[pianotech] Same ol', same ol'....

[William Monroe]

Thank you David, for the recap of Pianotech Live.  A very important message
for our members, I think.  As I wasn't able to be there, this is heartening
and confirming to hear.  Thanks for taking the time.

William R. Monroe





On Wed, Jul 20, 2011 at 8:44 PM, David Andersen <
david at davidandersenpianos.com> wrote:

> Ladies and gentlemen---
>
> What I got from attending the Pianotech Live class at KC: (BTW, where were
> y'all? Me, Pat Draine, and Jimi Aleggio were the only regular email list
> users to appear)
>
> ---this whole listserv, the entire Pianotech Forum, has existed SOLELY
> through the unpaid, unreimbursed, herculean efforts of Andy Rudoff---to the
> tune of at least 20 hours a week---constantly, 24/7/365, for the last 12 or
> 14 years. Add in Ron Berry's 10-12 hours per week---again COMPLETELY
> volunteer---and that's the bed upon which we've lain like pashas, and what
> has allowed our little list at its zenith to attract hundreds and hundreds
> of interested, passionate lurkers, intelligent consumers, and possible
> future piano artisans. They have allowed us to fulfill part of our
> organization's mission statement: to continually provide education to the
> membership and to the public at large. Without Andy and Ron, no email
> Pianotech list, no digital community meeting house, no massive archive of
> thousands of pianistic wisdom nuggets, no structure, no spam
> control----nothin'.
>
> And it was all for free. And now, thank God for him, Andy has moved on.
> Zeus has abandoned Olympus. Elvis has left the building. The engine dropped
> out of the car. Hiring a replacement, suffering through the learning curve,
> then paying current rates for a computer expert to do what apparently nobody
> in our membership has the chops OR the time to do, would be untenable and
> unworkable. and way, way too expensive.
>
> Andy Rudoff was the goose that kept on laying golden eggs; now he's
> vanished in a puff of smoke, and if anything goes seriously sideways with
> the list, we're in serious trouble, technically and financially.
>
> ---this change was worked on, thought about, agonized over, and given
> massive amounts of energy by the past two presidents and their Boards.
> They, however, apparently thought the listserv members were telepathic, and
> failed to adequately communicate or contextualize ANYTHING that was going on
> regarding pianotech and the entire migration/integration of our membership
> onto a database that's not a nightmare.  I heard two or three direct
> apologies to me as the representative, so to speak, of consistent list
> users---from Dale Probst, Phil Bondi, and Trevor Martin. BTW, all the PTG
> execs in the world were there: Chris Solliday, Alan Gilreath, Jim Coleman
> Jr., Norman Cantrell, members of the Electronic Communications
> Committee---about a dozen execs. They were listening, and listening hard,
> friends. They were open; they listened carefully to anything the listserv
> members had to say.
>
> ---Kent Swofford is one of the coolest guys in the world. As a consistent
> user AND and an executive, he was the moderator, and deeply understands the
> concerns of both the execs and the members. He did a great job facilitating
> authentic, honest communication, and clear, authentic communication,
> face-to-face, is like healing ointment, as several present were heard to say
> and affirm.
>
> ---That the execs are watching HL closely to see if they will actually do
> what they promised, which was provide us a seamless interface for the
> listserv and the web-based forum, and that they are ready to pull the plug
> and go a different way if HL doesn't produce what they committed to
> in short order---weeks, I believe was said.
>
> ---that at the end of the day, this IS a volunteer deal---and that we're
> all on the same team. I would like everybody involved in this dialog to
> remember that. There are no enemies, no adversaries here. I am on a men's
> team that meets every week, for support, fun, relationship, and  to help
> each other honor our commitments and raise our game in all areas. Here is
> one of our team standards: "bring what you're missing."
>
> It's so easy to bitch and moan from the sideline. I was missing clear
> communication from the executive side, so I took action. I went to the
> meeting. I began a personal dialogue with thre execs, Probst, Bondi, and
> Coleman, so that this failure to communicate won't happen again.
> Yesterday I made my first halting attempts to hook up thru myptg.org; I
> had some issues; instead of swearing and asking enraged rhetorical questions
> as if I had a rapt audience---I'm really good at both, very entertaining---I
> reached out and asked for help, and got four replies with suggestions within
> hours. I got one reply in minutes. They heard us. They're acting.
>
> ---bitching just pisses people off and moves nothing forward.
>
> ---a LOT of messages that are accepted on our list would ever be said in
> person. They don't pass what I call the eyeball test: if you can say what
> you say on the List while looking at the other person's eyes, have at it. If
> you can't, or wouldn't, don't type it. Israel Stein, I'm thinking of you.
> Way to shoot PTG in the foot. And I WOULD say that to you, gladly, looking
> in your eyes.
>
> ---sarcasm doesn't play well via email; there are no mitigating
> circumstances, no comforting body language, to soften the sour blow.
> Again, the eyeball test.
>
> ---the PTG has committed to preserve the email listserv, as it is now, for
> the foreseeable future---my take, until we can most of us be enrolled in a
> tweaked listserv/forum hybrid that comes from our demands and the execs'
> response.
>
> Whew.
>
> I don't know of the audio recording is listenable; our pal Duaine H.
> thought not; if it is, you can hear what went down.
>
> Just my little bit to enable clarity and teamwork, kids-----
>
> DA
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