So to recap: Most people came to Wordforge because they opposed the favoritism, and nanny-state meddling of the moderators at TBBS. Gul came here because he didn't think the moderators at TBBS were doing enough nanny-state partisan meddling.
Remember, according to John, the goal of Wordforge should be to "thrive" like TBBS. TBBS has more members, more traffic. That's about all you can say that TBBS has over Wordforge. Because no way in hell would I ever subject myself to their bizarro world bullshit ever again.
Ok, you all are missing the big picture, which is natural considering your feelings for this place. Some of what I am about to say is going to hurt, but that is not because of me so listen up. I can see these things because I am an outsider. Your wordforge contains a large bit of nostalgia and your reputation. That is very valuable to you, but it means nothing to people who do not have these things. The purpose of wordforge has either run its course or has been established by the next generation of trek bbs people. Either way you are not getting any more users because no one cares about the stuff that went on like you do. This leaves you with a few choices. The first one is a slow burn out. No one new is coming because they want their own drama and not to be caught up in stories of then good old days. Random newbies are just going to blow by this place as there is nothing here that interests them. Eventually the board will loose its members and die out. Basically this is hanging out here until here is no more. The second option is to repurpose wordforge into its own space. This involves archiving all the old nostalgia and giving the board it's own mission that does not involve the old trek bbs drama. This way you could try to bring in New people and new discussions. However you will have to respect their presence because no one wants a bunch of oldbies getting in the way of their grandstanding and flamebaiting. The third option is to try to repurpose wordforge and skim some posters from the membership. In this case you can keep some of the nostalgia and history, but you are going to have to deal with new people and not oldbie them away. You have a lot of pride in your past. Most people are just going to find someplace else if they see a tight knit group.
Wordforge has a purpose? I thought it was a virtual bar where everyone needs more to drink. Its only purpose is to discuss views on topics that would be taboo other places. gturner created too much noise that prevented some discussion but he did have some quality input. The amount of noise surrounding his banning is far greater than what he made on his own. Please let him back so we can get on with the show.
Tererun isn't off target in much of that post frankly. I myself have said many times that this is an insular community, an unwelcoming on, a harsh one and one that is dying a gradual death, for the simple reason we are ageing and not being replaced. I would, however, disagree with the talk of nostalgia and reputation. Tererun's status as self appointed expert of the internet is still lacking the true heartbeat of this place. Nobody gives a shit about reputation, and while there is nostalgia for some, it is not nearly as important as he makes out. It's sad that, despite having had it explained to him, he doesn't understand why this board was founded and he doesn't understand that 80% of the people who post now are people who helped kick start it. Some might talk of the good old days, but for me it's just a case of remembering why we all came here in the first place and how, for the most part, the rules have been an important cornerstone of the community throughout. If Wordforge is to have any future does it need to change? Maybe. But then if you change it too much it becomes Wordforge in name only. So really it boils down to a case of what is the best way to kill of WF as it is now? Change it to the extent you drive off more original members, or just let it run it's course? The former is only worth doing if you can get new members who stick around, and even then you'd need to hope they don't fundamentally change the place beyond recognition.
There are only certain personality types that will "get" Wordforge. And those folks are few & far between. The goal of Wordforge shouldn't be to find new RR participants. The goal should be to build up the rest of the board and be creative in what is offered. In this sense John is right, we need to be more like TBBS, only without the bizarro world rules & arbitrary moderation. The problem with Wordforge isn't that the acerbic nature of the RR scares off people. The problem is that there's little else that Wordforge has to offer beyond the RR. Media Central is the next most frequented forum (at least it used to be), but it lacks consistent traffic and the topics aren't organized in a user-friendly manner. It's always a mish-mash. And now, unfortunately, the guy who used to provide most of the good content in MC, Paladin, has left.
