Scott, is that blue tape on your avatar? If so, I want to marry you.
edit: oh…it’s a blue-green surgical mask and cap. nevermind. Offer still stands, though.
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THIS!
Finger-pointing and criticism aren’t very effective when you’re not investing your own time and efforts to make things better. Or at least, you’re not making any points with me if all I see from you is negative posts on TALK, in Discord, or hear if I see you sitting around somewhere in the space. That kind of behavior is just selfish, in my humble opinion, and not a trait I like seeing.
I’m rarely at the space to do something for myself. I’m usually there trying to make things better. I’ve learned how to fumble my way through WIKI updates, I’ve chaired one committee for a few months, Vice-Chaired a committee since October, led a SIG for about a year, done my best to keep a committee area relatively organized, volunteered to help with the election, helped with deep-cleaning of shared spaces within DMS, painted, swept, and purchased various odds and ends out of my own pocket.
I joined in October 2018 specifically because of the lasers. But I have yet to do a project on them from start-to-finish on my own. What I am really good at is helping with maintenance of the lasers, and do so when maintenance days coincide with my availability. Most of the woodshed scares me, but that doesn’t stop me from helping when I can.
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Can I steal your no bluetape avatar
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Sure. Want me to send you the PNG file?
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Sorry already ™️ © by me
Can’t remember which
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There was another thread asking for t-shirt suggestions for DMS, I think this no blue tape avatar would be hilarious on some merchandise. A bit of an inside joke for us 
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I think it is funny how ya’ll are campaigning against something rather than for something.
unfortunately you dont get to control the way a meme evolves
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Look who’s talking…
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Well sure, blue tape is overly expensive and most often a waste. Just use masking tape, it’s way cheaper and just as effective for almost every use case.
So yes, no blue tape.
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“oh you silly man!” bats eyes
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This is a good discussion however it’s rehashing a lot of old ground for me.
In my humble opinion the core constraint of DMS is it’s dependency on volunteers. We need to improve our ability to attract and retain people who are willing, able, and capable volunteers. Improvements there would be a leading indicator that would drive improvements in all the trailing indicators. Blue Tape isn’t addressing this at all as far as I can see.
A few Ideas:
- We need to constantly cultivate and reinforce that our volunteers are not getting paid and it’s not OK to rag on them because things are not getting done the way you want. Don’t like it? Your options are to volunteer yourself or Go Someplace Else.
- We need to reduce aspects of volunteering that are a burden. E.g. Minimize the bureaucracy volunteers need to deal with.
- Reward volunteers where possible.
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Great positive ideas!
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I would like to add that if we can find ways to make volunteering easy(ier), it will make attracting & keeping volunteers easier. I think @uglyknees and @heyheymama are two examples of leaders in their respective committees who did just that, and lifted the whole of DMS with their efforts. If we can figure out how to make that happen more institutionally, that’d be wonderful!
(My one observation: volunteers have stomachs which do not like to be empty)
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DMS supplied food stopped at the same time the Blue Tape stopped.
Hmmm… perhaps the Blue Tape Group needs a Snickers? They get persnickety when they get hungry.
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Note that I am not advocating DMS supplied food, which to the best of my knowledge, neither of the noted persons did/do either.
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There’s a difference there though. @heyheymama brought in her own cooking to people’s delight and @uglyknees had the pot lucks.
The “food” that stopped with blue tape was related to spending DMS funds on it, like taking select few people to food at restaurants and buying booze or buying special snacks to assist in people living at the space/off the space
As I added the quote, I reread it and saw that you called out that DMS supplied food stopped. Guess we are on the same page.
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I did not even mind spending DMS $$$ on food when it was as a thank you or a group project/event.
It really burned my ass when they purchased food for a committee meeting that was unannounced. Effectively buying food for themselves.
@heyheymama brought excellent dishes, mmm blueberries!
@uglyknees was definitely a community builder.
Thanks ladies!
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I stand firmly on the MBSOU (MBlatz Statement of Utility), to paraphrase: if it’s not a tool/facilitator of a process most of us cannot have/do in our own home, membership monies should not be paying for it. Building rent, electricity to run the HAAS, the Bridgeport, cabinet saws… these are the things which for which DMS collects membership dues.
I am willing to listen to exceptions (e.g. semi-annual picnic/potlucks) on a case-by-case basis, and have not always disagreed with member monies being “chipped in” on such, even though I’d much prefer a maker fellowship type fund be set aside for such considerations.
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Certainly a very fair view of things. And appreciate that many members are looking to chip in, not take the chips. 
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