posted on April 7, 2001 05:15:19 PM new
This isn't a moderation thread, per se, so I hope our Moderators don't WOMD it.
I'm not sure if AW Administration has noticed, but the fine art of conversation has really died down in this forum. The number of hits has to have declined in the last couple weeks. New topics of discussion aren't being started. That godforsaken "Who Stays Up The Latest" thead just sits at the top for days because the same two people keep posting to it.
In short, the RT is starting to stagnate.
I think part of the reason this place is so torpid is because a lot of posters to this forum got suspended for 30 days, some even permanently.
So here's my idea: give everybody another chance. Have an AW amnesty day and let everybody who wants to come back return. Even the permanently suspended.
Would it really hurt AW to give it a try? If people come back and start to raise hell, well all you have to do is suspend them again, right? It's not like AW stands to lose anything.
I think by now everyone who got suspended understands AW's position. If they still have a philosophical difference with it, then they don't have to come back. But I'm sure there are some who would like to and who would be willing to post within the Community Guidelines from here on out.
I think an amnesty day would be an interesting experiment, and a very nice gesture.
posted on April 7, 2001 05:37:30 PM new
Not to put too fine a point on it, but I made the initial post more than twenty minutes ago and there hasn't been a single post to the RT since.
posted on April 7, 2001 05:50:28 PM new
Yes, Helen, it's very unusual.
I think it's no mystery why the non-suspended posters are missing -- there's nothing here to see or say. Same old threads, no new lines of thought. No inspiration to post.
posted on April 7, 2001 05:56:10 PM new
Maybe some "missing" posters are feeling like I am. The methods used by AW in the past couple of months has left an extremely sour taste in my mouth. Voicing that opinion here only serves to either get that thread deleted or results in the poster being forcibly removed.
I guess I'm just tired of trying to get AW to see my POV. They have been more than clear that they don't care what any of us think.
I've been reading the RT and the EO, and posting if I can answer a question or if I have something to say. I like to offer help when I can, and I also like to be able to receive help when needed.
Having fun here seems to be a thing of the past. I don't have much interest in posting in the political or religious threads...I have more than enough turmoil in my real life and don't need to add more from a virtual world.
posted on April 7, 2001 05:59:08 PM new
Maybe the other posters are getting tired of being bashed, ridiculed, and attacked for their ideas. Perhaps they have chosen to frequent a board that is less confrontational than this one has been for the past few weeks.
(go ahead and bash me, too, JMO)
posted on April 7, 2001 06:01:08 PM new
Right, Spaz
I think that a couple of posters may be
on vacation...James and krs. So the topics
are not as interesting as usual. And
you are right...that is probably why the
regular posters are missing.
posted on April 7, 2001 06:02:43 PM newMaybe some "missing" posters are feeling like I am. The methods used by AW in the past couple of months has left an extremely sour taste in my mouth. Voicing that opinion here only serves to either get that thread deleted or results in the poster being forcibly removed.
I guess I'm just tired of trying to get AW to see my POV. They have been more than clear that they don't care what any of us think.
Hi Meya,
AW made it clear -- their house, their rules. Each of us has a choice. Nobody is holding a gun to our heads making us stay here.
Personally, I think the benefits of posting here, both in a business sense (in EO) and for fun (RT), outweigh any gripes I may have about policy.
I know from reading your posts that your dissatisfaction is also closely related to the new fees structure. I don't have a problem with it myself, so I don't factor that into my decision to stick around.
But naturally everyone has to make up his or her own mind about what is right for them.
posted on April 7, 2001 06:07:00 PM new
Hi Spaz...I don't disagree at all with what you say. As far as my opinion goes, no, I don't like the fee structure. But, for me, it was not a huge deal as I can store my pictures on my ISP space etc. It was more the way in which it has been handled that is the problem.
But, as you say, their house, their rules. But, remember...there is no need for their house without the users.
posted on April 7, 2001 06:10:31 PM new
Everybody makes their own choices, clearasmud. Myself, I like the larger pool of posters here at AW. It makes for more interesting discussions and gives me access to a broader point of view. I know about other boards. I've been part of them for almost my entire time here at AW. But in terms of activity and lively exchange between posters, not one of the alternate boards comes close to AW.
ed for sp.
[ edited by spazmodeus on Apr 7, 2001 06:12 PM ]
posted on April 7, 2001 06:13:25 PM new
I soitenly am my little chickadee!! Big Bad Barry Barris....the B-B-B-Boy!!
