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Is Alison Smith Gone?

Uncayimmy

Banned
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Oct 14, 2008
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Is Alison no longer working for the JREF? I recall seeing her listed on the staff page when I was checking to see if Jeff Wagg was still listed there when he was rumored to be gone. I recall her being listed, but she's not there now. The Google cached version is too new to be of any use.

Her public Facebook page indicates that she worked for the JREF from October 2007 to August 2010. The other employer is listed as August 2010 - Present.

It seems that the rumor I heard about her no longer working there is true. The circumstances of the change I don't know.
 
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I'm pretty sure that in chat some time ago she said she wasn't working for the JREF. I get the feeling that it was a couple of months ago, but of course I don't have any evidence.

What is known, is that Banachek is now coordinating the MDC.
 
She was at TAM 8, discussing the MDC on stage with Banachek.
 
It DOES seem odd that first Jeff and now Alison have disappeared from the staff listing with nary a word from the JREF. When I worked in HR every organization where I worked made it a point when a key staff member left to make some sort of announcement. Even if someone left in a huff or got caught doing something bad there was always a Corporate announcement to the effect of, "So and so has left the company. We wish him/her well in their future endeavors." The JREF silence is puzzling...or maybe that's how companies these days deal with staff changes.
 
Unfortunately, I don't find it all that surprising. Communication is not their strong suit. It's not even their weak suit. It's like a tweed suit in the attic buried under the box of Jarts. And, yes I know I mixed metaphors.
 
UncaYimmy said:
Unfortunately, I don't find it all that surprising. Communication is not their strong suit. It's not even their weak suit. It's like a tweed suit in the attic buried under the box of Jarts. And, yes I know I mixed metaphors.
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Technically, you mixed similies. :p
 
Hamradioguy said:
Even if someone left in a huff or got caught doing something bad there was always a Corporate announcement to the effect of, "So and so has left the company. We wish him/her well in their future endeavors."
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I wrote those announcements in my time. It was ... um ... challenging ... when it the person left just in front of criminal charges. We sometimes didn't wish the departing well, and everybody knew it.

I always wished we could tell the truth.
 
Hamradioguy said:
It DOES seem odd that first Jeff and now Alison have disappeared from the staff listing with nary a word from the JREF. When I worked in HR every organization where I worked made it a point when a key staff member left to make some sort of announcement. Even if someone left in a huff or got caught doing something bad there was always a Corporate announcement to the effect of, "So and so has left the company. We wish him/her well in their future endeavors." The JREF silence is puzzling...or maybe that's how companies these days deal with staff changes.
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All what it would take is a SWIFT article. Not much effort.
 
Not compared with a lengthy paean to DragonCon.
As communicators go , JREF are ...the word that comes to mind, is "dumb".
 
HawaiiBigSis said:
I wrote those announcements in my time. It was ... um ... challenging ... when it the person left just in front of criminal charges. We sometimes didn't wish the departing well, and everybody knew it.

I always wished we could tell the truth.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure neither Jeff nor Alison left being chased by the local authorities... ;)
 
HawaiiBigSis said:
I wrote those announcements in my time. It was ... um ... challenging ... when it the person left just in front of criminal charges. We sometimes didn't wish the departing well, and everybody knew it.

I always wished we could tell the truth.
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I'm pretty sure this situation is not like that. Jeff has said on Rational Alchemy that his leaving the employ of the JREF was on cordial terms.
 
arthwollipot said:
I'm pretty sure this situation is not like that. Jeff has said on Rational Alchemy that his leaving the employ of the JREF was on cordial terms.
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No, I know. I didn't mean to imply that.

I was responding to Hamradioguy's comment about "Even if someone left in a huff or got caught doing something bad there was always a Corporate announcement to the effect of, "So and so has left the company. We wish him/her well in their future endeavors." "
 
I've never worked for a company that publicly announced it's employees comings and goings, except for executives. Announcements are to the company. Forum members aren't employees of the JREF.
 
Right. Not sure why you think that needs to be pointed out. Some people are claiming it's some sort of failure of communcation that their leaving the JREF hasn't been announced to the forum or via the blog. That's not unusual. Companies don't typically make public announcement about employees leaving.

