brianv wrote:you can enter the thread directly. How did I post here? I'm not a mod or admin!
Me, either, and at this time don't want to be.
Brian - I pondered our exchange from last night about closing the forum.
I decided (contrary to what you likely may be thinking)
that you were absolutely right about closing the forum to instant membership. My analytical problem with that seemingly-harsh solution, from the very beginning, was that it made the few new members who might help the forum's research decide just to move on with their lives. (For example, I don't want to see reichstag go. He's certainly helped me a lot.)
The 'middle ground' of forcing potential members to email Simon their short bio puts up an immediate hurdle, which should get rid of bots and unpaid morons very quickly. We can then more easily deal with paid bad actors.
I also decided you've been right all along on a wider array of admin 'probs', and I should have listened to you from the start. Face it, I've agreed with everything you've said for 3 years about psyops and fakery - why wouldn't I think you also right on these matters?
Brian, I apologize wholeheartedly and without reservation. I'm sorry. (By the way, I immediately voted Yes when I saw the question. I didn't even stop to read the thread.)
Admins - now to a few matters for your attention.
1. Have the Admins consider asking for additional administrative help? Without knowing anything as to why Nonho and Maat have both 'gone on leave' for such a long period, it might be the case that one of them would gladly choose to resign his current admin duties, so as to better focus on other life responsibilities.
Merely adding a 5th Admin could easily produce too many 'chefs in the kitchen', so to speak - especially if two of them are now gone for an indefinite time.
2. Capchas seem unnecessary as Simon will weed-out the bots immediately.
3. I think it very important to leave this thread open for a few days. Getting cogent thoughts from most of our credible members seems - to me at least - important for the forum's continued credibility. Further, I think it critically important that both Nonho and Maat
post their thoughts here before the thread is closed. Any decision taken without their public comment might easily strike many readers, and especially them, as having been done 'behind their backs'. Not a good result for us, with respect to our public, or internal credibility (such as it is).
If Simon or Hoi has not yet sent each an email, now might be a good time to do so.
Thanks for not locking the thread other than to Admins!