( continues...) making any sense, I've read through so much in one gulp, and that's the impression I was l left with. That I'm a bit saddened and worried about what I was surprised to discover has been happening in this treasured place, to the community, to its members who preferred to leave (not that there's anything wrong with that, if that's what anybody wants, of course, you know? And I'm one to talk, now that my job is not in front of a computer and my posting time has shrunk to virtually none) and was left wondering if there's any way to try to - if not prevent, at least try to minimize any sort of damage that may be caused to my beloved b.org.
Sorry. Not even reading through to fix typos, just posting before I give it up altogether for the night [Edit: it ended up waiting for a break from being-with-the-kids-during-the-holiday hour in the afternoon, since that was the only computer-time I could find. Not reading the night's rumblings, because starting to fix them means never getting to post. Sorry, as I've already said]. I cherish this place so much.
I have said it before (in email, naturally) and I'll say it again, though we've never met. I heart you Nilly.
Nilly, you are always a such a sweetheart; I mean that almost literally -- a sweet, kind heart.
You are cherished, Nilly. The way this has been handled recently reassures me that this will be my safe place for a long time to come. Yes, I am saddened that there was conflict I was oblivious to, but it did come to light and is being handled appropriately. Also, seeing all the familiar faces is a delight so I am going to focus on that as a highly desirable side effect.
Everything that Laura said so well.
{{{Nilly and Laura}}}
In some ways, I'm having flashbacks to when Gus was outed as a sock puppet: the same sense of betrayal, the same sense of "all the pieces were there, why didn't we put them together?
A few months ago, P-C did something to someone who wasn't me that upset me, and I had to talk to someone about it. Someone not part of this community, because I didn't think I could talk about it here, but whatever, we've addressed that.
Anyway, his reaction was "wow, your imaginary friends site seems to be a greenhouse for growing people with mild internet fame and major sociopathy."
I had to admit that when framed between Gus and P-C it does look that way, but I was adamant that the majority and core of people are wonderful.
I'm not sure two in 15-some years is dispositive. Scientifically speaking. For a site that is not exactly prominent but also is not closed or restricted, it's pretty damn good.
And now that I think of it, didn't Gus also arrive in the wake of some famous person posting or other? That said, lots of good folks found us through Tim as well.
{{{Nilly}}} So good to hear from you!
Statistically I think 2 out of however many active posters we've had over that time (it has to be in the hundreds, right?) is way, way below the amount you'd encounter with just a random sampling of the population.
Good to see you, Nilly.
I have to agree that the true problems have been incredibly few and far between, which is phenomenal for an internet community. I think the nature of our community just means that it feels much more personal when it does occur.
