Gamurs bought the escapist only 13 months ago. And at the start people seemed positive. Obviously the cracks and the mismatched expectations started to show up over the last year until they exploded now. That is not a bad timeframe, when people need to get to know each other and then try to fix problems before leaving/firing.
Right, but keep in mind, I saw a bunch of problems
way before that.
I respect you for what you did and the actual effort you put in and that you stuck with it for so long. many people can complain but few are willing to do something.
For real, thank you for that. That does mean a lot to me. <3
As for me however, i have had enough of trolls for my lifetime
And I am afraid you will not ever escape them. For example, I think I've already seen two trolls in this thread alone.
We cannot escape them, but we CAN learn to recognize them. And once you can recognize them, that's all you need.
and am skeptical about "everything goes"-forums and their ability to actually meaningfully challenge peoples views or provide useful and balanced information on various topics or diverse viewpoints.
Just so you know, really quick, Sanctuary is not an "everything-goes" forum. We do definitely have rules, and they are very firmly enforced. But yes, the rules we have are very light, very easy to understand, and comprehensive.
I also do think that this forum over the last years did provide a place that allowed people to explore new horizons and strive to broaden their mind and be better people. More informed. More knowledgeable. More responsible and powerful. Able to critically think their way out of issues and dilemmas.
I'm not saying that you can't improve on any forum that isn't Sanctuary. Not at all. But I am saying that the environment fostered by Sanctuary enables that sort of thing much better than pretty much any other place. And it's not just the rules that are important for that, although they do play a huge part.
Honestly, this forums moderation has been quite laid back and tolerant since early 2020.
That may be, but unless I'm mistaken, the actual Escapist CoC has not changed. If an actual shift in enforcement did happen, then the rules must be made to match that new style of enforcement. Inconsistency in rules and enforcement is bad for a lot of reasons.
Still though, it's not my site. It's not my community. And I do at least respect that. Different sites specialize in different things. I just wish there were more sites like Sanctuary. Then I wouldn't have to worry nearly so much... I could just sit back and chill out with everyone else. But as things currently stand, if Sanctuary is not maintained by me, no one else is going to step in probably.