Given the recent change of policy about domain naming, finally explained here after much turmoil and even some very heated opinions elsewhere, I want to propose that SO Inc commits to the following
- Big policy changes should be announced beforehand, letting the community at least have a voice before acting on changes, you know, they might actually offer some insight you could have overlooked.
This is not to mean that you will actually change your mind, but you'll make the community a part of your decision process, while making it feel appreciated, not dismissed.
Personally, I don't find the naming change awful, but the way it was handled was far beyond awful, even worse than most suggested domain names. Or, in Atwoodian terms, beyond unspeakably horrible.
Ideally, you should create a code of conduct regarding the communities and stand by it. You should never forget that ultimately you own your existence to the communities that have formed.