It sure is satisfying to see that my comments are not getting me warned or bitched about… 
Seriously though, some say that when you reach the point that you have become thin-skinned and overly emotional about your job that maybe it is time to step aside.
…offered as constructive advice…
What in the HELL is the matter with you people? This board isn’t here because it has to be here. This board will not be here if you manage to really piss off Mr. Zotti. This is not an unmoderated board(thank ghod!).
Now, if any of you self-rightous yahoos are having trouble with the above statements, just let me know, and I’ll try to re-word the answer using one-syllable words.
Better yet, why don’t you go off and run your own message board. If you manage to pay for it, keep it running, and not piss-off a certain percentage of people, get back to us, o.k.? This atheist wouldn’t mind seeing his first authentic miracle.
Eagles may soar free and proud, but weasels never get sucked into jet engines.
So what are you saying slythe? That if we piss off Joe Torre that we run the risk that he will disband the Yankees?
No Krispy.
I’m saying that you are a malcontent who never misses an opportunity to backstab the people who bust their asses trying to keep this board running. I do have a question for you, though. Considering all the fault you find with the way this board is run, why are you here? Also, have you ever found a message board that is run to your liking?
Eagles may soar free and proud, but weasels never get sucked into jet engines.
Sheesh, getting a little personal aren’t you?
I’m bringing up some very valid points here in this thread. Do you want to discuss them or name call?
You know… it’s gonna be fun. Sitting around watching Ed self-destruct. Kicking his customers out the door one at a time or in bunches.
Proving once and for all: “You can take it with you!”
Krispy, you are not here to be constructive. Your thinly-veiled snipe at Mr. Zotti was obvious to all. Now would you mind answering the direct questions I asked you?
Eagles may soar free and proud, but weasels never get sucked into jet engines.
Actually, the third possibility is that we’d like to see Ed not be such an asshole.
Why does no one seem to care that perhaps the world and the SDMB has changed a bit since those free spirited AOL days? The Chicago Reader is nice enough to host this place and allow Ed to use a good deal of discretion in administrating it. In return Ed has to keep this message board from becoming a liability to the Reader. He doesn’t seem like the sort of person who wnats to rule this place with an iron fist, but he does have to keep some sort of order.
It certainly can’t make his job any easier when people who disagree with his policies personally insult him and make wild accusations about his motives. If you have complaints, it’s not too much to ask that you do so without making a pest of yourself. Have some respect.
And since this is the Pit, Goldie why don’t you just go get bent. You only post to criticize the administration. You are beyond worthless and your opinions mean nothing to anybody here.
Hey Zotti, just why did you post that message? Doesn’t sound like something “just to share”
Highlander, at 39 posts, is, of course, one of the guidelight posters on this board.
Why do you even bother, pal?
Thank you, Melin’s husband.
And while we’re at it, thank you Pundit, MajorMd’s husband. Nice to see some unbiased views around here.
your humble TubaDiva
Of course, given that my wife was a bit more prolific during her stay here, and that her posts often incorporated both her thoughts and mine, there wasn’t really much need for me to post more than lurk. No point in posting “me toos.” I was on the old board, I’ve been on the new board since the beginning. I’ve got as much of a stake in it as anybody. I’m sick of Ed’s mildewed vituperation at the expense of “his” customers, changing the character and spirit of the board. And not for the better.
And if I’m such a nobody, why do you even bother responding to me?
Hey, just because Highlander’s got only 39 posts doesn’t mean that his guidance isn’t essential to this board. I for one would be lost without him.
If Ed’s going to self-destruct, it’ll be because of assholes who believe that they are “endowed by [their] creator with certain inalienable rights, and that among these rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but above all the right to say whatever they want on the SDMB.” If we can all accept that there will only be an SDMB if there are rules, and that those rules, however annoying, only exist to make this place viable, I think we can all keep this place alive.
Jenny, it doesn’t take a bias to call them as I see them.
And your view is unbiased, I suppose?
What surprises me sometimes is the number of people who believe that they are so popular that their leaving will cause a hugh walkout.
Ain’t gonna happen. Know why? Because, dispite any personal problems, real or imagined, this is still one of the best message boards on the net. Take a long look at the number of people registered to this board-over 5000. If a few people have their feelings hurt and leave in a self-rightous huff, there are a few hundred waiting to fill in the gap.
Translation: If you leave this board, you may or may not be missed. If Ed Zotti decides to throw in the towel on this board, and it shuts down, you are going to have more pissed-off people than you can possibly imagine.
