14: Mike Roberts, Sheep and Cheese

Mike Roberts joins me to talk about the challenges of moderating a mailing list for people in the software industry.

In this episode, Mike Roberts,
co-founder of Symphonia,
joins me to talk about Sheep and Cheese,
a private mailing list he created
for friends and colleagues in the software industry.
As this community grew over many years,
Mike noticed a tension between his own values
and what he observed on the mailing list,
ultimately leading to his decision to shut it down.

Mike and I talk about the history of this small group
and how it mirrored broader shifts in the culture
of the technology industry. The decision to end it
was not taken lightly, but it was driven by a sense
of moral responsibility to help the industry,
in whatever tiny way we can,
become a more respectful, welcoming, and collegial space
for everyone.

More details and links are in the show notes at
nomanifestos.com/episodes/14

The theme music is Mandelbrot Set from the album Where Tradition Meets Tomorrow by Jonathan Coulton, used under a Creative Commons BY-NC 3.0 License, edited and shortened.