(04-22-2015, 03:57 PM)Aya Wrote:(04-22-2015, 03:48 PM)Oscare Wrote: In other words: it's not going to help, to put it bluntly.Exactly, its one of the most effective means we have of conducting positivity. Many people don't want to make posts praising someone, some will send PMs, many more happily hit that +1 rep button, and often leave a nice comment too.Â
I feel like we've circled the wagons with the guns facing the wrong direction: toward each other. This thread is full of high criticism and as much aggression and animosity as any thread on the forum lately.
While what we have been dealing with are a handful of controversial topics which have become testy and the occasional heavy-handed criticism of concepts and ideas these things are (sometimes) unfortunate, but are not a reason to demand vast overwhelming changes to a community that has been well run and well conducted for such a long time.
I know we all have our own prescriptions, but in the end it boils down to: don't be a jerk. Express your opinion respectfully, and don't hammer away at someone (or something) with the intent to obliterate it. Understand and accept that this is a large community with a variety of opinion and interest, and what what we all consider good RP and good use of time will vary widely.Â
These sorts of things cannot be moderated from on high. Board moderators can only do their best to work within a framework to keep the edge cases in check, overall the tone will be our responsibility as users to set.Â
I find it especially upsetting that those very threads most intent upon boosting the tone of the board also come in for harsh criticism. What exactly are we supposed to do? Cannot be too positive to each other, cannot be too negative. Only post when other people think its appropriate? How about we just accept all of the good that the community has to offer, and do our best to mitigate the bad.
I can't help but feel like all of these suggestions for any major changes are overreaction. Things are not bad, worthy of a moment of reflection, perhaps, but not (apropos a particular thread), of revolution.Â
This has been one of my very favorite web communities, and I've enjoyed it for over a year to the point that I tend to check it almost constantly to see whats going on. The idea that we cannot handle or manage ourselves had never occurred to me. But, if we're to be a community where we really have to trust the moderators to make things right, and we have to remove such dangerous tools as a reputation system from the hands of users lest new forum goers be intimidated, or undesirable habits be spread, then all I can say is that is not a community that will garner my interest, let alone my love.
The alternative, then, is for more people to take on board what is being said in regards to things feeling frigid. That the community is so great for you isn't a bad thing - it really isn't. Yet I can't help but feel that it may be blinding you to the issues being raised throughout this thread to some extent.
I'll be honest and say that I don't really know you so this isn't meant as a personal attack: your profile has over thirty player character rumours. That's great! Many people who have been here for quite a long time still have zero. When you post in a thread about your character? People respond directly and exchange friendly banter about the good times you've shared together.
Again, I'm not saying it's a bad thing or that you should feel ashamed. I'm saying that more acknowledgement is needed in regards to the fact that some role-players are trying very hard to contribute/get stuff going and their efforts fall flat time and time again through no fault of their own.
It's like I said earlier: people don't like feeling like an outsider, especially if they're trying to get involved and it's possible for two individuals to have completely different experiences within the same crowd.
Let's be honest - we're all warmer to our friends than we may be towards acquaintances/strangers. It's perfectly natural. Breaking the ice is also a two way street and whilst nobody is obligated to interact with anybody else we do need things to be civil across the board.
As for the reputation system? It has a few flaws, I'll admit but overall I think it's a good part of the site. It's made my posts feel valued and acknowledged more than once in the past. I personally make it a point to make use of the system whenever I remember to or a particular post stands out as thought provoking.
At the end of the day we're dealing with a situation where a lot of people are claiming to feel unwelcome and new/seasoned role-players alike are expressing this on a fairly frequent basis. No matter how one chooses to acknowledge that it's an issue that needs to be addressed and if that involves changes in terms of how moderation works then I'm perfectly fine with that.
Fresh blood is incredibly important. New ideas are as well. Both contribute to a community evolving and remaining healthy rather than just one big echo chamber for whichever group has the loudest voices.
Though I'm definitely interested in your theories regarding how the proposed changes would impact the site negatively. It's important we discuss it from every angle.
