(If you're tired of AAWA threads, please be aware, this is an AAWA thread.)
Sadly - there are people who have been negatively affected by the AAWA, and like other organizations, the AAWA made protecting it's name and reputation a priority over helping and protecting the people it should have been trying to help. Like other organizations, they won't discuss the issues publicly with the community, insisting instead on discussions behind closed doors and "getting the names" of people expressing concerns.
Fortunately, taking down the AAWA is far easier than taking down a multi-billion dollar religion with constitutional protections like the Watchtower:
Step 1: Wait for them to do something stupid. This is the easy part. Wait a few days, and sure enough - one of their loose-canon volunteers is going to do something damaging and stupid.
Step 2: Respond with honest observations and constructive criticism.
Step 3: Watch them make their bad situation worse. Thanks to egos, non-existent professional standards, and the general incompetence of AAWA personal - they will do the rest of the work for you! They will proceed to the critism poorly, resist making the suggested changes, and make their situation far worse, destroying their reputation and losing members.
Let's try an example: take for example the recent post here: http://aawa.co/blog/a-new-name-and-an-apology/
1: I might observe that although the AAWA website was down for days and they purportedly consulted a PR firm - they only managed to change their name and issue another British Petroleum style apology. They don't provide any information on how they intend to prevent these disasters in the future, probably because they just aren't thinking that far ahead. They seem too busy being angry at the WT to build a solid foundation for themselves.
2: Upon reading there belated reaction, I might express valid concerns and criticisms such as:
- I searched the AAWA.co website, but could not find a corporate policy regarding privacy. As the AAWA is requesting private information from individuals, requesting information to associate them across forums and websites they do not own, it may in some locations be legally required to inform people how they will use, store, and who will have access to that information and for what reasons.
Why doesn't the AAWA have a publicly viewable privacy policy? - Will the individuals who acted poorly on behalf of the AAWA be disciplined? Does the AAWA has any sort of policy as to how it handles matters when a member of the org or a volunteer does something that is in conflict with org's polices regarding privacy or the treating of individuals outside the organization?
That FizzyWiglet (someone afaik has NO professional relationship with the AAWA, being neither a member, volunteer, or client) is reporting veiled threats against her privacy days after the events as things were finally cooling down a little even - it would suggest that the AAWA has taken no actual action to reign in unprofessional, compromising behavior from it's members and volunteers.
Why are AAWA members being permitted to continue 'stirring the pot' of bad feelings they themselves created? Why wasn't proper disciplinary action taken, and the people who caused the harm given warnings to stop engaging in these negative interactions with the public?
3: By simply making these suggestions, the AAWA will now respond by insisting that legally, it is not required to disclose a privacy policy. It will insist that it HAS taken all the action that needs to be taken to prevent future harm, and that it doesn't need to do any more. It will consult it's legal council and find a legal reason it doesn't have to create a policy, and sweep the issue under the rug. It will attack my character and the character of this forum for allowing free speech and critical views, and consider it all appropriate action.
By making these observations and publicly suggesting them to the AAWA, there is now a fair chance that the AAWA will respond by never setting up a privacy policy. By continuing to suggest that the AAWA does smart things like create organizational policies for privacy, how volunteers should behave, what happens when members or volunteers act poorly, goals, how to measure success, etc... we ensure it's continued ineffectiveness and eventual downfall. As long as we continue to tell the AAWA how it could be better, egos will dictate that it does the opposite - that it acts unprofessionally, unguided, and agressively toward the public... and in good time, lawsuits will occur.
Who's with me now? Who's ready to fight the good fight!?
- Lime
PS: There may be some sarcasm in this post.