Conservatory closes its doors - Page 3

Patricia · 05-07-2009, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ea

I'm REALLY sorry to hear this, as I actually liked the place. I liked that it was not the Llounge. I was okay with the tone - art some points it went perhaps too far, but I knew not to take it personally. I knew to take a breath and perhaps not sprint to the keyboard. Some did, but that's okay with me. It wa also entertaining.

EDIT2: This decision, NOT discussed, is so arrogant! I am SO ANGRY right now.

Ea, we are all sorry to cause you any upset. Upsetting our members is not something that we want to do.
However, 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." We are an ebook and mobilereading site. It may be best to focus on this.

However, I would urge you to consider two things:
1. There is now a "serious" thread prefix in the lounge for members to indicate that they want their thread to remain serious.
2. It is open to you to start a Conservatory social group. Members would be entirely free to join and discuss precisely the same topics as in the Conservatory forum. (To start a social group go to the link marked "community" on the blue bar towards the top of the page.)

Lycoming · 05-07-2009, 03:01 PM

Moderation on any website is a difficult balancing act. Part politician, part parent and a tiny tad of benign dictatorship.

Decisions such as the one taken by Alex are generally made for the benefit of the majority; as such the minority, although listened to and often understood, have to follow the line or march elsewhere. There are so many forums available where deep discussions may occur, this is, as stated previously, a mobile reading forum. Long may it continue.

tompe · 05-07-2009, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bilbo1967

Please see this thread: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...444#post450444 for an example of a fairly acrimonious dispute going on in the Lounge.

What? This is standard tone for this subject wherever it appear.

zelda_pinwheel · 05-07-2009, 03:06 PM

Ea, i'm really sorry you're so upset by this decision. there are still plenty of options for you if you are interested in having more serious discussions ; there is the "seriousness" prefixe in the lounge which will show that you prefer to avoid digressions in the discussion, and there is the option of creating a social group specifically for similar discussions. it is open to you to start discussions about subjects which interest you, and we encourage you to do so. the threads from the conservatory have been moved into the lounge, with the serious prefixe ; you are welcome to continue the discussion there. if you would like to see only these discussions, you can choose to filter the threads by prefixe.

it's important to keep in mind here that mobileread is a large (and still growing) and very diverse community. sometimes a decision must be made to decide what is best for the community as a whole. since we all have our individual opinions, it's difficult sometimes to find a solution which will satisfy each individual desire ; but i think Alex has tried very hard to find the best possible compromise which will make everyone feel comfortable and welcome here.

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. it is really commendable that you are able to keep a good perspective when you see a heated discussion, but it's not an easy thing and many people are not able to.

Alex has a very difficult job trying to oversee everything and sometimes he must make a decision on his own without asking for the input of every member. i think he does an amazing job running this forum and i am really grateful for all the time and effort he puts into it. i hope we can all support him and understand that he is making decisions for the good of the community as a whole, and he takes it very seriously.

zelda_pinwheel · 05-07-2009, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lycoming

Moderation on any website is a difficult balancing act. Part politician, part parent and a tiny tad of benign dictatorship.

Decisions such as the one taken by Alex are generally made for the benefit of the majority; as such the minority, although listened to and often understood, have to follow the line or march elsewhere. There are so many forums available where deep discussions may occur, this is, as stated previously, a mobile reading forum. Long may it continue.

exactly. that is very well said, Lycoming. thanks very much for understanding.

tompe · 05-07-2009, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patricia

However, I would urge you to consider two things:
1. There is now a "serious" thread prefix in the lounge for members to indicate that they want their thread to remain serious.

Serious is not the same as staying on topic. I thought the idea with the conservatory was to keep discussions on topic which does not necessarily imply that you are 100% serious.

Ea · 05-07-2009, 03:13 PM

I have just read the responses to my posts.

What I was most SORRY and SHOCKED about was that there were no PUBLIC discussion of this decision. This is why I still feel so CHEATED - and still do. I have had no way of putting my views and experience forward. This has been an essentially PRIVATE decision based on private indformation. I am very disappointed that so many of you can endorse this. This is NOT a public forum, where voices are heard equally.

zelda_pinwheel · 05-07-2009, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tompe

Serious is not the same as staying on topic. I thought the idea with the conservatory was to keep discussions on topic which does not necessarily imply that you are 100% serious.

perhaps part of the problem was the confusion about how the conservatory should function. many people (most people ?) believed that the conservatory was meant for discussions that were on-topic *and* excluded jokes. i even saw some comments to that effect in some of the discussions. in any case, the idea behind the seriousness prefixe is that it's a flag to indicate that you would like a discussion to stay on the topic and / or serious, without digressions into jokes or unrelated banter. if you don't mind having some jokes from time to time, i'm sure you can find a way to show that and still keep the discussion on topic.

Patricia · 05-07-2009, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tompe

Serious is not the same as staying on topic. I thought the idea with the conservatory was to keep discussions on topic which does not necessarily imply that you are 100% serious.

You may well have a point there, Tompe. But the member starting a thread can gently nudge it back on track if necessary, I imagine.
And there is still the option to start a Conservatory social group if you miss the Conservatory forum enough.

