As many of you are aware, Mrs Geek, the geeklins and moi' are away on holiday in the US. I was alerted to this thread and have spent the past hour reading through it, cross checking against a bunch of other things (i.e. journal entries, previous posts by posters in the thread, etc...) and have come to the conclusion that there is really no other way to put this...
Any long standing member will have read countless posts from members expressing their joy about this place. Countless posts about how people would have quit their career without this site, praises that their problems have been solved, thanks and adoration about new friends, responses, support, etc... So forgive me for wondering why we are discussing something that any long standing member would be aware of? Hmmmmmm.
The moderators often have long discussions about threads and issues pertaining to the site. There isn't always 100% agreement, but there is always 100% support. Moderator actions (heck dare I also say Admin actions) are not always 100% right, however in my years of hosting this site (and a couple other sites) as well as working with other non industry forums I can share this: This is one well balanced, kick ass moderator team that seldom EVER gets it wrong. When we do mess it up, it is the communities responsibility to alert the rest of team and myself in a constructive manner so that we can make sure we get it sorted. Hell, we are all human and we are all here to do the best that we can. Handling your disagreements in a professional manner is simple common sense.
This site isn't Utopia, but it isn't that far off either. If you do not feel that it is cutting the mustard, there are always options: Post and respond how you think it should be done (aka Lead By Example) or bail out (aka don't let the door hit you...) or start your own site (gee, haven't seen that one come and go before!). Just remember that there is a reason this site is the envy of the professional industry (as well as many other non industry related sites out there). It is because it is a great community with a great moderator team. That doesn't happen by chance - it happens through years of hard work by a team that is dedicated to helping others over themselves.
As with every site, there are 'cliques'. Here, there is really only one and it simply isn't worth joining as they are also known as the "hard done to's" and the "self exiled". Secretly I fantasize about naming and shaming them and their transparent purposes, but instead Ill skip stooping to their level and end with this thought:
This site is what you make it. Sure there are few silly rules, almost all of them are common sense. The rest are there to protect the members and users of the site from being manipulated and used. Since I am a "glass is half full kind of guy", I see that as a good thing. It is only a negative when twisted to meet someones silly agenda. Ignore stupid agendas and have a great time sharing and growing together. There just isn't enough time in life for anything else.
On that note, with the power vested in me, I now lock this thread. Go have some freaking fun!
nJoy
