[Strategic] User feedback or What does the community want / miss / annoy

[Steve Coast]

On 5/27/2011 11:15 AM, TimSC wrote:
> On 27/05/11 18:26, Steve Coast wrote:
>> On 5/27/2011 1:02 AM, Kai Krueger wrote:
>>> On 05/27/2011 12:55 AM, SteveC wrote:
>>>> Sounds like design by committee to me :-(
>>> How exactly is "knowing what your users / the community wants" 
>>> design by committee? How can having more information be bad in any 
>>> decision process?
>>
>> Pretty simple - you don't get any consensus therefore the data is 
>> pretty meaningless. If you get 50% of people saying there should be a 
>> big map on the front page and 50% say no map. What are you supposed 
>> to do? It will just randomize you.
> How do you know you won't get consensus?

I've been involved in the project for a little while.

> I'd be interested in hearing your justification. Usually there is some 
> common ground even in the most violent disagreements.
>
> I think we might agree that openstreetmap is run by consensus - or 
> that could just be my imagination.

'fraid so.

Much more realistic, in a sense, to think that OSM is run by Tom Hughes 
than a consensus.

> Where does this consensus seeking happen except on the mailing lists? 
> Or is decision by committee the de facto method for OSM decisions?
>
> On 27/05/11 18:54, Steve Coast wrote:
>> What we have to get away from (and what will stop you) is the list 
>> permission culture. The lists will never agree to anything and we 
>> have to stop treating them as the place to get permission to do 
>> anything. 
> How exactly is OSMF accountable to the non-OSMF member contributors, 
> if you just ignore the lists?
>
> Tim
>
>