I actually appreciate when mods & users prepare some sort of exit thread. I can't fault anyone for evolving, loosing interest, moving on or just getting burned out. While ownership & management is in the few, I think many of us feel connected & a part of STP. I myself have grown far apart from much of STP but still have a historical connection to the spirit that drives much of the lifeblood here. I have had a better connection to STP than to the greater traveler community. There is so much dysfunction, addiction, backstabbing, gossip, theft & backstabbing that occurs but feel that STP is and has been a safe space for communal exchange. It is more of a training school or a library for newcomers and an oasis for us others.
The newcomers have always outnumbered us that have been around. Few long-term users exist & participate in comparison to those new users who join. I can identify with the feelings around that of being a mod & being frustrated from those duties and or some of the bureaucracy that surrounds such participation. I wish I could persuade @MolotovMocktail to consider renouncing his mod duties & just lurk in the background like many of us who have done so. Perhaps reconciliation of the OP with those he names in the above post would simply resolve by taking a step back. To think that you started moderating right out of High School is interesting to me. I myself have done much growing up in my last 6 years here at STP. Perhaps this is a natural maturing & growing to bigger & better things without the inherent mod stresses? Perhaps, not being a mod would be just enough to step back & try to appreciate STP again.
After, your years there must be somethings that you care about here or posting an exit thread wouldn't have been done. I have not become friends with @MolotovMocktail in his tenure but also feel that mods get so consumed with modding that they loose some of the pure interest in participating with us elder commoners. For myself' I like donating cash or buying merch and mostly lurking in the background now. Occasionally topics get discussed where I feel I can contribute something of value. Nobody wants to hear all of my opinions in most threads & to be honest I got tired of responding to the same redundant threads.
That being said, I feel making a public gripe is therapeutic to the overall health of the site for all & a good way for users to get closure if they are okay with the finality of it. There is an art to saying what you mean without being mean & it is even harder online. I feel @MolotovMocktail communicates The mods tend to be democratic & always be involved behind the scenes. Cliques develop and there is a long tradition of former mods not existing here after there mod duties. I wish there could be more attrition of former mods who morph back into just regular users. Most get upset & give a big FU to the rules instigating a ban by making angry public grievances or quit all together. I feel that this thread by @MolotovMocktail was genuine and made out of his years of frustration/resentment. I do not read it as he violating a personal friendship by going public, more an invitation to vent & possibly salvage his connection to the forum & existing friendships.
With time and experience comes wisdom. I have never got close (as friends) but I have been around as a mod/user for 12+ years (with this account). Rarely have I witnessed @Matt Derrick to be very approachable or receptive of any form of public criticism. I think that Matt routinely seems personally attacked & defensive of certain critiques of his creation. Please, Matt; know that I am not trying to attack you here.
Where & how do us misfit users, mods & admins go to bitch about legitimate or illegitimate gripes on our community forum than on the forum? Would an anonymous gripe section that is not linked to a users account be as beneficial to communicate better without emotion?
The newcomers have always outnumbered us that have been around. Few long-term users exist & participate in comparison to those new users who join. I can identify with the feelings around that of being a mod & being frustrated from those duties and or some of the bureaucracy that surrounds such participation. I wish I could persuade @MolotovMocktail to consider renouncing his mod duties & just lurk in the background like many of us who have done so. Perhaps reconciliation of the OP with those he names in the above post would simply resolve by taking a step back. To think that you started moderating right out of High School is interesting to me. I myself have done much growing up in my last 6 years here at STP. Perhaps this is a natural maturing & growing to bigger & better things without the inherent mod stresses? Perhaps, not being a mod would be just enough to step back & try to appreciate STP again.
After, your years there must be somethings that you care about here or posting an exit thread wouldn't have been done. I have not become friends with @MolotovMocktail in his tenure but also feel that mods get so consumed with modding that they loose some of the pure interest in participating with us elder commoners. For myself' I like donating cash or buying merch and mostly lurking in the background now. Occasionally topics get discussed where I feel I can contribute something of value. Nobody wants to hear all of my opinions in most threads & to be honest I got tired of responding to the same redundant threads.
That being said, I feel making a public gripe is therapeutic to the overall health of the site for all & a good way for users to get closure if they are okay with the finality of it. There is an art to saying what you mean without being mean & it is even harder online. I feel @MolotovMocktail communicates The mods tend to be democratic & always be involved behind the scenes. Cliques develop and there is a long tradition of former mods not existing here after there mod duties. I wish there could be more attrition of former mods who morph back into just regular users. Most get upset & give a big FU to the rules instigating a ban by making angry public grievances or quit all together. I feel that this thread by @MolotovMocktail was genuine and made out of his years of frustration/resentment. I do not read it as he violating a personal friendship by going public, more an invitation to vent & possibly salvage his connection to the forum & existing friendships.
With time and experience comes wisdom. I have never got close (as friends) but I have been around as a mod/user for 12+ years (with this account). Rarely have I witnessed @Matt Derrick to be very approachable or receptive of any form of public criticism. I think that Matt routinely seems personally attacked & defensive of certain critiques of his creation. Please, Matt; know that I am not trying to attack you here.
Where & how do us misfit users, mods & admins go to bitch about legitimate or illegitimate gripes on our community forum than on the forum? Would an anonymous gripe section that is not linked to a users account be as beneficial to communicate better without emotion?
