PLUG Etiquette

Tue Jun 30 13:28:48 MST 2009

On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 12:49 PM, Lisa Kachold <lisakachold at obnosis.com>wrote:

>
>
> 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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I am not sure where I fit. I am all over the FOSS world in some places I am
the fluttering newb but I know how to google so they don't hate me too bad..
Other places I can be the elitist a-hole but usualy in fun... if you can
make it past the sarcasm and rhetoric you will probably be helped
successfully. I can be seen as a troll in some circles. I work for a company
built around FOSS so some places I may be the corporate tool.  I think
though there are those who singularly fit in one of these holes that a
majority probably spread across this depending on the operating variables.

Regards,

James Finstrom
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