I've been trying to pinpoint exactly why I even give a shit, but here it is.
Since about October of last year, about six months, the site has been going through a series of hurricanes that just haven't stopped. Mark had to move the site several times in close proximity for various reasons, and there was a lot of down time. Time moves very fast online, and a few weeks lost was enough to leave the site feeling disoriented, and it was a group that had been pretty stable and close knit for the past couple years.
Immediately after that, actually still during, the site was sold. It was very unexpected, and the physical details of moving the site for the last time were not even finished, so Rob inherited a mess. Not only were the members scattered, but the site didn't even work. People get cranky when things don't work, so it's been a hard road to trudge. Most of you posting on this thread joined during that time, never really knowing what the site was about in more "normal" circumstances.
Immediately after that, Jacinto "died" and you all saw what unfolded there, another mess.
Immediately after (or before, now I don't remember) the British Channel 4 ran a most unflattering series of shows that brought out a huge number of trolls and disruptive behaviors to an already over-taxed site.
Immediately after that, Rob installed moderators, which the site hasn't had for several years. We've been trying desperately to restore the site to what it was before all the drama, but none of you even know what that is, so there's a resistance. You have no way of knowing that Etc. was ALWAYS the realm of the elitist snobs. It was unspoken, but always clearly understood that if you post in that section, you damned well better be able to hold up your end of the conversation, or be ridiculed. There has always been "lighter fare" available for those who want that, but for some of us, we've pretty much said most of what we had to say about cock and now we're friends who want to talk about things a little deeper. We never hesitated to flirt along the way, but the conversations had content, for the most part. Not legalistically, there were no Terms of Service (which I hate, by the way), nothing had to be spelled out, the members just let the newer ones joining know how it was and it worked fine. But then, we never had so many new members join in such a short period with no interest in what the site already was.
None of you have seen the way we talk to each other when we're discussing something of importance, like religion and politics. We get into knock-down drag-outs sometimes, and we still love each other. Some members are more polite and level headed, some are more emotional and given to outburst. I'll let you guess which one I am. :wink: But we're adults, and we know that people can disagree and still respect each other as people. We don't have to respect each other's views, or even their ways of presenting them.
None of you even know who jonb is. Gottabigone won't be around to post when there's nothing but crap to read. Drs. Rock and Dliznick aren't going to exert themselves to wade through to muck to post in the way only a bright mind can, you really don't know what you're missing. I read this section for probably three months before I dared utter a word here, and I learned to check my posts for typos too. I still cringe when I see some of my posts from the old board!
And I was inducted like everyone else. Yes, it's exciting to find this place, and I posted like a bitch in heat too when I first came. Then a few of the women told me in direct terms that I didn't have to answer every single post on every single thread- AND I GOT THE HINT.
I don't understand new people coming to a place already in existance and demanding it become something else. And I REALLY don't understand your objecting to the people who made it what it is trying to defend it. Boo hiss.
I don't know where the site's going now. What I do know is that my reasons for being here are not to be a moderator, as you can probably tell from my absolute dereliction of duty. I want to hear some brilliant mind pose a question or give an answer in a way I hadn't considered. Maybe post a link for further reading so I might actually learn something. Some people will use words I don't know and I'll have to look them up. Then sometimes things will get posted that I do have something to contribute to and I'll get to play too.
This place is a lot of different things to different people, but I really hope it doesn't become kindergarten recess.