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Worldwide Charity Screenings for Equality Now



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PostPosted: Mon Apr 06, 2009 10:48 pm 
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Hello! I read the "How to Guide" to check and there is a section 2.3 on "Selecting a team". Said section states:

"Ask your friends and family. Check the web for local Browncoat groups. Ask for help on Firefly/Serenity message boards and online communities." (emphasis mine)

Many of us got a posting from a non-local organizer asking for help with his local CSTS. I'm sure that we all were a bit perplexed on why this person from out of state was asking about helping out his local CSTS. Hell I even got a post on a Browncoat and friends Biggest Loser/Diet/Weight-loss yahoo group that we started where post stuff to help us keep us on track to lose weight and stay healthy. Anyway, getting off point here..

My advice is this: When organizing your local CSTS screening and looking for folks to help, please do not blanket spam all the yahoo/facebook/ other community groups that come up under the search term "Browncoat/Firefly/Serenity" . Please spend some time to research your audience to see if posting in said board/community is appropriate. Please make sure your message is clear. If you don't understand why sending out a request for help on your local event to folks 1000 miles away when many people are holding local events isn't appropriate, please find someone who will politly explain it to you. (I can help with that!)

Also, if you do happen to blast out mass spammage to folks everywhere and the emails start rolling in asking you not to do it anymore, it is not good form to post those email responses and say that "you tried" to get help for your local event. Of course some folks would be taken back about your request, I highly doubt you would be pleased with folks from out of area asking for help with their local CSTS screening in your own backyard, especially when you see the same message across other Browncoat communities you are a part of.

Another bit of advice, standing behind the "I thought Browncoats were united" flag and yet posting up unfavorable responses to spam isn't a good way to promote Browncoat unity.

Last but not least, the CSTS forum is a really wonderful place to talk to other organizers and to get high level help on suggestions for what you can do for your local event. If you need help at the global level, CSTS forum is a great place to go. If you need local help, the local forums, groups and communities are a great place to start.


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PostPosted: Mon Apr 06, 2009 11:09 pm 
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I couldn't agree more about only posting on local groups for local help. the only messages that should be going out to all and sundry, should be those advertising CSTS global.


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PostPosted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 2:06 am 
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I agree as well. Nodgarb said much more eloquently anything I could have written. I would also be coming at it from a place of anger at the moment.

James


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PostPosted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 3:27 am 
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I do not have the entire big picture here. And as GO, unless this is going to cause serious damage to CSTS and/or both parties want mediation, I must walk the line - because I don't have the whole story. I'm also not saying that no one has a right to feel the way they do. (once again, I have to stay objective)

What Nodgarb said is very well put. Kudos for that - and thank you for keeping a level head. :mrgreen:

:idea: However, until I know differently, I'm gonna imagine that it was just excitement and a powerful need to do good which prompted the emailing and wasn't an attempt at spammage. I know when I worked on CSTS for Memphis, it was a very scary and exciting time. It was also a bit of a mystery until Tanya reached out and helped me through it all - and then success.

Sometimes we are all human and dance the wrong step at the wrong time. Tempers flare, people say things they don't really mean and things happen. But we have to all remember what's at stake here, CSTS and EN and reputation.

What I want (because I'm very much Polyanna cause girl here) is for CSTS to be shiny. So, we can either walk away and/or work it out if necessary, or we can go down in flames.

If anyone needs me or the global team, we stand ready to help one and all.

AND PLEASE REMEMBER: Before everyone gets angry at me, I am accusing no one and taking no sides. That wouldn't be fair because I am not privy to both sides of this picture. I'm merely wanting to cheer everyone on to do their best in the name of CSTS and EN.

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PostPosted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 4:00 am 
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Anne,

I've sent you an email with every bit of information and communication between Mr. Prater and myself.

I understand your need to keep CSTS shiny. That doesn't mean everything needs to be buried or handled privately. Sure most of it can be, but there must be a public disclosure if anything is resolved or not.

Just so everyone is aware, here is the extent of what I am requesting in this matter:

1. Mr. Prater is to remove the post on the Nashville forum with private emails

That's it. Nothing about an apology (although it would be nice), nothing about admitting he spammed 500+ Browncoat groups, nothing else.

I will post again with the result of this request, unless someone else does it first.

