Tom,,, ask your RCm to grow up. He's most probably jealous of what uve achieved; more effective communications within the service network.
As Ive understood, we need to keep in time with the times. When I got clean, this was a snail mail world and ornery telephones. Recovery was very difficult cause other NA's werent easily reachable.
The came the net, the cell phones and all that and recovery is transformed. The best years of my recovery came after these communication breakthoughs. And my recovery increased because of the more effective communications I had via cyberspace with others in NA service... The organizing of an entire World Wide Workshop on recovery and service was achieves here through cyberspace communications between us here in Bangalore India and those guys in NAWS US.
At the time, I was elected chairman, and had a difficult decision to make; use cyberspace. We wet ahead and inspite of the doubters and cynics had an attendance of 465 addicts; not even one thing went wrong.....
I can well imagine how poor my recovery would be if it wasnt for FB. Gods sake, Im connected with 1000 addicts in recovery, worldwide and am constantly supported in my primary purpose by their sharing and caring.
IMHO,, having a discussion forum on FB dosent violate any Tradition, and if so, which Tradition does your RCM claim is being violated ?
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Raman an addict clean and serene just for today in NA Worldwide ; live to love and love to live the NA Way !!!
from what little i understand about his objection, i guess he feels it violate tradition six :
An NA group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the NA name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, or prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
however, neither I nor anyone else ive talked to can understand why he thinks that.... im hoping to try to talk more with him about it so i can get some solid reasons as to why he believes what he does
Interesting post that I have some experience with.....a few months ago we went through this same thing. It was felt that, yes, it did imply an endorsement of facebook....but there was no real crisis because the person who put it up simply took "NA" out of the group name...He changed it to "12 step fellowship" the group is , in effect an NA group because it's mostly na people who use it, but they are using it individuas who share a common interest, not as representatives on NA. Members of the group post all kinds of NA announcements, as well as other uselful or interesting posts, but again, as individuals sharing info, not as representatives of NA...It is a fine point to be sure, but we have some "NA Nazi's" in our area who no longer have a problem with it. It is very popular and works just fine. Hope you can work it out.
-- Edited by avid on Friday 29th of July 2011 07:35:21 AM
Oh, and to play devils advocate, under the traditions it clearly IS a violation....For example we are subject to facebooks rules, and we do not pay rent. Members must first join facebook before they can join the group....Do NA members have to join the church where the meetings are held? No they don't so that comparison doesn't hold up at all. Facebook also does not charge for the group and we pay no rent...therefor they are "donating" the space to NA which is clearly a violaton. So there it is and there are others i'm sure, but not being an NA nazi these two examples were the only ones that jumped to mind. My suggestion would be to avoid controversy and just take NA or Narcotics Anonymous out of the name...then no one can say anything and you can enjoy the social networking without violating traditions or causing dissent in your area. peace.
Just to add....it's really unfortunate that your area reps got all full of themselves and demanded you take action without explaining the violations. I see this is my area too. Area service reps sometimes forget the "Our leaders are but trusted servants, they do not govern" clause in our second tradition. It serves to remind me that at the end of the day we are all still sick addicts seeking to get better one day a time.
Doesn't seem like a 6th tradition issue. I'd be more worried about the 12th tradition. Facebook settings may say private, but you can never be sure about that.
...a suggestion was made to me about maybe using facebook to establish a group forum.
pretty clearly the way he set it up originally was indeed a group.
Not a 6th tradition issue? If you are REQUIRED by facebook to join their organization in order to be in the NA facebook group, how on earth can that be construed as not endorsing facebook???.....If you were required to join a Lutheran church in order to attne an NA group held at the church would that not be a violation?
c'mon guys... the way he set it up originally was a violation of our traditions....I think he recognizes that now, but the solution is simple...take NA out of the name of the group and it becomes a group of people sharing their recovery with no official ties to NA....no harm no foul.
