All good things...

Well, it's probably no big secret by now me and some of the other administration have found ourselves on opposite sides of the playground. This has actually been coming for a very long time, and for a great many reasons.

The saddest thing is that I expected being an administrator around here would give me some purpose in this little internet world. I honestly love this place, and have since the first day I registered. I will also tell you that being a moderator, then Admin was one of the most enjoyable experiences I've had not out of vanity, but because I believe I helped contribute to this place at the highest level possible. We all have a distinctly different style, no doubt there. You can look into the Suggestions forum and see that, because there are so many different complaints.

Despite what the common troll tells you, Moderators and Administrators do care about this place and work to it's mutual advantage for all the members. Of course someone always complains about abuse of power, but I think all things considered all available evidence comes up short of conviction. Sometimes people don't seem to understand we only make people moderators that we trust in ability to do the job. We also trust them to learn from mistakes. Risk of being labeled 'mod abuse of power' is part of the job and learning experience. In effect makes an excellent Moderator in the end.

When you have a bulletin board this size, you have problems though. Complaints about abuse of power is a given with several thousand members. Members don't always read the rules and get knocked on their ass.. Rightfully so because they didn't read the policy to begin with, but not every fly by night member would anyway. Unfortunately ignorance is no excuse.

In my opinion, you have to work with the circumstances though. Trolling... What is that anyway?

Not very specific is it? Actually it's not supposed to be, and that makes for a wide birth in how warnings are given out. See, I can tell someone they're silly and more or less that's trolling. But, you can also question how legitimate someone is in addition to whom their mother slept with, and that's trolling.

I think trolling has a few keys, one of those intricate parts is the fact everyone finds the post/thread disturbing... Or, everyone knows the troll is trolling>. One possible case is this person is registering alternate usernames, while he's banned, posting under them, attacking the very mods/admins that carried the action out according to policy.

There are two things that really get under my skin above all else.. Spamming, and alternate usernames.

One of the severe problems on this board recently is the fact we have several people posting under alternate usernames while banned and trolling the staff. This IMO is unacceptable.

I've been pretty severe in delivering bans which I think is in the best concerns of the board membership, and have had some flak about it from above more than below.

Unfortunately, me and Christian disagree on the best interests for this place, and have reached an impass. I think we need to seriously redefine policy, and the way this place is ran. I also thing we need to implement IP logging as well as hold a authorization procedure where every new registration has to be approved by an Administrator.

Some things just will not get done though, and for those reasons and out of respect for my friends and staff I've worked with for so very long.... I am requirement to tell everyone, I respectfully resign as my position as an Administrator and Moderator of the Trek BBS.

There are other factors here too such as I've found it very difficult to remain an unbiased Admin after the terrorist activities of 9/11/2001. I've also had several close net friends leave such as Defiant. I've found I can't visit many of the Trek topic forums because they're littered with spoilers of Enterprise, which for the first time since TNG, I'm not spoiling myself on.

I've been on my way out for months when I actually realized what my wife (iDEA) figured out long ago... You can't bring order to chaos when your hands are ties. Main reason I didn't resign earlier is I feared LizardLaugh to be bombarded with the extra work. She's a very good person that has her own life, and shouldn't have to worry about this place all the time anyway. So please, Lisa and Christian, give her some help, or find another admin to help as well.

I'm not necessarily leaving the board, but I feel I'll be leaving some friends behind, mostly in the BR. My advice to the mods.. Do the best you can, follow policy and remember, this place is for the members...

I also want to make it very clear that their are no hard feelings between me and Christian. I still consider him a friend and despite the fact we don't agree, we'll remain friends.

Guess there is gonna be a Vice Admiral after all..

All Good Things must come to an end.



------------------

• <A HREF="http://www.theonion.com/onion3734/hijackers_surprised.html" TARGET=_blank>JAHANNEM, OUTER DARKNESS—The hijackers who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon expressed confusion and surprise Monday to find themselves in the lowest plane of Na'ar, Islam's Hell.
  
  According to Hell sources, the 19 eternally damned terrorists have struggled to understand why they have been subjected to soul-withering, infernal torture ever since their Sept. 11 arrival...</A>
  
  DEAverification :P

 

Well, let me be the first to congratulate you on your newfound freedom, DEA... you were a great figure on this board for so long, and we'll miss you. I understand what your feeling though, too bad it ended up with you having to step down though. We'll miss you.

[This message has been edited by GeckoBoy (edited October 08, 2001).]

 

I never saw that coming.
I guess Slarus won after all...

 

I understand Christian's a friend of yours and you want to keep everything civil. So I'll say what you wouldn't.

Without IP tracking this board will steadily go down the tubes, filled to the brim with trolls (Slaruses, mostly). If he can't recognize that... Well there comes a point where if you don't take action to remedy a problem, you deserve what you get.

He knows there's a problem, and he refuses to take action. There's no defending that.

-J

 

No one can blame you for making this choice.

 

You're a great guy, DEA. I think most, if not all of the non-trolls agree with that.

I will be sorry to see you leaving the administration. I admire you for the fact that rather than continuing to challenge the owner of the site, you recognize that this is his house and his rules, and have stepped down.

All in all, they are good rules. But like all things that are subjective, they are subject to opinion. Everyone will have an opinion as to how to make them better. You valued your opinion enough to resign for it. You are to be commended.

You will be missed as an Evil Admin, but it will be nice to have a Vice Admiral.

 

Jeriko speaks for me too.

 

Did you do this to stop our spamming? We love you man!!

 

I can understand completely from where DEA is coming from. This is a huge loss to this BBS; I found DEA to be a more human Admin than anyone else. I hope he still stays on in some capacity or the other maybe as a ordinary member like all of us.
Live long and prosper

 

NOOOOOOooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!

*sobs*

All my hard work is for nothing!!!

How dare you, DEA...just crashing my dreams like that...

*runs off*

(It should be known that the above was my sarcastic remark, and that I am sad to see DEA step down, not because he took my goal away from me, but because I thought he was a great Admin.)

 

You'll be missed.

 

I hope this means we will see your voice (wtf?) more frequently around here, with your duties given to others. I find it funny that I too have steadfastly refused to look at spoilers! I guess as you get older, you don't want the special things in life ruined by too much information.

See you around bud.

 

Sir. <salutes>

 

DEA, you do realize that you've left two women in charge, right?

Let's look on the bright side..There's a spot open for MerloMo.

 

Amen.

DEA,

You have done a fine job. I wish you all of the best with your new found freedom.

 

I just hope all my work isn't in vain.

I certainly hope everyone in charge will remember that we have many excellent members here, and they will keep them in mind as why this place is here to begin with.

I'm actually surprised the troll kingdom people aren't having some kind of party.

------------------

• <A HREF="http://www.theonion.com/onion3734/hijackers_surprised.html" TARGET=_blank>JAHANNEM, OUTER DARKNESS—The hijackers who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon expressed confusion and surprise Monday to find themselves in the lowest plane of Na'ar, Islam's Hell.
  
  According to Hell sources, the 19 eternally damned terrorists have struggled to understand why they have been subjected to soul-withering, infernal torture ever since their Sept. 11 arrival...</A>
  
  DEAverification :P

 

i leave the bbs to go play a game for a hour & the entire bbs goes to hell

 

^ Same thing happened to me.