Usually Community Issues is about regular users voicing concerns about the staff, but here I am as an admin of the site, trying to express my personal concerns about the regular users of this forum. A little backwards, but I feel this must be said. I won't quote anyone or call anyone out. This is not about that.
First off, I love this site. I've been here since I was fifteen, basically a kid. Now I'm 23, and been an active member of this website for almost a third of my life. It means a lot to me. When I'm in this admin position now, spending enormous amounts of free time here, it is only because I would like to do my part to make this site the best it can possibly be.
However, doing it has unfortunately become a massive chore. During the past couple of months, the negativity has been absolutely relentless. The vocal userbase has become so hostile towards us that I wonder why I'm putting in all this effort, hundreds upon hundreds of hours, sacrificing most of my spare time, trying to help all of you out. I just came back from an 8-day break from everything that's the internet, and already I feel like I'm running on empty. When I got that feeling only a few hours in, my alarm bells started ringing.
There is nothing I would love more than just resigning and be done with it (slight exaggeration there, but hey). All this CI drama, all this nonsense about our corruption, all these attacks on the staff - a staff with members who put in multiple hours every day for the site, and don't have a penny to show for it. To be perfectly frank, being an admin of this site has been a pretty crappy job during the last few months.
I do not mind if you think we do a poor job. I don't mind if you post in Community Issues about it. I wouldn't even mind if you asked for the resignation of one of us (myself included). What I do mind is when these threads evolve into being the host of absolutely insane claims of tyranny and corruption, that we're trolling the userbase, excessively sarcastic and unfriendly posts, obscene exaggerations, unpleasantness, and ridiculous posts in general. These posts are 100% counterproductive, serve only to derail what could have been a productive discussion, and they bury real, legitimate concerns under a sea of ludicrousness. This is partly why I've been pushing for more Summits in the future, because those AIM convos would hopefully not include those kinds of messages, but get right to the heart of the issue and leave that which doesn't belong at the door.
Like, if I've done an error, and want to call me out on it? By all means, do so, I will take the criticism to heart. However, if you choose to go over the top and post hyperboles and insults as well, my natural reaction is to instead defend myself. In the Gloves thread, for example, my natural reaction was to defend rianalnn, because of the many preposterous accusations that had been leveled against him, even though some of them were legitimate and needed to be addressed (and were, once we could sit down and talk calmly). There is no need to go overboard. Keep it real.
But I'm not just talking about CI threads, but also the Gutter Pegging Chamber thread, where a discussion about compromise is taking place. I was deeply involved in this thread for a long time - during the first couple of weeks, I fought a large part of the rest of the staff on behalf of the Gutter, so to speak, because I believed that a compromise was the way to go. Most senior staffers disagreed with me, and I got a lot of grief for doing what I felt was right. Within a week or two later, however, I started getting the feeling that the Gutter members would mess this up themselves by being unnecessarily hostile, and acting exactly like the average naysayer on staff said they would. This worried me, because I was pretty sure that the only way to find a successful resolution would be by being reasonable. I decided to call them out on it, because I figured something needed to be done, and I got burned. That moment I decided to just drop it. I'd still be in favor of a compromise, but I wouldn't fight for it like I had, and if nothing came out of it, I felt that many Gutter members (not all!) had only themselves to thank if it ended up being closed after all.
I get that this is a topic that you care deeply about. It's your social space, of course you care. But don't shoot yourself in the foot by harassing staff members over and over and calling dissenters "trolls". You win people to your side by being reasonable and factual. You lose them again once you start trolling.
If you want a drama thread to be resolved in a satisfactory manner, it depends on YOU as well. Every regular user, you all make a difference if you choose to participate, and whether it's a positive or negative contribution depends on you alone. It's not about your opinion, it's about how you arrive at it, and how you present it. That's what matters. If you and I disagree, that's cool. But keep it factual, and keep it respectful. If we all do this, we will surely find a solution that we can be satisfied with, and that benefits the site in the long run.
Additionally, I would like to ask you to at least try to cut the staff some slack. So often, users seem to just assume the worst right away. This is extremely draining. Usually there is more to an issue than what you already know, and we tend to have good reasons for our actions if you let us explain them before jumping to conclusions. And when we don't have good (or good enough) reasons, we'll review our decision, and possibly reverse it, if warranted. We do that, since we're very much human and make mistakes (sometimes huge ones, no doubt), and are willing to admit them. But some amount of goodwill from the users sure would help.
