Having mostly been away from this forum for the past two years, and visiting occasionally over the past few weeks while trying to figure out whether I'd like to prioritize some time to spend here once again, I'm really on the fence about jumping into the discussion. But perhaps doing so will help me figure that out...
I'd like to start (yes, this might be long, so move along now if that will offend you) by offering some historical perspective.
Several of the comments here refer to the forum as primarily (or most importantly) a manufacturer's site, and almost characterize Dave, even in some favorable depictions, as sort of the hired gun to enforce Alembic's desires regarding the content.
It's hard to describe just how strange that sounds to me. As it happens, I was the one who suggested Dave become our first, and thus far only, moderator. And the striking thing about it, especially in the current context, is that at the time, we weren't looking for someone to police the board at all - moderator just happened to be a conventional term, one that was also conveniently pre-configured in the forum software.
What we were really trying to do was figure out how to make the board a more effective resource. Many of the same questions kept coming up over and over, despite the fact that some excellent answers had been provided in the past, but there was no easy way to know that, and while people would happily answer again anyway, it sometimes felt like it wasn't the most effective use of our time.
Dave and I spent some time brainstorming about this, kicked around ideas with Mica and a few others, and as a result you now have a rather extensive FAQ and Must Reads section. I still have an email from Dec. 03 in which Dave and I were having some early discussions about it, though it appears it may have taken about another year to actually get started on the work.
In any case, it's certainly not like Alembic put up a job posting for someone to come in and close unruly threads and censor vulgar language, and I believe it was quite some time before even a single post was edited or deleted. That is most definitely not the job Dave signed up for.
The forum had been largely self-policing, and at the time I don't believe any of us truly felt that we really needed a designated moderator. Sure, there were times when a new member might come in with an unwelcome style based on the more typical online experience, or an existing member might get a little overworked and express themselves in a less than thoughtful manner.
But we generally managed that okay. I remember a classic example, in which Joey (of setup instruction fame) literally told a first-time poster to go home and wash his mouth out with soap, and then come back when he was ready to mind his manners (Joey's got some Southerner in him, after all). He was tough, even brutal, but constructive, and indeed the guy cleaned up his own post and seemed to actually feel more enthusiastic about remaining (I'm not quite sure I remember who it was, but it's possible he is actually involved in the current discussion).
One of the things Joey suggested is that we think of this as being invited to sit down for dinner at the Wickersham family table (maybe this even made it into the posting guidelines, I suppose I should review). Sure, you can have some fun, disagree and maybe get a bit feisty at times, but you keep it civil, and you certainly don't attack one another. And while you might use some different language or explore some off-color topic in a private discussion with one of the guests, you don't do that while you're all sitting around the table together to enjoy a good meal.
However, the family model doesn't really go far enough, partly because this group is so incredibly diverse. I suspect we had fewer flare ups in the earlier days, when the group was smaller and somewhat more intimate, partly because there was a statistically lower chance that some individual would be offended, or riled up enough to escalate a discussion into an argument. Even when that did happen, it was usually pretty easy to get things settled down and back on track.
It was actually quite a while before the posting guidelines evolved to the point of effectively banning religious, political, and similar discussions (though as some have noted, there remains a surprising leniency in that regard). Personally I was somewhat resistant to that direction, but I also know without a doubt that it was a grassroots sort of thing. The majority of people clearly favored a comfortable, friendly place to visit, with the focus on Alembic, and music more generally (and sometimes beer and bikes).
When I started catching up here a few weeks ago, I was really stunned to discover at least a couple of threads that had recently been closed, and another one or two that seemed clearly headed in that direction. I'm not sure this had never happened before, but I am convinced there were more in just a few months than in the preceding several years, and that was disappointing.
I can't help wondering whether Dave might eventually come to resent my getting him into this (well no, not Dave); more seriously, I worry that it will become too much of an energy drain and that his priorities will shift to other things at some point. I don't believe Dave needs defending - I just wish his job hadn't become so tough, so he could spend his time on the more positive aspects of participating here.
In that regard, as well as thinking about what would make me more inclined to hang out here again, I happen to feel that some individual time-outs would be a good thing. In Jeff's case, I recall a time some years ago when he explained, with what I interpreted as some pride, where the attack portion of his username came from, as exemplified by his opening post in this thread. And I recall another example in which he drove away a new member with an escalating series of abusive posts, apparently because the poor guy didn't express himself very well and said something that didn't sound particularly bright (which I suppose would have relegated him to the oversensitive moron category).
Like all of us, Jeff has his ups and downs - the downs aren't pretty, but fortunately we more often got to see his warmer and mellower side. If he can find some other outlet to vent when he needs to, I'd welcome him back in an instant, but if he continues to feel he should be entitled to say whatever he likes here - as seems to be the case at the moment - then at least for me, his return would be premature.
And then there's this other guy, the one of three names (so far, anyway). I can't recall seeing any interest here before in implementing a killfile, but after reading a series of posts one otherwise pleasant Saturday morning, I was seriously thinking about it myself. It seemed to me this person felt one of the main purposes of this forum was to provide him with a soap box and captive audience. For someone who feels that people are interested in reading every seemingly random thought, and indisputable opinion, that crosses his mind, a blog would probably be the better way to go.
