For about the past month, we have been working on restructuring the management of the forum. It is now time to reveal the fruits of that labor, the finalized changes, and explain what will be different going forward.

Why change at all?

Without this forum, there is no site. That simple fact has created an interesting, and counter intuitive, process which we are aiming to fix. Because of how important the forum is to the site, the owners have taken an important role in the day to day running of the forum, including in discipline decisions. We have come to the conclusion that our involvement has made it much harder for the Mod team to effectively do their job.

When we as owners offer our opinion on an issue, it failed to come across as that of an equal, instead coming as the opinion of an owner, and thus making it exceedingly difficult for a moderator or admin to feel confident in their decision or opinion. We have lacked a structure with regards to how to discuss issues, how to come to a decision, and other things of that nature. To pile on top of that, I had a tendency to sometimes react as I felt best, without discussing an issue first with the rest of the team. Issues I felt were obvious, but issues that should have been discussed regardless. These issues made it easy for the Mod team to shoulder less of the responsibility, left them out of the decision making process far too often, and created an environment we feel could be improved upon.

We want a Mod team that will discuss issues, make decisions as a team, and be a solid unit moderating the forum. Instead we cultivated an environment where we would have multiple individuals acting on individual opinions, occasionally discussing issues without any real structure. We want the process to improve, and in looking for how to make that happen, we came to the conclusion that various changes were needed.


So what changed?

Below I’m going to try and list the various changes. I apologize in advance if I leave anything out and have to amend later.

- As of Friday May 30th, Arsi, Loyal and I will no longer be a part of the day to day running of the forum. We are completely stepping back, handing the running (including discipline) over to the Mod team.
- Nebs will remain on as Admin of the forum, and will be joined by a new admin, Roid. The two will have equal power and will work together to run the forum.
- The Admins will have direct control over all matters regarding the forum, including but not limited to the addition and removal of new Moderators. They can add and remove Mods as they see fit, without any approval or discussion with owners. We see the Mods as their team, and they have total control over who they want on that team to help them run the forum.
- The new Mod team will be able to suggest changes to the rules of the forum, using whatever method they decide, which will then be voted on by the owners. Majority vote of the owners passes a rule.

It may seem on first glance that the owners are totally removing themselves, but that is not entirely the case. We will remain as members of the forum, and will monitor the environment through the eyes of a user. We always try to have a monthly discussion regarding the site, and we will include a discussion on the health of the forum. Any issues or concerns we may have will be documented and sent to the Admins, who can then act on it as they see fit. If things ever get to a point where we all feel that a change is needed, we still have final say on the removal of current Admins and the ability to add a new Admin. Similarly, if life forces an Admin to step down, we would then be responsible for finding his/her replacement.

So, in essence, we will function similarly to a board in a major company, where the Admins function as the CEO. Something like that anyways.


Anything else?

Well, I personally would like to bid you all goodbye, not from the forum, but from my role as an admin. It hasn’t always been easy, and I’ve lost count of how many times a user and I haven’t seen eye to eye on an issue, but I’ve always attempted to show all the members of this community respect throughout the process while at the same time attempting to come to an impartial decision. If you ever felt a lack of respect from me during my tenure, I apologize, that was honestly never my intent. It is my hope that the new Mod team will continue that trend, showing each and every user respect, and working together to come to the correct decision on any given matter.

With that said and done, I also would like to welcome Roid to the team. I believe he is fully capable, and hope that he enjoys his role as an Admin until it’s eventually time for him to follow me to Admin/Mod heaven, where many mods and admins far greater than myself are all waiting to welcome him.

And with that, I bid you ado.

I've always been a fan of every member of the staff, to some degree... Joe

shouldn't you announce who the MODS are?

Mods will be announced within a few days.

Why don't you tell 'em to fire me? Or don't you have the guts to do that?

I've already tried.

Apparently they think you do a good job or something like that.

Mods will be announced within a few days.

so are there any MODS now? as I have no idea who they are. Libs?

Good riddance!

Nah, just kidding, you guys have been brill. Hopefully this means you'll have more fun around here now. Not that you weren't having fun before. I mean, how would I know? That said, I don't think you were having as much fun as you could've been having.

For example, here are just a few of your many missed opportunities:

The Randa-ban! A weekly event where one admin gets to randomly ban a popular member of the site for no reason. Hilarity ensues.

I Didn't Say That! A frequent occurance where on-topic posts are dramatically altered by to comic or tragic effect. Hilarity ensues.

Matchmaker! We plant the seed of love in KJ... by PMing love letters to members using other people's accounts! Isn't it about time Michael and Jeff cut through that romantic tension and admitted their love for each other? Wouldn't it be fun if we could do it for them? Hilarity - and the prospect of romance - ensues.

Freaky Friday! Every Friday two random posters wake up to find their profiles have been mysteriously switched. Now they have to pretend to be each other until they can find the mystical monkey idol that changed them in the first place (me) and convince it to change them back. Can Groucho adequately feign an unhealthy interest in The Incredible Hulk and weave tantalising tales of adultery with neighbours without arousing suspicion? Can BKB convincingly make well thought-out political posts and dole out sound legal advice to fellow posters? Hilarity, a few life lessons and, dare I say it, the prospect of romance ensues.

Now I've got that out of my system, I would like to close this post by congratulating Roid on his new post, to make an official request that he go back to using masked people in his avatars and to also ask that I be made an admin as well. Thank you for your time.

Good riddance!

Nah, just kidding, you guys have been brill. Hopefully this means you'll have more fun around here now. Not that you weren't having fun before. I mean, how would I know? That said, I don't think you were having as much fun as you could've been having.

For example, here are just a few of your many missed opportunities:

The Randa-ban! A weekly event where one admin gets to randomly ban a popular member of the site for no reason. Hilarity ensues.