Next week will be my 2 month anniversary of leaving the Open Directory Project, and I'm very relieved to report that I am finally starting to recover from my addiction. :-)
Like all successful rehabilitations**, this has required the patient support of friends, the discovery of healthier alternatives, the passage of time, ... and the consumption of quite a lot of chocolate (although the less said about that, the better).
Needing to fill the 40-50 hours a week (yes I know, crazy!) that I used to spend editing in the ODP has been a challenge, but things are starting to fall into place at last.
I have almost completed my training to become a volunteer adult literacy tutor, after which I will be matched up with a student for weekly sessions.
Tomorrow I finish a staff development programme at the university where I work part time, and this will enable me to undertake additional tutoring roles within the medical school. I have also been accepted as a volunteer mentor for 4th year medical students at another university, which will be an interesting contrast.
Of course I have not been able to tear myself away from the computer entirely, so various ODP friends have helped me to find other online activities where I can volunteer my time and use many of the skills I learned in my years at DMOZ.
Then there's my ongoing volunteer activities in the local bushfire brigade and community learning centre, and my woefully neglected studies in forensic medicine.
That should be more than enough to keep my thoughts from turning back to the friends I left behind, the things I left unfinished, and the satisfaction and fascination of working on such a worthwhile project with so many people from all over the world.
Yes, it should be enough, and one day soon I hope it is.
**[Added 26 May: my tongue-in-cheek reference to "therapy" was more accurate than I realised, according to a recent "Scientific American" article I read today.]
WITTERING WITH INTENT: Random ramblings by an opinionated generalist
9 comments:
I have waited much longer than I should to comment here.
So, this is from evil uncle netjim....
You owe it to yourself to ask for reinstatement at ODP. The project was (as you have said) a large part of your life. So, from this most recent blog entry, I think it safe to say that you have "gotten a handle" on that. It will no longer be the all consuming part that it was. So that, you can now be a part without letting the burdens on the entire world rest on your shoulders.
You are much too good a person to walk away and not return. You deserve this community. And this community needs you.
Jim
aka netjim
As Jim said.
But does the community deserves her?
My comments are for and to Mak. Not to the legion of those happy that she is no longer in ODP....nor to those who who continue to whine and complain because they haven't gotten their way. Of course most of those who are apparently happy she is no longer in ODP are also not in ODP. (How many were kicked out?)
And I certainly don't send comments for one who doesn't have the guts to identify.
Mak made huge, positive contributions at ODP. As far as I'm concerned, the only reason she should Not continue to make at least some of those contributions is if she believes those contributions are of no help. That's what we are about. And, in the end, that will be the only opinion that counts.
Thank you, Jim. Unfortunately I had good reason to doubt the value of my contribution, so I very much appreciate your sentiments. :-)
Perhaps its not as gloomy as you have been foretold. For what its worth, and I already told you privately, I agree with wise old Uncle Jim. Its time.
Thanks shadow, but gloominess is not an issue, and my posts since leaving have been uniformly optimistic about the future of the directory under the new community management. :-)
Mak, listen to Uncle Jim, he's a wise man ;-)
I'm waiting for you for an editing contest. Let's forget the future of the directory, the community management, even the coaching. Come back for the pleasure to build categories and list good sites which aren't still listed. There are plenty of them and our ontology is the best of the world ;-)
Time to chime in. You have 40-50 extra hours of time to find words to kick my butt on Scrabulous. It works! Seriously, I'm glad we still stay in contact - I value our friendship. :-)
I am smart enough to not pressure you into coming back - but I know ODP loves you, misses you, and would scream with joy to have you back. BTW - your turn. Sipping a nice Shiraz from NZ - boycotting the Ozzie stuff. LOL
"LOL" indeed. Thanks. :-)
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