Forum Update – 02/05/2008

The update is at the bottom, but I want to say a few things first, as this will likely be the last time I make any general comments about the forum.

Gary used to speak of the forum as his “living room.” I think of it more in terms of my dinner table. Same concept, just different place. After dinner discussions could be contentious and lively, but nobody got ugly about it. If somebody did, they just didn’t get invited to dinner anymore.

A good forum needs differences of opinion to keep it interesting. If everybody agrees on everything, it would be dismally boring – kinda like trying to fashion a symphony from a 60-cycle hum. It is possible, however, to disagree without being disagreeable. Just because you’re miserable does not give you the right or obligation to spread your misery. I have watched with disappointment as some good, smart posters have come and gone because of the sour ambiance of the place. I hated to see that, because more smart people make for a better forum, as we can all learn from each other.

Sewage runs downhill because gravity works. Forums do the same thing, without someone who is willing to work to keep them from the downward spiral. I am unwilling to do that. I know how, but I’m just not willing. So, some changes are necessary if the forum is to continue to live.

Starting tomorrow, the forum is under new management. The new forum Administrator is someone who shares my basic philosophy about forums and who was doing forum stuff before the Internet became a household word, so you won’t see any immediate changes. However, she is less tolerant of crap than I have been, so if you leave your manners at the door, expect to be told to pick them up on your way out – and don’t come back without them. She has not previously been a poster here, but has, at my request, followed the forum lately, so is familiar with the problems that I have allowed to fester. Currently, her choice is to function only as the Admin, and not be a poster in the forum. That may change in time, but it’s her choice.

Any future inquiries should be directed to admin@rightmindsforum.com, not to me. I will continue, for a while, to help out with any graphics stuff, as I do kinda like to do that.

I’m going to ignore the place for a while, but will return eventually as just a member.

Regards,

Russ Walden