I've been checking the Onion and there isn't
much of interest there this week! Seems like
dumbya threads have run their course...wanna
talk about the economy and drive more people
away???
Spring has sprung in many parts of the land,
yards need tending, plants need planting and
fresh air is calling. Just a seasonal slump!
Plus some other obvious stuff!!
posted on April 7, 2001 06:16:34 PM new
spaz....I miss the other posters, too. Many of us, like you, enjoy >>>access to a broader point of view<<<. Others, unfortunately, feel the need to persecute differences of opinion.
me? I believe in:
(1)viva la difference
(2)information is education
(3)share, share, make me aware!
feeling a bit corny today, sorry.
*blushing and apologizing humbly*
posted on April 7, 2001 06:19:10 PM newamnesty n 1: a period during which offenders are exempt from punishment 2: a warrant granting
release from punishment for an offense [syn: pardon] 3: the formal act of liberating someone [syn:
pardon, free pardon] v : grant a pardon to (a group of people)
It's funny to use the language of the quasi-criminal to refer to people who've been summarily jackbooted for the capital offense of rudeness, or those who've chosen to go elsewhere rather than witness the expulsions of others from this "home" to which some have been invited.
I was curious about one item. Amnesty trades immunity for an offense for a benefit, such as freedom from prosecution. Since this online livingroom isn't a court of law, what possible benefit could be conferred upon those who left?
posted on April 7, 2001 06:24:05 PM new
Not gonna quibble over semantics with you, pareau. My intentions were good. I don't care who agrees or disagrees.
Anyone who has been suspended is welcome to request that their privileges be restored by emailing [email protected].
Also...(you knew this was coming, didn't you?)...please remember that moderation is no longer discussed in the Message Center. This thread hasn't gotten there yet, but I did want to throw in a friendly reminder.
The thing is, e-mailing to ask for restored privileges entails the possibility of receiving a "no." That can be demeaning, and the prospect of it happening may be enough to make a person reluctant to make the request.
A blanket amnesty would let everyone start fresh without having to face the possibility of another rejection.
posted on April 7, 2001 06:29:48 PM new
I like the idea Spaz, and if it wasn't for Bob offering a get out of jail free card [way back when] I wouldn't be here now.
I have a feeling most of those who were suspended wouldn't be coming back even if a deal was offered up by AW admin.
As you know I seldom visit the RT, but I felt this thread was worth posting to.
posted on April 7, 2001 07:38:27 PM new
I, too, liked this place when it was full of people. Fluff threads, serious threads. It was busy, and had a diversity of posters. Thats what made AW the place many came to. Its a shame to see it go the way it has.
Spaz has an excellant idea. No matter what you call it, the intent is what matters. But keep in mind, spaz, that means more fluff, more "who stays up the latest", more silly things being discussed, like "how to remove bathroom smells". Still in all, its better than being in Deadwood, isnt it?
I'm aware of the ramifications of what I have proposed. I suppose that in the long run it is better to have something to rail against than nothing to post about at all (although I still hate "Who Stays Up the Latest?" ).
I'm reminded of a kitschy plaque my mother used to have hanging on the wall of our kitchen:
Thank God for dirty dishes They have a tale to tell While others may go hungry We're eating very well.
posted on April 7, 2001 07:51:34 PM new
Spaz, I really like the idea. What harm could it possibly do? Even if no one wants to come back here that left it would be nice to give them the option.
posted on April 7, 2001 07:54:47 PM new
Yes. Its nicer to have the OPTION of choosing which thread to balk at, or post at, isnt it? (And I dont mean that disrespectfully, spaz). I think your idea is a hell of a good one. Now all that needs done is AW to agree to it. If those who want to come back do, great. If they dont, at least they had the option to do so, which beats a locked door in their faces.
posted on April 7, 2001 08:29:44 PM new
Never thought that I'd see the day that Spazmodeus pled for the return of Ross.
Oh, you didn't mean Ross, Spaz? Oh. Then it must be that you're missing bobbysoxer a great deal more than I would have thought you would.
Oh, you didn't mean bobbysoxer? I think I'm catching on, but I just can't put my finger on exactly which poster it is that you'd see reinstated though amnesty.
Oh. It's not a particular suspended user that you pine for, Spaz? Oh, I know. You're hoping for a display of fairness which might bring twinsoft to rescind his latest manifesto.
