What this place is and what it means to you.

[Sapphire]

Hey everyone,


Those of you who've known me since I began this site will know that I've put thousands of hours of my life into making it a fun place for BW fans to gather and discuss. It is currently the largest (and one of the only surviving) purely Beast Wars sites out there. It took a lot of time and dedication from myself and my team of helpers to keep it going and improving over five years. But not only that, it took a lot of time, energy and enthusiasm from you, the fans, to keep it going. Without that, there really is no point in keeping it up, is there?

Because that nasty thing called Real Life gets in the way and weighs you down, I've decided to take a sabbatical from the site. I needed time away to deal with my own RL issues and to recharge because the site was beginning to tax me and I didn't want something I loved to become a chore. So I took some time away, hoping that it would do all right in my absence, which up until recently it has.

It greatly saddens me to come back to chaos on our usually pleasant little forums. This place is, primarily, a place for fans of all ages and all backgrounds to come and have fun discussing BEAST WARS - the cartoon show we all love. That is its primary function. I don't mind people using the general section or rant section to discuss other things, as long as they keep within the simple set of rules I laid down to help this place run smoothly, and as long as they keep within the tone and context of what this forum is. I have been to many message boards and I have seen some fantastic places get torn down due to a lack of moderation, over-moderation and forum mutiny. Watching something good fall to pieces because of such reasons is very upsetting and disappointing and I prayed nothing like that would ever beset the place I built out of love.

I am not an unfair person. In fact, one of my major criticisms that I get time and time again is that I'm TOO NICE and too forgiving, to the point I let myself get walked all over on occasion. Which, I suppose, doesn't make me the ideal person to run a forum, even though I have a long history of being a part of one. However, that is why I chose very good, trusted people to assist me. I believe in them and I believe in their decision making. If at any point they made a decision which I disagreed with when it came to the running of this site and the forum, I would make it known and we would deal with it. And it works both ways - I expect them to tell me if I am being unfair or making bad choices. At the end of the day, though, because this is my website, it's up to me to do with it what I will. The forums are a place I've given you to have a say, meet other fans and enjoy yourself. But because of human nature, there have GOT to be rules to govern it otherwise it will fall apart. Just like when you join a club or a sport you have rules which you may/may not like, once you join up you have agreed to follow those rules. I think it was Everblue who mentioned this and I support his statement: when you join a forum and, presumably, read its rules, you are signing what is essentially a social contract to obey those rules not only for your own good but for the good of the community. Everyone has to obey rules, be they laws set down by your government, school rules or club rules. If you have a CHOICE in the matter about what you join, then you can turn down a forum that has rules you don't agree with, to prevent trouble from the get-go.

Miss Special helped me out in that she physically set up this forum and has done most of the grunt work in running it/updating its settings etcetera while I oversee it because the site's a big enough task for me to run without having to fuss every day over the forum as well. I let her do this because she has worked with me for the past few years and has proven her loyalty to this place and that she is an intelligent and diplomatic person. If she wasn't, even though she is my best friend, I would not have given her the power she has. I clearly stated in the rules that if any of you had a problem with what she or the other moderators did, all you had to do was take it up with them in a PM or, if that didn't resolve matters, talk to me. If you don't like that set-up, then TOUGH. This obviously isn't going to be the place for you.

Forums attract all types with all kinds of opinions and personalities, I know. It's difficult to create a system that pleases everybody, in fact, it's impossible. Which is why part of a forum's success and continued existence relies on its members making a few compromises here and there for the greater good of the community. If everyone was allowed to post whatever the heck they liked, inciting flame wars and upsetting people, the place would fall apart. That's just the way it is, so to prevent that, we have to govern and oversee things. The Internet is NOT real life and it's important people realize that.

In conclusion, I want to state that if anyone here feels they need to talk about what happened in this forum recently and voice some concerns, then you can talk to me. I'm all ears. I'll do whatever I can to address issues that are upsetting people but at the end of the day I will have to reach a decision that will be for the benefit not of an individual but for EVERYONE here and so long as you know that before you contact me, there shouldn't be any problems.

[Jagna]

can i just say, Sapphire that i'm sorry you had to come back to such mayhem...but it's good to have you back.

hopefully we wont need to worry about the forum 'falling apart. you and Miss S and all the mods have kept this up and running for 5 years now? and i have a felling those guys wont let this place go without a fight. i wont. i have said at least twice before, this is a haven you have created for us, and i for one will keep coming back for more. heck, im on here twice a day when i can, especially since iv got exams on...here i can take my mind off things and onto BW. thanks agen!

just a quick word...sorry if any of my contribution (or anyone elses) added any unwanted drama...just wanted to express opinions n all...

i honestly dont know too much about forum life, but wasnt this bound to happen sooner or later? like you said it dosnt happen often. i mean theres one in every family, so they say... i consider this place my family... i love you guys (whom iv never ever met before...dont be afraid...plz...)

[Sapphire]

Thank you, Jagna. Your words were kind.

I ask those people who may wish to contact me about recent events do so privately, via PM or email. My email address is: sapphire@bwint.net This isn't is a thread, it is an announcement, so no further replies are needed here. Thank you.