Now that things seem to have calmed down a little bit...

[Skinner]

...we think we should give you our perspective on recent events.

The last couple days have been rough. In fact, the whole week has been stressful for many of us. There has been a lot going on here in the Lounge, and in the other forums, and I think we're probably all emotionally drained right now. I know I am.

In the General Discussion forum, we've all been worrying about Andy Stephenson. There were some very unfortunate allegations which I won't repeat here. I hope you'll agree that we dealt with the challenge effectively, and provided some much-needed stability and leadership.

In the General Discussion: Politics forum, we have been hosting discussions in an effort to build trust among entrenched partisans. We have a long way to go in there, but I think we're on the right track, and I'm proud of what we're trying to do.

Obviously, our stewardship of the Lounge has not been quite so successful this week. I think that certain situations could have been handled more delicately. But I want to be clear: We were fully justified in the choices we made, and we stand by them. We made some miscalculations in the implementation, but the actions themselves were correct. We do not expect everyone to agree with us. We know that being in charge means that we frequently have to do things that people do not like. We still make these choices, even though we know when they are likely to cause a shit storm on the website.

Understandably, some of you want a public accounting. You want us to lay it all out for the world, so you can all decide whether our actions were justified or not. I am sorry, but on a huge website like this, things cannot possibly work this way. Allowing the members to debate and second guess and sign-off on everything we do would ensure that nothing ever gets done.

What you need to understand is this: We do not take big decisions lightly. We consider *all sides* of every situation we face. We have a group of smart and fair moderators, who provide their advice and consent on all the big stuff we do. And most of the mods are not shy about sharing their opinions, even if those opinions are unpopular. They are our sounding board, and sometimes they are our backbone. And unlike all of you, they do know the whole story. They see all the deleted posts, all the alerts, all the snarky emails and private messages to admin, and only they see the entire context of everyone's behavior. It is their job to look at the whole picture, and it is their responsibility to be fair. Right now, everything they are telling me indicates that they are firm and united in their support.

If you do not have the guts to shut off someone you genuinely like, then you have no business being an administrator or moderator of a website like this. If you do not have the self-control and fairness to let someone remain a member of this website, even if you personally cannot stand that person, then you have no business being an administrator or moderator of a website like this. And if you do not have the guts to stick to your guns, even as a bunch of people rip you a new one and demand satisfaction, then you have no business being an administrator or moderator of a website like this.

We understand why people are upset. We really do. We are doing the best that we can to respect that, and to avoid making any poorly-considered ultimatums or threats that could escalate the situation. We have the sense to know if we did do such a thing there would likely be a bloodbath. The group dynamic in the Lounge right now is such that any ultimatum I made would be an open invitation for martyrdom. I'm sure there are dozens of people who would jump at the chance. We are not foolish. We have no desire to escalate.

But we also quietly, humbly, and steadfastly decline to undo the actions we have taken. They were done in good faith. A few months back we offered you all the opportunity to pass the reigns of moderation to the membership, and the overwhelming majority of you declined. Believe me, I would give anything to be relieved of the burden of responsibility. But you chose to keep that responsibility with me, and I am exercising it in the only way I know how.

This website is not perfect, and the way we run it is not perfect. We know as well as anyone here our own problems and shortcomings. There will be plenty of opportunity for us to discuss changes that you all think are necessary. Now that the ATA forum is gone, the admins have felt that we can actually lighten up on some of the rules and enforcement. We've been having that discussion with the moderators, and we have been dropping occasional hints to the members. We fully intend to open the discussion up to the general DU membership.

We also intend to facilitate a discussion about group dynamics and feelings of exclusion in the DU Lounge. If the flood of emails and private messages are to be believed, there are plenty of people here who do not feel welcome here. I would not characterize any of these messages as coming from problem people. When you roll your eyes and ridicule those concerns, you are only serving to alienate them even more.

I have said my piece. The moderators are still on duty, but now I'm going to get off of DU for the weekend. I suggest that many of you do the same. Go for a walk. Smell the flowers. Hug your kids. If you stay on DU, I hope you will feel free to share your thoughts in this thread. If you still need to rant, I would prefer you to do it in my other thread, which is still open.

Thank you for listening.

Skinner
DU Admin