Be warned!

Today's topic is "Things which can bite you in the bum".

1. Offering to pay for a listing in ODP/DMOZ

There is never, ever any charge for a site to be listed in the Open Directory Project, but ignorant, deluded, or merely hopeful webmasters and SEO experts continue to think they can buy their way in.
Sometimes they are the victims of con artists who pretend to be able to list a site, but who just take their money and disappear.
Other times they think that by offering to pay, a corrupt editor will break the rules just for them.
Both actions are doomed to fail, and result in long-lasting consequences:

Any editor found to have asked for or accepted payment will instantly lose their account,

and

site(s) associated with the bribe are likely to be permanently banned from the directory.

This advice has been repeated many many times over the years, in all sorts of places, so it seems unbelievable that people are prepared to risk those consequences for something so completely unnecessary. But they do. I guess it's just true that "there's a fool born every minute".

2. Not looking where you are (ahem) going.

Back in the days when most Australian homes had a "backyard dunny", it was not uncommon to find spiders and lizards lurking there. Particularly feared was the Redback spider, which liked to live under the actual seat.

While not poisonous, its bite causes severe pain, and victims often need to be hospitalised. Embarrassment about the bite's location was almost as painful, as this famous song by Slim Dusty explains.

The fear of "The Redback on the Toilet Seat" is ingrained in every Australian, even though inside plumbing has made it more of an ancient legend. However, I was astonished to learn that similar dangers are still a threat in the modern American household, as demonstrated in this scary picture!

The message is clear: always look first.

Trick and Treat

(Warning: readers of a sensitive disposition may like to skip the first section, which deals with bodily functions.)

In last week's classes, my group of medical students learned about the signs and symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease, so the following announcement seemed very timely, and I took it along to today's session.

"The medical profession expressed qualified support this week for the release of a new office-testing kit for medical practices. Consisting of a slim spatula, a glass slide, and 2 sachets of reagent, Poosmear (TM) will enable on-the-spot testing for mucus and inflammatory cells in fresh faeces.

The makers expect the kit to be of use primarily to gastroenterologists and GPs, and they claim it will be a useful screening tool for patients suspected of having inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), as well as offering reassurance to any patient concerned about altered bowel habits.

The test involves the collection of faeces directly from the rectum, with the sample being smeared liberally across the slide and allowed to dry. (As this might take some time in the case of diarrhoea, the use of a hairdrier is suggested.) When the sample is completely dry, the reagents are added and the resulting colour change compared to a chart.

The kit is expected to cost about $20, and is distributed by [company] Ltd."

I am relieved to report that most of group guessed the truth even before they got to the company name. Besides, they are used to my turning up with stuff I write on the train. ;-)
In fact I had a far better April Fool's "catch" rate with my fellow tutors. LOL

I have previously mentioned some of the little things which I find very rewarding in my role as a volunteer in the Open Directory Project, and another one happened in the last couple of weeks.
Many hundreds of people apply each week to become editors, and I described the application and review process in detail in "FAQ about ODP/DMOZ editing Part 1: Applying". It can be a rather dispiriting task to review one poor or careless application after another, and the ones which are acceptable tend to stand out from the crowd. Unfortunately, many of these new editors do only a few edits before losing interest, but every now and then one of them will use their account with great enthusiasm: reading the many resources, using the internal forums, searching for worthwhile sites, improving the category, and generally doing their best to learn how to be a useful and productive member of the editing community.
It is always a pleasure to see someone re-apply after an unsuccessful application, and then go on to become an enthusiastic and conscientious editor. I recently joined someone like this to the directory, and it's a real treat. :-)

Volunteering: ups and downs (2)

As I have previously explained, I spend much of my "work" time as a volunteer, because I like to give something back in return for the privilege of not having to work full-time. Having dogs rather than kids is the secret, I feel. ;-)

Just as with paid employment, though, there are plenty of ways in which volunteering can lift your spirits or get you down, and after a recent roller coaster ride in this regard, I thought I'd share some of my highs and lows over the last few weeks.

Plus, my passionfruit vine has just come into flower. ->

DMOZ/ODP

Editing in the Open Directory Project is always a bit unpredictable, due to the extremely diverse community involved, the strong emotions it evokes in supporters and detractors, and the fact that it seems to have lost most of its direction and enthusiasm over the last couple of years.

In my last post I mentioned an unpleasant reminder that when it comes to any conflict between worker and management, the latter holds all the cards. Respectful acknowledgement of alternative viewpoints, willingness to listen to suggestions, and polite agreement on a compromise seem like simple good manners and common sense to me, but they are not the ways some people like to exert their authority. An astonishingly short-sighted view, I feel, particularly in an organisation which relies completely on volunteers to do all the work!

However, I do eventually know when I'm beaten, although I admit to being embarrassingly slow to get the point. In fact I often remind myself of the Black Knight in Monty Python's "Holy Grail", who kept up his defiant challenge to King Arthur long after he should have given up. "It's just a flesh wound!". lol

Bush Firefighting

I have been very proud to be an active member of two volunteer brigades over the last 12 years or so, and I used to delight in the look of surprise on people's faces when I explained that I was qualified to drive the big fire trucks. I have helped with many bush fires, large and small, and I have immense respect and admiration for all the volunteers involved in this often dangerous work, as I highlighted in Bushfires in Western Australia.
Unfortunately, however, the brigade where I now live has not proven to be as cohesive as the rural one to which I previously belonged. The internal politics and prejudices have been as divisive, and have led to the same lack of direction and enthusiasm that I have sadly observed in DMOZ/ODP.

Is there something about volunteer organisations which eventually leads them to crumble from the top down?? Perhaps those volunteers who rise to management positions are merely keen, rather than having any experience or aptitude in managing diverse groups?

To repeat a research finding from my post almost one year ago:

"In a national study on volunteerism done by the UPS Foundation ... the second most frequently cited reason for ending volunteer involvement - following conflicting personal reasons - was the “Poor management of volunteers”.

40% of these volunteers stopped volunteering for an agency at some time because of one or more poor volunteer management practices. Volunteers felt that the organization was poorly managed, their time was not well spent, the experience was not a good use of their talents, and tasks were not clearly defined ..."

Adult Literacy

Let's finish on a more positive note.

My weekly sessions as a volunteer tutor with Read Write Now! are proving to be immensely rewarding and enjoyable. My "student" is a middle-aged man previously so ashamed of his poor spelling and writing that he has spent his life avoiding having to write anything. But yesterday he showed me a short story he had written for the organisation's yearly magazine!

I was speechless with admiration at his bravery in striking out like this after a lifetime of feeling embarrassed and inferior.

Ah - the power of words to lift the weary soul. :-)