Hey JJ, and thank you for the kind words. They are much appreciated. I'd also like to thank you for speaking your mind with regard to the overall tone and vibe on the board over the past few months, as it provides me with an opportunity to address what I'm sure many other members have also been thinking and feeling. With that said, and without pointing any fingers or placing blame on anyone, the reality is that for the safety and security of all members, and to create a structure that would allow the board to grow and still be properly managed long term, admin took the step of creating a moderator team a few months ago, which was, in my opinion, a wise move that's to be applauded. For a variety of reasons, personal and otherwise, a few adjustments have been necessary where the team is concerned since its creation. As with any team building exercise, the position sometimes proves to not be a good fit for someone personally, and they choose to depart. Other times, personal styles and approaches conflict, or ultimately prove to be a bad fit at that particular point in time, given current needs. We've experienced both of those situations over the past few months, and unfortunately, there have been some unintended consequences to these "growing pains". The loss of some members is obviously one of those consequences, but while unfortunate, the more significant consequence was a negative shift in the board's vibe and overall tone, whereby many members began to feel intimidated and afraid to post anything remotely negative or contrary to the viewpoints of the higher ranking members. Again, I don't want to point fingers, but in fairness to our members, I feel compelled to say that they had every right to feel that way. While I'm a strong proponent of online discretion and security, the simple reality is that if those in a position of authority run around beating people over the head with a baseball bat and belittling them every time they make an error in judgment in a post or state something that runs contrary to their own beliefs, people will stop participating, period. That style will certainly yield a secure board indeed, as you won't have any security concerns if you don't have any participating members. It's really just that simple, although that truth can be easily lost when emotions are running high.
Anyway, the good news is that adjustments have been made by admin, with the support of the rest of the Mod Squad and some of the senior most members, and we now have what I feel is a wonderful group of moderators who all truly care about all of our members, and who are 100% committed to helping them in any way possible, and to seeing DBG continue to grow and succeed. I'd just like to take this opportunity to encourage any members who might read this post, and who might have stopped participating of late, to jump back in and get involved. I'm confident that you'll find the waters of DBG to be clean, clear and refreshing as compared to what you may have experienced over the past few months. Also know that there is no need for fear, because the Wookie is here!
I hope that the above properly addresses your questions and concerns, and that it will serve as an encouragement to our members that the DBG you've come to know and love is back and better than ever.
Once again, thank you for posting your questions and observations. It's honest, direct, civil discourse such as this that we need in order to build and maintain lasting bonds as a community. Well done!
Jewy