Spreadfirefox.com is a disgrace - open letter

This post is about spreading firefox and is very relevent to the whole campaign of promoting Firefox. It's in an acceptable place.
We should not stop criticising things that deserve criticism because we don't want to look weak. That will not produce progress, but mean that we go nowhere. If you disagree with what I'm saying, that's fine, but if you agree it is hardly wise to say "don't point out the truth, it looks bad".
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robertwiblin AT gmail DOT com skype:robertwiblin
Want to spread Firefox? Get Firemonger at www.firemonger.org .

Andy your post was predictable, and showed a complete lack of understanding. The thing is, criticism if often ruled out as just negative whining, when infact as anyone who knows anything about spreading, promoting, enhancing any product knows that critique is a fundamental thing required to constantly survice, succeed and improve, rather than decline.

The latter, is sadly what is clearly happening with content shrinking, it's a damn shame and an insult to the community whom give so much effort, money, time to spread Firefox. This is supposed to be an open community, yet very few if not no member of the community is actively able to bring about change, just mostly a niche few. That is not an open community, simple, it is even worse and more closed than Opera. It's not good, its not nice, its not necessary, its not helping meet this sites purpose, and it neednt be this way.

When content which has been worked very hard on by many dedicated individuals to spread firefox is removed without even explanation, that is a discrace, how would you feel? Were talking about hundreds if not thousands of peoples efforts been scrapped by Sfx, with not even the decency of an explanation.
If you, Robert, I or anyone could not do better, that does not condone the fact such a huge site (built twice into the browser some 60+ million people use) is not only not doing better, but is getting much much worse, ridding of content worked on by hundreds of people.

This is a big site with big goals, and it is far from meeting that description or purpose by removing and ignoring peoples efforts that are spreading Firefox more than spread firefox itself. What does that say?

If a project worked on by you and a team was actively improving many things, spreading firefox, and getting very good feedback, was removed from spreadfirefox with no reason, what would you feel and think? That it was granted and not eating into growth in the sense people could no way near as easily find out about, use, or contribute to your project. How would you feel andy if you were on of those many many people, go on think about it?

Sfx has been turned into a mailbox of posts, rather than with content for spreading firefox, and every piece of spreading firefox content being removed or harshly neglected at best. The actual sites and projects for specifically doing many different things to actively spread firefox are elsewhere, and worse still, not even at least linked from here anymore. FACT - That is not helping, either the cause or the purpose.

Admins and more have been asked many times, even by me, and there is no good reason to why so many peoples efforts have been literally ignored and scrapped, rather than helped and congratulated. That is a discrace, especially from something setup as an "open community". It is an insult to open considering how closed the sites admins are, and an insult to the community that is being not only let down, but having theyre hard efforts to this cause ignored and scrapped.

People have a right to be not happy with that situation, and the many working on spreading firefox not now even linked on spread firefox are clearly very dedicated people with more content for actually helping this product, and making it spread. Mozilla stands for improving constantly and reaching higher standards, yet efforts once at Spread Firefox to do just that have been ill supported and removed, while Sfx is clearly not being worked and improved constantly.

I'm towards the end of my tether with this, and there's so many more whom have given so much more than I have. It should be considered vital to be considerate to that let down community, in an open community driving a product forwards, over a niche few that has let them down and reduced those spreading firefox efforts despite that obviously supposedly being Sfx's goal and purpose.

That is not open community behaviour. Everyone has a damn good reason to be fedup with how theyre being treated and Sfx is going. It may well be the death of this site, considering anyone who shows commitment, dedication to Sfx is not only not helped, theyre removed from the site. That gets around and people then are not only not recruited to projects as much, because they cant be easily found, other people will not start them because they recieve no recognition and are rewarded for spreading firefox by being removed from the site.

Robert, similar to my bigger pitch marketing idea here http://www.spreadfirefox.com/?q=node/view/15580 your spot on with your spread firefox wiki you link in your original post. It is probably the most constructive thing to come out of this site, in the sense it is serving the actual sites purpose, FOR THE SITE.

It makes simple and educates the ways to spread firefox, making it easier, giving support, and thus improving productivity and bettering results of growth in Firefox - ITS BEEN DONE FOR SFX.

