Prometheus
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2008
- Messages
- 9,472
Well, I think that the time has finally come to say goodbye.
There has unfortunately been a rising tide of certain behaviours around here - particularly this year - that I no longer wish to deal with in what is, in reality, my leisure time. Some of these behaviours have negatively impacted my desire to assist in the Support section, so I am evidently less useful to the community than I once was. Moreover, since I won't be buying a Pandora 2, I just don't see how I can contribute any useful content or share any handy knowledge here in the future.
I do not seek an outcry, attention, or anything like that - indeed, if I did, then I wouldn't have locked this thread upon posting it. This is merely a courtesy note, and I am writing it solely because I am a moderator. If I were a regular member, I would just leave silently and that would be the end of it, but it would be very poor form for a moderator to just disappear forever without a word. I don't want anyone to make a fuss, so please don't - tomorrow is a new day for all of us.
For those few who know that I've been considering this for quite a long time, my departure won't come as a surprise. For everyone else, it will probably appear that I'm leaving just as suddenly as I joined four years, four months, and thirteen days ago - please accept my apologies.
Speaking of which, for the most part, the last four years and four months have definitely been good ones, and I will never forget my time here. It's been an unforgettable experience. The vast majority of you have brightened up my unassuming little life considerably, and for that I will be eternally grateful.
My only regret is that I did not finish my current sewing project (or, indeed, my Mega Man novel) in time to post about it here so that you could all see it. That was one promise that I couldn't keep, and for that I sincerely apologise.
Before I depart, I would like to share the tips that I posted and moderated by, in case anyone should find them useful. Perhaps they can contribute to a peaceful and productive forum in the future.
1: Be polite and honest - there's no excuse not to be. Also, be as clear as possible in what you write, so as to stave off the potential for miscommunication. Rudeness and an inability to clearly communicate your thoughts are a recipe for both disaster, and a dysfunctional community.
2: If someone is behaving in a fashion that's damaging to the community and/or the people in it, stand up and speak out. The fact that not enough people do this is what leads to the proliferation of problems in society, both offline and online, because even if it isn't meant as such, it comes across as a tacit approval of the damaging behaviours.
3: Though it may be tempting to simply tell someone to "RTFM", don't. After all, with a niche like this one, there's every chance that they're new to the field and may not know how to find the information that they're seeking. Put in a bit of effort and help them out - and give them some pointers on how you found what they were looking for, too, so that they can help themselves and others in the future. Even if the person concerned is being hopelessly lazy and probably does deserve an "RTFM", it probably wouldn't hurt to at least give them some search terms or pointers for them to make use of, either, if not for them, then at least for others who might have the same problem in the future.
4: If you're eager to help someone out, but are unable to be 100% sure on the specifics of your advice for whatever reason (for example, due to not having your Pandora yet), be clear about this. People do appreciate honest attempts at helping even if you may be a little off on one or two small things, whereas they don't appreciate bravado and blind insistences that you know what you're doing when you actually don't.
5: Don't abuse the unmarked editing facility here - it's not cool, it's misleading, and people will notice it. People don't appreciate it when unhelpful posts are edited to look like they got there first after helpful ones have appeared, nor do they appreciate posts being surreptitiously changed or added to after someone has responded to them, in order to alter how the responses appear to those following along.
6: Don't be afraid to have your own opinions about things, and certainly don't be afraid to express them. The cute, green-haired, blue-clothed Lemmings of the puzzle games of yore are cute, but those who go with the crowd just for the sake of it, or to try to earn kudos, aren't.
7: Spam is not the way to a healthier heart.
That's all there really is to say.
My departure shouldn't make any difference to things around here, but if it really bothers you, then perhaps you could play a round of your favourite Mega Man game for me, tonight.
If you don't have one, or are new to the series, then I highly recommend one of my favourites: Rockman & Forte (Super Famicom; Just play it in Japanese - none of the translation patches out there, even the good ones, are 100% accurate, and some of them actually change things here and there), Mega Man 7 (SNES), Mega Man X (SNES), Mega Man 2 (NES), Mega Man ZX (DS), and Mega Man ZX Advent (DS).
And with all of that said, it's time to go. I wish all of you nothing but the very best.
