It isn't that we want to trample your dreams; we want to make sure you don't misstep because you didn't see a pitfall. If we said nothing, and the tone of the boards changed, then we would feel more than a little guilty for having said nothing.
Thanks.
Just to give my perspective: there is
no change I can make which won't invite criticism; if I avoided making changes every time they were criticised, we'd still be using 2001 software and half a fraction of the functionality we have (and, I believe, a fraction of the users).
So my job is to recognise that every time I do something, threads will spring up telling me how it will spell the doom of EN World; and I have to learn no accept that that is the default reaction to a change. It'll be different people ever time, of course, but any change will cause it.
This is where I have to say "Guys - I think I'm right. I've shepherded this place from 4,000 users to 90,000 users; we've had our ups and downs; we've had near deaths and disasters; but on the whole I think I've done OK, and over a decade I've learned a lot. Please trust me to know what I'm doing, and that because *you* don't like something doesn't mean that it won't work overall."
Sure, there will be mistakes. But, heck, we've been here an entire decade now; we can weather mistakes. And learn from them.
But the site's gotta move on. I don't want to be running Ultimate Bulletin Board circa 1998 (does that software even exist any more? We used to use it), and this site now bears no resemblance to that incarnation of EN World. And in 10 years time, EN World will not bear any resemblance to
this infrastructure.
Please, feel free to express your opinions; but also please be aware that at the other end of them is one guy. Not a corporation. Not a rich guy. Just someone who honestly does his best, and is a bit stubborn, and who's natural reaction to "do what I say or I'll leave with my whole $3" is to say "don't let the door hit you..."; which is wrong, but I'm human, and that's one of my foibles. Probably a fairly well known one by now! I do reign it in an
awful lot!
And the point of this post? After several hundred negative posts, I'm liable to lose my saintly demeanour and say something a bit snarky or critical in return. I don't mean to, but man, it's ahrd work when you feel like you're being dogpiled - especially when all you wanted to do was what was best for everyone, even if some people think the changes aren't best for *them*! So I apologise, but I can't promise I won't do it again. Soooo maaaany poooosts to eeeveerryyy change evvveerrr..... the only way to avoid it is, literally, to have stuck with c1998 UBB.
