Important: Please Read! Changes Are Coming!

[Jeff Wilder]

I agree with Nifft about the user info box on the left. Many of the posts in this thread are taking up more than twice the vertical real estate actually needed, because of all the stuff on the left.

 

[Morrus]

The XP comment in-post graphic has been replaced with something less blatant.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I think Nifft is just being negative for spite's sake.

EDIT: Piratecat here. Looks like the smileys got temporarily nuked, because it's only upon editing this post that I see the winking smiley! So you dodged the bullet this time, mister. *shakes little fist impotently*

Carry on.

EDIT EDIT: And they're back. Phew!

 

[Raven Crowking]

Nifft, I apologise. I find this thread very hard work (along with most of the threads in Meta), and I took it out on you. I did not mean anything personal.

Well, I'm not Nifft, but I do realize that you are trying to herd cats here.

EN World is, AFAICT and IMHO, enormously popular, and there are a lot of us who care about the site. 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.

Personally, I don't like all the changes that I am seeing, but there are some I do like. I guess it's hard to focus on the ones I do like, because they don't generally seem to need comment. But here goes:

* I like the green thumbs up.
* I like the status updates.
* I like the idea of twitter links, although now that means I'm going to have to investigate twitter.
* I like what I have heard of your plans for the profile page.
* Once the profile page changes, I'll probably like the smaller sigs, too.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and I like your current Avatar, too.

EDIT EDIT: Another thing; I like being an owlbear.....one of my favourite D&D monsters! Is there any way to freeze XP without opting out?


RC

 

[Morrus]

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.

 

[Obryn]

Soooo maaaany poooosts to eeeveerryyy change evvveerrr..... the only way to avoid it is, literally, to have stuck with c1998 UBB.

1998 UBB sux. You can consider my subscription cancelled if you move back to that POS.

-O

 

[Raven Crowking]

Hey, I understand that perspective. I get it. And I'm sorry if it sometimes seems as though I do not.

Overall, you are doing a great job. Feel free to ignore anything I say if you think I'm wrong. I'll try to avoid saying "I told you so" later if it turns out I'm right.

And, with my next paycheque I'm going to buy a prepaid credit card to become a supporting member. This site has given a lot to me over the years, and I feel like I owe you some thanks.

Keep up the good work!


RC

 

[Fifth Element]

EDIT EDIT: Another thing; I like being an owlbear.....one of my favourite D&D monsters! Is there any way to freeze XP without opting out?

No worries! When I get my Paragon subscription I'll make sure to hit you with negrep whenever you get too many XP!

 

[Raven Crowking]

No worries! When I get my Paragon subscription I'll make sure to hit you with negrep whenever you get too many XP!

Good.

Owlbears are cooler than githyanki!


RC

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

Good.

Owlbears are cooler than githyanki!


RC

Is this just some clever ploy to get XP from the people who normally spite you?