James


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PostPosted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 4:23 am 
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James, I wrote back to you - so please be sure that if you didn't get my response that you let me know so I can send it again.

Thank you for responding to me personally. I appreciate it.

Here's hoping this can be resolved to everyone's satisfaction.

Anne

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PostPosted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 7:16 pm 

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To my fellow Browncoats,
My heart is a little broken this evening as I sit and write this letter. I did something stupid. I spent two days joining every Yahoo Browncoat group in sight. I did so with the most honorable of intentions, I did it to reach to a group that I thought accepted everyone, regardless of gender, race, nationality, religion and sexuality. I did not realize the one boundary that we could not face or overcome was distance. I stretched out with the goal of unity, and comradery, but instead have come to realize that with the best of intentions I have somehow created the worst of reactions. I have been accused of spamming all the Yahoo groups, but I don't agree and here's why: 1.) I work with a production company that does at least four different "fundraisers" a year, and this event is the one that I thought already had networking in place, and it is easily the one I most enjoy because it wraps together my passion for being a Whedonite and my passion for a good cause. 2.) I feel because it was "just some average browncoat in some far away city", I feel my cry for help and companionship was viewed by some as "unsolicited usually commercial e-mail sent to a large number of addresses". I am not a corporation, I am not some advertisement for timeshare in Jamaica, I thought I was your brother in arms, fighting against ignorance of the abuse of women, and I thought I was allowed to talk with other Browncoats about my struggles (which at this point are many) and my victories (which are few). 3.) I joined other groups not only for these reasons, but also to get to know other browncoats worldwide, to find out how to help Nashville, and in turn Tennessee, spirit and heart become more alive. Maybe I'm not viewing the term Browncoat correctly, but I thought it was someone would do anything to stay alive, and keep fighting the good fight, even in unconventional ways.
Any one who knows me knows I have a loud mouth, and I feel my loud mouth on the Internet got alot of reaction, good and bad. And I can definitely say this is a learning experience, and I'm grateful for the challenges planning this event has brought, I guess it just didn't see other Browncoats (or their groups) as the hurdles I would have to overcome.
Regardless, again I am sorry if I have offended anyone in my pursuit of trying to be a part of the World's Greatest Event and inviting other people from around the world to be a part of helping another city succeed. But I will not give up. Long live CSTS, in Nashville, and everywhere else.
-Will Prater, CSTS Nashville

PS I am going to remove the email from the group, not because I feel it was wrong to post, but because it is taking needless energy and focus away from our purpose, spreading the love of the Browncoat, and getting the message of Equality Now out there. I got nothing but love for all my Browncoat brothers and sisters.


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PostPosted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 9:10 pm 
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I replied to this in the introductions forum, but since the post is copy and pasted here, I'll include my response here as well:

Hi Will, First off, I want to thank you for removing those email responses you posted up. Despite it being legal to have those posted up for the world to see, some folks don't particularly like that and like you said, it takes away from the energy and focus. So for that you have my thanks.

What I did want to point out though is that , generally, Browncoats are what you said. Open, accepting, totally awesome. The boundry that you faced wasn't one of distance, but one of communication. While there are some distance based boundries and factors to what Browncoats can do to help out other Browncoats, you'll see that generally distance is not a factor. CSTS is just one instance of how Browncoats from all over work togather to help raise money for EN, despite that fact that we are sometimes half a world away from eachother.

Now, going back to the communication, the message we all got was a blanket copy and paste message, extremly non-personal, sent to every forum without seeing if it was an appropriate venue and judging from your responses to the responses you got from your message, didn't appear to be the message you were trying to convey. So the boundry you hit was communication, not distance. I think if we better understood what you were asking, we would have all pointed you to the CSTS forum where the kind of help you were looking for is freely available and is the most appropriate place for that kind of discussion.

While I know the experience you went thru regarding the mass message fiasco isn't the most pleasant one, I hope that you don't continue to feel that other Browncoats and Browncoat groups are hurdles you have to overcome. We're all here to help eachother. This is why the CSTS forums exist, so that Browncoats from all walks of life and all locations have a common place that they can go to make their local event the best it can be.

I'll leave you with this: You can't stop the signal! But please be sure that signal is clear and that it is broadcasted to the right place.

If anyone wants to discuss specifics, please email or PM me.


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