Huh.

That was definitely 500 or so posts.

(Is it wrong that I'm slightly happy to express no opinion on any of this whatsoever?)

Isn't the fact that they feel this way something that may need to be addressed in terms of board dynamics?

It was addressed. Addressed means blah blah intensive. We've addressed it. Sometimes this means...Actions are taken. In this instance, there doesn't seem to be anything particularly actionable.

What happens when it's a long-time poster who feels like this?

Honestly, if I felt like I didn't fit in anymore, I'd probably do some wriggling and gnashing of teeth ... and leave.

This doesn't have to be a place where I belong. It's no one's job to make it that.

On a personal level, I can see that individuals may reach out to someone they see leaving, but I've seen people come and go (sooner or later) and it just happens.

You can't mandate the board into a place I'm always happy in without driving someone else away. People, new or old, will leave.

Right, but what's a minority?

One of the things I realized today is that this board isn't really one community anymore. Hasn't been for some time. Where you go on the board dictates your experience.

If I spend my time in the Lit thread, the Fic thread, Boxed Set, and, say, Comics, I'm both blissfully ignorant of the kerfuffles going on over here in Kafka and -- more importantly -- having just as valid an experience as someone who just got drowned out in an argument in Natter about the proper use of the gerund (or Beep Me).

If me and my ficwriting pals all get along great in the Fic thread, how am I a minority? How can I be a marginalized Buffista if there are places where I'm welcome, and where I do all the proper monkey-grooming appropriate to the context?

(Is it wrong that I'm slightly happy to express no opinion on any of this whatsoever?)

No, no! cf. "Going sane in a crazy world."

this board isn't really one community anymore. Hasn't been for some time. Where you go on the board dictates your experience.

Absolutely! I know Le Nubian, for instance, from two or so other boards. I'm always startled to bump into her in Buffistechnology, because I forget she's here. It's the only place we cross paths (she lives mostly in Spoilers, last time I visited).

Isn't the fact that they feel this way something that may need to be addressed in terms of board dynamics?

Tell me what can be done. How is it that someone feels unwelcome anymore?

I sometimes feel ignored in Natter because I can choose to spend the time catching up, or spend it participating. I can't do both. I rarely manage to get into the frequent post-response flow nowadays, the thread moves so fast.

Do I blame the board for that? No. For myself, I go to a thread where I can keep up with people. Or I go to LJ, which, frankly, allows me the time to think. I love this board, but it's not the everything to me.

ETA: There are 1200 people here. Things have changed, not all for the better. What we do about it? I don't know. Allyson's frequent invocation of Clay Shirky comes to mind.

But the unnamed cabal is already a strong element of the posting table beyond bureau. How could I like posting here in any form if I really hated David, Plei and ita,

What part of unnamed cabal was unclear to you, Counselor?

I didn't say you're in a cabal, I said I hated you all.

Should we really be concerned when a user is prompted to leave? I regret that John H felt he had to leave (especially since he was right), but I also consider that his choice and not our collective fault.

It's up to everyone to gently handle all the posters they like and the posters the posters they like like and so on. That's how you maintain social capital.

I've said before that the board seems less kind and more aggressive of late. I've said before that people should perhaps ask for clarification before slamming a post and/or poster. That skimming over things that don't interest/do irritate us is a time-honoured way of dealing with things.

But none of this can me mandated or enforced.

Actually, that vaguely distresses me, when I see that two people can be on the same board and never meet. It's one of those things where, I know it happens; it's too big a board for it not to happen; but it flies in the face of my prevailing myth of the board, which is that everyone at least recognizes everyone else. Which, in my little myth, is the reason why we are all nice to each other -- recognition of our togetherness.

D'you think I'm this nice to strangers? Ha! Off-board, I'm Queen Bitch of the Universe!

I know, my little issue. I'll just have to cross my fingers and hope that the Buffistas I never meet buy into at least sort of the same board-ideals as me. Which is why we repeat ourselves endlessly, right? Repetition eventually makes a thing true. Just look at George W. Bush!