It would seem that some people have far different definitions of ‘ran just fine’ then you do.
Mr. Jay, as I wrote in the original post:
I have also PMed several other posters, and the contents of those PMs are between me and the person in question. My hope in each instance is that the person I’ve PMed will stay. But I expect that there will be other accounts closed, mostly by mutual agreement. We’re probably going to lose at least 20 and maybe as many as 50 frequent posters.
-Tom
At this point. I think it’s better if we get past whatever blowback comes from all this before I start hopping into threads talking about what level I am in Star Wars Old Republic and whatnot.
-Tom
I think the fact that Tom is a well-known games writer explains much of this. The QT3 forums are part of his own website–indeed for most of their existence they were by far the most important part of it, and I’d argue that they still are today despite the recent improvements to the front page. As such, what happens in these forums reflects on Tom himself. Within limits, the tone and content here will inevitably be associated with him. For example, if bouncing boobie gifs are permitted, the fact that Tom himself never posts one won’t matter. He owns the site.
QT3 is no different in this regard than any other commercial site, almost all of which edit and moderate associated forums for the same reasons. Additionally, the expansion of the front page may foreshadow QT3’s transition into a more mainstream gaming news and review source instead of the niche role it fills now. Such a site needs to generally be work-safe to attract both ad dollars and widespread readership.
Tom, would you be bothered by people using QT3 to advertise the existence of other overlapping forums that may arise as a result of these changes, say for anyone who might miss some of the people who have already been/shortly will be banned during this period?
I really enjoyed having the forums as a place where almost everyone in the Qt3 dispora was able to hang out, sure I can find some of them still in IRC and others on google plus but these forums were always brilliant for having a easy to read muted colour scheme, generally signature/flickering image free posts and most importantly loads of great posters all in the same place. The forum has become a big part of my life and daily routine (which probably means I need to get out waaaay more) and I expect I’ll keenly feel the fragmentation of the community that this place used to represent if they are unable to coalesce elsewhere.
Ultimately, obviously this is not a democracy; it is a sort of dictatorship, and I respect it is your right to run your boards as you see fit and neaten them up for whatever is coming along in the future. But, I hope you will extend to us, the old community, the courtesy of allowing us to advertise any other fora/groupings that might arise as a result of these changes.
Also, in case that didn’t come across thank you for helping to build such a great community in the first place.
Please, speak for yourself, but don’t speak for the community.
That’s me right there right about now. As a person who, under the very best of circumstances, constantly second-guesses everything that he’s saying or doing because he’s convinced that everything is always wrong all of the time and nothing that he does is ever right, I am now verging on panic attack level nervous.
I think maybe I’m out for the rest of the day to get a handle on myself, so apologies to the imagination people that care if I miss covering any pressing media news.
Fair enough. There was a time when it seemed like the rest of the forum was being heavily moderated and P&R was it’s own weird country where anything went. Nice to have a bit of clarification there.
Quaro, as I mentioned in the original post in this thread, I have tried to work directly with almost every single person on that list. I’m not just unilaterally throwing down the term “irreconcilable differences”.
-Tom
I’m really surprised to see Hans on The List, but at least Lizard King is still around. Given the circumstances of the blow-up, I rather expected him to be gone again, even though he’s one of the more valuable contributors to the forum.
Thanks Tom, I did see that. I’m thinking of a few people who make zero contribution (that I can see), regularly troll and bait other members, and so forth - so if they really are the people you sincerely hope will stay after a little chat, I’ll be surprised at your priorities.
But again: new guy, outsider’s perspective, no knowledge of the lenghty and clearly fractious history you personally have with these individuals.
On the one hand, I’m glad to see you taking an active role in the community here and enforcing some standards of conduct. On the other, it’s a little disconcerting to see mass bannings based on old personal grudges. (I don’t have a stake in it either way - I haven’t been active here long enough to form any friendships, and you and I have never spoken to one another, so I’ve never pissed you off - but I’ll certainly be more careful about what I post here, as bannings seem less about objective rules enforcement and more about ‘don’t make Tom mad.’)
Not that I’m in the inner circle or anything, but Dan’s request seems very reasonable and certainly something to consider. People who are being banned or choosing to go ought to at least have the opportunity to let one another know where they’re heading off to.
Not at all. In fact, if folks want to leave and start another forum with different rules and moderation policies, I would actively encourage that!
-Tom
Here’s an idea, talk about video game, movies, tv shows, books, comics, etc. Leave the baggage and bullshit in the old year.
Honestly, there are any number of things about this new/reinstated community moderation policy at which I look askance; but trying to make the forums less of a haven for casual misogyny and background sexism isn’t one of them. If people want that, there’s basically any other gaming site on the internet available to them.
Agreed.
-Tom
I’m sorry, but I must have missed this. jerri gets humorless lesbian a lot, but that’s almost her catchphrase now.
I’ve always supported Tom’s right to do whatever the hell he wants with his own forum. Whatever issues Qt3 has, compared to the rest of the craptacular Internet, it’s a more civil and intelligent place, and I’d like it to stay that way.
I’m very sad to see some of the posters go, happy to see a couple of troublesome or cruel folks gone, and dismayed by a few folks on the list. But I don’t know everything that’s gone on, and that’s true of most of us, given the traffic level on this forum nowadays. There’s one poster that’s gotten some “him?” reactions that was in a very public flamefest with a game developer on the site last year, who created shell accounts after banning, and more. Obviously some of y’all missed that, but it was a huge hassle for Tom, I’m sure, and it didn’t do much for the reputation of this board as a mature, developer-friendly place.
I do have to chime in with the others surprised about Hans, though. The only thing I’ve ever seen him do “out of line” is publicly speak out against how the forum is run, which admittedly is a rule violation. But he’s had some fantastic contributions to the forum over the past seven years, and I’ll be very sad to see him gone.
But as I said above, I could very easily have missed something, and it’s Tom’s call.
Here’s hoping that once this settles, we can get back to the discussions of games, movies, books, hardware, etc. and drop the interpersonal crap.
Sorry to hear you say that. All I can suggest is that you read the original post again, specifically my philosophy about what I expect from people who participate, and my point that I’ve tried to work directly with people whose accounts have been closed.
And folks are more than welcome to make me mad, up to a point. But I won’t let folks use the forum to continually air their grudges, against me or anyone else.
-Tom
I don’t think Tom necessarily wants them to stay so much as his policies don’t allow him to remove them. I still believe certain members of said group will start talking about their piratical ways in due time, so the problem should eventually take care of itself.