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**Firegoat7** · 01-07-2010, 11:28 PM

DEMOCRACY ON OZCHESS

In society there is separation between political power and economic power. People elect government representatives. Representatives manage government for the people. The State assumes all political responsibility for regulation through democratic elections. People enact their democratic right through voting for government.

Ozchess, on the other hand, does not generate economic power. It therefore does not need to resolve any conflict between the state (itself) and conflicting economic forces. Hence it does not need moderators to regulate a financial policy of the board. Essentially its owners are benign dictators who value the democratic process as a guiding principle.

Which brings me to my point. How should posters and moderators promote democracy on Ozchess? Well, its an interesting question and one that is worth pondering on an individual level. Why is it important to fight for democracy on Ozchess? And why do the owners want democracy to flourish on Ozchess?

Well, basically all answers to the questions above boil down to one simple truth. Ozchess wants its posters to be responsible for their own place. So to promote this idea it seeks to embrace democracy as inclusive, participatory, tolerance of difference in a self reflexive environment. Inclusive in that we don't seek to actively discourage others from posting on the site. Participatory, in that people bring something of themselves towards the site and actively get involved in creating its culture. Tolerant, in that posters are aware that conflict is inevitable, but not necessarily negative. And self reflective, in that, we ought to be aware that context and considerations should always be considered on a site that aims to cater for different age groups, cultural backgrounds, and geographical/political boundaries.

Inevitably there will be conflict between posters on this site. I believe we ought to embrace a democratic approach towards moderating such conflict. An approach that frees moderators from the role of judgmental policeman and moves them into a role of functional relationship builders. How, can this be achieved? Embrace democracy from the grassroots. A grassroots movement that recognises that NOW is more important then imagined futures or remembered histories.

Democracy NOW has guiding principles. 5 people for a quorum. One moderator must be present. A motion is proposed, a seconder is required. A vote takes place and an outcome is decided based on majority rule. Once accepted motions ought to be enacted upon immediately by moderators, so long as they represent the will of the people NOW. The emphasis is on doing!

As a simple precaution, both moderator and admin positions should be exempt from immediate democratic NOW action until the site matures. Moderators positions because they are elected every 6 months. Admin positions because they are the benign economic powers behind the Ozchess project.

It is my belief that implementing the Democratic NOW process will allow our site to move forward at a faster pace then our archaic competition. We ought to embrace the virtual revolution that is our lived experience.

Please ponder this experience......

01-07-2010, 11:28 PM	#1 (permalink)
Firegoat7 Moderator Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Getting owned by White in the Dragon and trying to recover lost positions from shock paralysis OTB Posts: 2,044 ICC Handle: guest	Democracy Now On OzChess DEMOCRACY ON OZCHESS In society there is separation between political power and economic power. People elect government representatives. Representatives manage government for the people. The State assumes all political responsibility for regulation through democratic elections. People enact their democratic right through voting for government. Ozchess, on the other hand, does not generate economic power. It therefore does not need to resolve any conflict between the state (itself) and conflicting economic forces. Hence it does not need moderators to regulate a financial policy of the board. Essentially its owners are benign dictators who value the democratic process as a guiding principle. Which brings me to my point. How should posters and moderators promote democracy on Ozchess? Well, its an interesting question and one that is worth pondering on an individual level. Why is it important to fight for democracy on Ozchess? And why do the owners want democracy to flourish on Ozchess? Well, basically all answers to the questions above boil down to one simple truth. Ozchess wants its posters to be responsible for their own place. So to promote this idea it seeks to embrace democracy as inclusive, participatory, tolerance of difference in a self reflexive environment. Inclusive in that we don't seek to actively discourage others from posting on the site. Participatory, in that people bring something of themselves towards the site and actively get involved in creating its culture. Tolerant, in that posters are aware that conflict is inevitable, but not necessarily negative. And self reflective, in that, we ought to be aware that context and considerations should always be considered on a site that aims to cater for different age groups, cultural backgrounds, and geographical/political boundaries. Inevitably there will be conflict between posters on this site. I believe we ought to embrace a democratic approach towards moderating such conflict. An approach that frees moderators from the role of judgmental policeman and moves them into a role of functional relationship builders. How, can this be achieved? Embrace democracy from the grassroots. A grassroots movement that recognises that NOW is more important then imagined futures or remembered histories. Democracy NOW has guiding principles. 5 people for a quorum. One moderator must be present. A motion is proposed, a seconder is required. A vote takes place and an outcome is decided based on majority rule. Once accepted motions ought to be enacted upon immediately by moderators, so long as they represent the will of the people NOW. The emphasis is on doing! As a simple precaution, both moderator and admin positions should be exempt from immediate democratic NOW action until the site matures. Moderators positions because they are elected every 6 months. Admin positions because they are the benign economic powers behind the Ozchess project. It is my belief that implementing the Democratic NOW process will allow our site to move forward at a faster pace then our archaic competition. We ought to embrace the virtual revolution that is our lived experience. Please ponder this experience...... __________________ "...What I meant? Dear Mr Ian Rout (ACF news publisher) could you please put Ozchessforum in the next news letter! There is no reason to hide this forum from the Australian chess public. What they meant? Sorry, No english!- Amir Karibasic