Site Hut abandoned ????

[ROB]

Haven't been on the new BAJR site much, but...one thing really noticeable is lack of threads, fun posts and all the jovial banter etc etc of the old BAJR Site Hut....what's going on ?....or am I missing something.?????

[Mattymooface]

With the groups theres more scope to have a more directional conversation, bygoing straight to the group you want, that way you don't have to look through all the thread heading so less distraction,

Thats my theory:face-huh:

[Smaze]

the new format feels as if it's taken the wind out of the sails abit, but maybe your right about the groups:face-confused:

[RedEarth]

It's all a bit too pally and Facebook-y on the new system, which has basically taken the edge off any debate. Plenty of people, evidently some of the prime ranters/trouble makers have clearly not transferred across, and others are presumably now using their real names and so now feel less happy contributing to controversial topics. A real shame, it now feels a bit like there is no real debate (about things that matter more than ever) anymore. Perhaps the Digger will pick up the slack but only two posts so far last time I saw.

[Windbag]

Nice to know that others are thinking the same thing! I wonder how the numbers compare between the old and the new versions for members and contributors.

[Jennie]

Maybe a reflection on everyone's mood at the moment within archaeology (or those of us trying to get within it!)

[GnomeKing]

I hope RedEarth is wrong. JennieReynolds maybe right. I expect that after all the panic over last 18 months many people have stuck thier heads firmly in the sand ("ive still got a job, i've still got a job, got a job, got a job...").

I have to admit that i had hoped more a more througher shake down of the proffesion - I am still not convinced it is sustainable, or more importantly, that it SHOULD be sustianed in the present form.

in the Archaeology & the Global Criss thread, David (CommentTimeSep 9th 2009) said "I have this feeling field archaeologists are one of the few to be capable of actually stabbing themselves in the back!"

this they will have done, if they think that "everything will be fine now"...

Interesting to note the number of stories i have heard about companies selections for redundncies reflecting not demonstrated ability, but 'suitablity' - a chance to get rid of people who 'did not fit in'. This truly is a stab in the back.

One thing that attratcted me to the proffeison was (at the time) the number of people who were activly critical of the modern world they lived in. Not only were the skills and tasks somewhat esoteric and traditional, but i believed that we could better understand, and help change, the present by illuminating it with the backlight of history.

this should begin with ourselves - the way we work, our goals and motivations, our employmnet relations, and our abilty to treat each other as thinking humans in a community.

I hope debate will continue.

[Illuminated]

I've personally found the new layout not so user friendly. I think this is down to familiarity with the old format rather than the new format being off-putting though.

For example, to post here I had to search around for a link to login, which then took me to another page where I had to look around to see where to log-in, and then find a link back to this thread.

I also initially bookmarked the dashboard page of the new federation which at the time didn't seem to have a direct link to the forum - I now access the forum through my old BAJR jobs bookmark which has a forum link. This is probably a case of me needing to sort out my bookmarks and keep logged in at home and work - I'm sure others have had similar diorientation in the move.

On a personal note I was never a prolific poster on the old site, but having had an office job for the last 2 years I feel sadly removed from discussion of field work in general and have less to contribute. I'm in the position of now having a permanent job with a pension, and while appreciating the good fortune of this circumstance, it's upsetting to think that as I am now in my 30s I simply cannot afford to go back to fieldwork - that's another topic though!

[Mattymooface]

I would thick twice about putting anything bad about a company at the moment, or maybe everyone left due to lack of work so there no more archaeologist

[Windbag]

Interesting to note the number of stories i have heard about companies selections for redundncies reflecting not demonstrated ability, but 'suitablity' - a chance to get rid of people who 'did not fit in'. This truly is a stab in the back.

On the subject of redundancies, I can think of another problem that companies will have. There is the issue of suitability ("his/her face doesn't fit") vs ability. But there is also the issue of redundancies affecting those lower down the pyramid in companies, leaving them top-heavy. One of the responsibilities of management is cutting costs (and wage bills if necessary), but it's quite rare for management to face redundancy, as turkeys don't usually vote for Christmas.

It's normally the junior staff that undertake the profit-making activities of a company (fieldwork, post-ex work), so if redundancies hit the workforce but leave the management intact, the company as a whole will be less efficient, less profitable and more likely to go under :face-plain: