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Beetroot Loyal user 267 Posts |
Ummmm... I'm sort of testing the waters here. There have been a couple of things which have riled me a bit recently in a number of threads - not major stuff that requires a "report", but things that could make this a less friendly place. I thought I'd post my concerns here rather than join in the debates. I'd be interested in anyone's opinion as to whether this is the correct action, or whether I should voice my concerns within the threads themselves.
To the point: I've been reading a few topics recently which seem to diverge off point into more argumentative discussions about what someone has written rather than keeping to the point of the topic itself. Granted, this style of discussion can lead to lively debate but the pattern often seems to be of the form "I have this opinion, but you've said something against it so you must be wrong". Disagreements based on topics, I can accept, but protracted disagreements about the opinions themselves grow tiresome (and take up space!). Also, I'd like to comment on the use of sarcasm. Funnily enough my sense of humour, to those close to me, is pretty sarcastic and I very much appreciate this humour in the right place. However, I have been rather off-put by some of the sarcasm posted which has been in response to valid questions from individuals new to magic. A friendly, helpful response to a stranger is what I would hope to see, not sarcasm which could be taken as offensive. I'm not asking for censorship, I'm just interested in the opinion of "The Management" as to how we should be conducting ourselves. (Still loving it here), Beetroot |
Steve Brooks Founder / Manager Northern California - United States 3780 Posts |
Thanks for your input and concern Beetroot, it's always good to hear genuine thoughts from a member of our Café family. Yes, I did say; "Family" because that is how I view all the special folks that come here each day. One large family, some seeking answers, others sharing viewpoints, and a few who contribute knowledge and experience that took many years to aquire. Indeed, our motto Magicians helping magicans pretty much say's it all.
That said, pleasing all the folks all the time is never an easy task. With over 6000 members (as of this writing) and growing by leaps and bounds each and every day, the goal of keeping the peace as it were, becomes more problamatic all the time, though certainly not impossible. Many times the question of censorship has been raised Click here, some people thinking we do not allow enough freedom here, others who are concerned we allow too much freedom. I have always had the attitude of My house, my rules. It's pretty simple and straight forward when you think about it like that. My team of volunteers (The Café Moderators & Grammar people who Do Not get paid) do their very best to help keep our little eating establishment clean and free of undesirable patrons (no easy task), while my technical support team (very underpaid)insure our board scripts function 24/7 without failure, again, not an easy feat by any stretch of the imagination. Do we have rules regarding proper behavior, the use of sarcasam, and how to behave like mature adults, using common courtesy to other posters? We certainly do, and in fact, folks agree to abide by my standards of conduct when they join The Magic Café. Trouble is, many of these folks quickly check the I agree box, without ever actually reading the guidelines they agreed to follow. The upper forums contain pretty much all the information one could possibly need, and then some. Please see the topics Café Rules & Etiquette as well as Some Posting Guidelines, these two topics alone are pretty much idiot proof and easy to understand, or so one would hope. Are these rules too strict and unfair? I do not think so. Like any magazine, we may not always agree with the publisher and editors viewpoints. As readers, we can subscribe and support the cause, or not. I do not force people to come here, only to respect my wishes while they are my guest, nothing more. However, it takes all kinds to make the world spin, and many times there are those who are unwilling to follow our policies. We do, from time to time find it necessary to council those individules. Usually, this is enough. Sometimes though, being polite is not enough, and those folks who are determined to cause problems are asked to Exit stage right. So life goes on. If you see trouble brewing, let us know. We do want the best environment possible for our members, but we cannot be in all the forums all of the time. Use the 'Report this post' option, it is available on ANY post placed on our menu. Rest assured that someone on my team will investigate asap! If one of my team members are unable to deal with the problem, then I will handle it myself. In any case, it will be handled. Thanks again for your thoughts, and I am looking forward to the many postings yet to be made, as well as a few surprises coming to the Café this year. God bless... :hotcoffee:
"Always be you because nobody else can" - Steve Brooks
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Beetroot Loyal user 267 Posts |
Steve,
Deepest thanks for the attentive reply. As I've said in previous posts to you, this forum stands heads and shoulders above the rest because of the friendly atmosphere it conveys just as much as the expertise and knowledge that is at hand. This level of attainment is through the hard work of you and your team and you all deserve high praise for your successful efforts. I hope my comments have been viewed as constructive - geared towards preserving the friendly atmosphere that I so much enjoy. I daresay most of us will stray outside of the guidelines at some time or another (and yes, I did read them when I joined ) - no one is perfect and I don't expect perfection from anyone. Common courtesy is all I hope for. I think you've hit the nail on the head when you remind us that this site is "Magicians HELPING Magicians". We would all do well to bear this in mind. Thanks again, Steve. I'm honoured to be part of the family. As my wife has said more than once - the Magic Café is the best thing to have happened to me regarding my interest in magic. Cheers, Beetroot |
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