I was so overwhelmed by the number and tenor of the posts that I took a break for a while, mulled it over, and eventually decided to make an effort to talk with him about it privately. I spent a full afternoon, and tons of patience and deep breaths, composing a mail that would hopefully be seen as constructive and non-confrontational, suggesting some possible changes in behavior. Then I slept on it, and after a fresh read the next morning decided to hold off on mailing for a few days. Which turned out pretty well, because he then (mostly) retired to his own corner, at least for the time being, and I was no longer forced to listen to him in seemingly every second or third thread I was following.
But there were at least a couple of points I made that I think are relevant to the current discussion. For one thing, I do not happen to believe that the principle of free speech applies here. You are not simply entitled to say whatever you damn well please - this is a forum for a reasonably focused set of topics, and it has its own community standards about appropriate behavior.
A second point, which a surprising number of people fail to grasp (not just here, but elsewhere) is that by definition, an opinion is not something that can be proven! We all have them, yours may well be different than mine, and I might not even comprehend it - but (assuming it's within the bounds of decency and civility, and not well out of scope) the most I can do is perhaps offer an alternative view, while respecting your right to feel as you do. And then move on. What you do not do, is start yet another thread insisting that your opinion is the only possible valid one, and challenging anyone to prove you wrong.
Returning after a lengthy absence, it feels to me like things are getting a bit off track, as someone else mentioned above. That's why I thought I'd offer a little perspective on the good old days, before we really needed a moderator, let alone on a nearly full time basis.
Certainly, if the consensus of the group is that the forum should shift its nature, and become more of the free-for-all nonsense we see in so many others, then the simple and correct answer for me is to choose not to participate.
I don't have any way of getting an accurate reading on that. I strongly suspect that we're seeing comments here, especially those in support of a more lax policy, from the more outspoken contingent, and it is highly likely that there are a good number of readers (the oversensitive ones like myself, but less vocal about it) who aren't being heard.
Maybe I should have just kept my mouth shut, especially since I'm more likely to decide that I'd prefer to spend drastically less time in front of a computer, at least for a while, in which case what I think doesn't matter. On the other hand, I thoroughly enjoyed my time here for a number of years, have made several important and lasting friendships, and when I would sometimes send a link to some particular topic that might be of interest to an outsider, it felt good to hear them come back and say something like wow, what a wonderful and civilized group, I've never seen an online discussion like that! I can recall at least three separate people that said words to that effect.
Today, I would be embarrassed.
It's easy to say, why don't we all just try to get along, but in fact, no, that is not possible - when for some people, getting along with everyone else is simply not a priority, nor perhaps even a consideration. Of course, it always takes two, but if you have enough people who simply choose not to let go, then it can get ugly fast, and often.
As for the suggestion that this thread be closed, that's not really going to solve anything. For one thing, there's the rather obvious challenge Dave would face in contemplating the closure of a thread which was largely critical of his behavior as moderator (setting aside the more personal attacks, which he can probably manage).
More importantly, it feels to me like we may be approaching a crossroads. Communities naturally evolve over time. We seem to have an increasing percentage of newer members; some of the earlier members have left or gone on sabbatical; and for that matter a couple have recently just plain gone belly-up on us (and please, people, you must realize that I mean absolutely no disrespect).
It's not obvious to me that it's an old versus new thing, but I do suspect the influx of new members, and loss of some older ones, has weakened the traditions that largely kept things in balance around here. I find it a sad commentary that the role of moderator has become so important these days, to the point where we may even need a second to share the load, or a third so that they can settle arguments among themselves.
While I could always be surprised, I seriously doubt that Mica or anyone else from Alembic is going to step in and put their foot down. I do believe there are some pretty firm limits - this will never be a forum in which you can get away with calling someone an asshole in every other post - but to a large extent, I think it's up to us to figure out where we want to go from here.
[Okay, I was a little surprised - I wrote this over the last couple of days, before seeing Mica's post. But some of you should find it enlightening to note that what seems to upset her the most, is the suggestion that she would ever consider banning anyone!]
This is by no means just about Jeff, or even another individual or two - I feel like things are shifting, and a lot more people are involved in that to varying degrees. Frankly, I'm surprised by the number of people who are practically begging Jeff to return, so I'd like to end by addressing you (Jeff) directly.
I hope you understand that I truly harbor no ill-will toward you. As it happens, I believe I have a personal friend or two that at times can be even more abrasive or otherwise disagreeable than you (and I hope you don't take that as a personal challenge :-). In a private and mutually-agreeable context, I can sometimes deal with that. But as far as I'm concerned, as long as your approach to participating in a community forum remains as exemplified by both of your posts here, then I would prefer that you give it a little more time.
(Though it shouldn't need repeating, that's just my personal view - I can't speak for the club as a whole, and certainly not on behalf of Alembic.)
No rush. Hopefully, most of us will still be here.
-Bob