In the end, I want you all to remember that we all actually want the same thing. It shouldn't be Users vs. Staff. It should be Users & Staff. We as a staff need to work on this, and you, regular users of this forum, need to do this as well.
Finally, while this is not actually my resignation letter, we're pretty close. I'm getting seriously worn out, and once this starts to impact my life in a negative way, I have to reconsider prioritizing this site like I have until now. I care for it a whole lot though, so my preferred decision is to stay, but I would lie if I said it would take a lot for me to hand in my badge at this point. There's only so much one can put up with.
I am glad someone stated it. I noticed just in the CI threads that I can view that it was all about trolling, drama, and derrogatory comments. Very little of it, if any, was stated/used in context or having to do with the topic that was in hand.
While my post is short, I am with Sene on this matter and I'm surprised he hasn't left.
I can only tell you that I absolutely understand how you are feeling right now. You are a good person and I have nothing but respect for you. I count you as a friend and I hope you feel the same way. I believe that this dramaseason has been exceptionally long, and that most of us (and I'm not making a distinction between bold/unbold name-tags here) are really tired by now, and want this whole thing to be over. I also believe that the end of this times of struggling is around the corner, and that we all should take a deep breath and make it to the end, and finally arrive at a place in which everyone has their fun back in Salvation.
Sene has put up with my BS and done everything in his power (and then some) to help out in any situation I need an Admin for. I appreciate your hardwork and diplomacy. If you have to leave or take a sabbatical, I understand. But don't let enemies and friends who treat you as an enemy force you out. That only gives them more power. Leave on your own terms if you must.
Whenever a staffy has said they feel like leaving, I have given them the old "*salute* Good to have you, have a good life"
The fact that you aren't getting that says something. I like you where you are. Think of it as just another of life's trials, and you're at the peak of it. I believe in ya, Sene, so this is me asking, personally: Please, stay. We need you.
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Currently Getting Back into the swing of MTGS. Bear with me folks~
As a regular user, I must admit I've never heard of you. Honestly, I've never had a problem with any of the administrators on this site with the exception of the ones in the rules forum. I was given a demerit for not knowing how to enter card tags on my phone for crying out loud. They're far too uptight in there. Apart from that, the mods and admins have been extremely good at what they do, and based on what I see in here, you have been as well. Don't let the young trolls drag you down.
I really cannot comment on all of the drama since I am somewhat new here. I usually read a lot more than I post and I can tell that this site is very well put together. I do not think the staff is infallible by any stretch, but I have not seen much to complain about.
I started posting here, got a warning or two, figured out how to stay out of trouble, and I have had a great time ever since.
I really hate to see Mods and other Staff leaving just when I am getting to know them. Hang on and just realize that haters gonna hate.
As a regular user, I must admit I've never heard of you.
This. For the first year I visited this site, I had no idea who the mods were, what the gutter was or anything, your doing a good job, don't let a very vocal minority get you down.
I don't know if it means anything, but this lurker agrees 100% with you. Keep up the good work. As others have said, dont let those few, but very, very, vocal negative Nancys keep you down. You're not the only one who is sick of them.
I've been on this site for four years and I've never had a problem with any of the staff. There are thousands of active users on this site. I find it interesting that it's always the same handful of people who are screaming "corruption!" while hundreds and hundreds of other users go on without ever even noticing this drama or having any problems with the staff here.
So I guess my point is, it's a very vocal minority who seem to be overly paranoid and want to remove any staff who might be against their "secret clubhouse", so don't let it get to you. There are plenty of other MTG forums out there. The majority of the users on this site appreciate all you guys do, or we wouldn't still be here. Honestly, out of all of the forums I go to, this is my favorite to post on and read because it's so well moderated. The staff here really keep things from devolving into the usual stupidity that you have to wade through on most forums.
This site gets more drama than almost any other I have ever seen. I wish the source could be eliminated en masse and we could get back to talking about MTG and not silly drama.
I'm with everyone here, you're an awesome admin. I've been here for quite a while now, and never had any real issues, nothing too serious, but i've also grown to love this community and am always recruiting.
I have even voiced my opinions to a certain ex Admin (now global) that i would someday be interested in joining the ranks of staff, because i love the community so much and have infinite free time to help. So Sene, from another loyal user and someone who would love to call you friend and mentor, dont leave. We need you and a rather large majority of us "regular" users would miss you.
There will always be people who troll over the internet, it's a baser instinct of the "I'm better than you mentality" and so those vocal few (be it positive or negative; mostly negative) will always stand up and cause a riot because they "Can". Dont let them get to you, or make you regret your position and stance on staff, they'll always be there and the only way we can eliminate the "threat" is to get mean, which in turn also creates more drama and more OMG NOTZI MODS.
In short, you as well as the other admins (both past and present, including Rian while he was an admin) are always doing what you can and we as users appreciate it more than you know. The problem is most of us dont say it often enough. and so the negative nancys will always be an "overburden" on your positions... Dont let it get you down.
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Ravarshi Kashaku, Ancient Dragon of the Darkened Realms;
The Merciless Lord of Torture, Permanently Bound To: ">[THE PACK] 11/5/63 - 11/25/09 Goodbye mom, i'll always love you...
How about everyone lightens the **** up? It's a message board about magic cards.
Not the UN discussing what we should do about some bat **** dictator who just blew up 40 miles of coast line to upgrade his mansion's view from pretty to scenic.
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The EDH stax primer When you absolutely, positively got to kill every permanent in the room, accept no substitutes.
I don't know you that well. We may have interacted a time or two, but I've only been here a couple weeks, and you've been gone for half that time on sabbatical. It would be wrong of me to state that I know everything that is going on behind the scenes among the highers up, with regard to both the gutter (whatever that is) and any number of other site issues that I as a mortal user need not be privy to.
However, I have optimism for the future. Some of this is wide-eyed idealism brought about by my being new here and having not had a chance to get bogged down by too much drama as of yet. But at the same time, I do have trust going forward. It is greatly appreciative that the staff takes time to answer questions and receive criticism of their actions. Many a forum is ruined by poor administration that chooses to silence criticism and ban those who would criticize instead of correcting the underlying problems. While this administration is by no means perfect, it is far and away one of the best I'm aware of in that regard. I have come in here on more than one occasion to voice concerns and to state where I stand on community issues, and here I am once again.
Some would disagree with me. That is their right to do so, and while I do not hold their opinion, I do hold their right to that opinion. But I do feel like the criticism goes further than need be, into the realm of mudslinging and personal attacks. I would like to say that I can relate in that regard, but I don't have any personal experience staffing a site anywhere close to this size. It would be wrong of me to definitively state that how aspects of the site are run, are wrong, even though I may not personally agree with them.
As a user (I will use this term from here on to refer to members not on the staff for lack of better terminology), I see half the issue. The other half is privileged information that I have neither right nor need to know. What I see as a bad decision on the surface from the user perspective might well be a good one, or the lesser of two evils when looked at holistically from the staff. And some people will not agree with what I or you or anyone else thinks is the right way to move going forward. Sadly, with a site of this size, some degree of conflict is inevitable - you can't please all 100,000 members here, or even all of the 5-10% or so who would be considered "active". Some are going to be upset (perhaps rightfully so), and since this is the internet, some of those people are going to go trolling because they feel like being a jerk. Can't really solve that problem - just have to manage it as best you can.
All in all, I got to agree with Philonous up above me - in the end, we're all here to enjoy a good children's card game that we all know and love, even though sometimes it drives us crazy. Ultimately, I think we're all here to enjoy Magic: the Gathering, interact and socialize, and maybe meet some new people, learn some things, and get a little better at Magic, and if we're lucky, at life as well. I like it here, even if the drama does get a bit out of hand.
tl;dr version: Some people are going to disagree with everything you do, and some are going to throw a fit and lash out. But I'd imagine that 90% of us users, at least, are either in agreement with the staff on most issues, or are only seeking a bit of understanding, compromise, and dialogue. I'd like to think I'm in that camp. Even though I really am not too visible as a voice on this site, I do want to thank you and the rest of the staff here for the hard work you put in to maintaining a good site. If you decide to resign, it will be a loss for the community, but ultimately, this is a decision that you, and you alone, must make. I hope that this helps convince you to stick around and help get this site through the rough patch. Thank you, on behalf of myself and whoever else might be in agreement.
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Former Level 2 Judge (Retired / Renounced)
Went to a new shop from a friend's recommendation, DQ'ed for willful violation of CR 100.6b.
That was just a joke and I think many of the mods do a fine job here. I think the biggest problem is that many people come from rather relaxed message boards and come here only to find out this is one of the strictest ever. I mean, warnings were never existent on the 5+ other message boards I've been on and when I first got one I felt like trolling the moderator who gave it to me, simply because I thought it was a big deal and what I did didn't deserve it. People either got a nice(not really) mod text in the OP on my old forums and then people got infractions or suspensions for not following, but you'd have to post something like nudity to get that far.
Then again, I'm coming from car forums. I think the diverse internet is working against you guys and not sure how to cope. A large amount of staff turnover isn't helping either.
However, I wouldn't label the vocal minority that I've had issues with as "trolls". They have real concerns, they care about this site just like the rest of us, and we should pay attention to their opinions. It's just that those concerns often get drowned under obnoxious behavior, and that is really unfortunate. It serves no one.
I hope you don't leave... you shouldn't take these issues to heart since you really aren't a part of our problem on staff.
The negativity gets to me, even though I might not be the primary target of that negativity - these are people I work with, people I like and respect (you included). I'm not bothered by complaints, I'm bothered by how they're presented.
I can only tell you that I absolutely understand how you are feeling right now. You are a good person and I have nothing but respect for you. I count you as a friend and I hope you feel the same way. I believe that this dramaseason has been exceptionally long, and that most of us (and I'm not making a distinction between bold/unbold name-tags here) are really tired by now, and want this whole thing to be over. I also believe that the end of this times of struggling is around the corner, and that we all should take a deep breath and make it to the end, and finally arrive at a place in which everyone has their fun back in Salvation.
Hang in there Bjørnerud.
I feel the same way, GR You can't imagine the relief I'll feel if we can conclude all of this, put it behind us, and go back to goofing off in our social spaces. Let's make this a place we look forward to logging on to every day. We can do this, but the staff and the users need to cooperate, not fight
The staff is not without fault, not at all. We make mistakes. We need to be called out when we do. But throwing us under the bus every time something happens feels decidedly unfair, burns us out, and creates a vicious cycle. It needs to end. We must be able to deal with issues in a civil fashion.
I know exactly how you feel, to a degree few around here can. I wish I could say it'll get better, because I don't know that it will. And I can't even say not to let the ridiculous ones get you down, because it's impossible not to.
The best you can do is lead by example and not respond to the crazy. Tell them that they clearly have concerns, but until they can be conveyed in a reasonable, mature manner, they aren't likely to be listened to. Do what it takes to not burn out.
You and the rest of the staff here do a fine job and your work is noticed. Being an admin is often a thankless job (I know, I am admin of a large mb community myself), always keep your mission in mind and realize you can't even come close to pleasing everyone and there is always going to be someone who didn't get their way and tries to make trouble for you.
Letting the people who make it their goals to create drama and cause disruption get to you, is letting them win. Steel your resolve and focus and differentiating between valid concerns and planned troll attempts (like the gutter closure thread ect.)
I know it's impossible to not let feelings from a community you care about/pour so many hours into- spill over into your real-life disposition, but please stand you ground. The VAST majority of users here are satisfied with your work, and there are 5000 users here for every hate mongering ***hat, who enjoy their time here and though they will never put into words how they feel, but it doesn't mean that they don't enjoy the site.
Don't let the overly vocal jerks here, make things seem worse than they are and obscure the respect you have on this site.
First off, I love this site. I've been here since I was fifteen, basically a kid. Now I'm 23, and been an active member of this website for almost a third of my life. It means a lot to me. When I'm in this admin position now, spending enormous amounts of free time here, it is only because I would like to do my part to make this site the best it can possibly be.
However, doing it has unfortunately become a massive chore. During the past couple of months, the negativity has been absolutely relentless. The vocal userbase has become so hostile towards us that I wonder why I'm putting in all this effort, hundreds upon hundreds of hours, sacrificing most of my spare time, trying to help all of you out. I just came back from an 8-day break from everything that's the internet, and already I feel like I'm running on empty. When I got that feeling only a few hours in, my alarm bells started ringing.
