[TadW]

Originally Posted by tompe

I have not yet seen any explanation of what the negative effect was and why it was caused by the Conservatory.

What kind of explanation do you seek?

Quote Alex (admin):

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.

Quote Alex (with my emphasis):

True, but the conservatory was the cause for various misunderstandings and unnecessary arguments between members as well as mods, which then carried over to other places.

Quote Patricia (mod):

Alex found it difficult to ignore the large numbers of messages from other members who agreed with you that things "at some points went too far."

Quote Zelda (mod):

i also received many messages from people who were uncomfortable with the ambiance in the conservatory, and were worried that it was harming the community. i also had many messages from people who felt so unhappy that they wanted to leave the community altogether. that is a sign we cannot ignore that the conservatory was not the best solution for the forum overall.

Quote Alex:

why did I not make this a public decision? Please go through the past four pages of this thread and read the various opposing views about this topic. It's symptomatic for a situation where there is no absolute right answer... this is why I made the unilateral decision! I don't want to spend the next few weeks seeing our members argue about the pros and cons of a second off-topic forum section. Please accept that I made an unilateral decision based on my belief that the Conservatory did nothing to support the MobileRead community as a whole.

Quote Alex:

Well, here is a secret... I was one among those who felt increasingly anxious about the content of the Conservatory. Should I have ignored my own feelings as administrator of this community? I think not.

Also, I don't believe the Conservatory ever concerned the majority. The majority of MobileRead cares for e-books and e-book readers, I hope.

Quote Patricia:

If you remember, several members were upset at the tone of some of the Conservatory posts and threatened to leave. Then moderators and Alex received many private messages from unhappy members. Under the circumstances Alex, with the support of the moderators, decided that we had to act quickly.

Isn't that enough explanation? I found Alex and the other mods to be extremely open and honest with us.