casualtiger2 said:Hey everyone,
It’s been a minute since I’ve been active here—and now, out of nowhere, I’ve been tapped as a moderator. So, I’m asking you all to jump into this poll so I can get a decent pulse on where we actually stand right now.
I want to hear from the old guard—the "seasoned veterans" who probably use this place as their digital fountain of youth 😉—as well as the newcomers who just joined the party.
The site changes every single day, obviously, and I know "quality" is a pretty hard thing to pin down—especially on a Spirituality Forum—but I think it’s worth taking a snapshot of where we are in this little corner of the internet.
So, here are some prompts to get us started (feel free to throw in your own thoughts too):
- What do you think of the forum over the last few weeks or months?
- What are you actually enjoying?
- What’s getting on your nerves?
- How could we make this better (if it even needs it)? Basically, what’s missing?
(Just trying to make sure everyone stays happy while reading or posting. 🙂)
Look, I know everyone’s going to have subjective takes—some might even be total opposites—so please, let’s avoid any heated arguments over whose opinion is "right." A cool, civil dialogue is always welcome, though.
Since I’ve posted quite a bit myself, here’s my quick, telegraphic take on how things feel to me.
I’ve only really been active here for about two years—even though I registered ages ago for one specific post, then basically went ghost. For a while, this felt like a great spot, both for the community and the topics. But lately, it feels like things have slipped a bit. Part of that was the chaos regarding where we'd host the site, part was the struggle to find permanent moderators—even though, honestly, every mod I've worked with so far has done a killer job—and part was losing some core members who really made this place what it was. It led to this weird illusion that there's some massive drama happening in real life outside of these threads. 😁 Plus, at one point, it felt like a bunch of argumentative personalities were starting to take over.
That said, over the last week or two, it feels like the spiral is finally turning back upward—both in terms of how people talk and the actual content being shared. I’d love to do whatever I can in my capacity to keep that momentum going.
I’ll be opening a dedicated thread soon specifically for moderation and direct communication.
First off, good luck with the mod gig. I wish the same to your new team.
By the way, I think the
philosophy sub-forum is in a serious crisis.
And yeah, you might remember me from a few posts: I think you're a solid choice for moderator.
I've been on plenty of forums (many offered me mod roles, but I turned them down—I don't have the heart to lecture or ban people), and there's no debating taste: personally, I believe the more rules and
bans there are based on the principle that
unprovoked insults from any side are punished, the calmer the atmosphere stays.
As you get older, you stop judging people by how they present themselves and start watching how they react. In places like the American South, you only have to scratch the surface to see people sink much lower than anyone would ever dream.
If someone crosses me, I give it right back to them. I have to be honest about that, even if it means I cut off any chance of ever speaking to that person again. They usually end up going to the mods or...
alive parents seeking to
return to their primal state: I think the vibe on American forums has shifted radically for the better since the late '90s. I’m seeing moderators on certain boards who actually do an incredible job at policing the chaos.
You’re still chasing shadows, Epure.I haven't spent much time
hanging out in those spaces, especially regarding philosophy topics. I took a quick look at alim's profile: nothing irritating there. He writes in that cryptic, gnomic style. If you want to read it and find value, go ahead. If not, just skip it. It’s easy to know exactly what you’re getting into without having to be cynical about it.
The American Internet has everything. With all due respect to opposing views, I have to distance myself from the idea of
harmlessness:
there are losers, people with massive inferiority complexes, thugs, hunters of all kinds, and female masturbators who are far worse than the men—mostly because it’s beneath them, especially when they start joining the guys: I believe I have every right to say that. The Internet played a vital role in my life: chatting with the opposite sex, finding information, exchanging views with mature people ready for actual discussion...
This spirituality-religion forum doesn't have to be bad. Whenever I have the time, I’ll post something useful, which most of my previous posts here already prove.
Regardless, I think this subforum, with casualtiger2, his associates, and the regulars here, offers its own unique perspective.
🙂