For everlasting peace.
--Prometheus
There has unfortunately been a rising tide of certain behaviours around here - particularly this year - that I no longer wish to deal with in what is, in reality, my leisure time. Some of these behaviours have negatively impacted my desire to assist in the Support section, so I am evidently less useful to the community than I once was. Moreover, since I won't be buying a Pandora 2, I just don't see how I can contribute any useful content or share any handy knowledge here in the future.
I do not seek an outcry, attention, or anything like that - indeed, if I did, then I wouldn't have locked this thread upon posting it. This is merely a courtesy note, and I am writing it solely because I am a moderator. If I were a regular member, I would just leave silently and that would be the end of it, but it would be very poor form for a moderator to just disappear forever without a word. I don't want anyone to make a fuss, so please don't - tomorrow is a new day for all of us.
For those few who know that I've been considering this for quite a long time, my departure won't come as a surprise. For everyone else, it will probably appear that I'm leaving just as suddenly as I joined four years, four months, and thirteen days ago - please accept my apologies.
Speaking of which, for the most part, the last four years and four months have definitely been good ones, and I will never forget my time here. It's been an unforgettable experience. The vast majority of you have brightened up my unassuming little life considerably, and for that I will be eternally grateful.
My only regret is that I did not finish my current sewing project (or, indeed, my Mega Man novel) in time to post about it here so that you could all see it. That was one promise that I couldn't keep, and for that I sincerely apologise.
Before I depart, I would like to share the tips that I posted and moderated by, in case anyone should find them useful. Perhaps they can contribute to a peaceful and productive forum in the future.
1: Be polite and honest - there's no excuse not to be. Also, be as clear as possible in what you write, so as to stave off the potential for miscommunication. Rudeness and an inability to clearly communicate your thoughts are a recipe for both disaster, and a dysfunctional community.
2: If someone is behaving in a fashion that's damaging to the community and/or the people in it, stand up and speak out. The fact that not enough people do this is what leads to the proliferation of problems in society, both offline and online, because even if it isn't meant as such, it comes across as a tacit approval of the damaging behaviours.
3: Though it may be tempting to simply tell someone to "RTFM", don't. After all, with a niche like this one, there's every chance that they're new to the field and may not know how to find the information that they're seeking. Put in a bit of effort and help them out - and give them some pointers on how you found what they were looking for, too, so that they can help themselves and others in the future. Even if the person concerned is being hopelessly lazy and probably does deserve an "RTFM", it probably wouldn't hurt to at least give them some search terms or pointers for them to make use of, either, if not for them, then at least for others who might have the same problem in the future.
4: If you're eager to help someone out, but are unable to be 100% sure on the specifics of your advice for whatever reason (for example, due to not having your Pandora yet), be clear about this. People do appreciate honest attempts at helping even if you may be a little off on one or two small things, whereas they don't appreciate bravado and blind insistences that you know what you're doing when you actually don't.
5: Don't abuse the unmarked editing facility here - it's not cool, it's misleading, and people will notice it. People don't appreciate it when unhelpful posts are edited to look like they got there first after helpful ones have appeared, nor do they appreciate posts being surreptitiously changed or added to after someone has responded to them, in order to alter how the responses appear to those following along.
6: Don't be afraid to have your own opinions about things, and certainly don't be afraid to express them. The cute, green-haired, blue-clothed Lemmings of the puzzle games of yore are cute, but those who go with the crowd just for the sake of it, or to try to earn kudos, aren't.
7: Spam is not the way to a healthier heart.
That's all there really is to say.
My departure shouldn't make any difference to things around here, but if it really bothers you, then perhaps you could play a round of your favourite Mega Man game for me, tonight.
If you don't have one, or are new to the series, then I highly recommend one of my favourites: Rockman & Forte (Super Famicom; Just play it in Japanese - none of the translation patches out there, even the good ones, are 100% accurate, and some of them actually change things here and there), Mega Man 7 (SNES), Mega Man X (SNES), Mega Man 2 (NES), Mega Man ZX (DS), and Mega Man ZX Advent (DS).And with all of that said, it's time to go. I wish all of you nothing but the very best.
For everlasting peace.
--Prometheus
