After all the negative stuff happening lately, I have to say something and change some things. I almost closed down the forum if it wasn't for a few members that talked me out of it. I noticed lately that people are all getting a little weary and cranky. Same with me.
(That doesn't mean by the way that I made decisions on the forum recently only because of that. As always, there is a story behind everything and I just sent curls a long reply after she implied that I like to cause drama in public. I don't, I am disgusted by the drama, but sometimes I have to. I have tried to explain curls that you NEVER make the right decision as an admin, and that even though it sometimes looks like an issue comes up on the forum out of the blue, it doesn't mean it's something new that hasn't been playing for months or years already. Anyway, I am not going to discuss that further on here since I want to leave it behind us. Those who are interested can PM me. I told curls that I don't lie and if I can, I will always explain everything to those who will bother to ask me in person, instead of starting to discuss my actions behind my back. So please if ANYTHING is going on, if there are problems either with me or with another member, let me know.)
Anyway, I hope we can all get a little more positive. People told me that my mood as an admin affects people on the board. I hope that's not the case because I have so many problems in real life at the moment, that it's hard for me to keep that smile up constantly. But I saw voice being mad at bec about something I didn't really understand, Gina being hurt by a fellow member that sent her something very hurtful in PM (she didn't want me to address it, but I had to say something about that) and I have talked to many in PM the last couple of weeks who all felt weary, depressed, negative, emotional etc. It's not strange, it has been 35 months and it has been intense. And we're still not there yet. I understand the feeling of doubt and impatience. And I know that I haven't been little miss sunshine either but I want to make it clear that that is NOT because I think Michael won't bam, or because I think Michael is dead. Absolutely not, I still hold the same beliefs as I have been for the last three years. I just don't feel very good at the moment, please take that into account if one of my posts sounds negative. It has nothing to do with the hoax itself.
Anyway, someone suggested (I think it was RK) to close the forum for a few days so we could all take a mini-break. I don't mind, if the majority would think that is a good idea, I can do that. So let me know your thoughts on that.
Then we have the issue with the trolls. That Scream member is someone that shouldn't run into me in the streets, because if there is one thing that REALLY pisses me off, it's when people call me a nazi or a Hitler-lover. My grandfather was captured by the nazi's in WWII and was almost beaten to death, causing brain damage that made him blind for the rest of his life. My country has a history with the Nazi's and I will react stronger against people like that. That means that trolls like that get too much attention they don't deserve, so a solution was needed, because I get the feeling that (like Grace mentioned) more and more trolls will attack in the near future and I want to stay sane. So from now on, we have a new mod-team. I am still waiting for some people to reply, but so far we have:
Andrea
BeTheChange
lilwendy
MaryK
MJonmind
paula-c
RK
wishingstar
Of course bec and Forstamoon are still mods as well.
This is a variety of members. I can not imagine that there are members on here that dislike all of them or think neither of the mods can think for themselves. All of them will have the power to lock threads, delete posts and ban members and I trust every single one of them will be objective enough to make a decision like that. This way it's not just bec and me that make the decisions, but about a quarter of the people that is online on a daily basis will be able to make decisions to keep the board clean. Most of them have been here since the beginning or have shown to be objective. I can't see anyone having a problem with this list.
When the trolls keep coming we need to make sure we have each other's back. Even though there has been a lot of negativity, we should try to support each other like Grace mentioned. And no, we shouldn't always ignore, sometimes we need to fight back. Just not too long, it's not worth the energy.
Last request: please look at the menu on top. There are functions not used by people. The gallery, the news section (please post any article worth a mention there), the downloads for important documents, links if you have useful ones, use the calendar etc. Also, I would like people to ask the blog function more. SimpattyK, you have a lot of posts that belong in the blog section instead of on the forum. Please use it more. Lots of posts are not really posts to discuss and would do fine in the blog section.
Okay, I might have forgotten something, I will add later if I remember. Let's try to keep each other's heads above water and cheer each other up. I almost saw Gema and Gina fighting because of a misunderstanding. As long as we keep talking to each other, we will be fine and make it to the other side. I remember someone having that signature that we shouldn't worry because Michael is our driver and will bring us home safely, but I heard he's an aweful driver, which is maybe why the ride is so bumpy. I might be online a little less the next couple of weeks to deal with stuff in real life. If anyone wants to help out or contribute in any way (by keeping up with the news section for example, or to fill the links page), let me know.
Thanks
禪