(ETA: Oh, I should point out I wasn't addressing you in particular, sorry).
 
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RecoveringYuppy said:
I've never worked for a company that publicly announced it's employees comings and goings, except for executives. Announcements are to the company. Forum members aren't employees of the JREF.
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If you're going to announce a hiring for a given position, it's usually good practice to announce when somebody leaves that position. If the people have been prominent in the public eye, you usually say something about it. Jeff was the Communications and Outreach Director and a regular blogger (his blogs are still there). Seems only fitting to that the JREF say something about it. While Jeff struggled to define his function in regards to this forum, we still don't know if he's still serving that function. I asked in Forum Management, but Darat just told me to ask the JREF and closed the thread.

Alison negotiated protocols on behalf of the JREF. She was the point of contact for all things related to the MDC. It still says on her Forum Profile that she's a JREF Research Assistant. There has been no mention anywhere by the JREF that she's gone, which is just silly. On the forums there has been no mention from the JREF regarding Banacheck taking over the MDC.

They suck at communication.
 
Or maybe it just isn't any of our beeswax.

There was an announcement when Banachek took over as director of the MDC, I assumed at that point that Alison had left her position.

Her last post on the Forum was on 15th July, so it's not exactly surprising that she hasn't updated her Forum profile since then.
 
If someone wants to make the case that they suck at communication they should point to someone who needs to know these things that doesn't. I think anyone getting in touch with the JREF to take the challenge, etc, is likely to find that the people answering the phone and reading the mail know who at JREF needs to get the calls and letters.
 
RecoveringYuppy said:
If someone wants to make the case that they suck at communication they should point to someone who needs to know these things that doesn't. I think anyone getting in touch with the JREF to take the challenge, etc, is likely to find that the people answering the phone and reading the mail know who at JREF needs to get the calls and letters.
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I dunno, knowing when TAM9 will be seems like something that should be communicated...
 
Do you think I'm being too harsh in saying that they suck at communication? Is your argument that I am not entitled to say that they suck if they are providing the minimum "need to know" information to the public?
 
RecoveringYuppy said:
Of course. Scheduled upcoming meetings can be found at the link below. Don't know why I'd need to know if Wagg or Smith work at JREF to read them.

http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/amazing-meeting.html
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Jeff, at least, made sure that the info was put out there in a timely manner. Many people need to know as far in advance as possible when something is going to happen. Like TAM9. It seems very likely that somebody knows the dates, but they don't seem to be particularly forthcoming. I certainly don't need to know if Jeff or Alison work at the JREF, although I do. What I do need to know is when TAM9 is going to be.
 
So all this mess about staff people leaving the JREF seem to coincide with DJ Grothe becoming the new JREF president. Coincidence?..... Just speculating.
 
Speculation is one reason why it's a good idea to announce these things, especially in this case.
 
I am no longer with the JREF, though that doesn't signal the end of my involvement with skepticism. If you haven't already, be sure to friend me on Facebook if you'd like to keep in touch, as I probably won't be posting here often. http://www.facebook.com/remiev

Also, if you'd like to contact me via e-mail, my address is alison@unbridledchaos.com.
 
I think we should turn the whole sordid affair over to the conspiracy theorists and soap writers.
 
RemieV said:
I am no longer with the JREF, though that doesn't signal the end of my involvement with skepticism. If you haven't already, be sure to friend me on Facebook if you'd like to keep in touch, as I probably won't be posting here often. http://www.facebook.com/remiev

Also, if you'd like to contact me via e-mail, my address is alison@unbridledchaos.com.
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Damnit, they're dropping like flies! Who drop!


They got RemieV.



NNNNooooooooooooooooo.


























Well, cr*p. Hope you can check in from time o time.
 
arthwollipot said:
I'm pretty sure this situation is not like that. Jeff has said on Rational Alchemy that his leaving the employ of the JREF was on cordial terms.
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Knowing Jeff and his personal situation (don't worry, it's good :) ), I'm not surprised to know he is leaving JREF. Since it is a personal thing, I'm not going to say anything more, sorry. And, I might add, I'm also speculating a tad.
 
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