RE: collaboration on micronet?

Liz Church suggested:
> I wonder if ... professional courtesy [could be] more widely practiced
> [around Micronet postings of problems with campus computing services].
> For instance, when a bug or a security concern is found the
> technical owner is notified first and given the opportunity to
> fix the problem. ... If the technical owner is obtuse or
> dismissive and refuses to fix the problem, then a posting to
> micronet may be appropriate.

Rusty Wright replied:
> Oftentimes ... the web page doesn't have the trouble contact listed,
> or it's buried, or they're not using a web page, or it's just down.

And Liz responded, in turn:
> I think a simple posting on micronet like "does anyone have the
> technical contact number for x site?" would work too.

  As Micronet's maillist admin and long-time resident curmudgeon, I'd
suggest that there is no reasonable way to prevent Micronet's members
from posting gripes or problem reports to this list, rather than sending
them first to the service's owners. And often such postings are
desirable, as they can spur list 'conversations' that often surface
long-standing or widespread problems that were not preciously perceived
as such.

  As a part-owner of several such services over the years, I've had my ego
bruised and feathers ruffled more than once by posters who have
complained to public lists rather than first through "channels," but on
balance have welcomed the valuable input and give-and-take from
Micronet's members.

  Liz's suggestion is a good one, though: in addition to encouraging
Micronet's members to first seek out a service's owners to report issues
before posting them publicly, anyone on this list is encouraged to also
respond to postings of that type by asking whether the poster has
contacted the service's owners, and offering their contact info where
necessary. That way, we can help ensure that those responsible for the
service will be informed, as well as given the opportunity to respond
and perhaps even participate in any discussions on this list, if they so
choose.

  As well, when seeing a thread emerge here on Micronet concerning serious
or highly annoying problems with a campus service, I've occasionally
sent the thread or its archive URL to the relevant service owners, with
a request that they look into the issue. And I'd hazard a guess that
some others may have done so as well. That, too, can be a useful means
of ensuring that the service's owners can get informed and involved.
Anyone on Micronet is free - and encouraged - to do this, as well.

Aron Roberts
Information Services and Technology

P.S. Liz makes one other point worth repeating: any concerns regarding the
security of a campus service or of sensitive data should be reported first
to the service's owners, rather than to a public list.

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Received on Thu Aug 3 12:25:20 2006