There is nothing I would love more than just resigning and be done with it (slight exaggeration there, but hey). All this CI drama, all this nonsense about our corruption, all these attacks on the staff - a staff with members who put in multiple hours every day for the site, and don't have a penny to show for it. To be perfectly frank, being an admin of this site has been a pretty crappy job during the last few months.
I do not mind if you think we do a poor job. I don't mind if you post in Community Issues about it. I wouldn't even mind if you asked for the resignation of one of us (myself included). What I do mind is when these threads evolve into being the host of absolutely insane claims of tyranny and corruption, that we're trolling the userbase, excessively sarcastic and unfriendly posts, obscene exaggerations, unpleasantness, and ridiculous posts in general. These posts are 100% counterproductive, serve only to derail what could have been a productive discussion, and they bury real, legitimate concerns under a sea of ludicrousness. This is partly why I've been pushing for more Summits in the future, because those AIM convos would hopefully not include those kinds of messages, but get right to the heart of the issue and leave that which doesn't belong at the door.
Like, if I've done an error, and want to call me out on it? By all means, do so, I will take the criticism to heart. However, if you choose to go over the top and post hyperboles and insults as well, my natural reaction is to instead defend myself. In the Gloves thread, for example, my natural reaction was to defend rianalnn, because of the many preposterous accusations that had been leveled against him, even though some of them were legitimate and needed to be addressed (and were, once we could sit down and talk calmly). There is no need to go overboard. Keep it real.
But I'm not just talking about CI threads, but also the Gutter Pegging Chamber thread, where a discussion about compromise is taking place. I was deeply involved in this thread for a long time - during the first couple of weeks, I fought a large part of the rest of the staff on behalf of the Gutter, so to speak, because I believed that a compromise was the way to go. Most senior staffers disagreed with me, and I got a lot of grief for doing what I felt was right. Within a week or two later, however, I started getting the feeling that the Gutter members would mess this up themselves by being unnecessarily hostile, and acting exactly like the average naysayer on staff said they would. This worried me, because I was pretty sure that the only way to find a successful resolution would be by being reasonable. I decided to call them out on it, because I figured something needed to be done, and I got burned. That moment I decided to just drop it. I'd still be in favor of a compromise, but I wouldn't fight for it like I had, and if nothing came out of it, I felt that many Gutter members (not all!) had only themselves to thank if it ended up being closed after all.
I get that this is a topic that you care deeply about. It's your social space, of course you care. But don't shoot yourself in the foot by harassing staff members over and over and calling dissenters "trolls". You win people to your side by being reasonable and factual. You lose them again once you start trolling.
If you want a drama thread to be resolved in a satisfactory manner, it depends on YOU as well. Every regular user, you all make a difference if you choose to participate, and whether it's a positive or negative contribution depends on you alone. It's not about your opinion, it's about how you arrive at it, and how you present it. That's what matters. If you and I disagree, that's cool. But keep it factual, and keep it respectful. If we all do this, we will surely find a solution that we can be satisfied with, and that benefits the site in the long run.
Additionally, I would like to ask you to at least try to cut the staff some slack. So often, users seem to just assume the worst right away. This is extremely draining. Usually there is more to an issue than what you already know, and we tend to have good reasons for our actions if you let us explain them before jumping to conclusions. And when we don't have good (or good enough) reasons, we'll review our decision, and possibly reverse it, if warranted. We do that, since we're very much human and make mistakes (sometimes huge ones, no doubt), and are willing to admit them. But some amount of goodwill from the users sure would help.
In the end, I want you all to remember that we all actually want the same thing. It shouldn't be Users vs. Staff. It should be Users & Staff. We as a staff need to work on this, and you, regular users of this forum, need to do this as well.
Finally, while this is not actually my resignation letter, we're pretty close. I'm getting seriously worn out, and once this starts to impact my life in a negative way, I have to reconsider prioritizing this site like I have until now. I care for it a whole lot though, so my preferred decision is to stay, but I would lie if I said it would take a lot for me to hand in my badge at this point. There's only so much one can put up with.
While my post is short, I am with Sene on this matter and I'm surprised he hasn't left.
I can only tell you that I absolutely understand how you are feeling right now. You are a good person and I have nothing but respect for you. I count you as a friend and I hope you feel the same way. I believe that this dramaseason has been exceptionally long, and that most of us (and I'm not making a distinction between bold/unbold name-tags here) are really tired by now, and want this whole thing to be over. I also believe that the end of this times of struggling is around the corner, and that we all should take a deep breath and make it to the end, and finally arrive at a place in which everyone has their fun back in Salvation.
