Preparing my reply here,
I feel like those guys in "The Hurt Locker", getting dressed ready to get close and personal with an IUD ... and that's the point.
I don't feel that way writing to others, but writing to you really puts me on my mettle and requires careful preparation and a full suit of armour.
Thanks for your PM - let me respond here, in good faith and good humour.
why this pathetic (sorry, but this really struck me!) need to put up such a disclaimer? Do you have such little faith in your OPINION as to need to put such a disclaimer? Especially strange since you are usually one with so many opinions.
Dude: you missed it! By putting my disclaimer I absolutely and solely claimed 100% of the responsibility for the opinions I posted. I'm not hiding behind anyone, the opposite of your interpretation. Yes, usually that phrasing of disclaimer is put up by websites who want to protect themselves from lawsuits ... but when I write it on my own post myself I'm taking responsiblity, not deflecting it.
Observation 1: you're reacting with a looong post to something that was actually your own misunderstanding.
Suggestion: before writing anything angry, or venting your feelings, try posting a short question to clarify your perception first.
... to banish this thread to the non-posting credit veggie section is sure to starve and eventually kill it.
Observation 2: I beg to disagree with you - I think the ICT has its own energy, and people join in for the fun of it, not to get K. I speak for myself and am confident most people join in because of the conversation, not for the K.
EXCEPT THAT ...
Newbies needs and wants RA, and they are NOT going to participate in the ICT even if its gonna be towards their own benefit/slow, natural integration into our forum mores; that is just an unfortunate fact.
if you are right - and people are actually joining in to increase their RA - that would be precisely the reason for demoting it.
The whole point of the RA system here is to encourage THE SORT OF PARTICIPATION that THE ADMIN WANTS ... which means reports, and subjects directly related to the 141 trade in Hong Kong. All that, safely, sanely, and legally. If people can get RA without doing the hard work of writing first-person field reports, if they can do it an easier (lazier) way by posting anything and everything that's on their minds, they will ... and even that is tolerable, as long as the overall aim of best rewarding those who do the most relevant work is kept in balance.
If I'm wrong, if the thread withers and dies just because nobody gets K any more, well, that would prove the Admin and his chosen Mod team right all along. But, my view is it will continue, for the good reason that there are people who do enjoy reading your thread and joining in.
that GREAT/MOMENTOUS change usually comes about from ONE individual who has the conviction and purity of heart to go against popular consensus/orthodox thinking
True
but
you must stop to consider whether the change is desired or not.
Observation 3: If you choose to fight The System, you must expect The System to fight back. And in real life it's not always the passionately motivated underdog that wins. Importantly: when the passionately motivate underdog gets squished under tank tracks as a consequence of being too vocal, everyone loses.
Ultimately the one individual who has conviction and purity of heart CAN ONLY effect change by enlisting a critical mass of supporters, each of whom have their own conviction and purity of heart. Oh, and he needs to avoid getting banned.
BTW This 3-minute video is the best articulation I've seen of that essential step: how to transition from being a lone nut to being at the centre of a new movement
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en ... art_a_movement.html
Well worth 3 minutes of anyone's time.
You're welcome!
If you're really that passionate about making changes here, you will have to a) survive, b) enlist supporters to your cause and c) ultimately enlist the active support of the Mods and the Admin. A worthy challenge to someone as experienced and energetic as you!
Suggestion: ranting at people is a great way to feel good about yourself, but seldom convinces whoever you're ranting at. Heck I'm not even sure my own attempt at a considered post here is going to convince you!
Beware those who only listen to himself and is incapable of considering all other’s opinion and counsel.
Ok at this point you can cleverly turn my last sentence to your own purposes – stating that this is precisely what SEAN is guilty of – but is it? [quote]
Yup. You're right on each count, nothing to add! Well done 
[quote] I have never used ANY powers (I ain’t got none anyways!) to “back up” my opinion, but I just do go ahead and express and express strongly whatever it is that I feel strongly about. My opinion, my conviction! And if my counter-party also has the conviction and purity of heart, he will…no, he should come back with his own retort. This is what a forum is all about!
Observation 4: actually, and this may be what you're missing, you do have power, a lot of power. You have the power to spend a massive amount of time, making a massive number of posts / ratings / comments, and making looong rants, some of which need never have started because you misunderstood something in the first place!
You use that power a lot. By making so many posts, and such long posts, you're forcing others to spend a lot of time reading stuff, to the extent that it has sometimes been difficult to find contributions that came from other less prolific posters.
Honestly, I'm glad you have the ICT, because since it was created I find I no longer have to trawl through lots of SEAJ opinions in order to find the opinions of others that I'm looking for ... and I know that when I'm missing the sound of your voice, I can easily find it!!
You have a lot of power in your voice. It's up to you whether you use that power to create harmony, or to flood others' opinions.
Suggestion: Notice that the forum has it's own natural pace. Like the tide in the sea, or the change of the seasons, most people contribute at a pace that is slower than yours. It's their pace, resulting from their life situation and availability of hobby time.
Practice pacing yourself, and try to match the pace of others in the forum. Nothing wrong with being prolific, but when every post has a reply by SEAJ, the forum stops being a forum and becomes SEAJ's blog. If you're being driven by your own pace and your own convictions, you can be 100% sure you're making others feel trampled on. Do it when you must, but don't expect them to like you doing it (unless they're into BDSM that is).
I must thank you for your sort of “endorsement” of the idle chat thread
you're welcome.
TOO MANY OTHER SENIORS/MODS just do not seem to care if the newer members here sink or swim. Instead, they are always just too ready and eager to rebuke newer members without giving ANY guidance, never mind encouragement.
Some do
Some don't
and so what??
This is a community, and different members fill different roles. Some write reports. Some rate reports. Some moderate. Some only participate with other Seniors. Some pay particular attention newbies. Makes sense to me that we have an ecology with different roles ... how would you have it be different?
Do you want everyone to be like you?
I don't (want everyone to be like me, I mean, before you take it personally!!!).
BTW - Observation 5: please go through the Forum and count up just how many Ratings there are in various threads rebuking members for one-line responses and other infractions, and notice who they came from. 'Nuff said???
Suggestion: lead by example but don't get upset if others choose not to follow. Instead, if you're not getting the response you set out to get, change your style of leadership.
What more does Admin want…
A great question to ask. This is his space. Just as your home is your space, and you get to set the house rules for your guests to abide by, he ultimately has the right to set his (completely arbitrary) rules. Ask, but then you have to be open to his answer.
BTW I think you got an answer to that question, did you hear it?
that is not just mean-spirited AND petty minded?
... careful ... now you're back on your own judgement of how others should set their priorities ...
Apologies if this is long and rambling
but this IS the Idle Chat Thread, right?
and at least I didn't stoop to serialising it!!! |
