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Helium Pond
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Los Anheles, California, Good Ole U S of A
Nov 1999
time: 05:13
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Hey, what happened over there in the "Review SMAC Now!" thread? Last I remember, I posted an off-topic "how's the weather" comment, now it's deleted, and the thread is closed, and people seem p***ed off (cuss word self-censored, thanks). Tensions running high, it seems.
MarkG, I must admit your actions confuse me. A site has, roughly speaking, two kinds of traffic: casual browsers and regulars. What keeps a site "alive" are the regulars. Now, I still stand by my earlier statements: you're providing a free sevice that people have no real right to complain about. On the other hand, if bad feelings arise between the administrator and the regulars, the site dies. Thus the administrator needs to have at least some sensitivity to the feelings of the regulars, to keep the site alive.
This is why the "Review SMAC Now!" thread is so baffling to me. It's of no use to the regulars, who wouldn't be here unless they were already somewhat addicted. So it seems to value the newbies over the regulars. As I said, that's an odd choice for an administrator to make.
But the choice was made, and you stuck with it. Forums are hotbeds of mischeif, as you must know, and you can't be surprised that, in the face of an unpopular administrative position, people tried to prank it a little. You've created a place where people express their opinions, and you do something unpopular, and you expect people not to express that? That's what's confusing to me.
There are different ways to respond to pranks: there are things you can do to escalate the tension, there are things you can do to remove the tension. Do you think that deleting posts and closing threads are removing tension from the situation? As I see it, they can only escalate the tension.
All I'm saying, MarkG, is be aware of what you're doing. People only exist as opinons here; our written opinions are the sum total of our identities here. If you antagonize that, you have to expect there to be a reaction.
In all honesty, I didn't expect my post to get this kind of a reaction. I mean, what, it's a sin to take a thread off-topic? I admit I was pranking the annoying thread somewhat, but very mildly, and again: since when are forum pranks a cardinal sin? It obviously offended you deeply, I guess, and I apologize. Ultimately, as I said, I'm glad this forum is here and I'm sorry if I p***ed you off. But your actions in response, again, confuse me.
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18-09-2000 03:02
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