Quote:
Originally Posted by Alexander Turcic
It's been a challenging week for me and I like to tell you why. As many of you know, about a month ago we added a new forum, the Conservatory, which was meant as a place to discuss off-topic subjects with a certain seriousness, which some have found lacking in our generally well-perceived Lounge. Proponents of the Conservatory argued that it was important to have a place where discussions were kept relevant to the original topic. They also argued that discussions in the lounge were often being hijacked. As a result, the Conservatory was created.
So good in theory. Unfortunately, the Conservatory (and lack of moderation of thereof) went out of hand. I received plenty of honest messages from concerned members who feared that the atmosphere at MobileRead was going to profoundly change with the kind of threads introduced in the new section. Indeed, many of the "serious" discussions started there just seemed to initiate uncomfortable arguments. In effect, even some of our long-standing members began to express their worry about how they should react to the ongoing debates and apparent change in atmosphere.
I take the full blame for not having considered the potential danger in subdividing off-topic discussions into different forum sections. Fact is, MobileRead is a popular online community where e-book fans unite to share their experience with e-books and related technologies. Here lies our focus and it should be treated as such. As for the bulk of the recent "heavy" off-topic discussions - I believe they should be left to the millions of other forums on the Net.
Today I closed the Conservatory. All existing discussions were moved to the Lounge. In addition, a new optional thread prefix has been added depicting when a thread owner wishes to keep a discussion relevant.
Fans of the Conservatory are invited to start a new social group where they can chat in a more private environment about those topics dearest to them.
Lastly, I would like to apologize to everyone who felt personally alienated by the previous change in atmosphere. I promise: I will try my best to listen to all of you and to guarantee that MobileRead stays as friendly and social as it is best known for.
Cheers,
Alex |
Yea!!!!!! Glad to hear it! Maybe I'll feel welcome to wander back in from time to time (that is, if I actually get any time).
