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Originally Posted by Anchor

Dear Forum Members,

The moderators have been challenged a lot since the site went back to its original format whereby a donation is not required in order to contribute.

The time and energy spent on this is greatly appreciated, may i add though that it was not only moderators that were challenged...challenge is a positive if we learn from it.

During the time the forum was subscription, its character changed. Groups formed up, new unwritten protocols came into being. Some amongst the members were so happy with this construct they took it upon themselves to defend it at all costs – even though there people were not moderators. Sometimes things got ugly – usually these issues all got sorted out peacefully and we all learned.

Love tends to create great passion, and from that comes loyalty...
(excuse me if i take a quote from a movie that i cannot remember the title of..)

Loyalty above everything, except Honor...

Perhaps in our passion to protect, we lost some honor..

Now the forum has opened its doors once more. These old dynamics and rules probably will not work anymore. The moderator team, its numbers enhanced will need to take over as they did before.

This is a positive opportunity because many people never wanted to pay to be able to express themselves in this way and felt that the whole money deal was a mistake. It doesn’t really matter now, it is what it is, and it is in the past.

Some of the moderator team are still on board from those early days. We remember how things went before and during the first transition.

What we must all realise it that this change is upon us again. Some of those little groups – protected in their enclave of co-operation between a broadly-speaking “closed groups” are like sandcastles: things of beauty, but they only last until the tide turns. Some however will survive - built on firmer foundations, cleverly designed and out of reach of those tides – and that will be down to the skill of their founders and contributors.

A good example (one among many) is the healing thread: No-one would have expected any disrespectful or off topic remarks on that thread – its kind of like stealing from a blind beggar. Now veiled accusations of hypocrisy can be made in that thread and they are entirely within the scope of the forum guidelines. If the moderators don’t act on this, then in the eyes of those with whom we enjoyed the peace and harmony of the subscriber model: we are protecting the "bad guys" - but they are not "bad guys" - they are other forum members.

i completely agree that some threads need to be protected more then others.. this is a skill we depend greatly on the moderators to be fair with.

In some cases, the behaviour of the moderators looked like we were rebuking those people who were railing against these changes. As it was so eloquently put by waitinginthewings, we were acting like the prosecution in a rape case – making the victims feel that it was their fault. To those people - it wasn’t your fault – we never meant to say that - I am sorry for my part in creating this impression.

You are not really victims. What happened was change – its here now - cant alter it. Change makes victims of us all if we let it. It is a choice. Everything resolves down to the choices we make and the degree to which we assume responsibility for those choices.

Some will now leave – tired of it all - I got the PM's already. Others won't leave, they will adapt and recognize the huge challenges of trying to keep their focus on harmony, amidst the increased levels of distraction and the changing culture of the site. To those that endure - I am honored to be able to share in this energy with you.


You truly connect with the collective Avalon energy, your post expresse both sides clearly and is filled with love. Thank you.

The norms and structures of that old world are now open to a new and diverse set of views and these are inevitably going to challenge the status quo and character of the forum.

I think it right that this process be allowed to proceed unimpeded.

Please let me know how you feel.

i feel more at peace here now, tho at first i felt threatened i recognized my own involvement and it immediately changed everything...

A..

My two cents...