I think all of us are a little wary of change that we did not choose or impose. I know I am. And I know that most of us also have our own priorities and needs--so it's tough to understand how someone else's could be different, and there's the temptation to just barrel forth with your own and say,"Are you crazy? Why don't you do it this way?" That's a human nature sort of thing. (Naturally, the world would be a MUCH better place if *I* were in charge of changes, you see, but *I* am the exception to the rule... LOL)
The key is to temper the push for our own priorities and needs with an appreciation for what's already been accomplished. Just as an example, when I'm passing on a brochure to be proofed, often the only feedback is "Can we make this font bigger?" or "Can we use this other picture?" as opposed to "Wow! The layout is great, and I love the color scheme.... the theme is just fabulous. The only request I have is... " Constructive criticism is a good thing, don't get me wrong. But it can be awfully easy to slide into mostly criticism and very little construction if we're not careful.
It can also be a bad idea to simply presume that everyone has the same priorities that you do when it come to this site. As Mudhen said, I think the site is wonderful as it is. And personally, I LOVE the idea of personal areas on BYC, and I could give you a long list of reasons why I can see a lot more functionality in that than in some of the other requests I've seen. Naturally, you'd explain why you differ. There would be discussions as to the opportunity cost of pursuing one over the other, and one hopes the discussions would remain friendly rather than rancorous, but meanwhile, either our volunteers' time would be split trying to develop both projects equally, neither one would get developed until a firm decision had been made, or we could have what (I would guess?) has been happening now: that they're trying their best to respond to requests based on what they thinks they can get done weighed against the perceived workload in an informal sort of way.
My point is just that if 95% of a given project is wonderful, it can be discouraging to the people who are working on it only to hear the nitpicky complaints, constructive or not, when they're couched in such a way that the implication is that there's only one way to approach the problem. It's important to tune the finer points of the issues, mind you--I'm not saying we should all hold our tongues and only sing sweetness and light. However, I think it's important to share concerns with a great deal of feeling and appreciation for the effort that's gone into it so far, without making comparative judgments (at least publicly) about which parts of a problem a volunteer can dedicate time to.
Again, all this would be a moot point if *I* were in charge of the world, I assure you.
Some of my first acts as Goddess:
1. Free chickens for everyone, and industrial chicken farming wiped off the face of the earth
2. Free coops and tractors
3. All raccoons will be prosecuted
4. Avian vets in every town
5. No NAIS
