Seeing a lot of familiar posts here. Same stuff that gets said a lot of times.
I used to be a proponent for getting in more moderators. There used to be a lot of talk about it. Now, after Tarn has stated his position multiple times, I've decided to just keep quiet about it. If and/or when he feels it's time to put someone up for the spot, then that's his choice to make. That's pretty much the clearest point I've gotten from his responses on the subject.
While I agree in spirit with several of the people mentioning the degradation of thread subjects/content, I have the most nagging feeling that some of my own additions (including the latest of my despairingly bloggish threads about my doing things in places. I insist I had nothing but the fondest intentions when I started the habit) are included in the list of shameful exhibits. As such, I feel a wee bit uncomfortable about voicing any direct support for the claims... But in any case, I think it probably has more to do with the attitude of the posters than the content of the post ("If you don't like it don't look at it", while an admirably free-spirited belief, doesn't make very many friends).
I've just now (at 1:00 in the morning) gone through the whole thread, so you'll have to excuse me if I missed something vital. The discussion about the 'Report to Moderator' button took me completely by surprise. I'd only seen a couple of the (looking at it now, staggering large number of) comments from Tarn encouraging people to use it more, but I'd already gotten the impression that the sad lil' bugger was sadly neglected. I've used it a good many times, both reactively and proactively. I've even received personal responses to them from the Adams Family (someone had to say it), which would seem like another indication that they're not exactly in over their heads with reports.
I used to be an avid reader of pretty much every thread on the forum (this was back when we had an active members list in the low-to-mid double digits), but lately I barely creep outside of topics I've already posted in. Partly this has to do with my not having or wanting anything to do with the majority of such threads, but quite a bit of it probably has to do with the sheer mass of stuff out there.
Personally, I find trying to determine what's good content and what's bad content is not only a treacherous road, but also one that's incredibly difficult to work out if you think about it. I'll be passive-aggressive and mention the fact that there's a staggering number of posts and posters that I view absolutely no value in keeping around. However, trying to find any kind of reasonable rule to classify them under and justify my feelings results in something hypocritical, paradoxical, or even totalitarian.
Much as I'd like to follow Tarn's wishes and let him handle it his own way, the fact that both the brothers have been growing increasingly more agitated by the chaos inside the boards is a clear sign that something isn't working.
The Adams brothers maintain a truly heroic standard of self-sacrifice for the sake of a greater good. They've proven time and again that they're willing to overlook or conform their own personal wishes so that the community as a whole will feel greater freedom and security. This means letting someone they find personally undesirable free reign to act naturally if the community accepts them and wants to hang on to them.
This has the rather unfortunate side effect of eventually, through shee force of mass and probability, building up a population of "protected" grains of sand that build up into a really quite unfortunate irritant for the brothers (and whatever other minority doesn't care for them either).
This is actually a rather quite complicated problem. I really don't think it's possible to find any right or wrong basis for a community, outside of the obvious ground rule of "don't pick fights". All the talk of "cleaning up" (a cathartic experience I myself have engaged in and instigated many times) is just one person's opinion against another's. And it's a remarkably difficult balancing act to try and maintain neutrality while setting rules and regulations that you agree with and that get the desired results.
Throw in the fact that perhaps, just maybe, the people who play the nicest don't pay the nicest. As has been said, this is Tarn's livelihood all wrapped up in one snug little package. On the one hand, he doesn't want Bay12 to give off a bad image and alienate potential new members (either through over-strict and arbitrary lawkeeping, or through unappealing content). On the other hand, he doesn't want to alienate the members that are already here (from the same causes). Throw in a hidden hand of not wanting to alienate himself or his brother, and suddenly you're dealing with a scenario that really can't figure out where the heck it wants to go.
I could probably yak on about this until the sun comes up, but it will just end up being more of the same. I think there's a problem, I'm clueless as far as fixing the problem is concerned, and I'm projecting my feelings onto Tarn and Zach Adams. Really all I can do is wish them the best and hope they work something out to my mutual benefit.
Oh, yeah, and read my blogs. I'm really just that interesting.
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God damn you people, it's the middle of the night in some parts of the world! What are you doing up at this time?
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Topic: Regarding the state of the forums. (Read 34349 times)