CZ:Nomination page/Management Council/Thomas Simmons

My personality, past and preferences are posted prominently on my page - a lot of alliteration from a long way away.

I worked on the Constabulary for a few years, not sure if most folks know that – and like any good referee, I believe that being low key and setting good examples are best for getting the job done in a collegial atmosphere. I think my work on the recent Reviewing Committee bears this out[1]

I have to go with Larry here. I really want this to succeed but it will take good management to get it done. That ain’t going to happen unless some of us put our hands up.

One of the very real problems an open on-line encyclopaedia has is that it attracts a variety of people who do not see this as an opportunity to be informative and write well - they have personal agendas, they are simply irresponsible, they may even be deluded. But, all in all, they have very little regard for accountability. Not something you want in an encyclopaedia.

There is simply no way we can attract and hold professionals and experts if we allow this to be little more than a wall for whatever people want to write as has happened elsewhere. There is simply no way we can have quality and quantity here without good management. We can’t get it done. It will not simply happen. This is not the Field of Dreams unless we are not concerned with who will come.

Most people looking in and voting have been around long enough to know how I operate: staying under the radar, supporting the work of others, I prefer to negotiate conflict to understanding & good ethics leading to the best choices. Meanwhile, I am quietly chipping away to get good standards and good writing and good articles up here on CZ.

This is a project which needs to exist and we will, through perseverance, get it done. We are a class act folks. We deal with our issues in a civil manner and we work to achieve a very important goal - written by professionals, a great encyclopedia that will endure.

All the best,Thomas Simmons 16:39, 13 May 2011 (CDT)

Comprehensive version here at Management Council: rationale and role