The third main point in the brief article was especially thoughtfully put:
I have to say, though... I don't think of kivafriends.org as a "platform for unhappy Kiva lenders". I think there is a lot of displeasure and grumbling expressed here, but it's mixed with the very real truth that we lenders still want to support microfinance, and Kiva gives us an opportunity to do that in a more simple way than many of the other sites I've explored (YMMV as we used to say in usenet newsgroups ("Your Mileage May Vary"). I think of KF more as a family of folks who are perceptive and want things to go REALLY well, so we feel more free to point out the blemishes and our favorite remedies for removing them. I'm not all that good at analogies like this, though, so I'll leave it to others to be more creative and effective in saying what I've just tried to say.
I read this just slightly differently than you do Diane. I agree with what you say here, however, I see his point slightly differently. What I hear the author saying here
One of the remarkable things about both Kiva controversies is that they occurred only because of Kiva's openness. Its support for kivafriends.org has helped build a platform for unhappy Kiva lenders. The proof points that shattered the person-to-person illusion were possible only because of Kiva's largely unique sharing of raw data.
is that because of the level of engagement with Kiva at kivafriends.org and the fact that we felt a particularly strong personal connection to Kiva we may have strong emotional reaction when the reality is made plain. Shattered illusions are difficult for all of us, and because we all have been personally involved in working with Kiva to help them grow that I think many feel personally betrayed, perhaps even exploited when they come to understand the truth.
I agree with you that we are "a family of folks who are perceptive and want things to go REALLY well, so we feel more free to point out the blemishes and our favorite remedies for removing them". However, lately I have perceived that kivafriends feel less and less like their suggestions are being heard by Kiva, and that too contributes to a sense of frustration. I think that frustration from those on the outside looking in to kivafriends may not look a whole lot different than unhappy lenders.
I'm still very involved with Kiva and KivaFriends, even through my disappointments and discouragements, and I know many others here are also. The past year has been a tumultuous one for Kiva, and I have to say the media focus hasn't really helped. Case in point: the NPR piece which aired a couple weeks ago. The reporter who put together the piece spent NINETY MINUTES with me, interviewing me at length about my reasons for participating through Kiva, and I have to say it was a *great* conversation -- some ups, some downs, more ups again. We spoke about almost every issue being bandied about this year, and I felt very good afterwards, hoping I could offer a rational yet eyes-wide-open perspective on several topics from my somewhat unique perspective as a lender. However, the reporter was contacted afterwards about the "Unhappy Kiva Lenders" team, and chose to also interview its founder -- which is of course the reporter's prerogative and honestly her duty. Her piece aired focusing on the concerns of the unhappy lenders; not a single reference to the 90 minutes I spent with the reporter made it into her piece. The lack of an alternate perspective to balance things out made me very sad -- I had no real need to hear myself on a radio piece, but I *did* think it was important to have some other viewpoints heard, and they were not. This sort of media coverage is a self-fulfilling thing: if all people hear about Kiva is its negatives and its blemishes, they're more likely to see only those things, and not the good that I know is there... and can be done better.
I stick around because I believe Kiva can be better. I have hope.
--Diane.
Hear, hear!!
I am with you entirely. I will continue to lend because I believe that whatever the nuts and bolts have to be that Kiva still helps me to support individuals who just need a helping hand. As long as I can participate in that, that is enough for me.
-Kerry-
