Conservatory closes its doors

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by GeoffC View Post
I think, on that note, we ought to consider closing the thread ... and move on....

Originally Posted by Moejoe

Seconded.

As a general rule we do not close threads unless they become obnoxious or otherwise out of hand. That is not the case with this thread where honest opinions are being expressed. A thread slowly ages when people quit posting and this permits everyone to express their views, even those you want to close the thread!

Dale

[GeoffC]

OK - point taken ... I'll just unsubscribe and let it fade from my braincell ....

[kazbates]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

i<Snip>
but i also really hope that now we can look to the future, rather than dwelling on difficult episodes of the past, and i think that is what All4Fun is suggesting as well.

Originally Posted by GeoffC

I think, on that note, we ought to consider closing the thread ... and move on....

Originally Posted by DixieGal

People! People!

Take a break - It's just an internet thread.

It isn't real.

Go find some sunshine and do something different today, and hopefully you will lose the anger and find a reason to smile.

Tomorrow, come back clear-headed and start a new "serious only" thread about something more interesting than this thread. Let's talk about children going to bed hungry in poor countries or something. You decide.

Hugs to All!

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

i don't say we should forget the past, netseeker. i agree it's important to remember this and learn from our experience. and i don't suggest we shouldn't be free to discuss it, either.

what i am hoping, is simply that we will be able to learn from this experience and move forward together towards more positive things, rather than letting this experience become "the end" for some of us.

AMEN!

Kaz

[Alexander Turcic]

I will try one more time to explain why I decided the way I did.

It's not a secret that I was never a fan of subdividing off-topic discussions into separate forum categories. But I agreed to it and considered it an experiment worth taking.

Then, within only a few days, discussions emerged involving mass shooting, gun control, people killing each other, cheating, "bad" taste humor, and even one on illegal immigrants (which I took the liberty to delete when it was still fresh).

It's not unheard of that, once in a while, a topic like one of those above may come up in another thread. Even at MobileRead. But considering that the conservatory was merely a month old and with the high occurance of those "heavy" topics, it didn't take a genius to understand why long-standing forum members began sending us concerned messages.

Now, before you say again, "Show me an example", let me quote a passage where Don, a member of our team and also proponent of the conservatory, noted an emerging trend that has caused me so much headache these days.

Dr. Drib:

I’m not going to mention names here, but even in the Conservatory there is sometimes a recurring thematic verbal assault upon one member or another. I realize passions run high, but were some of us raised this way, to be intolerant of other’s views? Generally writing, why does this happen?

To which Harry, also member of our team, replied:

I think that one of the problems, Don, is that in a forum such as this one has to rely solely on the words. In a face-to-face discussion, you have all sorts of non-verbal cues as to the person's approach - aggressive, friendly, etc. You don't have any of that in this medium, and it's very easy to misinterpret a friendly comment as an aggressive attack. I'm sure that virtually all the "heated discussions" we have here would be perfectly amicable chats if conducted face to face.

Harry explained it perfectly well. I don't believe that MobileRead is the right place to proactively encourage members to engage in "heated" discussions where members are likely to verbally assault each other. We want to be known as a friendly community compatible for members of all ages and cultures - even if that means that some topics are better suited than others.

The problem with the conservatory was that it was still very young and yet it carried more "heated" discussions involving aggressive attitudes than any other place at MobileRead. To someone who has only recently joined us, invariably it must have given a wrong impression of what MobileRead is all about.

The Lounge, with its diverse set of topics, both happy and serious, is the right place for off-topic discussions. When you begin a new off-topic discussion, feel free to add a note in your thread saying that you would appreciate the discussion to stay on-topic. If you think someone is intentionally disregarding your request, contact a moderator.

[Jellby]

As far as I understand, no conversation topic is being forbidden (other than the usual offensive, criminal, etc.). This is only a matter of dividing into different forums or not. It's only a matter of classification.

I never really visited the Conservatory, since I'm not much into purely "off-topic" chat, but I understand Alex's reasons and fully support him (and the other moderators) in doing what he thinks is better. Thanks

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by doctorow

Did I miss anything or are we still discussing the Conservatory? Wow. I must be one of the very few who care mostly about e-book readers.

I am as well. That's why I was pushing for a forum section for eBook topics that do not fit elsewhere and the Conservatory was supposed to have been it. But because of the mistake in the labeling of the Conservatory, that wasn't it. And now we have this thread.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by Alexander Turcic

Tom, you have made over 3,300 posts in this community and you have been with us since 2007. I trust you have a pretty good idea what kind of discussions are welcomed at MobileRead.

Kind or content?

I though that most discussions were allowed. And since I thought that I thought that upset people that did not argue correctly was accepted as you must do if you accept all topics.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by Alexander Turcic

Tom, you have

It is Tommy and not Tom. It is not a nickname as it seems to be in the US.

[Alexander Turcic]

Originally Posted by tompe

It is Tommy and not Tom. It is not a nickname as it seems to be in the US.

I am not from the US. My sincere apology for misinterpreting the meaning of your alias "tompe".

[tompe]

Originally Posted by Alexander Turcic

I am not from the US. My sincere apology for misinterpreting the meaning of your alias "tompe".

When US people call me Tom I usually do not bother correcting them. tompe is just my email at work generated by the name (TOMmy PErsson).

[Bilbo1967]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

All4Fun, you are a valued and respected member of this site just like everyone and we respect your opinion and want you to feel comfortable participating in the discussion. there is no hierarchy here of "veterans vs. new members" and your voice matters just like everyone's.

Well sorry Zelda, but that just is not true - try being a relative newcomer to these forums and posting replies in a thread in the Lounge where several long-term members are interacting. True, you won't get any hostility, but it is almost certain that you will be totally and utterly ignored.

[roger the rabbit]

Hey come on people! why all the problem when someone is giving their time in your interest.

I'm a newcomer here so probably should not be posting on this, but it seems to me there are a lot of very ungrateful people here.

From what I have read Alexander is running this forum in his own time at his own cost and risk - Just what more do you guys want - Jees!!!

Get a life!

[mtravellerh]

Originally Posted by Bilbo1967

Well sorry Zelda, but that just is not true - try being a relative newcomer to these forums and posting replies in a thread in the Lounge where several long-term members are interacting. True, you won't get any hostility, but it is almost certain that you will be totally and utterly ignored.

Aww come on. That is simply not true. I vividly remember that I was welcomed with open arms (and ears) six months (oh my!) ago.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by roger the rabbit

Hey come on people! why all the problem when someone is giving their time in your interest.

Eh, all people writing here is giving there time also.

[roger the rabbit]

Originally Posted by tompe

Eh, all people writing here is giving there time also.

That, like life is relative, I would guess he is giving a lot more than you IMHO.