I debated just attaching to one of the many open threads on this but decided - HEY, THEY ALL STARTED ONE, I SHOULD TOO. Seriously though, I wanted to make sure it didn't get lost.
Recently we closed a thread that had been open for years. There was always an unwritten caution on that thread indicating the pictures inside it may not be appropriate. I understood that and a handful of the moderators understood that. I stopped viewing it and I know others did as well. We have a system whereby items can be reported and it was used plenty for that thread. That's how we chose to deal with it then, again unwritten or discussed. Now, after getting a PM from someone on the site asking us to revisit the appropriate nature of the thread in whole, we discussed it. Those that got a chance a vote agreed that its time should probably be over and that it had degraded if it didn't start that way initially anyway. If anything is true, we know there is no one line when it comes to what is appropriate or inappropriate when we talk about each of us as an individual.
There are days when I wonder whether it is worth it. I know the site is a community though and that's the struggle. Some people really enjoy it and I have to assume that is many versus the few. The site has lost some of the most active users many times over the 16+ years. I think it's a natural thing and, as someone said it in one of the 12,342 threads about this, there are cliques established and it might be difficult to get in to the community. I hope that isn't the case but I believe, in some ways, that is the case. Everyone thinks any new name is an alt. Perhaps that too is the case but I know there are probably thousands that view the site and never post nor have an account. I would hope that if any of them decided today was the day, that we'd welcome them.
Yes, I asked for this site to be family friendly since day one. Yes, the lines are NOT clear. But when a thread degrades and people push the limits, the moderators took action. I thank them for that. They do a thankless job and it is obvious I'm not around as much as most of them. I'm sorry for that and I'll see if I can change that because, after all, it is my edict for family friendly I suppose.
Is it wrong of me to want a more friendly and open community? I don't know. Perhaps when I look at other communities where people can get away with anything and only get banned for hating on the team/topic or via a unilateral decision by the owner that that is the better way to go. I think I've only done that once, and you're welcome Trout. Seriously though, I don't have all the answers. I know what has seemed to work and that there are many that visit the site from work or in front of their children. I know my children don't visit the site but, if they did, I would hope they see that there are values here that coincide with how I'd like them to be as individuals. I've said it before, I love this community and what it has become. I am grateful that so many of you waste (yes, I said waste) so much time on here and have built true friendships with each other as a result of this community. I don't want to see that change but there are times when I question it. I've had offers for the site, even as recently as a week ago. They aren't near the value I place on this thing and I always wonder what that would mean to the community if I accepted any of them. Maybe it would be ten times better and I should take my ball and go home and let it happen. I've always wanted to focus on a good experience for all of you. This went beyond the family friendly thing with limited ads and specifically ads that didn't take over the entire screen or play obnoxious audio and the like. A few of you may remember when we broke off from RealGM in part because of this. JazzFanz won't be around forever and it is constantly changing. I just hope its for the better.
I ask that you voice your dissatisfaction as you have been but have respect for the person listening. That holds true for the moderation team first, and the community as a whole second. We listen. I listen. If you have a better way, lets talk. But before you decide just removing the profanity filter and allowing anything to reign on here, take a look at other communities and decide if that's what you want. If it is, fine. We'll go that direction. But I need your help to convince me of that first. I've heard/read the opinion of a few but feel free to send me a PM or something and lets discuss it more. The world isn't what it was even 16 years ago I know but I know some things still aren't allowed on network television and I've seen other communities and want better for us.
Thank you for coming here. Thank you for participating. If you don't have an account, create one and tell me why you didn't create one prior or use the Contact Us. If you have an account and 100,000 posts but really want the option to post porn, tell me that too. In the end, I should be one under fire -- not colton, Stoked, Mo, Bronco, ONE LOVE, Spazz, kicky, Rev, bigb (yeah, we still love you), and Nate. In addition, none of you should be under fire either for voicing your opinion on one "side" or the other. Gameface is a huge contributor and I've enjoyed reading his posts when I can (except for a few a couple years back). He has opened his home to us, literally!
JazzFanz is what I built and you all are maintaining it. I'm sorry things blew up but lets discuss it in a positive way...
(ok, waiting for the tldr's now)
