We’ve all spent years preparing
Before this band was born
With heaven's help it blended
And we do thank the lord.Terry Kath, “Introduction” Chicago Transit Authority, 1969
In my previous article—The dawn of the beginning—I outlined the case for reforming the Joomla! forum to overcome the undesirable presence of fake users, spuriously-created new forum accounts and the burden these things impose on the forum moderators who spend their time “taking out the garbage”. As I hope you will agree, the questions I asked in relation to these matters are worthy of answers. I was disappointed, though, that my questions posted at the Joomla! forum did not receive the kind of support I had hoped for.
It was the conspicuous absence of the Joomla! forum management team in the debate that disturbed me most. Perhaps this “conspicuity”—not acknowledging that contentions exist—is a characteristic of “groupthink” behaviour? Or, put another way, the team is counting on burying perceived threats [to it] as quickly as possible simply by not having to respond to them.
Virtue signalling is the conspicuous communication of moral values and good deeds. The term has negative connotations as it is commonly used to denote virtuous actions and statements are motivated by a desire for social status and self-satisfaction. In recent years, the term has been more commonly used within groups to criticise those who are seen to value the expression of virtue over action.
Although my observations were apparently not generating much support at the Joomla! forum, I would have been content to allow things to subside were it not for a surprise celebrity intervention; that intervention caused me to radically reappraise my ideas—in a good way—and commit to an entirely different approach, ultimately resulting in what you’re reading now. You will have to read more of this article to discover the details about that intervention and how it changed my thoughts.
When I began this journey I didn’t want to the community to adopt any one set-piece solution. I didn’t want to spend too much time justifying my ideas or weighing-up various other alternative solutions; I didn’t want to over-egg matters by having to prove beyond all doubt that what we were saying was true. I certainly didn’t want to cause any ructions or be villainised as someone-with-an-axe-to-grind … or worse: to be seen as someone with only one axe to grind! I tried to work with the system but after several months it became apparent that the system was letting me down.
It’s always easy to make suggestions. It’s much harder to actually do it.Brian Teeman The Joomla! forum, 21-Aug-2019
Brian and I are couple of opinionated, disagreeable bastards who have sparred with one another more nearly a decade. It may surprise you to know that we have more in common than most people would realise. As far as Brian’s quote is concerned, I think that he’s half-correct: it’s not easy to make suggestions if the people who are in a position to implement them are deaf! It’s a grim reality. I found myself with two choices: (a) allow the Joomla! forum to rot, or (b) mobilise a grass-roots campaign to address the problem. I felt it would be the irresponsible thing to do to choose the first alternative. The second choice—the more “responsible” thing to do—carried more risks for me (financially and reputationally).
I have never mobilised any grass-roots campaign in my life. It shouldn’t be too difficult: like anything, you need a plan; you need to publicise the plan; you need to get busy talking with other people about your plans; you need to maintain the momentum, “stay the course” when prevailing conditions seem to be against your success. It takes patience, courage and fortitude.
This article closes the cycle—describing the history behind this website and [who and] what persuaded me to become more an “activist”. My next article will discuss some of the technical considerations I’ve encountered along the way. Stay tuned for my next instalment.