This is called A Sense Of Perspective, something most people learn before they reach adulthood.
Eagles may soar free and proud, but weasels never get sucked into jet engines.
slythe, I like some things about this board and I also dislike some things about it. I could say the same thing about a hundred other tangible things including our country.
That does not however mean that I forfeit my free will to partake of them.
You know, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if a subscriber of the LA Times (for example) does not like or agree with the content or actions of it’s product, then they sometimes take the opportunity to voice their displeasure, criticisms, or advice. Often, a company like the LA Times will publish those comments for all to see. That’s a brave and admirable thing to do. It demonstrates confidence in their organization and an appreciation and acceptance of customer feedback.
Wouldn’t be all be shocked if we learned that a sports columnist at the LA Times was able to get the subscription of a customer cancelled due to the customer’s scathing comments in a published letter to the editor?
Would it be permissible for the sports columnist to decide to permanently shut down the sports section of the paper because he (by his own admission) is getting “thin-skinned” over criticism?
slythe, I’ve now provided you (or anyone else) with additional valid discussion points. I put forth an offer to discuss any of the points I’ve raised in this thread without personal insults. Any takers?
Ed, it is obvious the neurosyphilis has progressed to megalomania. I hope you can live with the results.
Beatle:
You do know I have been posting longer than Majormd? I am sorry that I am like the majority of people that read this board and only post when they have something to contribute, as opposed to you that posts whenever you see something to rant at. I introduced her to this MB and got her to post here. I have never said I was leaving, I don’t intend to leave until Ed gets so holier-than-thou that he bans me. I don’t think I am fucking it up for the rest or you, I think I am saying LOUDLY that “refusal to cooperate with board moderators,” which (Ed) broadly construe(s) to mean "mouthing off to (him) (which is NOT in the rules for posters) is Draconian. I will speak up (until I am banned) whenever I see bullshit like this.
from another of the great unbiased admins:
I have never, nor has majormd (Sue) ever tried to hide the fact we are married. Jenny, you and I have had enough e-mail conversations to know that I ain’t gonna hide behind anonymity. I don’t recall Majormd being named here, why the Hell are you? I guess you can’t have an agenda too.
“You can be smart or pleasant. For years I was smart.
I recommend pleasant.”
Elwood P. Dowd
Since we’re here in the Pit now: What the fuck are you people thinking?
A few weeks ago we had a bit of a flap in which a major issue was the liability that the Chicago Reader could be subject to because of this board. As part of that flap, Ed and the gang tightened down on the rules a bit, asking people not to be gratuitously insulting (in my mind, a subset of the “don’t be a jerk rule”).
A few weeks later Ed’s boss sends him an article about another board that was shut down. He passes the info along to us, saying:
My reaction to this was that Ed was passing the information to us because (1) it would help diminish some ignorance about what is going on in the publishing world regarding message boards, (2) it would show that the board administrators are justified in taking a somewhat hard line on problems before they get out of hand, and (3) the Chicago Reader management is concerned about what could happen if problems on the board were to get out of hand. It did not say that anybody thought there were currently any problems or that the Chicago Reader was about to shut the board down. In fact, the posting of a survey to get information for advertisers and Ed’s comment about the high response rate from the survey shows that the Chicago Reader is trying to make the SDMB into a profitable enterprise, not shut it down.
What I don’t get is why a gentle “remember children, play nice” reminder like this sets people off. It’s not like Ed’s the enemy of the board. He runs the damn thing, in addition to his other duties. I’m sure that shutting it down would cut down on a lot of the crap that he has to deal with. But no, it’s pretty clear that he’s trying to make rules that will protect the long-term viability of the board.
Yes Ed becomes a little testy when people get directly in his face, but who the fuck doesn’t. Consider, however, his respons: he gives a warning. He doesn’t go banning people indiscriminately.
If every poster isn’t allowed to post everything they want, well tough luck on them. It’s the moderators and the administrators that keep this place from being overrun by the trolls and the jerks. I, for one, applaud them for their efforts.
It’s not like we have a lot of rules here, or anybody’s ability to express displeasure with the board management here is being cut off. Just don’t say it like a jerk.
Actually, the potential liability issue wasn’t over anything that happened on this board. It was based on things that SD staff said in another forum entirely. Probably the best way to prevent such a thing from happening isn’t by excluding the victim who complained about it, but by admonishing the staff people who instigated it.
At any rate, I sure don’t read Ed’s original post as a “gentle reminder,” and it seems that I wasn’t alone in that interpretation. The Reader might do well to invest in a public relations consultant.