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From whitewolf@alpha.c2.org Mon Apr  8 17:13:13 PDT 1996
Article: 16878 of alt.politics.nationalism.white
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From: whitewolf@alpha.c2.org
Newsgroups: alt.politics.nationalism.white
Subject: OUR CYBERSPACE IMAGE By Dr. Pierce
Date: 8 Apr 1996 15:46:19 +0200
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>From the National Alliance's BULLETIN for March...

OUR CYBERSPACE IMAGE

By Dr. Pierce

The members who have been developing our World Wide Web sites are mature,
serious, responsible men and women, and they have been doing excellent
work.  They use only material which has been provided by the National
Office.  The image of us projected by our web sites is one of
professionalism and competence.  It is a serious image, befitting the
world-historical task of the Alliance.  It attracts to us the sort of men
and women we must have in order to accomplish that task.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the image generated by much of
the cyberchatter from the many members who participate in the various
Internet discussion groups.  Some of these, identifying themselves as
Alliance members, give more of an impression of hyperactive children at
play than of serious adults at work.  Gossip about "movement"
personalities, name-calling, utterly inane debates about inconsequential
matters, and policy statements which are both ill-conceived and
unauthorized -- all identified as somehow Alliance-related -- certainly
must not make a very favorable impression on interested non-members who
are listening in.  I know that I am embarrassed when I read some of the
discussion-group exchanges made in the name of the Alliance.  They almost
make me sympathize with Rabbi Abe Cooper in his frantic efforts to find a
way to censor the Internet!

Gossip carried to excess is an unmanly activity, and it is contrary to
Alliance policy.  It makes a generally poor impression on the type of
people we are interested in recruiting.  We want to be seen as doers, not
as talkers, and in this regard it is good to remember that talkers
generally are ineffective people, for whom talk takes the place of
effective action.

Also contrary to Alliance policy is any member making a public statement
on behalf of the Alliance of posting internal publications, such as
material from our Bulletins, unless he has been authorized specifically to
do so by the National Office.  The Internet is a public forum, not a
private playground.

I can no more control what people say on the Internet than Rabbi Abe can,
but I am appealing to our members to be a little more responsible and a
little more conscious of our image in their Internet activity.  The image
we want is, above all else, one of seriousness and competence; we want
the image of an organization that is determined to do whatever is
necessary to get the job done and is capable of doing the job.  We don't
the image of a club of idle chatterers or a gang of bombastic blowhards.

Nothing I have said here should discourage our mature and responsible
members from Internet activity.  Participation in Internet discussion
groups is an extremely useful activity.  It has been very productive for
us, and it will become even more productive in the future.

As for our less mature and/or less responsible members, when they cannot
resist the urge to get into the Internet sandbox to play, they should do
so as private individuals only, never as spokesmen for the Alliance.

                                                W.L.P.



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