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Poll

Do you think the Brooklyn Sabbatical Blog should be awarded the Numismatic Excellence Website Award?

Yes!
16 (94.1%)
No!
1 (5.9%)

Total Members Voted: 15

Voting closed: August 15, 2017, 07:20:08 pm

Author Topic: Brooklyn Sabbatical: Website Award Poll  (Read 7408 times)

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Offline Molinari

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Brooklyn Sabbatical: Website Award Poll
« on: March 29, 2014, 08:30:21 am »
Here is the link for your review:

http://brooklynsabbatical.wordpress.com/page/2/


Poll open for two weeks.

Thank you for participating,

Nick

Offline Andrew McCabe

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Re: Brooklyn Sabbatical: Website Award Poll
« Reply #1 on: April 03, 2014, 07:17:02 am »
I really think that this is one of the most interesting websites I've seen in years, so whether you vote or not I'd encourage everyone to have a look at it. And then vote!

Nick linked to the second page of the site, the most recent entries will be at the top of the opening page
http://brooklynsabbatical.wordpress.com
for those interested in older entries, the Categories page includes a month by month archive going back over 12 months or so
http://brooklynsabbatical.wordpress.com/categories/

stairman

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Re: Brooklyn Sabbatical: Website Award Poll
« Reply #2 on: April 03, 2014, 08:31:24 am »
3b.  Sites must have a notation of their authorship, an identifiable organization behind them, and/or contact information to be eligible.

I can't seem to find this anywhere on the site.

Offline David Atherton

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Re: Brooklyn Sabbatical: Website Award Poll
« Reply #3 on: April 03, 2014, 08:59:01 am »
From the website: "Why isn’t my name here? Anyone who knows me will quickly and readily identify this as my work and I’m freely sharing links with friends and colleagues, but I’d rather when people searched the web for my name that my professional publications and affiliations came first."

I'm not up on RR scholarship so I have no idea who it is. Regardless, it is an enjoyably witty blog written in a breezy style.

Offline Molinari

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Re: Brooklyn Sabbatical: Website Award Poll
« Reply #4 on: April 03, 2014, 09:03:52 am »
That might have been changed with the latest revision of the by-laws.  I don't have time to check now but I'm sure the committee would make an exception/revision if necessary.

Nick

Offline David Atherton

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Re: Brooklyn Sabbatical: Website Award Poll
« Reply #5 on: April 03, 2014, 09:06:55 am »
I'm not up on RR scholarship so I have no idea who it is.

Nevermind, I figured out who the mystery scholar is. I'm very impressed that he is doing a blog like this!

Offline Molinari

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Re: Brooklyn Sabbatical: Website Award Poll
« Reply #6 on: April 03, 2014, 09:40:43 am »
"He" is a "she", lol!

Offline David Atherton

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Re: Brooklyn Sabbatical: Website Award Poll
« Reply #7 on: April 03, 2014, 09:45:10 am »
Oops! Well, again nevermind! LOL

Offline Carausius

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Re: Brooklyn Sabbatical: Website Award Poll
« Reply #8 on: April 03, 2014, 12:23:39 pm »
Funny that section 3b of the bylaw came up. I looked at the blog several days ago and thoroughly enjoyed it, but I could not bring myself to vote one way or the other in part because of the anonymity factor (and I knew nothing about section 3b at the time). Maybe I shouldn't care that the blogger is anonymous, since I am not using my full name to post here  ;) - then again I am not nominated for an award endorsing my posts! 

Further, the anonymous blogger describes the blog as partly a writing exercise for possible future work.  I have no problem with that as a basis for blogging, and I enjoyed reading the posts; but is that the sort of product the Forum community wants to award - random musings that are not vetted to the point of publicly-claimed authorship?

Again, I haven't voted for or against the blog. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it so I could not in good conscience vote against it. However, I'm struggling with whether this type of anonymous material should be "endorsed" by the Forum community. If the author is not yet comfortable enough to put his/her name on the material, then why should we put our collective "name" on it via an award?  That's not a rhetorical question, and the answer may be that this scholar's musings are equivalent to something you or I would spend a week researching...
 

Offline Andrew McCabe

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Re: Brooklyn Sabbatical: Website Award Poll
« Reply #9 on: April 03, 2014, 01:38:30 pm »
The writer isn't anonymous, it is Liv Yarrow, Chair of Classics at Brooklyn university, and she is happy for people who enquire to know that fact. Since you've now asked (relating to rule 3b!), I'm sharing the information, and all Forum readers are welcome to know that. Liv has been happy to have this information shared on other discussion lists, and I'm sure she will be happy for Forum members to know also. I have discussed it with her, and she very much welcomes the extra readership exposure from discussion lists such as Forum.

Liv did not include her name on the blog because she did not wish internet searches for her name to lead to the blog, instead of to her academic record and publications. The website is not written in her official capacity, but rather in a private capacity, it expresses ideas in formation, isn't part of her academic publication, and isn't associated with Brooklyn university. She also wants the novel ideas in the blog to live on their own merits, rather than due to her well-known name. That's the why, and it's perfectly understandable.

There are plenty of other numismatic websites that have received Forum awards that are in exactly the same situation - we all know who the authors are, but their names aren't emblazoned on the website. This is now no different. So, please go ahead and vote for Liv Yarrow's Brooklyn blog!

stairman

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Re: Brooklyn Sabbatical: Website Award Poll
« Reply #10 on: April 03, 2014, 01:42:07 pm »
Who brought up that stupid 3b rule anyways?

