Well, Again, I thought this thread would be about ME!

ROFL  For some reason I missed that line the 1st time I read your message.  So glad Cassandra B brought it up, lol!

Just out of curiosity, how long is the trial period for the feature going to last?

I have no idea, sorry.

Sorry for the delay in answering, but I had to run off to hang at my kid's school for a while...

The feedback I've received concerning the karma feature has cut both ways.  Some find it amusing while others are skeptical about it, and like Bob a few others have requested we take it down.  I can't speak for the creator of the karma mod except that he has said (see threads on the karma feature in Testing 1, 2, 3) it was created for fun.  I've seen far too numerous incidents of posters attacking each other using words and of course we never condone that, yet while I recognize that the karma feature has inspired strong feelings in some I still contend that it shouldn't be taken too seriously and merely allows some posters to give comments a thumbs up or a thumbs down.  [Smite] is just a link that posters can push and there's no intent for it to compare to the harsh words some internet posters occasionally like to sling at each other on the many DS venues.  My feeling is that the words used against each other are very powerful and far more damaging than any YaBB mod can ever be.  On the subject of words, if your problem is with the term "smite", I thought it was amusing but it can be changed, just please don't ask that we do it right now or send suggestions for us to consider cuz we're swamped with requests and questions regarding this new version.

I hear you, Cassandra Blair, and you're not the only person that has said it at one time or another, but I honestly don't understand the feeling that the forums are a bit clannish.  Everyone is welcome [within the sole limitation of bandwidth, argh!], posting is always encouraged, the guidelines are enforced across the board, and I don't know of any incident of a group ganging up on any individual.  I sincerely hope no one is smiting because they dislike or have an axe to grind with any one person.

Thank you for your feedback, and please understand that all MB, Dom and I are asking is that the feature be given a chance.

By the way......I just looked in the "help" section for emoticons.  I only saw the one list.  Are there not any others?   

Temporarily, no.

ROFL, Ringo!

Oh my God.  I never in a million years intended to suggest that a person's safety is in jeopardy at a Fest.  It would be the furthest thing from my mind.  That news story awhile back?  Actually, I'd forgotten about it.  Kidding around about "kooky" or "nutty" fans was just that.  Nothing more.  I have a tendency to poke fun -- at DS (which I adore), at people I like, at fans, AND at myself.  A comparison between Mid-east terrorists (who aren't worth thinking about, in my opinion) and DS fans is so blatantly absurd that I really don't know what to say.  I've always been of the opinion that the people on this board are more intelligent than that.  I'm not going to post on here for awhile.  I get the message.  LOL
Maybe I don't belong here.  (Thunderous applause from the smite crowd).

-CLC

Not trying to get the last word, honest, but I feel you're misreading my message and the intent behind it.  Regardless of whether you think my reasons were absurd for thinking you had gone too far, your comment was made during a discussion that began with a question about whether or not anyone is hesitant to attend the fest for safety reasons.  And I did not say a word about your calling DS fans nutty; all I asked of you was to be mindful of characterizing DS fans as worse than what you referred to as "Middle-East fanatics", and I don't believe that was an unreasonable request.  I certainly never asked you to leave or stop posting.

It's no secret that this is a moderated forum with rules that everyone is asked to read, and it's run by 3 people that are here to work.  Making the statement you did will most likely get you attacked on some unmoderated DS forums, but here it's the moderators' job to help keep the discussions running as smoothly as possible, and if you feel I was being harsh above then I ask you to consider what it's like to walk a mile in our shoes.  The moderators constantly interpret the rules as fairly as we can and try to anticipate problems so they can be dealt with quickly, and believe me, we didn't volunteer for the job to win popularity (wouldn't THAT have been a disappointment?!), the decisions we make aren't personal, and we don't play favorites.  If you didn't feel your comment was inflammatory or offensive, that it might invite others to attack you, or that it might be misinterpreted, then I concede that we don't see eye to eye on it, but my mailbox tells me that I'm not alone in feeling about it as I did and you'll just have to take my word that I've seen fights start in similar situations.  But if anyone feels that it isn't to their liking to have someone suggest that they've gone too far with a comment, then perhaps a moderated forum isn't the place for them.  I don't want you to leave, but I feel everyone has to do what's right for them.

Now, as to the subject of smiting, here's a bit of advice for what it's worth:  In the other forums I visit to read about the various features, it's fairly universal that it's never a good idea to publicly obsess about being smited because it will come back at you.  I'm not talking about the karmic powers of the universe-- I'm talking about an unspoken rule among internet users that you'll get many smites from simply saying there will be many smites.

Take care, and God/dess bless,
M.

Middle-East fanatics?  HA!  Mere child's play compared to DS fandom.

 

I realize you're joking about DS fans being far worse than Middle Eastern fanatics, but please keep in mind that not all readers may realize it or find it amusing, and that arguments have begun among fans over less derogatory characterizations.  There'll soon be an influx here of DS fest newbies that aren't familiar with your sense of humor, and this in light of the recent story about a single incident of violence whose DS angle was played to the hilt by the news organizations.  Most fest vets can tell stories about the DS fans they've encountered that are fanatical about the show.  But I feel that declaring them to be worse than a group with a history of terrorism is offensive, and that the suggestion, even made in jest, that a person's personal safety is any more in jeopardy at a DS Fest than it is anywhere else is inflammatory.

Well, I for one, have a complaint.  I was going to applaud my mom and try to give her self-esteem a boost, but I see that I don't have that option!  Is it because of my post count?

You have to become a full poster before you can use the Karma feature.