Hang in there Bjørnerud.
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The fact that you aren't getting that says something. I like you where you are. Think of it as just another of life's trials, and you're at the peak of it. I believe in ya, Sene, so this is me asking, personally: Please, stay. We need you.
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I started posting here, got a warning or two, figured out how to stay out of trouble, and I have had a great time ever since.
I really hate to see Mods and other Staff leaving just when I am getting to know them. Hang on and just realize that haters gonna hate.
This. For the first year I visited this site, I had no idea who the mods were, what the gutter was or anything, your doing a good job, don't let a very vocal minority get you down.
I recommend going fishing
So I guess my point is, it's a very vocal minority who seem to be overly paranoid and want to remove any staff who might be against their "secret clubhouse", so don't let it get to you. There are plenty of other MTG forums out there. The majority of the users on this site appreciate all you guys do, or we wouldn't still be here. Honestly, out of all of the forums I go to, this is my favorite to post on and read because it's so well moderated. The staff here really keep things from devolving into the usual stupidity that you have to wade through on most forums.
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Sorry Sene.
The EDH stax primer
When you absolutely, positively got to kill every permanent in the room, accept no substitutes.
I have even voiced my opinions to a certain ex Admin (now global) that i would someday be interested in joining the ranks of staff, because i love the community so much and have infinite free time to help. So Sene, from another loyal user and someone who would love to call you friend and mentor, dont leave. We need you and a rather large majority of us "regular" users would miss you.
There will always be people who troll over the internet, it's a baser instinct of the "I'm better than you mentality" and so those vocal few (be it positive or negative; mostly negative) will always stand up and cause a riot because they "Can". Dont let them get to you, or make you regret your position and stance on staff, they'll always be there and the only way we can eliminate the "threat" is to get mean, which in turn also creates more drama and more OMG NOTZI MODS.
In short, you as well as the other admins (both past and present, including Rian while he was an admin) are always doing what you can and we as users appreciate it more than you know. The problem is most of us dont say it often enough. and so the negative nancys will always be an "overburden" on your positions... Dont let it get you down.
The Merciless Lord of Torture, Permanently Bound To: ">[THE PACK] 11/5/63 - 11/25/09 Goodbye mom, i'll always love you...
Tibalt & His Devils vs. Avacyn's Inquisitors
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Hoi, hoi, u embleer hrair
M'saion ulé hraka vair.
Not the UN discussing what we should do about some bat **** dictator who just blew up 40 miles of coast line to upgrade his mansion's view from pretty to scenic.
The EDH stax primer
When you absolutely, positively got to kill every permanent in the room, accept no substitutes.
However, I have optimism for the future. Some of this is wide-eyed idealism brought about by my being new here and having not had a chance to get bogged down by too much drama as of yet. But at the same time, I do have trust going forward. It is greatly appreciative that the staff takes time to answer questions and receive criticism of their actions. Many a forum is ruined by poor administration that chooses to silence criticism and ban those who would criticize instead of correcting the underlying problems. While this administration is by no means perfect, it is far and away one of the best I'm aware of in that regard. I have come in here on more than one occasion to voice concerns and to state where I stand on community issues, and here I am once again.
Some would disagree with me. That is their right to do so, and while I do not hold their opinion, I do hold their right to that opinion. But I do feel like the criticism goes further than need be, into the realm of mudslinging and personal attacks. I would like to say that I can relate in that regard, but I don't have any personal experience staffing a site anywhere close to this size. It would be wrong of me to definitively state that how aspects of the site are run, are wrong, even though I may not personally agree with them.
As a user (I will use this term from here on to refer to members not on the staff for lack of better terminology), I see half the issue. The other half is privileged information that I have neither right nor need to know. What I see as a bad decision on the surface from the user perspective might well be a good one, or the lesser of two evils when looked at holistically from the staff. And some people will not agree with what I or you or anyone else thinks is the right way to move going forward. Sadly, with a site of this size, some degree of conflict is inevitable - you can't please all 100,000 members here, or even all of the 5-10% or so who would be considered "active". Some are going to be upset (perhaps rightfully so), and since this is the internet, some of those people are going to go trolling because they feel like being a jerk. Can't really solve that problem - just have to manage it as best you can.