TadW · 05-07-2009, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tompe

Serious is not the same as staying on topic. I thought the idea with the conservatory was to keep discussions on topic which does not necessarily imply that you are 100% serious.

Why the nit picking? If it's of upmost importance to the thread starter that off-topic in an off-topic discussion (pun intended) is not appreciated, he could always state so.

DixieGal · 05-07-2009, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ea

I have just read the responses to my posts.

What I was most SORRY and SHOCKED about was that there were no PUBLIC discussion of this decision. This is why I still feel so CHEATED - and still do. I have had no way of putting my views and experience forward. This has been an essentially PRIVATE decision based on private indformation. I am very disappointed that so many of you can endorse this. This is NOT a public forum, where voices are heard equally.

Easy now. You are right, it is not a public forum. It is privately owned, and the owners may do whatever they wish with it. Nothing has really changed except the location of the threads.

tompe · 05-07-2009, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TadW

Why the nit picking? If it's of upmost importance to the thread starter that off-topic in an off-topic discussion (pun intended) is not appreciated, he could always state so.

The nitpicking is because people do not seem to remember what problem that was addressed. The problem as I saw it was not jokes on topic or light hearted discussions on topic but that threads became off-topic. So a serious/unserious split is a straw man.

lilac_jive · 05-07-2009, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ea

I have just read the responses to my posts.

What I was most SORRY and SHOCKED about was that there were no PUBLIC discussion of this decision. This is why I still feel so CHEATED - and still do. I have had no way of putting my views and experience forward. This has been an essentially PRIVATE decision based on private indformation. I am very disappointed that so many of you can endorse this. This is NOT a public forum, where voices are heard equally.

In general Alex usually puts community-affected decisions up for opinion. If he didn't, then I expect he had a damn good reason not to.

He also did give us other options, for those who did enjoy it. I really don't see the big deal.

Ea · 05-07-2009, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DixieGal

Easy now. You are right, it is not a public forum. It is privately owned, and the owners may do whatever they wish with it. Nothing has really changed except the location of the threads.

Please, then tell me me where the Conservatory has moved to? Would people particpate in the same manner? I.e. would they feel it was a place for frank, open, serious discussion? I'm not sure.

What I donøt think you have noticed, is what I feel about this decision not being taken out in the open, with the people interested in, and engaged in, the Conservatory. The decision to close it was taken behind *locked doors*. That is what I am primarily opjecting against. That is what makes me (still) so angry.

And please don't tell me. "Easy now" - that is condescending manners in my opinion.

Ea · 05-07-2009, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

In general Alex usually puts community-affected decisions up for opinion. If he didn't, then I expect he had a damn good reason not to.

He also did give us other options, for those who did enjoy it. I really don't see the big deal.

I'm sorry but I do. I do not UNDERSTAND?????

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05-07-2009, 03:01 PM	#32
Lycoming Capt Chaos II Posts: 483 Karma: 33043007 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Cornwall, UK Device: iPad2	Moderation on any website is a difficult balancing act. Part politician, part parent and a tiny tad of benign dictatorship. Decisions such as the one taken by Alex are generally made for the benefit of the majority; as such the minority, although listened to and often understood, have to follow the line or march elsewhere. There are so many forums available where deep discussions may occur, this is, as stated previously, a mobile reading forum. Long may it continue.

05-07-2009, 03:06 PM	#34
zelda_pinwheel zeldinha zippy zeldissima Posts: 27,827 Karma: 921169 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paris, France Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?	Ea, i'm really sorry you're so upset by this decision. there are still plenty of options for you if you are interested in having more serious discussions ; there is the "seriousness" prefixe in the lounge which will show that you prefer to avoid digressions in the discussion, and there is the option of creating a social group specifically for similar discussions. it is open to you to start discussions about subjects which interest you, and we encourage you to do so. the threads from the conservatory have been moved into the lounge, with the serious prefixe ; you are welcome to continue the discussion there. if you would like to see only these discussions, you can choose to filter the threads by prefixe. it's important to keep in mind here that mobileread is a large (and still growing) and very diverse community. sometimes a decision must be made to decide what is best for the community as a whole. since we all have our individual opinions, it's difficult sometimes to find a solution which will satisfy each individual desire ; but i think Alex has tried very hard to find the best possible compromise which will make everyone feel comfortable and welcome here. 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. it is really commendable that you are able to keep a good perspective when you see a heated discussion, but it's not an easy thing and many people are not able to. Alex has a very difficult job trying to oversee everything and sometimes he must make a decision on his own without asking for the input of every member. i think he does an amazing job running this forum and i am really grateful for all the time and effort he puts into it. i hope we can all support him and understand that he is making decisions for the good of the community as a whole, and he takes it very seriously.

05-07-2009, 03:13 PM	#37
Ea Wizard Posts: 3,490 Karma: 5239563 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Denmark Device: Kindle 3\|iPad air\|iPhone 4S	I have just read the responses to my posts. What I was most SORRY and SHOCKED about was that there were no PUBLIC discussion of this decision. This is why I still feel so CHEATED - and still do. I have had no way of putting my views and experience forward. This has been an essentially PRIVATE decision based on private indformation. I am very disappointed that so many of you can endorse this. This is NOT a public forum, where voices are heard equally.