MNHQ, please can feminist petitions stay in the feminism section

[wigglybluelines]

The majority view on the feminist board is that we like petitions! We don't want feminist petitions shunted off to the petitions board.

Feminism is about political activism and it feels appropriate for feminist petitions to live there.

Very few posters knew the petitions board even existed.

This post from MoleSmokes sums it up perfectly IMO:

Petitions here: YES
Do I object to petitions here: NO

Another one who had no idea there was a "Petitions Board".

Obviously, only relevant Petitions. If something is not relevant to Feminism/Women's Rights (the URL is actually "womens_rights") then someone is sure to report it.

Posting a Petition often leads to discussion about the issue - which can be helpful if someone is unsure about whether or not to sign. Those discussions are not going to take place if the Petition is shunted off to what sounds like a Zombie Zone going by previous comments.

A Petition can be relevant to an existing discussion. It makes no sense at all to make a new post on the Petitions Board and then link to it in the Discussion here, assuming that in itself is even allowed. So, also allow linking to Petitions that are relevant to an existing discussion.

If people spam links to Petitions, they will get reported.

What other Boards want is up to regular posters and Mumsnet. I don't see how what we might want to happen here conflicts in any way with practice on other Boards.

How about it MNHQ? Please can we keep feminist petitions in FWR?

Seconded!

Never seen or heard of a petitions board!

Hi folks,

We do understand where you're coming from with this - lots of other boards want similar with regards to being able to post petitions.

The issue is, all petitions are important and worthy to the poster/topic. We have a separate section because if we didn't, the main boards would be overrun.

Unfortunately if were to allow FWR to post petitions, albeit, relevant and topical ones, we'd have to do the same elsewhere and there are many boards where we've concerns users wouldn't know when to stop.

We have no plans to change things at the moment but as ever, we'll bear this in mind (and we could give some thought to promoting the petitions topic).

Thank you LilyMumsnet

I think MNHQ are making the right call.

All in the topic is better than any, anywhere. And I agree that it wouid be unfair to have different rules for different topics (other than the ability to be removed (or made 'opt in') from Active Convos if much trolled)

@LilyMumsnet thank you for replying so promptly.

There was an alternative suggestion on FWR, which was to create a thread specifically to advertise Petitions posted on the Mumsnet Petitions Board. Would Mumsnet have any problems with FWR doing that?

Petitions do not crop up often at all on FWR but when they do they are on far from trivial matters.

Please keep it this way! I know it is frustrating but fighting through petitions would kill the boards.

I think it would be utterly wrong to have a thread prommo petitions. Unless such a thread was permitted in any topic for any petition.

It's not that difficult to have a peek at tours which interest you whilst MNing

The number of posters on the thread in FWR who posted about their ignorance of the topics was quite surprising)

(I think MNHQ should be moving more to the topics))

Where is the petitions board? I’ve looked in Site Stuff, Fun and Games and somewhere else (a bit distracted).

LizziesTwin "in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying 'Beware of the Leopard.'”

It might as well be!

Someone explained how to find it in the thread on FWR and someone else posted a link - I'll see if I can find it for you.

(Can you see how ridiculous this is, Mumsnet?)

Here is the link: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/petitions_noticeboard

Someone found it in the Topics list as a subheading under "Classified" apparently. (Totally obvious that that is where it would be!)

@LilyMumsnet thanks for your reply.

Unlike any other section on MN, Feminism has a "Feminist activism" board.

What are petitions if not activism?

Please could we have petitions moved there?

If any other section on the board wants an activism board, then fair dos - but I can't see the litter tray, or style and beauty for example, wanting an activism board.

But Feminism has an activism board so why is our activism being hidden away under "classified"?

It's not about how passionately people feel about a topic. It's to do with the nature of the topic.

People might feel passionately about dogs, for example, but the litter tray is not an activism board.

Feminist activism - by its very nature - is about activism, and that includes petitions.

It's unfair our petitions are being hidden away because the rest of the site isn't about activism.