This may be off the main theme a bit,but ASC meeting had a major hoedown last night when it was found out that certain members had put pictures from the NA event 'MONKEY IN THE WOODS' on FACEBOOK. There was much hoopla and pros and cons.I know the WSO says in chapter 10 of the PUBLIC RELATIONS HANDBOOK,put out by WSO i believe in 1993,states in chapter 10 under Internet situations..members using NA name on public website are not to use pictures of members asit fall outside of anonymity principles.If pictures areused,NA name can not be used..Can move around that by "calling a RECOVERY ' event or A 12 STEP Event..You can google the Handbook at NA.org and read the very large handbook regarding issues in both chapter 2 and chapter 10,Also much on 11/12 traditions etc.It got so bad that one of the ASC trusted servants told a GSR to remove all shots of him at the event from facebook....He is an audiologist in a high profile positon and doesnt want his mug all over FACEBOOK! i PERSONALLY DONT USE FACEBOOK ,BUT i KNOW MY PICTURE HAS BEEN TAKEN AT MANY EVENTS?? For me my personal anonymity is how i choose to release it, It was obvious I was a hard core addict,Im not that concerned you know now im in recovery..this is my stuff...Seems like its a new day and age ,Ive read that there is thoughts of removing he 'MALE"gender of GOD(we humbly asked Him)in writings to make it more generalized,hmmm< and hopefully in a loving and caring manner(although change usually happens after much controversy),there will be resolution to how the message is carried and how traditions(before internet) are now viewed..ASC left meeting with more to follow next month..Meeting was 55 miles away for these next 2 months and sure was a long dark drive home.....to be continued,,,for sure..
-- Edited by MIKEF on Friday 29th of July 2011 07:35:48 PM
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Our purpose is to remain clean,just for today,and to carry the message of recovery.
as far as the issue im dealing with with the FB group and our RCM, im prepared to change the name so that has no offical ties to NA... HOWEVER, the others in our fellowship are NOT so quick to compromise... alot of people are down right PISSED that he is doing this and they dont feel its a violation at all.... therefore, im going to collect all the input i can from recovering adicts in our area, put together a report for area, and if we do need to compromise, i have the solution of changeing the name all prepared.... and there is an unexpected positive result to this controversy... lol... there are close to a dozen people in the fellowship who normally do not attend area service meetings who now plan on showing up in two weeks at area to voice their opinions... lol... wow... i wanted to get more people involved, but this was NOT the way i had intended to do it.... thanx for all yer input guys... you have all helped a great deal
now, on to the subject of the internet in general.... yes... with the advances in technology, there are alot of new issues coming up in the fellowship that need some creative solutions... but if we all can work together, i think we can make technology serve us in very good ways... we all just need to be patient and open minded about this uncharted territory....
Sounds like the next area meeting is going to be exciting....so lock n load. online meetings have been going on for years...this is no longer new technology...but world services still hasn't figured out a way to utilize the internet for sanctioned groups and meetings and still maintain the traditions...remember "these traditions are non negotiable" that's pretty strong stuff that our founders included for a good reason. There are no online na groups or meetings that are sanctioned by the world service conference. Why is that do you think? Is it because these guys in California are just a bunch of old junkies who don't know how to use a computer? Me thinks not....
"Function is more important than form" says the GTLS.
This old bunch of junkies,, and those pre-historics from AA, who first wrote Trdaitions, certainly knew what was the real function of the 12 Step Tradition Fellowships. To reach out, to all addicted people, everywhere, in order that no one need die without first having had a chance to recover..
However, we need to go back in history to trace the birth of our Traditions. Remember at that time, there was only AA, and it is a historical fact that Traditions were written by one single man,, Bill.W.
The Readers Digest, a world famous US monthly, once declared Bill.W as the greatest social architect of the 20 th century. The reason; him conceptualizing the 12 Traditions.....
And pray,, how many of us in the 12 Step Fellowship actually know that Bill.W had just finished a course of LSD with his buddy Aldous Huxley, the famous US author ? Strange aint it ? That the 12 Traditions came from that mental state... Stranger still is that which came from that mental state was regarded as the best ever blueprint for social success !!!!!!
Needless to say,, neither Bill.W nor our NA oldtimers knew that the age of cyberspace would be pon on us humankind, forcing us to change our stance on many things we took for granted. Cyber space is a reality,, as is cybernetics.. we need to accept change, especially changes for the better that make the world easier to access and survive in.
Surely, if Bill, or later Jim, Bob, etc, knew what was coming, theyd have had a Tradition for cyberspace too.
Form is not as importanat as function; effectiveness in carrying the NA message of recovery and service is not restricted to a group taking "official NA form". If a forum functions effectively as a mode of communication, then it has served it's purpose.... indeed it supports our primary purpose !!
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Raman an addict clean and serene just for today in NA Worldwide ; live to love and love to live the NA Way !!!
I posted something else, but decided not to engage in a debate....i expressed my opinion and let's leave it at that......yo anyone know how to delete a post?
We have had issues like this about the internet.It is 2011 we should use the technology to our benefit.Although we should respect the traditions things will change that none of us fellowship members will have control over.Like the service structure.
