OP
OP
anothersam
SMIDSMe
- Location
- Far East Sussex
I believe you.
Most people might not believe what I went through in a mere 3 years administrating/moderating my own not-so-mild cycling forum, never mind the aftermath when I did walk away from it, which reverberates to this day. This is not a don't-cry-for-me-Argentina moment; why should anyone know, or indeed, care? Consider it my version of @swansonj's post about pylon design. We all bring our experiences with us.
Forums have become, perforce, an area of expertise, not just from ACF but from a stint administrating the even older C+ forum. The amount of stomach-churning bile and actual hatred I experienced left me shell-shocked enough to mostly give up on forums for years, dipping in and out of them only to continue to get my fix. They can be maddeningly addictive....
One of my concerns about starting this thread in the Cafe. My reason for doing so was because it was suggested the thread I have going in the dark zone [a Lexx reference] would perhaps have been better posted outside of it. I was curious, myself.
Although I don't often post in SC&P, I decided to dive in and do my bit out of pure selfishness: I like to post on a forum where I feel safe to post. Safe anywhere. A special board to contain nastiness is a fairly common device (if seldom the acknowledged reason). As I wrote nearly 9 years ago (christ has it been that long?) – and sorry to quote myself at length, it's simply a way to save labour:
Conventional wisdom, to which I have subscribed, is that acf should strive to be all-inclusive. It has recently occurred to me that this is impossible, or at least unnecessary. What I mean is, a forum can't be all things to all people. When drawing up the blueprints you decide the sorts of discussions you want and who you wish to attract. "Well, everybody!" one thinks; the more the merrier. Don't get me wrong: I'd love to host as many different personalities and viewpoints as possible. But this is why we have different forums.
Those who want a bit of rough are spoilt for choice on the world wild web. acf is meant to be a safe haven. There's no 'Rant/Soapbox'-style board, for example, due to my belief that it tends to give the idea that there are no boundaries even while attempting to set them, and it can be difficult to contain the ill feeling that may breed within. It's quite possible to enjoy robust debate without a specially constructed thunderdome.
This style of architecture helps refine our demographic considerably, and improves your freedom of choice to find a discussion group which suits you best. Think of it like shopping for a bicycle. Would you want all shops to carry exactly the same stock?
The virtual anonymity forum life offers can be a powerful lure to the dark side. At the risk of offending, a comparison can be made with 'cagers'. Nice guy gets behind the wheel of a car, occasionally changes from Jekyll to Hyde without warning. Cops deal with motorists, not individuals: I have to look at people's behaviour on acf, not out in the Real World.™ Anyone eager to rip the still-beating heart out of all comers is invited to operate elsewhere, and I'm going to stop worrying about making free speech martyrs. It's better than suffering death by a thousand cuts.
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quite. (self aware, me?, nah!)
