Something Completely Different
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@lotherio said in Something Completely Different:
It was a 'hey can we stop this until I talk with another admin to get a handle' and then it kept going, and going, and was still going even this week.
To people who perceive it as an injustice, "Hey guys please allow this injustice to carry on until I can consult with someone who actually matters (unlike you) about whether this actually is unjust" isn't a super reasonable request.
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@greenflashlight said in Something Completely Different:
To people who perceive it as an injustice, "Hey guys please allow this injustice to carry on until I can consult with someone who actually matters (unlike you) about whether this actually is unjust" isn't a super reasonable request.
I asked everyone for the opportunity to talk with mietze about what was going on. Mietze has already explained things from her perspective. I knew that she had other things going on and that the protesting was triggering her and causing more stress. I told her I would do what I can to quiet things down.
We talked about shutting the place down for a couple of weeks, but she shot down that idea. In the end, we decided that I would do my best to get everyone to hold off so that, when she was ready, she could go back, review the record, and we could deal with the situation together. I told her to take all the time she needed.
Ultimately, I think I failed.
To me, there were four matters that arose contemporaneously, which I'll address in no particular order. First, there was Derp's and Roz's elevation to staff, the former of which was met with loud skepticism. Second, there was the matter on the Politics board, which led to demands that Derp be removed as staff. Third, there was the locking of the "Admin Derp" thread, which was connected to the first matter and raised the issue of whether threads attacking members or admins were permitted. Finally, there was farfalla's banning for continuing to communicate with a member who asked them to stop communicating with them.
The first three are all interwoven. Regarding the thread, I concluded that a thread targeting a member or staff did not violate our Rules of Engagement, so mietze's lock on the topic at issue was lifted. I also concluded that it would have been unfair for me to dismiss an admin to whom I failed to communicate my expectations, but still had a long talk with Derp about what my expectations of him are. As such, I stated that I would not remove him for what happened on the Politics board.
The matter involving farfalla is what I believe set off the firestorm. Some people felt that it was a borderline call; some people felt that the complaining member instigated the matter; some people felt that I was too punitive. We had previously banned another member for paging someone who told them to stop (Ortallus), so a ban as a consequence for continuing to PM someone after they tell you to stop should have been no surprise. Further, when someone tells someone else to stop, they should stop. That said, farfalla's ban is still being review and may be lifted under the circumstances.
As an aside, after farfalla's ban, Meg asked if farfalla would be given access to her account so that she could take a log of the conversation. This request was granted, and farfalla was unbanned for 24 hours for that purpose, on the condition that she not communicate with anyone through the account (thus respecting the effect of the ban).
If the injustice is the ban, then, as I said, it is under review. Staff agreed to review all bans levied out of the event. We have not yet made any decisions, but we intend to complete the review within the next few days.
Whether the protesting was reasonable is I think a matter of opinion, as is my decision to ban those who were doing so. All I can offer is an explanation, tell the community what we are doing now, and how we hope to restore faith going forward.
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I'm not involved in this, but I am. I'm not involved because I don't read the politics board. I just mark it read and move on. I didn't post on either side. I think for the most part, I have tried to be mid-ground on most things. I can see both sides of this, in truth.
As people go, I like them on the banned side, on the admin side, and on the unbanned/unadmin side. I tend to just like people as people for the most part. I am old. I get that we react out of haste. I get we say things out of haste.
My issues (not that anyone cares) are three main ones.
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All the bans. Not just one, but all of them. I log in one day to a list of people not just a few, but a list of them that are now banned because they would not listen. --- This should not have gone down this way. I'm not saying I agree with what they were saying or I disagree. What I am saying is it should not have come down this way. Here is why I think that --- Most of us have a MU* history of games that had admins that should not have been admins. A LOT in this hobby have been hurt by this -- It read as a we are admin and what we say must at all times be obeyed or we will silence you. --- If there was a game and the admin did this exact thing and just banned everyone who didn't listen, we'd have a topic dedicated to them. It was handled incorrectly. It's done. No one can go back, but it is done and we just move forwards to what happens.
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Concerns may only be addressed in PM. Nope. I cannot in clear conscience think this was a good tactic when admin integrity was the issue being debated. Now, I UNDERSTAND the reason. The reason was to my assumption, funnel it in one area and to try to regain control of a forest fire by offering a controlled burn of some sort. I get that. I understand that one wants it directed to them not to everyone. The perception was that it became cloak and dagger. Part of the reason the forum is here is to do away with that in the community. We are good and bad supposed to be able to air it all out. We should use the right boards in the right places, but that's part of the community. When it starts saying that 'receipts' should not be posted and comments need to be through only these private means - it comes across as it's going to be media'ed -- which by that I mean censored and offered up in justification of the 'winning' party.
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The name calling of the banned or the what they did wrong continuation saga. We have opinions and they are ours to have. I don't actually appreciate it being pointed out that they could read it if they wanted, but couldn't respond. In truth, that seems worse. However, this is just my opinion, it doesn't make it right. The ones that are banned for whatever reason are now being talked about here and their intentions talked about when what we are really talking about is our perceptions of what they did. Which got them banned, but it's okay because we are still here?
Anyways, this isn't my leaving post. This isn't my staying post. This is just my opinion post. I think a lot of damage has been done on all sides to this board. It will repair. It will move on no matter what happens. Just don't forget there are people involved. They have feelings on the other side of these screens. Some are in the community here still and watching to see what happens. Some are banned and coming back to read because they are also invested at some level. We have all fucked up. It's just what we do when it happens. Hard decisions have been made and will continue to be made. We can just try to do best as we can for all and to show empathy where it allows.
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@derp said in Something Completely Different:
To steal a quote from someone else: "MSB follows WORA's spirit still. It is a safe place where MUSHers can post criticism of games without fear of reprisal from the game owners. It was a place to call out the bullshit of games and players under the anonymity of another identity."
It wasn't very anonymous.
It wasn't very serious either. It was for hyperbole and ranting and picking fights for no reason except that you felt like telling somebody off. It was roughhousing.
It wasn't so much anonymity that protected posters from reprisals, it was that WORA would roast you for a PHB if you backflowed the vitriol.
"... you'll find the story doesn’t end how you think, and the most important characters aren’t who you expect.” - Penny 40 to Derek, The Magicians S04E07 ‘The Side Effect’
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I don’t know. I was pretty anonymous for a while.
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MSB is still pretty anonymous truth. be told. Unless you post something to a playlist or use the same handle on a game where it would be known, there is really nothing to tie you to any character on a MU. Some very clever people might pick up on things based on OOC comments, writing style, etc, but for the most part, if none of you ever told me who you played, I'd have no clue.
