Who do you know?

One of the central tenets of this board, which also forced Pinecam to change how they operated to mirror our policy as well, was that no one has to be a member, or to sign in, in order to read everything posted here, save for the Ring. So while some of those above have very likely left for good, many more lurk and read without posting, and several others, some of whom I still see/talk to on a semi-regular basis as our busy work schedules permit, like richard head liberals and outdoor338 are merely swamped with work and life but still love this site, they just don't make the time to post (some like ExtremeModerate are just big, deserting jerks who can KMA. LOL!). Since we can't track who is reading as a guest, it's impossible to really say if that many have "left", certainly some have. It's also the nature of message boards for people to come and go - posting is a novelty that wears off for some, or life circumstances change (they move, they get sick, they have kids, they die, etc). That's not to dismiss as unimportant who has left, or that there aren't other issues with the site, but rather to say that when there are issues brought up that they are weighed against whether this is statistically significant above the normal goings-on.

I think the problem here, which Soulshiner alluded to, is that this subject is being beaten to death. In the past, posts were moved just as they are now, and few had any issues with it (really, does anyone want to protest that Teddy's posts should have been left here in the Courthouse?? does anyone know how many of his posts were moved?) because it was just done and we didn't rehash this over and over publicly. And part of that is my fault because, as I've been lectured before, I talk too much about what I do and why I do it and that causes second-guessing, complaints about what was done, and attempts to get around what seems to be new rules when moderating really should be done quietly and seamlessly. I am a former scientist, our default SOP is to hash everything out ad nauseum to make sure we don't miss any crucial details or methods or aren't making erroneous assumptions that are starting us off wrong. I live, breathe, and work by being open, honest, and straightforward and repeatedly offer up evidence of that by showing what I've done and explaining why I've done it to prove that it's not because of partisan-ship but because of following objective, fair guidelines that have been in place since we started. What I really should be doing is just quietly going about my job, which is what I've been trying to do here the last couple of days - I'm not here to lecture you on how to behave, make you feel like this is Great Aunt Edna's parlor, or ruin your fun. There aren't any new rules in place, we're just organizing posts and threads like we should've been doing but had gotten lax on because it hadn't seemed to negatively affect the board by leaving insults since people kept responding to them and there were few complaints. That changed when the number of complaints ramped up a few weeks back, and the number of posters left above and beyond the normal. It cannot be ignored, but it doesn't mean that the principles upon which this board were founded are going to change at all.

Blazer Bob may not want off-topic posts, but I love 'em - I think they take threads on interesting paths, much like free-flowing conversations do, and would sooner cut off my own hand than change that policy. FYI, although he is an individual, his forum operates the same as our paid Business Partners always have - they too, have complete control of their paid advertising space and if there's a post that's made that they don't like they have every right to say they want it gone. Do we delete it? No. We move it elsewhere because while they may want to ignore/hide complaints (which IMO is stupid - use it as an opportunity to fix what went wrong and demonstrate good customer service), as a community forum that exists to serve both them and you, you have every right to tell your friends and neighbors that someone gave you bad service and you wouldn't recommend them, even if it's about 285Bound. It's natural selection - good businesses thrive, bad ones die. I'd love to see more positive posts about our businesses up here when you do get good service/products so we can all help support our local businesses, but I want to know when something's wrong too - does that mean I want a whiny bash-fest? No, but an opportunity to grow, adapt, and improve? YES! It's why you don't see any of these posts slamming me or how 285Bound has been run moved or deleted (I dare you to say that about "the other place"!) - constructive criticism is ALWAYS encouraged (<loudly clearing throat> calling me greedy and lazy is not so constructive <hint hint> ).

Go post, have fun, make jokes, get into heated debates, and we'll let you know if there's a problem. You know what's right and wrong, and while self-moderation is preferred, people don't always pay attention to what forum they are in when they just want to participate in a conversation, as we've all seen. It's our job to just move it where it belongs. Unlike Pinecam, it's not deleted never to be seen again, you aren't chastised, given a "time-out" like a child, or banned, you are treated respectfully and always appreciated for being here - you are what makes 285Bound great.

Sorry, this got long again and I didn't mean to do that. I spent the day today at my first Leadership Evergreen class and came up with an idea for 285Bound that I think will help but it's going to take me a few days to put down on paper. (Shameless plug: please Like the Leadership Evergreen Facebook page if you'd like to see/learn more [LOL in my interview, when asked for feedback about their information dissemination, I told them flat out that they need to work on their website content, which kind of took the current and former president who were interviewing me aback for a moment] - pictures from last night's reception are up already! We've got a great group of people in the class, and it's an awesome board leading it.)

LadyJazzer wrote: What's funny is that at least 4-5 of those ID's are various versions of the same poster. At least two of them are posting here NOW under different aliases. At least two no longer live in the area and wouldn't be posting anyway...

And you would be wrong. I'm not going to say anything else as I am bound ethically not to, but you are incorrect about whom I know you are thinking of based on previous comments you've made on this forum.

Go have fun. And thank you for being here - you are all truly and deeply appreciated for being a part of this site, even when you're calling me names!