All in all, I got to agree with Philonous up above me - in the end, we're all here to enjoy a good children's card game that we all know and love, even though sometimes it drives us crazy. Ultimately, I think we're all here to enjoy Magic: the Gathering, interact and socialize, and maybe meet some new people, learn some things, and get a little better at Magic, and if we're lucky, at life as well. I like it here, even if the drama does get a bit out of hand.
tl;dr version: Some people are going to disagree with everything you do, and some are going to throw a fit and lash out. But I'd imagine that 90% of us users, at least, are either in agreement with the staff on most issues, or are only seeking a bit of understanding, compromise, and dialogue. I'd like to think I'm in that camp. Even though I really am not too visible as a voice on this site, I do want to thank you and the rest of the staff here for the hard work you put in to maintaining a good site. If you decide to resign, it will be a loss for the community, but ultimately, this is a decision that you, and you alone, must make. I hope that this helps convince you to stick around and help get this site through the rough patch. Thank you, on behalf of myself and whoever else might be in agreement.
Went to a new shop from a friend's recommendation, DQ'ed for willful violation of CR 100.6b.
Have played duals? I have PucaPoints for them!
(Credit to DarkNightCavalier)
$tandard: Too poor.
Modern:
- GW Birthing Pod(?)
Legacy:
- UWR Delver
That was just a joke and I think many of the mods do a fine job here. I think the biggest problem is that many people come from rather relaxed message boards and come here only to find out this is one of the strictest ever. I mean, warnings were never existent on the 5+ other message boards I've been on and when I first got one I felt like trolling the moderator who gave it to me, simply because I thought it was a big deal and what I did didn't deserve it. People either got a nice(not really) mod text in the OP on my old forums and then people got infractions or suspensions for not following, but you'd have to post something like nudity to get that far.
Then again, I'm coming from car forums. I think the diverse internet is working against you guys and not sure how to cope. A large amount of staff turnover isn't helping either.
However, I wouldn't label the vocal minority that I've had issues with as "trolls". They have real concerns, they care about this site just like the rest of us, and we should pay attention to their opinions. It's just that those concerns often get drowned under obnoxious behavior, and that is really unfortunate. It serves no one.
The negativity gets to me, even though I might not be the primary target of that negativity - these are people I work with, people I like and respect (you included). I'm not bothered by complaints, I'm bothered by how they're presented.
I feel the same way, GR You can't imagine the relief I'll feel if we can conclude all of this, put it behind us, and go back to goofing off in our social spaces. Let's make this a place we look forward to logging on to every day. We can do this, but the staff and the users need to cooperate, not fight
The staff is not without fault, not at all. We make mistakes. We need to be called out when we do. But throwing us under the bus every time something happens feels decidedly unfair, burns us out, and creates a vicious cycle. It needs to end. We must be able to deal with issues in a civil fashion.
The best you can do is lead by example and not respond to the crazy. Tell them that they clearly have concerns, but until they can be conveyed in a reasonable, mature manner, they aren't likely to be listened to. Do what it takes to not burn out.
Archatmos
Excellion
Fracture: Israfiel (WBR), Wujal (URG), Valedon (GUB), Amduat (BGW), Paladris (RWU)
Collision (Set Two of the Fracture Block)
Quest for the Forsaken (Set Two of the Excellion Block)
Katingal: Plane of Chains
Seriously though, Sene your a pretty good admin and it would be a shame to lose you.
The Family
Letting the people who make it their goals to create drama and cause disruption get to you, is letting them win. Steel your resolve and focus and differentiating between valid concerns and planned troll attempts (like the gutter closure thread ect.)
I know it's impossible to not let feelings from a community you care about/pour so many hours into- spill over into your real-life disposition, but please stand you ground. The VAST majority of users here are satisfied with your work, and there are 5000 users here for every hate mongering ***hat, who enjoy their time here and though they will never put into words how they feel, but it doesn't mean that they don't enjoy the site.
Don't let the overly vocal jerks here, make things seem worse than they are and obscure the respect you have on this site.
I support the staff here.
:symu::symr::symw::symb::symg: Dream Halls :symu::symr::symw::symb::symg:
:symu::symw: U/W/x Landstill (now Miracles) :symu::symw:
:symu::symu: Merfolk :symu::symu:
contact me!