This is the PURPOSE, you'd think Spread Firefox would cover. Instead like is increasingly common, an individual or small team has managed it out of dedication. It's good to know despite being ill treated and having their efforts removed and contributions ignored, that people are still out there working hard giving so much time to this cause, and doing a better job than the actual SFX site, linked twice in the browser some 60+ million now use.

I would like to think big change is coming at Sfx, but nothing is mentioned of it, and to the admins, if good postive work was due to come, we would and should know about it at least. There doesn't seem to be much work being done sadly if it was the fruits of the labour should be shown to all, after all the community do just that, its deserved back and is of course better for the site.

It is certainly not happening at least to anywhere near the extent required, despite to meet that, support is being offered by many people including me, and that means spreading firefox productivity will not rise as it should, and other sites and dedicated people will have to try to continue not being linked in the browser or on the main site for spreading firefox. That sadly too will not raise spreading firefox as it should as this site is a fundamental driving force, carrying much of the efforts with it, but letting them down and ridding of them thus not serving the casue as it should and could.

This is why first, change needs to be discussed and brought about here, and every effort made to do that. Critique is critical and for all the above points and history, is warranted, and again key in improving and bettering productivity. That unfortunately despite this being an open community is down to the niche few who up until now have let things decline this far, taking down many peoples efforts with it, so faith this will change is unfortunately fading.

If you've been a member for a while, you remember seeing "Featured Projects" up there, a list of 5 featured projects for SFX members to get involved in as well as a link to the projects list. When Asa redesigned the site (meaning removing a lot of things like the SFX irc channel and whatever he felt wasn't worthy of being on the page), he removed Featured Projects. As a result, activity on the projects has noticibly declined.

I didn't read his whole thing because I'm about to go somewhere, but I wanted to add that in because it's kinda sad that Bart would get with me on setting up the whole idea of Featured Projects then later it would be killed so suddenly and without warning.

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Founder, Firefox Materials project

Team Firefox: WP

Press: Cite this comment

Apparently, this did something, as the Featured Project section is back up. Cheers.

Give Asa a break. I understand you are frustrated, and I understand the frustrations that other users have articulated here and elsewhere. I also think that everyone at the MoFo and Google, etc works very hard. But I think we have to realize that people are doing other really important and necessary development and maintenance and bug squashing work on Firefox, and give them the necessary space to do that. I think you've got their attention and they recognize that there is a problem and are taking steps to remedy the situation as Featured Projects has been restored. I hope that people continue to spread Firefox and if they have had enough they take a break or continue to do the important and necessary work that they are doing. Firefox took years to get where is it today and there were many speed bumps along the way, and I feel the same way about SpreadFirefox.com I think we all have the same goal to deliver really cool technology to people to change the way people experience the web. I hope we don't forget that or loose sight of that. And I think that's why so many wonderful projects have grown up around this technology such as firemonger, which I have personally given away 100 copies to co-workers, which I plan on giving them 100 more after 1.1, and Portable Firefox, which I use every day at work. Incredibly amazing projects. So everyone has a role to play. And I would like to thank everyone including Asa for their contributions. I think people feel a sense of ownership of Firefox which is good in that everyone has a stake in its future, but I think people also need to ... breathe more. You can't change the world wide web all at once, just one user at a time.

I am unable to design and build a sports car myself, but that does not mean that I can't criticise a shitty or unsafe new model. I can't write plays, but that doesn't mean I can't criticise a terrible piece of theatre.

As you can see, Drupal website management isn't what I do. I do many other things as you can see from what I have written. Some of those come under the banner of 'fixing the site' to a certain extent and one point I made is that I didn't get much support when doing that. That is the only reason I am forced to whine now.
Also, there are people who clearly know how to modify the site because they have done so from time to time. Simply because I lack that ability, or admin rights if I could, doesn't mean I can't criticise their actions. I disagree with what they have done and feel that it is self-evident that there are other things that should have been done (despite what you say, project management is critical). If they don't know how to implement the ideas many people have thrown about they should ask about finding people who do know how. They certainly exist, but that hasn't been done. Could I do better? Maybe if I had the chance. But it's irrelevent whether I or you personally and alone could run this website better, I'm not proposing that as a solution if you read what I'm saying.

As for 'disgrace', it's just an attention grabbing title. It's not really disgraceful, just frustratingly underdone.

