[Businessmtg] Archiving shares

[Kim C]

Thanks Steve for the background and for all who are participating.

My Thinking:  Because we are an email *Al-Anon* meeting first of all, we
need to be very, very thoughtful about this topic.  I believe Dawn was
short sided when she clicked that box.  I do not believe she meant to cause
harm and like many of us pretty naive 12 years ago.  She took my choice
away with that yes click and I feel we are (yeah) finally ready to face
open, honest, discussion about a very important issue.

Very troubling to me is the assumption by trusted servants that a new
member to ASP understands *THEIR *shares will be archived too.  I did not
and I read the page.  When I joined ASP I had maybe 3 years of F2F
meetings.  I knew nothing of social media and internet anonymity.  I simply
was attracted to not being alone.  ASP was a life raft.  All I could see
was help getting through the other hours of my unmanageable day.  I
certainly knew nothing of the gifts of the 12 Traditions.  You did for me.
I got to experience them, I thought till now.

No matter how I try to make this okay, it is not Al-Anon.  No where in our
Al-Anon structure do we record members shares in meetings, without great
care and occasion.

• Every member is aware and approves.
(Just from our small business section of members we know every member is
not aware or approves.)

• Anonymity is carefully preserved.

*Service Manual - page 99*
*Anonymity Within Al-Anon/Alateen*

*Members use their full names within the fellowship when they wish.  The
degree of anonymity a member chooses is not subject to criticism.  Each
member has the right to decide.  *

*Regardless of our personal choice, we guard the anonymity of everyone else
in the fellowship, Al-Anon/Alateen and AA.  This means not revealing to
anyone, even to relatives, friends and other members, whom we see and what
we hear at a meeting.*

*Anonymity goes well beyond names.  All of us need to feel secure in the
knowledge that nothing seen or head at a meeting will be revealed.  We feel
free to express ourselves among our fellow Al-Anon members because we can
be sure that what we say will be held in confidence.  *

I do not feel secure.  I feel stupid and robbed not for a better word,
hoodwinked.  Thank goodness I know me better, today.  I'm staying open
minded trusting the process will be our common good.

Lastly, speaking for myself, I try to be attractive when I share.  I am not
CAL and there are times I might be shaking myself off and spreading
alcoholism.  There were certainly times I shared more than my story.  You
may nod and understand, my family would not.  As potential newcomers they
would be hurt and certainly turned away from the hope and help Al-Anon
offers.  Not to mention what reading my archived shares would do to our
relationship.

I am very uncomfortable calling shares something to be archived.  It is not
the history of a group.

In gratitude, Kim

p.s.
I clicked on the archiving shares link for the first time yesterday and got
a warning message.  I think my HP is trying to tell me, STOP and express my
concerns.