quote:

ORIGINAL: Awareness

Actually, the forums have turned into a meaningless sludge of whitewashed opinion because of a self-important moderator who values their ego over everything else. There is naught here but the status quo. Opinions which deviate from the party line are sought out and eradicated.

This community fails to grow precisely because of the self-appointed oligarchy consisting of individuals like yourself and the other regulars who think their sheer longevity conveys special status upon them. An attitude you did nothing to dispel. Indeed, you've fostered that attitude to the detriment of the discussion here.

I for one will be glad to see the back of you. The forums are infinitely poorer for your rancid, biased, bitchy presence. Clearly you're an individual who should never have been given this kind of job as you're exactly the kind of broken personality who doesn't understand responsibility or neutrality.

And by the way, what the fuck is this anyway? A self-congratulatory little speech? Good grief, how pathetic.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Awareness

Actually, the forums have turned into a meaningless sludge of whitewashed opinion because of a self-important moderator who values their ego over everything else. There is naught here but the status quo. Opinions which deviate from the party line are sought out and eradicated.

This community fails to grow precisely because of the self-appointed oligarchy consisting of individuals like yourself and the other regulars who think their sheer longevity conveys special status upon them. An attitude you did nothing to dispel. Indeed, you've fostered that attitude to the detriment of the discussion here.

I for one will be glad to see the back of you. The forums are infinitely poorer for your rancid, biased, bitchy presence. Clearly you're an individual who should never have been given this kind of job as you're exactly the kind of broken personality who doesn't understand responsibility or neutrality.

And by the way, what the fuck is this anyway? A self-congratulatory little speech? Good grief, how pathetic.

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ORIGINAL: angelikaJ

Best wishes for your future; thank you for your patience, humor and fairness.

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ORIGINAL: LaTigresse

Never fear, once I find another job I will likely have a lot less time sitting at a desk with nothing to do.

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ORIGINAL: VideoAdminGamma

Disclaimer: The post below is the sole opinion of the moderator writing it, and is not an official statement of CollarMe or CollarChat.

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank the forums. I will know more later today, but I may be going on a temporary or indefinite leave of absence. I wanted to relate my experience, to you the members, so that there is a better understanding.

When I started I had stopped posting as my regular member account except for very few small comments here and there. I knew no one on the forums on a personal level, and never took internet things truly personal. When I returned and started reading, it seemed that staff was overwhelmed and wanting to make some changes. The forums had changed from the community I had been posting in for 6 years.

I contacted Alpha and offered to help, because it appeared to me, with my former experience, that they needed more staff. I was right and there were several things needing done. I took the policies and guidelines conveyed to me by the chain of command and began to implement them. There was heavy resistance in the beginning, but as I started to establish a better relationship as staff with more forum members, and I opened up via messages on violations, coaching on how to better word things and stay within guidelines, things started to improve.

I admit that in P&R I had to come in swinging a large stick to gain everyone’s attention. Once that was established a large majority started to change their posting styles. This had a positive effect on the forums, and some old members started to return and post in that section. P&R will always be a volatile area as those are subjects that are emotionally charged and provocative by nature, but slowly the amount of complaints reduced. This had a ripple effect on the entire forums, and it was not just me that did this but other staff as well. I am proud of those forum members that stepped up as leaders of the community, leading by example and reminding others of the guidelines.

This brings me to the crux of all of this. In any forums, chat room, channel, group or wherever people will gather that has staff that must enforce policies; it is a cooperative effort between staff and members to make it the best it can be. While there are a few that may not believe me to have been objective, objectivity is a must when staff must step in and that is why I retired my user account. That is also why I decided that policy and guidelines, as they are, would be the guiding force along with the chain of command. Working in a team effort with other staff and whoever wanted to contact me in the spirit of cooperation, has had a positive effect on the forums. It is regrettable that during that time we lost a few posters, but we have gained so many new ones and returning ones.
This cannot stop, it must not stop, for a community such as this to survive and grow. It takes members and staff together, to bring in new members and show them the ropes. It requires objectivity, and if that is compromised then another moderator steps in to handle it, and that is what is happening. It is within each of you on what this community will be, not on staff. It is the members that drive the forums, and staff only directs traffic really. When staff must step in, it is already a failure as this indicates that guidelines were not maintained and the community could not deal with it, in an appropriate fashion, so then we all fail.

These forums are not a failure, they are a great success. There is so much knowledge here, and many have the willingness to share that. All of this is why I personally volunteered and why I believe others have as well.
Please remember this as time moves forward, and if I do not return, or return for a while, the time I assisted all of you as a volunteer, has been an overall enjoyable one. Keep at it, strive to be better, work with staff, and know that as a large forum it may have its problems, but we have one of the best communities of internet members anywhere.

Thanks you all for being a part of CollarMe,
VideoAdminGamma

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ORIGINAL: LaTigresse

ORIGINAL: Awareness

Oh, I'm always happy to point out your desperation. One day you may gain some awareness of your own.



As easy as you are to bait, I still thank you for playing. I will hand it to you, you can be an amusing creature play with. Even with your one dimensional repertoire.

Kaliko is right, it has been boring around here lately.

And apparently, I did a bang up job of screwing up the quote thingy.......... ah well.

quote:

Please remember this as time moves forward, and if I do not return, or return for a while, the time I assisted all of you as a volunteer, has been an overall enjoyable one. Keep at it, strive to be better, work with staff, and know that as a large forum it may have its problems, but we have one of the best communities of internet members anywhere.

Thanks you all for being a part of CollarMe,
VideoAdminGamma

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ORIGINAL: DomKen

After XI's reign how could anything seem heavy handed?

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ORIGINAL: Awareness

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ORIGINAL: kalikshama
It's really easy to avoid receiving gold letters by not making personal attacks. Since you seem to be mostly incapable of communicating without attacking, no wonder you perceive bias where I see applying the rules with a heavy hand.

It's really easy to avoid everything by having a milquetoast personality which runs with a crowd and doesn't have the balls to stick up for anything, but that's a pretty shallow way to live your life. Personal attacks my ass - this has been pure bias from start to finish with the usual suspects given free reign to do exactly as they please while 'moderation' has been applied to those who don't kiss ass.

Perhaps you find that an acceptable way to live but I find it induces nausea in most reasonable human beings.

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ORIGINAL: ShaharThorne

I only got one gold letter from you but it made me laugh so hard, I woke Mom up.

Take care and I hope to see you about.