anger whereupon this person will accuse others of talking down to him.  This is common in individuals who are experiencing a B vitamin deficiency (that ultimately can lead to Korsakoff's Psychosis and confabulation) from nutritional issues, but generally due to daily ingesting large amounts of drugs or alcohol or a liver or other health disorder.  

5) Mr. Rude Helper:

This PLUG attendee will approach someone who they don't know (who usually vastly outspans them in education experience and even employment) and attempt to help by directing them into the wrong direction.  This disrepectful approach, while well meaning, is based on an arrogance and grandiocity that is not matched by either their suggestions or their ability.  They never ask the person they attach themselves to, if they would like some help or happily attempt to play with them.  This is commonly seen by women who are stereotyped and/or dominated and keeps women introverts from interacting in labs and groups.

6) Mr. Did you Know?

This person dives happily in and expands any endeavor they are exposed to.  Their enthusiam is infectious as they look into and communicate with each head in their circle of hearing, and intiates non-hierarchial happy fulll duplex PLAY. 

7) Mr. I Can!

This attendee is the one who does all the single tasks that someone needs to do, often without most of the other PLUG people even noticing.  He adjusts the video resolution for the overhead for the presentation laptop in a slick teamwork concentric way, without, mind you, any great huge announcement that he is the only one who knows how to do it.  If another, like #5 above attempts to step in, he deftly and politely sidesteps the intrusion.

8) Mr.  Devils' Advocate Question Man:

This person usually asks all the pertinant questions to assist to flesh out a subject for others.  It's not that he doesn't know, he just wants to make sure a full discussion of the subject matter has occurred for others.  Clueless PLUG people sometimes attempt to take him aside or talk down to him after he has performed these important functions.

9) Mr. Exploitation:

This person skews all communications to his (choose one):

a) Consulting endeavor
b) Security endeavor
c) Sales gig
d) Training endeavor

They exclude (or actually poo-poo use of or) mention of the long list of other FOSS tools, library materials and online test preparation guides. 
While all PLUG members have a variety of skills, this person fails to interact in the true spirit of free and open source. 

10) Mr. Hacker:

These people actually sit back and talk nice to you, while actually attempting to gain access or damage to your equipment.  They are usually swiftly caught, however they generally show up somewhere else with their ettercap and wicrack.   Unfortunately, they are often successful. 

11)  Mr. Aphasia:

They people are so vastly intelligent via written materials and understanding, but cannot communicate or complete in useless stand around and argue verbal sessions (with #1 above).  They are focused on doing, and doing very very well.  They generally quietly endue all the other annoying types and sit back and take in the information, at some deep level (like all of us) lonely for others like themselves.

I think you hit most of the stereotypes :)
GREAT STUFF!

This fits more in the workplace:
12)  Mr. Make it Up:

These people when presented with a situation that they don't understand pretend they know what they're doing in the hopes that they can figure it out before they're caught.  They'll say things like "Sure you can have a 2 million row Access database no problem!" without ever having seen one that large.  Their goal is to ensure no one finds out how little real experience they really have and always have a plausible excuse when they fail so that someone else is always to blame.  This kind of person will often get a task 90% done and hand it off to another to take the fall when it doesn't work.