Offline Molinari

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Re: Brooklyn Sabbatical: Website Award Poll
« Reply #11 on: April 03, 2014, 01:43:56 pm »
Good point, Andrew.  I think the ultimate question to keep in mind when reviewing websites is: Is it an example of "numismatic excellence"?  Personally, I think her blog is absolutely deserving.

But thank you for bringing up the by-law, stairman, you would make an excellent committee member for next year!

Offline Andrew McCabe

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Re: Brooklyn Sabbatical: Website Award Poll
« Reply #12 on: April 03, 2014, 01:57:39 pm »
Who brought up that stupid 3b rule anyways?

 ;)

It reminds me of the many years I spent working in a monolithic multinational company, in the general area of governance and controls. I used to endlessly stress the point that rules are needed only in cases where there is a lack of competence to make judgement calls, or in certain business-critical functions such as safety or finance. Where there are competent administrators (and this year, as chair of the website awards, I will try my best!), then having restrictive rules can result in perverse outcomes whereby you do something that a wise administrator would choose not do. It's my intent over the next year to interpret the rules with an eye to the bigger picture: numismatic excellence: considering the rules as advisory.

P.S. In 2013, we had a splendid set of rules for regular award polls, which were 100% complied with. I'm certain of that 100% compliance since zero new websites were put forward for a regular award last year, which means no website could breach the rules! Rules aren't everything...

Offline Enodia

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Re: Brooklyn Sabbatical: Website Award Poll
« Reply #13 on: April 03, 2014, 02:01:36 pm »
But thank you for bringing up the by-law, stairman, you would make an excellent committee member for next year!


see? no good deed goes unpunished.

Offline Molinari

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Re: Brooklyn Sabbatical: Website Award Poll
« Reply #14 on: April 03, 2014, 02:07:14 pm »
I used to endlessly stress the point that rules are needed only in cases where there is a lack of competence to make judgement calls, or in certain business-critical functions such as safety or finance.

That's very wise, Andrew.  I'm going to add that to my list of quotations.

Offline Andrew McCabe

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Re: Brooklyn Sabbatical: Website Award Poll
« Reply #15 on: April 03, 2014, 02:40:03 pm »
Perhaps my quotation oversimplifies a bit. Sometimes, even where rules aren't strictly needed, they are still useful. They save time in not-reinventing-the-wheel, and in passing down corporate memory about good ways to do things, and in reminding people of a common culture and making them feel safe and unstressed. I would characterise most of the website award rules in that light. The rules as a whole are a well crafted constitutional design, which fits with Forum's theme (after all, everyone here has got one or other Roman Imperial title), but some are in practice unnecessary. For example I don't think I'd want to be involved in any sociable committee where we really had a need to enforce rule 14 (which says committee members shouldn't act corruptly), or rule 15 (impeachment process). Rule 3a, which says sites may only hotlink to the content of others' with permission from said owners, isn't how the internet works. And so on. Putting my business-man's hat on, I might consider proposing to cut the rules down to, say, 10 guidance points. But I would be far more likely to say that spending time on rewriting rules isn't worth anyone's effort, and that the overarching guidance is that the committee should act sensibly and efficiently with regard to the general aim of the awards, and with awareness that the historic rules embed some wise experiences from the past, as well as decent integrity principles. On the latter, I am however considering adding a rule that forbids us from coveting other committee member's wives. Just try and enforce that one!

Offline David Atherton

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Re: Brooklyn Sabbatical: Website Award Poll
« Reply #16 on: April 03, 2014, 06:11:32 pm »
So, please go ahead and vote for Liv Yarrow's Brooklyn blog!

It got a yes vote from me. That blog is a treasure trove of interesting numismatic historical tidbits.

Offline Carausius

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Re: Brooklyn Sabbatical: Website Award Poll
« Reply #17 on: April 04, 2014, 08:32:22 am »
[quote author=Andrew McCabe link=topic=94965.msg589400#msg589400
Since you've now asked (relating to rule 3b!), I'm sharing the information, and all Forum readers are welcome to know that.

There are plenty of other numismatic websites that have received Forum awards that are in exactly the same situation - we all know who the authors are, but their names aren't emblazoned on the website. This is now no different.
[/quote]



Actually, I neither asked nor expected to learn her name, but thank you nevertheless!  Her CV is quite impressive.  I am encouraged that she publicly acknowledges the blog to more than her closest friends. Equally important to me is your statement that Forum awards have been given to anonymous or virtually anonymous websites in the past. Given that precedent, I see no reason to stand on rules of sand this time. I have cast an affirmative vote!

stairman

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Re: Brooklyn Sabbatical: Website Award Poll
« Reply #18 on: April 04, 2014, 09:55:56 pm »
Quote from: Carausius on April 04, 2014, 08:32:22 am
[quote author=Andrew McCabe link=topic=94965.msg589400#msg589400
Since you've now asked (relating to rule 3b!), I'm sharing the information, and all Forum readers are welcome to know that.

There are plenty of other numismatic websites that have received Forum awards that are in exactly the same situation - we all know who the authors are, but their names aren't emblazoned on the website. This is now no different.



Actually, I neither asked nor expected to learn her name, but thank you nevertheless!  Her CV is quite impressive.  I am encouraged that she publicly acknowledges the blog to more than her closest friends. Equally important to me is your statement that Forum awards have been given to anonymous or virtually anonymous websites in the past. Given that precedent, I see no reason to stand on rules of sand this time. I have cast an affirmative vote!
[/quote]


Times 2.

I'm in.

 

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