I thought he was so wrong, but he hit the nail on the head. Maybe 1-2 % of the posters are Haters
That is their only goal. Nothing but hate & disruption. This Element
seems to attract It's own. KoiVet & eventually Koiphen Dealt with it by banning them. Then they find another board. A wiser decision was never made. Don't let them take this Outstanding Board down.
#
81 
07-15-2004
Doc Johnson 
vbmenu_register("postmenu_30801", true);
Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 2
Friendly note to Stephen, from an old, experienced board owner.
Bad boards get small. Good boards get very large. Over time, there are too many posts for one set of eyes to read, everyday. They get too large for two pairs of eyes to review, everyday. So, several pairs of eyes are needed, so that one person doesn't have to moderate, every single day. That's the way even a "lightly moderated board" goes. Fact.
Bad things frequently get posted on message boards by broken people who's only intent is to post that one bad thing, then move on to the next big board to post the same epithet, **** picture, or just hate. Fact.
Stephen seems to be "okay", financially (I could be politely understating because it's none of my business). If something gets in print that is prosecutably libellous or obscene, he can conceivably take a litigious hit and some attorneys might perceive that it would be a worthwhile effort. This is very, very sad. But it's human nature. Fact.
So Stephen simply *has* to moderate, and because he can't do it all alone, he has to moderate (and to an extent, assume responsibility for) his moderators. Fact.
This forum is a beautiful new baby. It can be anything you want. Fact.
As someone correctly mentioned, the bigger the board, the larger the slice of humankind that comes here. With that, there will be a tiny percentage that have unmedicated impulse control disorders, bigots, racists, **** freaks, combative people with inferiority complexes, unfulfilled bitter people who hate their lives and spouses, trouble makers of all kinds. At first it's not a problem because 1% of 30 people is not even a whole person. When your board has ninety members, ONE of them is going to be certifiably deranged. FACT.
When your board has 900 members, ten of them are *going* to be imbalanced, and then *some* of those will actually be overtly clinical, (and obvious) and they will simply have to be eliminated for more than just legal reasons.
Then in one, small way Stephen's board will "necessarily" protect itself like KV. And there will be pulling of hair and gnashing of teeth.
Then there will occasionally (and inevitably) be people who are not crazy or obscene. They're just patently intolerable, to Stephen or some of his moderators. Like if I came over here ten times a day criticizing Stephen. Just for spite, came over here all the time, criticizing, picking him apart, making his invested time and effort feel like saw dust in his mouth - just wearing him down by constantly being a critical, bitter old man. Just exactly like James P. does to me, all the time, on my own board as if it were his part time job.
Well, that would be personal, and it would come down to an impasse: Stephen and the moderators continuing to derive satisfaction from what they do, the time they put in, the money he spends. Or, getting rid of the one who is the pain in their neck. And so, in time, even that one intolerable, combative malcontent gets "offed". And there would be pulling of hair and gnashing of teeth.
And in the same fell-swoop, Koiphen moves one step closer to Koivet. For reasons which are the same on both boards.
But this board can still be VERY different, and offer different things in a different tone, a different way. Limited only by imagination and the boards REAL intent...These values and ideals don't have to be lost!
So, don't crack Stephen on the head when he ejects someone, or if someone's entire "intent" in a particular thread gets eliminated for being useless or negative. This is going to be necessary from time to time, to have a successful sustainable board that people want to come read: For the real, inarguable deadly-logical reasons above.
There are just some people who can't get along, and who are only happy ruining everyone elses' good time. People who would resent Stephens success and seek to break it down. So when (not if) he protects himself, try and see past the kvetching of the poor "victim".
"Poor me" is the anthem of those people, and it's their *entire* goal. It's the only 'center of attention' they're comfortable with, and ever have been comfortable with. Poke the hive to see how much it will take. If they get stung, blame for everything bad that happens to them lies exclusively outside themselves. It's sad but it will become statistically more and more common as this board gets larger.
Welcome to the world of crackpots, lunatics, malcontents, and bitter old men. Take heart, though, they're only 1% of what you'll attract if you're successful. But if you decide now how to handle them, and do it decisively, you will have a funner time.
Is funner even a word?
Doc
This post can be deleted, it was just for Stephen.
09-30-2005
Quote: 
Tom C, we still love you...it's okay you dont need to seek any other place to go...
Tom C, we still love you...it's okay you dont need to seek any other place to go...
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