BL is bigger than EADD
Not sure if my presence would be wanted here, either to offer a square kick to my nuts or a pat on the head as the token American, but I'll step in just the same. I've long appreciated the EADD forum, both for its wit and for it's member's ability to police one another without too much need for outsider supervision. Though I'll be honest and admit there are plenty of times I miss the humour and offer serious answers to rhetorical questions. If the gist of this thread has become to take a piss and vent a bit, I'll shut up and let you have it without my interaction. If it is to actually discuss what started off as a legitimate discussion, I'll be more than happy to offer any insights I can (both personally and as a longstanding staff member of this site).
If you want something answered, I'll always do my best to offer the most complete (hence, long worded) and honest answer I can provide - just ask, privately or publicly. This openness on my part also means I welcome any legitimate criticism to be offered - of myself or the site, so I can see what can be done to improve the experience for all members and site operations.
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To touch on a few issues already brought up:
There are currently 4 Admins (3 Americans, 1 Aussie) and 2 Engineers (1 Aus, and chr1.5 when he's available - obviously from UK). It is true the site was started by UK representatives, and they did a fine job of creation and getting it going - but the site has evolved well beyond any vision they had for it, and any ability they've had to maintain it. Life called, they moved on. I can get into a lengthy discussion of the history of Admins for the site, their backgrounds and influences on site direction, but rather than ramble on a tangent, I'll simply field any questions on this subject.
EADD has been a self regulating autonomy for quite sometime, in case you hadn't noticed. Since C22's poll, I believe the only 'exective' decisions made to the EADD and EAEvents was the pruning I've done of older threads - a necessity for server operations, no other reasons or motivations beyond that simple fact. Even during that process, I did my best to work with the members to get it done in the least disruptive manner we could. Please, correct me if I'm wrong on that statement of EADD's self-rule. Further to the point, I've been the de facto Admin for this forum since C22's departure, and I've done my best to listen to the forum mods (selected by the outgoing mods, not by myself or any other authority figure making dictatorship decisions) and help them institute any improvements they felt the members of EADD would benefit from. Specifically, the only modification I can remember making to the forums was the inclusion of 'Africa' in the titles, done at the behest of the members. Not that it had any effect whatsoever on the forum operations, but it was viewed as an improvement by the members and was implemented.
The point to which some of you may view this as a dictatorship or as the Admins running amok (which again, I find myself as the representative to you members) is in context of disciplining of any member. I assure you this is not done on a whim, or by individual personal agendas. Generally, the Admins keep one another aware of problems and try to gain consensus before any changes are made to forums, likewise any problem members are discussed with forum mods before action is taken. EADD is at something of a disadvantage, in that the mods have changed over so many times over the past year or two. While I have the utmost respect for the current and recent mods, they simply have limited experience with the site and the problems associated with disciplining for the benefit of the site over what impact it may have on their forum. Admins reserve final decision, and some Admins may listen more or less to the forum mods (and perhaps members) before taking action - so in that sense the Admins *can* exercise dictator-esque power. But we also have a much longer memory on the history of certain members, and others like them, who have caused problems for the site beyond a single forum. Just because JohnnyComeLately joined in 2005 and has been a great chum in EADD, doesn't mean he hasn't been trolling the fuck out of the other forums, or that he hasn't been banned repeatedly in the time before he took this account. These aspects also weigh into our decisions and actions, something you may not have visibility or memory of - but we do. We have to, for the sake of the site and ALL of it's members, not just the ones in his buddy-buddy forum.
Do ALL of the Admins act the same way? No, we're human, and we've changed out who runs these positions over time as well (some were great, some were not so great). Do ALL of the forums get run the same way? No, some are more actively moderated - by mods, by Sr. Mods (haven't seen any flexing authority in here, have you?), by Admins (well, I feel my history speaks for itself). Some forums left to run themselves to a large degree (here, take a look in the mirror). This leads to some inconsistency, in that some forums are policed harder than others - again a reflection of the staff AND THE MEMBERS of those forums, and how they want the forum run.
*sigh*
I'll leave it at that for now. As always, I'm available if anyone wants to engage me in a serious discussion. I actually have read the entire thread and would enjoy a discussion as the initial poster started off with - a general 'is it possible' rather than a specific to BL/EADD' argument. But I'll not guess at what you need, I'll simply say that I am available and willing to work with anyone if they feel it is beneficial for the site. This is my attempt at the transparency so many people desire when it comes to decisions made that effect them.
Please note, I have not singled out any particular person or account, I merely tried to show the EADD members some of the information they may not know. I am reluctant to address any particular member issues except with that individual, and perferably privately rather than publicly....unless they choose to keep it in front of everyone.
- Your servant, as ever, TLB of BL
