Greetings! HVLUnited began publishing our commentaries in Spring of 2013. To date we have published approximately 35 commentaries. Every single one of them remains on the email archive found on our website at hvlunited.org. Since Spring 2013 we have continuously run our position on the Hartmann Complex - Community Center Project on the homepage of our website, which states: 1. We are in favor of renovation of the Hartmann Golf Clubhouse and the Community Center. 2. We are in favor of doing so with funds currently reserved for that purpose. 3. We wish to avoid incurring debt to fund the project if possible. 4. We would like the community to be surveyed in order to get comprehensive data regarding the communitys wishes for the project. 5. We would like the eventual Board of Directors project recommendation to be put to a community-wide vote to approve. Recently another group has emerged - calling itself HVLClarified.org with an accompanying Facebook site called HVLConnections. HVLClarifieds About Us page tells of their purpose and the high ethical standards they have set for their conduct. Under the heading of Our Values, HVLClarified states: ...The personal values we will strive to live by and practice in our communication include: Rationality, Reason, Logic, Open mindedness, Transparency, Respect, Civility, Honesty, Courage, Humility... Under the heading of Our Editorial Promises, HVLClarified states: Opinions will not be presented as facts, but will be clearly identifiable as opinion. We will work hard to provide reference, links and sources for all factual information that we publish. We are certain to make mistakes. However, when we do we will own each one and use them as valuable learning experiences. If factual errors are discovered, we will acknowledge and correct them... Since the Founders of HVLClarified and HVLConnections have set a very high standard of conduct for themselves, it is entirely fair to measure them against these standards. So how have they lived up to them? It took them only five days to compromise their credibility and the high standards they professed adherence to. They announced their online debut with flyers distributed at the Friday July 18th, Concert on the Green. Within several days their Membership had skyrocketed to over 400 Members. Indeed - in one day the total jumped from approximately 58 Members to over 400 Members. That would have been very impressive indeed - if - in fact all these 400 Members had really signed up as Members on the HVLConnections Facebook site. But that was not the case. An HVLConnections Administrator - identified online only by the alias of HVLAssoc - had taken the liberty of adding people as Members without the knowledge and or permission of some of these people. Indeed, some people HVLConnections called Members included people who do not even live in Hidden Valley Lake. Thus far we have seen nothing on the HVLClarifed or HVLConnections sites explaining why they added people as Members who had done nothing to indicate they wished to be Members. Is there a valid explanation why adding people who have not requested to be Members should be considered anything other than a form of misrepresentation of their Membership? In addition to HVLAssoc, HVLConnections had two other Administrators. As with HVLAssoc - they operated under the aliases of: Woody Kuai and Fast Freddy. Why did they hide behind these juvenile aliases? Why not use their real names? Is this an example of their self-proclaimed values of Transparency and Honesty? And what about their promise to Own their Mistakes? The subjects of false identities and the use of others information without their consent are addressed on Facebooks Community Standards page, where it states: On Facebook people connect using their real names and identities. We ask that you refrain from publishing the personal information of others without their consent. Claiming to be another person, creating a false presence for an organization, or creating multiple accounts undermines community and violates Facebooks terms. Some Members of the long-standing Facebook site Hidden Valley Lake Forum actually joined as Members of HVLConnections and began engaging in dialogue with HVLConnections Members on a number of topics of importance to this Community. Apparently that was not OK with HVLConnections because these people were in very short order blocked from participation on the HVLConnections site. Some Members of HVL Forum were even blocked from participation on HVLConnections - even though they had never even posted a comment on HVLConnections! Shortly thereafter, the conversations in which these HVL Forum Members had participated were deleted from the HVLConnections Facebook site. Scrubbed from existence, as if they had never even occurred. Are these examples of HVLConnections self-proclaimed values of Open Mindedness, Civility and Respect? After it became evident that HVLConnections had added Members who had not requested to be Members, the HVLConnections site abruptly went completely dark, only five days after its online debut. Then days later it went online yet again, with their Membership total now claiming 240 Members - and without any explanation as to how their Membership count pinballs wildly from 58 to 400 plus - then going offline - then reappearing online with a Membership count of 240. This speaks directly to their credibility. Despite their promise to correct all errors - they have not been forthcoming with an acknowledgment of those errors - much less a public apology to those they added without their permission. This is a clear violation of Facebook policy - a clear violation of HVLClarified and HVLConnections self-professed ethical standards - and finally, a clear violation of basic common courtesy. Contrast that, if you will, with how the Facebook site HVL Forum has grown its Membership - The right way - honestly - with real people who actually requested to become Members - and by one real person at a time. No aliases. No short cuts. Everyone is welcome to participate, including those with views disagreeing from the majority. HVL Forums Membership now stands at 715, and consistently growing - the right way. We feel that we at HVLUnited have likewise done it the right way. We have built our credibility one commentary at a time for well over a year. We have never deleted anything we have published. Every single commentary published remains on our site to this day in our email archive. Our position on the Hartmann Complex - Community Center Project has never wavered and has remained on our website continuously. We have always been in favor of renovation of both the Hartman building and the Community Center. We have always been in favor of the Project - but just not the Process by which it is being conducted by the majority of the Board - and we have every right to insist that our position on this matter be accurately represented by others. So, the questions are fair. Have HVLClarified and HVLConnections measured up to the standards they set for themselves? Have they lived up to their stated values of: Rationality, Reason, Logic, Open Mindedness, Transparency, Respect, Civility, Honesty, Courage, Humility? Have they lived up to their editorial promise of owning their mistakes? We believe the answers to these questions are self-evident, however we believe everyone should decide for himself or herself and then judge their future statements and actions accordingly. https://sites.google/site/hvlunitedorg/hvlunited-home
Posted on: Thu, 31 Jul 2014 22:38:38 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015