Isn’t that amazing? I have always thought - and still do - that this sort of forum is the purpose of the internet, to the extent that it can be said to have a purpose. The somewhat subversive allure of sharing information and experiences free of pre-existing structures and commercial considerations.
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One final thought for the night…
@orenwolf, I said this to you not one week ago, via PM:
Now you’re shutting it down, permanently.
Now, I might not have to say this, but getting banned for a day hurt.
And “permanently” is a lot longer than “100 days.”
So yes, this hurts, a lot. The Lounge is/was the best part of this community, and now it’s going away, so I don’t even know if it will be worth staying. I’m not going to do anything as dramatic as ask for a ban; if I leave, I’ll just log out on all of my devices and just… not be here. I’ve done it before. But, as @lamaranagram said, that’s not a decision to be made tonight.
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We’ll still have civil, respectful conversations but we won’t have a community like we used to have, that’s for sure.
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Communities get ideas above their station. Gotta keep the masses in their place, right.
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What I really dislike about the nomination process is shutting out contrarian opinions. There are several members here that I fail to agree with on nearly anything but they present their viewpoints respectfully and thoughtfully. I truly appreciate that and I worry that we’ll really become an echo chamber.
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The highly cynical part of me is pretty sure that’s a feature, not a bug.
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Which ‘we’ made this mistake? The regulars? The mods? Both? The same ‘we’ who created the concept of ‘regular’?
I only stumbled in 3 days ago(and am still unsure what criteria I triggered), so I’m not going to feign deeply rooted cultural attachments that plausibility precludes; but this seems like a salient detail; since there are really a number of possible problems being proposed depending on who ‘we’ is. Regulars plotting and influence peddling in secret? Mods who developed a habit of only discussing their actions in regulars zones?
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I’d like to add a little bit onto this comment. As a woman, there are risks to participating online that men don’t take. It is especially important for us to have some places where we feel safe to participate semi-anonymously. I do see the issues that are being addressed and I’m really happy that you are addressing them; however, given the troops of gamergate jerkwads who come here whenever a topic is posted on that and other trolls that like to jump into the boards whenever certain topics get posted, I would really like to know where the safe space will be for the people who are committed to being here, where we can somehow know that it’s OK to get to know each other in a more personal way without exposing ourselves to people who might try to doxx us.
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While we’ll let the community nominate for some badges, I didn’t say that would be the exclusive method. Obviously mods or Authors may give out badges to those they feel deserve them as well, and I know I personally will be attempting to be neutral in my selections (as any good mod should be).
We see more than a few flags from those who obviously just “disagree” with a poster, too. That a natural response, and in the same way we try to be neutral in agreeing with flags, will wil attempt to be neutral in who we recognize within the community.
It’s a great point though - the hardest part of being a mod, I’ve learned, is distancing your own beliefs from moderation decisions. It’s not easy to defend a post you personally, sometimes deeply, disagree with.
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a bit relaxed from these standards cause we are a lot bigger than their other instances.
https://meta.discourse.org/t/what-do-user-trust-levels-do/4924/5
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The Boing Boing staff made the mistake of not considering the implications of a two-tier community when we setup the BBS. that was our mistake. I don’t fault the community for taking advantage of the tools they were provided in any way.
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It looks like the only reason you weren’t there earlier is that you’re stingy with your likes.
You’re well over every other requirement, but have only given 34 likes in the past 92 days.
https://bbs.boingboing.net/u?name=fuzzyfungus&period=quarterly
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On one hand, more transparency in moderation! Yay, our message has been heard! Our transparent avatars have made a point!
On the other hand: RIP @othermichael
I have a feeling backroom channels will be used more. This is not an inherently bad thing, but it is not inherently beneficial either. (“Hey, Rube!” was one of the more useful topics for alerting members to trolls, which will no longer be postable once we lose regular status)
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Exactly this. As far as I can tell there won’t be one after the #lounge goes away. Everything will go into mass PMs (effectively Deep Cliquing) or more likely some of the most deeply committed and valued members will just go somewhere else.
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I think they just kinda did…
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Some people define community by inclusion, and some define it by exclusion. I think that the latter is far easier, but also more limited.
I see the more egalitarian approach as having the same banquet - except that the kids are present. And kids are often a bit ignorant, loud, and crude. Making for a somewhat less convivial event. But on the other hand, any “scene” which can’t tolerate children also sows the seeds of its own obsolescence as old members gradually move on, without having imparted their wisdom and experiences (such as they may be!) to new blood of this or the next generation. That test of patience and perseverance is, for better or worse, the cost of having a vital living community.
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Feel free to PM me.
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You just made me shed a tear for how far away I am from Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis right now.
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