--
robertwiblin AT gmail DOT com
Want to spread Firefox? Get Firemonger at www.firemonger.org .

1. The point of "seeing some stranger with a Firefox logo painted on thier face, or on a cake, or left buttcheek" for someone who wouldn't otherwise run across it, is to reinforce the existence of Firefox in a person's memory. Every time a person sees the logo or reads the name, this person should recall it from memory. Through a process called "spreading activation" (heh), this person will then also recall (to a lesser extent) other memories associated with the first.

Of course, if we inundate a person to the point of annoyance, this person will then associate Firefox with "annoying." The same thing happens when you see the same television ad a million times. But advertisers still do their thing, and they don't appear to be going away.

2. I'm not going to look back to see who did it, but calling Asa, or anybody for that matter, "worthless" is unacceptable. It's ad hominem, petty, divisive, counter-productive, and just plain wrong. If you have a problem with what a person is doing or how he is doing it, you should address the (lack of) behavior, not the person. You should say, "I think Asa isn't doing his job (well)," or "Asa's function isn't worthwhile," or something like that.

Additionally, it is probably a good idea to offer some kind of a suggestion for improvement; nobody likes a complainer---but doing so is entirely up to you.

Voicing your ideas and opinion is what sites like this are about, not insulting people or starting vendettas; if you insist on doing so, take that up privately, or at least elsewhere: Spread Firefox is based on positive feelings, not negative ones.

Afterword: OK, so I lied: I looked back. :/

Again, there are better ways to say what you did. You could have asked. Did you absolutely have to be so blunt? How do you possibly have enough information about Asa to make such a judgement? Assuming that Asa is not, in fact, "doing a good job," what if there were mitigating circumstances? Would you then feel OK saying what you did?

I am going to assume that you didn't mean exactly what it is I think you said, unless you tell me otherwise. Genuine communication is vital to the solving of any problem, and communication has clearly broken down at several points, in this thread and overall.

A very similar underlying view is there, it's just to different ways of looking at it, viewing it, and commenting on it. Whilst I don't feel Gurt's comments are fully backed up, and come on there's no way they can be to warrant such an accusation, it is understandable to an extent. So accept both views.

Personal in-constructive criticism isn't what's needn't though, it won't help the problem, which is what we all want. How would you feel if someone publically wrote about you like you just have, really, honestly? I don't feel anywhere near as strongly as that, though I have as much disapointment and passion like many to make this place improve. And you are right, for you opinion to change, it will take no one other than that person to be responsibly and improve that view, and fix it, because it is to whatever extent, partially warranted.

Being constructive is needed however, personal slagging matches only exaggerates the problem, creates more un-needed rifts, and breakages in the community and communication, and doesnt get us any close to what we all want.

It's impossible to accurately comment on Asa as like we've said, we don't speak to him that often, few have met him personally, and dont know a lot of his day to day work. That is in part an excuse to criticise as we could and perhaps should have a better idea, and if content was applied rather than removed, that would of course improve the perception of the whole site, Asa included. But getting personal at this stage is irrevent to some extent, when few facts are known, and only lack of facts and a perception is there.

I personally have a fair amount of respect for Asa, I think that's important, who are we to judge, and judge or estimate how much he or anyone can and should do? Well thats open to view, but even then to be fair, if it is the case enough time cant be applied (which is how it overwhelmingly appears) then in fairness as I'm sure anyone would admit, there is a responsibility to allow at least some of the many contributors in whom are able to make better the sitation.

When we get this plan on Sfx, we can take a good look at it. It should have a lot of plans for content, much of which should and could have already been here quite easily, the communities efforts are proof to that. If there is not enough work and content planned, we can asses it all and work out a way forwards.

If the deadlines (a plan must have one) are too long, we can discuss ways to meet targets earlier if the community believe it is possible. If things are missed, we can in an organised fashion put this to the site, and if ignored or little done, do it ourselves.

If personal names for doing particular things are in the plan (which for organisational and communicational value they should) are there, then if things don't get done to the level planned or expected, we have a more factual leg to stand on to question peoples lack of efforts, and look for a way forward to better that situation, for the good of the site, the community, the admins, and the productivity of this sites purpose, spreading firefox.

Until then, let's wait for that plan and go from there. It's ALL EARS!!