More adventures in moderation...

And so I'm the new Readers' Editor for Liberal Democrat Voice, a fine body of men and women - an interesting challenge indeed, and one that may, or may not, keep me busy.

What has become immediately obvious is the dilemma of balancing the desires of those who lean towards freedom against those who lean towards community. The two are not necessarily mutually exclusive, in that there is a 'sweet spot' around which most can coalesce. The catch? The people who are most removed from that sweet spot are often the most challenging towards that consensus.

They aren't necessarily difficult, although they can be, and they can be the catalyst for improvements in the way things are done, if they are constructive in their criticism. Admittedly, the less constructive actions can also inspire change, not always of the type intended by the indivdual concerned...

I'm looking at the way Liberal Democrat Voice handles such knotty issues and it strikes me that there are three things to be balanced;

1. How to manage the site so as to ensure that the volunteer team enjoy running it - there's no point in taking the pleasure out of it or you risk not having a site at all.

2. Transparency - people need to know where the red lines are, and should have a broad degree of confidence that they will be consistently applied.

3. Inclusivity - people should be able to feel that they will be treated with respect by other participants.

So, how might that work?

That, I suspect, is the catch. Yes, I have some thoughts on the subject, but they aren't fully formed or, for that matter, necessarily the best. Therefore, I'm going to address the problem in bits, inviting our readers to give me the benefit of their thoughts and expertise, and then talk the results out with the team.

I'm just stepping outside. I may be gone some time...