[Businessmtg] Archives Discussion

[Steve Rankin]

Hi folks,

 

While I understand those that believe that ASP should not have an archive of
shares, I need to point out that this occurs regardless.  Anything and
everything, you or I or anyone does on the Internet is maintained in many
computer logs all over the Internet; your server, our server and many places
in between.  For example, if our server was served with a warrant for a
member's shares, our provider would have them and comply.  

 

Anonymity.  Unlike face-to-face meetings where we actually see your face, we
see how you dress, we see how you behave during meeting, we see how you
react to shares, we see if you're paying attention or fiddling with your
phone, we see who you talk with before and after the meeting, we learn who
their sponsors and sponsees are, we see how old you are, we see how you got
to the meeting and how you left.  We learn your name and very often a lot of
other stuff about you, your family, where you live, what you drive, etc.  We
often go out for coffee & pie after the meeting, visit each other in our
homes, get rides to and from meetings when our car broke down, take meetings
to the sick and elderly in their homes.  We help them move.

 

And even get married.  A sponsee of mine used to ride with me around the SF
Bay Area going to meetings married a guy she met in a meeting we went to.
My wife's boss married a sponsee of mine.  I walked a sponsee of my wife
down the aisle.  I picked up the cake for the wedding of another member.
And sometimes we sit with them in divorce court.  

 

I'll note that I had a sponsee so fragile in the beginning that she couldn't
sit in the room; she's sit in the hallway outside the room and listen.  It
took a while, but she grew, joined us in the room, became a part of the
group, went out to ice cream after the meeting, became a Group Rep and I
still remember her whole name, her son's name, and so on.

 

Oh, and there are members that take notes; usually in their minds, but some
take literal notes on paper.  A good friend in my f2f home group has taken
notes for decades.  

 

On the other hand, ASP allows far more anonymity.  In fact, we allow
pseudonyms, which quite a few people take advantage of.  So, please excuse
me if I'm not concerned about the anonymity of member's shares in ASP.  

 

Instead, I've known a number of members that found them critically important
during hard times, when traveling, etc.  Yet, I've heard little concern for
those members here.  And let's be clear, access to the archives requires a
unique password.

 

Al-Anon is a program of maturity and balance, so let's not throw out the
baby with the bathwater.  

 

As for the Steering Committee . . .

 

The recovery meeting archives have proven INVALUABLE when dealing with
problems in the recovery meeting.  The server doesn't allow underscoring,
bolding, etc. so I used all caps because it is that critical to the SC
making accurate and fair assessments of what actually happened.

 

My bottom line?  I'm OK with the archives as they are, and I'm absolutely
for maintaining the archives for the Steering Committee's needs.  

 

Love and SERENITY,

Steve