Hey everyone:

It has come to my attention that some of the back and forth exchanges in the more controversial topics has started to veer into the zone of personal jabs and flames that go beyond focusing on the topic itself. If you've been a member here for at least a little while, you know that it is not my style to play 'Big Brother,' to slap hands, or to over-moderate when it comes to discourse. That's just not my personality. I want everyone to feel comfortable enough to share what's on their minds, to give their honest reactions to the topics and to the other responses they see, and to just be themselves.

Everyone here is an adult, and I don't want to be one of these admins. who treats adult members like children. We have all been to forums run like that and, IMO, they generally stink. It has a counterproductive effect, because when you treat people like kids, they tend to act like it. Not only is it condescending and stifling, but it also sets the stage for hostility, as well as for certain posters to try and be 'teachers pets,' and that's just not where I wanna go here. On the other hand, we have all also been to forums that had such non-existent moderation that it operated like a zoo, with people trolling and going out of their way to be petty or aggressive, showing zero respect towards folks who express an opinion that contradicts their own, and/or to be unduly nasty, simply because they know they can. That extreme isn't any good either.

I honestly love every single one of you, appreciate your being here, and have no desire to play favorites or to sneak up behind peoples posts and start zapping any that aren't excessively "nice." I like having a hands-off approach when it comes to content, and posting amongst everyone else as basically a member myself–despite my title. I have no desire to say you can't talk about this, or react like that. However, since we're all adults, I'm just asking that we stay mindful of when some things aren't that serious, and knowing when to let it go. No need to give yourself a migraine if you've already argued your point and the other person either just isn't getting it, or refuses to budge from their own position.

Overall, I think we have a pretty interesting/diverse and relaxed group of people here, and the mood here is generally friendly. Thus far any negativity that's happened here have been fleeting moods that usually past quickly, so that's good. I don't expect everyone to always get along, or agree on everything. And, honestly, I like it when people disagree because it can make the threads more interesting, but berating and calling out people in my opinion just isn't necessary. This isn't me laying down the law, issuing threats, or anything like that; so please don't take it that way. It's, instead, just me having an informal rap session about something brought to my attention, and giving my take on it.

Since I'm 95% sure these complaints(and I know who made 'em) have to do with me, then okay, for you Chris, I'll try to be.............................nicer. But like I've said before, I don't like to stifle my language. If you take it a certain way, I can't do anything about that. And when I do feel like I'm beating a dead horse, I will nicely let it go. It starts to make my eyes hurt eventually.

In general I just think it's a message we should all be reminded of from time to time. Overall, I don't think we are bad at all. Sometimes topics are heated, people feel passionately about their position, and have a need to defend their stance on it. Natural.

^^required reading has been complied with^^

Roger Wilco

Alright, who's been complaining about me?

Thanks Chris I'm sure we all love you too and will take your message to heart.

Shale wrote:

Nystyle709 wrote:

Since I'm 95% sure these complaints(and I know who made 'em) have to do with me, then okay, for you Chris, I'll try to be.............................nicer. ...

"You're so vain - You prolly think this thread is about you ..."





Sorry, Just couldn't help it. (Did I beat Alan?)

LOL, no, you had that one all to yourself.

Supernova wrote:

Alright, who's been complaining about me?

I hear you ain't too popular with the Google bots.

The what?

^^^^Do you ever notice that the active users sometimes include "bots"?

Forgiveness Man wrote:

^^^^Do you ever notice that the active users sometimes include "bots"?

I've noticed that but don't know what it means. The only thing I know about bots is that they work together in some way to predict the future or something, lol.

Okay, so then what're they doing here and what've they got to do with me?

^^^^It was a joke. You asked who reported you and I joked that it was the Google bots.

Good reminder, Chris.