|
Post by ♥ Violet Violence ☆ on Jan 27, 2008 0:57:20 GMT -7
I've been trying to be more active on ProBoards Support, and this thread caught my eye the other day. support.proboards.com/?board=promotion&action=display&thread=28697&page=1Some of the posts I may not entirely agree with, but other parts, like the first post itself, I am wholly in agreement with! Let me quote another that I thought was very well said. It's about the seventh post down in that thread, and the member's current sign in name is Jesus Freak. I couldn't have said that better myself, honestly. And combined with the very first post of that thread, it rocked my socks. I did post a bit less than half of my 2 cents while I was there. It's an interesting read, whether or not you run a ProBoard of your own.
|
|
|
Post by Dee'Anu on Jan 27, 2008 1:31:51 GMT -7
That is a really good thread and I couldn't say it better myself either to be honest. I have been rp'ing for a long time (9-10 yrs) mostly in chat programs or via instant messaging, I only got into the forum scene a couple of years ago and started in a private one myself and one of my best friends created for us and a few other friends.
The first public forum I joined where I was brand new and a complete stranger to everyone was only about 8 months ago if you can believe... and this brings me to an important story.
When I first joined, I was a little shy, but fell into it very quickly and easily (its just the kind of person I am, it doesn't take long to mix in with others), the admin there were ok when they were online, however quite distant a lot of the time, there were a few people I met who I really got along with though and so I stayed. I even got to chatting with the head admin quite a few times and after only a few weeks he asked me to be a moderator as I was always friendly and helpful toward others where I could be (despite being new myself). Everything seemed to be going fine, if not for the real strict crack on some rules, but it was something that could be overlooked.
Then one day something happened that could not be overlooked. I won't get into details, but there was someone who's character was declined by the head admin himself because of a personal issue with the character. This would have been fine if not for the way he'd worded the decline. It was rude, offensive and biased, and lost me some respect for the person. It also offended my best friend (who was also a part of the forum) greatly, and after consulting me and another admin, we agreed he should be allowed to say something to the head admin. Now, all my friend said was that the admin could have worded his phrase better, and in return my friend received a pm basically saying that the head admin did not have to listen to what a member had to say because he was in charge of the forum and therefore it didn't matter what anyone else thought. That is when I lost complete respect.
Now... what happened afterwards was messy. My friend left the forum, I left, another friend left... and then suddenly people realised we had left and asked us why. In the end someone else made a big deal of the whole issue publically and the head admin closed down the entire forum. I'm not sure how its going now (it is reopened), but it was never our intention for anything like that to happen. It wasn't just us either, quite a lot of people were disgusted by the methods that had been used...
It was quite a large forum, and it could have been avoided if the head admin had been able to see that the members are important, them and their views. Its reopened again, but the list of rules is ridiculous. However, that is not my problem, this is just an example of what can happen when an admin is close-minded and rude to their members. There were many ways he could have dealt with the situation, and instead he made it sound like no-one's opinions mattered but his, and banned anyone who had disagreed with him. (To be honest, its a rather depressing memory to revisit... but since then I've moved on to other sites who are friendlier and do care what their members have to say...)
I love what Violet has here, and all the members are simply wonderful and friendly. Its a place where I can relax and actually type freely and express myself in whatever way I feel like at the time. And whether I was admin or just a member, I would be friendly and happy to talk to and help anyone who needed it. When I joined I was glad to see that the admin were open and friendly, that when a matter of a difference of opinion occurred, people were happy to just talk it out and discuss their own points of view, rather than being told to just keep their opinions to themsevles. I am very happy rp'ing here, and honestly hope that I never offend anyone (if I did, it would be unintentional I assure you).
Anyways, guess I'm just saying: "HAHA Vi! I'm here to stay!"
This really is an awesome place. ^^
|
|
|
Post by guitarist on Jan 27, 2008 2:15:08 GMT -7
It's very well written, indeed. A nice piece of advice. I think you run this forum better than I've seen on any other.
It is truly a nuisance when the admin(s) is awful.
|
|
|
Post by ♥ Violet Violence ☆ on Jan 27, 2008 2:41:19 GMT -7
I've had similar things happen to other boards I was on as well Dee, it's what really spurred me into creating MD. I couldn't stand the close-mindedness or one-sided views alot of the other boards were operating under. I need freedom, we all do, to some extent for our characters to be workable and for the forum to be enjoyable. We're all real people behind our chars, and we have to be treated as such. Period. You can't expect everyone to agree with everything you do, or on all topics, but that's the beauty of differences. We can open ourselves up further and see things from another perspective. We can all grow and learn, and enjoy our time together, be it in or out of character. I never wanted a lot of rules, I would love to not have to discipline members for anything, ever. But I know there is a need for some type of structure, a foundation so to speak, to keep our lil house standing. I try to be loose in our rules, objective, honest, and understanding. MD would not exist without my members. You are all just as important to the success and stability of MD, as I may be. I try to be available to you all as a friend, mentor, whatever. I'll interact with ANYONE here, again, in or out of char. What good would I be if I didn't? LoL. I'd never have a clue what was going on, and dammit, I wanna know! I shy away from the power plays and try not to pull the "it's my forum, I said so". Everyone has cool ideas, and I strive to incorporate those as much as possible. I hate restrictions, so in turn, I hate to restrict my forum. Thanks for sharing that Dee! And thank you Angelus, that means alot to me. I really try to be the best I can for everyone's sake. YAY me! LMAO. I love MD, and I love all you guys. You mean the world to me.
|
|