Some preceding discussion

Preceding the creation of this wiki, there was some discussion going on in a parallel channel to #callahans, #mary'splace. It should have gone on in #callahans, but the discussion started in #mary'splace and went on there with a few members who are concerned about the election process. This is a brief synopsis of the discussion.

What is the purpose of a channel manager?

In Undernet terms, the channel manager is a 500 level channel operator, and decides who will be the 499-level operators in the channel. They have purview over all operator decisions, and can override subordinate operator actions. The channel operator must be logged into the channel regularly, or the channel will lose the CService bot X, and all channel management functions. This is pretty much the extent from the Undernet operational side of things.

In #Callahans terms, the channel manager acts as the final arbiter of decisions relating to the conduct and operation of the channel, including who gets ops and at what levels, disagreements between parties that cannot be resolved by themselves or by the 499 and lower ops, setting the overall tone and policies for the channel, deciding on long term or permanent patron bans. This is how it has been used up until now.

What is wrong with the current situation?

In the current situation, there has been no discussion from the newly appointed channel manager and the current 499s about any sort of election process or time frame. This complete lack of information leads several of us to speculate about what may or may not be happening, and in our typical human fashion, the speculation is wide and vociferous. This is why we really want to have an open discussion of the process, and transparency into it's development and operation. Some of us outside whatever discussions are currently going on really care about how this is done, and while we may be a minority of patrons, we think it is important that our concerns be addressed.

We do not wish to wait until the CM and 499s reach a consensus on how they think things should be going forward, we want to be part of the process before that point. Some of us feel it is the height of taking advantage of privilege for those who are currently in senior positions to be conducting backroom discussions on how things should go forward.

While #callahans can be run as a dictatorship, and in fact, many IRC channels do run that way, we don't feel that sort of thing should be the way a new channel manager should be chosen, nor how the process of selecting a new channel manager should be run.

What do we want?

Open, transparent channel manager selection process discussion, and an open, transparent channel manager selection process.

To that end, this wiki has been created, with forums to provide a place to conduct the discussion. While it is inevitable that much discussion will happen in channel, or even in side channels, it is strongly encouraged that people follow up in the forums here.