Why have a Feminist Activism board if we're not allowed to do any actual activism on it?!

Please could @MNHQ look again at this?

You wouldn't have to do the same elsewhere, unless they have a board actually dedicated to activism.

To be clear:

This is the Feminism Chat topic (the busiest part of FWR) www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights

But there is also a seperate topic explicitly for activism - here: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/feminist_activism

I understand your reasoning for not putting petitions in the first. But I can't understand why they can't go.in the second- It's whole purpose is activism. That makes it different from any other other board on the site by definition.

I remember the huge fuss when a petition concerning autism was mixed, but MNHQ held the policy. This really does need to apply to all, and all petitioning into the same topic.

I do not think MNHQ should give some petitions on some subjects special treatment

The Acitivism board is much quieter than some of the ones recently made subject to the cull procedure. MNHQ might be looking at that in due course, if they continue numbers-based (rather than value-based) culling.

Then what is the point of having a activism board?

And no, the answer isn't kill the activism board.

please don't create a two tier MN

It is plain wrong to keep coming up with suggestions to tryto get round the rules.

A petition concerning autism doesn't relate to any activism already on the site AFAIK.

Disability activism does exist, of course. But MN does not have a disability activism board AFAIK.

MN could still hold fast on the policy, if allowing feminism to have petitions in the activism topic - because no other area is specifically for activism.

please don't create a two tier MN

FWR is already treated differently to the rest of MN. We have our own moderation rules that are stricter.

It's not creating a two-tier system to recognise different needs in different communities.

If another section on the board really wants a activism topic, there is nothing stopping them asking MN for one. (But I can't see the demand is there?).

I can’t find the petitions board when I look at the Talk menu, I tried to see if I’ve hidden it but I couldn’t find the setting for hiding topics you don’t want to see.

The moderation rules are the same for all of MN (threads on trans are moderated in exactly the same way wherever they are started - the warning is stickied in the place where's the rules are frequently breached)

And this smacks of wanting to break the rules that apply to the whole of the rest of the site.

And yes, the autism petition was very much a piece of activism. Please don't dismiss other's concerns so readily. I

If petitions and activism is to be permitted in places other than the 'Petitions and A civism' topic (to give it its full name) then it must be for everyone. Or at least the whole of MN must be consulted.

Which I suppose this is what this thread is doing. And none of the repeated attempts to get different rules for one topic is gathering much support.

I'd love to post quite a lot of campaigning stuff on MN, but do not seek to do so because it's not that sort of site.

Lizzie It's under "Classifieds"

So, hidden!) in practical terms!

Lizzie it's worth having a browse through the whole topic list, so that you become familiar with it (and useful to know just how wide the irange is).

t's definitely there, along with Charities Noticeboard, NFP etc in 'Classified'

And yes, the autism petition was very much a piece of activism

Yes of course it is. You misunderstand me.

My point was, MN doesn't have a disability or SEN activism board AFAIK. So there isn't somewhere set up for any activism on SEN already.

There is, however, somewhere already set up for feminist activism.

FWIW I'm very interested in activism on autism - I have both a DC and a parent with autism. But I can understand that MN doesn't have a topic for SEN activusm but it does for feminist activism.

If the SEN topic wants an activism board and there's sufficient demand for it, there's nothing to stop them asking MNHQ for one.

I'd love to post quite a lot of campaigning stuff on MN, but do not seek to do so because it's not that sort of site.

But, it is that sort of site in FWR. The whole section is about campaigning, pretty much! That's what feninusm is - It's an action not just a talking shop.

There is, however, somewhere already set up for feminist activism.

Exactly - so why not use it for related petitions? Makes sense to me.

We do understand where you're coming from with this - lots of other boards want similar with regards to being able to post petitions.

Probably because the current model simply doesn't work well. The petitions board is not at all obvious, even people who know it exists forget its there or how to find it. It's not easily 'discoverable', a concept which should be familiar to your UI designers.