PLUG Etiquette

Tue Jun 30 12:49:28 MST 2009

On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 11:10 AM, JD Austin <jd at twingeckos.com> wrote:

> On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 10:50 AM, Lisa Kachold <lisakachold at 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.
>
>
Oh!  Yes!  They know that management has no clue whatsoever.

There are a few other purely work related types {(like Mr. (Ms) Never Write
Documentation Email [for fear how little I know will be discovered]) (Mr.
HoverMan [if I protect what I did or setup, no-one can replace me, secrets =
success; if someone can do it also, I consider them a threat])....

Laugh!

-- 
(503)754-4452 wiki.obnosis.com
scientology.obnosis.com
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