I come back to EoFF after a short absense, and all Hell breaks loose!

[udsuna]

You want me to apologize? I wasn't even involved because I was at work, but I will apologize for any harm that has been done to you and now I've got this silly name till someone decides to change it back. (It's kind of cute actually. )

I really don't see what the big deal here is. In the big picture, this is only a little forum in the interweb of a huge universe. Small potatoes really. And as rubah has said, the forums here that require trust are being taken care of as all of the EoEO Bannings should demonstrate.

You did nothing, and thus aren't responsible for any of the harm. Granted, it is hard to sort which of the staff were responsible for what. I didn't keep track of every minute detail. And I wouldn't have minded a sudden image change out of nowhere, for a cheap laugh. If done by someone who could qualify as a friend. Or something to that effect. Now, if it'd been someone I don't really know, or don't like, that'd piss me off.

And you're right, in the big picture, this forum is absolutely nothing. Then again, you can say that of any human life. So the transcendental philosophies can't be used in any sane way. And you have been protecting the EoEO pretty well (a little extreme, in some cases, but that's just a personal opinion, it's a judgement call)... except, one must ask, who's protecting the forum from you? (that's a royal "you"- nonspecifically applies to all staff)

[Shoeberto]

I wasn't here for it, either. I'll apologize, too. I'm so very, very sorry. There, that was sincere, even. I still stand up for what we did.

I feel it needs to be reiterated a few times:

I really don't see what the big deal here is. In the big picture, this is only a little forum in the interweb of a huge universe. Small potatoes really.

I really don't see what the big deal here is. In the big picture, this is only a little forum in the interweb of a huge universe. Small potatoes really.

I really don't see what the big deal here is. In the big picture, this is only a little forum in the interweb of a huge universe. Small potatoes really.

[Shlup]

And you're right, in the big picture, this forum is absolutely nothing. Then again, you can say that of any human life.

Good thing "any human life" has nothing to do with some Care Bear avatars and a few brief bannings.

[udsuna]

The forum doesn't matter much. But the people here are REAL... their relationships, their feelings, their hopes and fears, their problems... they are REAL. Well, most of them... this is still the internet, even if it's surprisingly well insulated from the rest of the online world. And no one could possibly know for certain what will happen when you play with people and their relationships so bluntly. I know that the consequences will certainly be real, too.

[kikimm]

Look, I'll make it easy for everyone, okay?

kikimm, if anyone doesn't like this, you're taking the heat.

Just direct your anger at me.

[Shlup]

The forum doesn't matter much. But the people here are REAL... their relationships, their feelings, their hopes and fears, their problems... they are REAL. Well, most of them... this is still the internet, even if it's surprisingly well insulated from the rest of the online world. And no one could possibly know for certain what will happen when you play with people and their relationships so bluntly. I know that the consequences will certainly be real, too.

What are you talking about?

[Leeza]

I would also like to add that although I am sorry if you feel that you have been wronged in any way, like Sheezo, I also stand up for what happened because nothing in it was done out of maliciousness. It was only a small release of fun for a few overworked Staff who deserved to have it. Believe me, a Staff of stressed out mods would be far worse than what went down here.

[udsuna]

At least you stepped up, I can respect that. No one yet has offered me a way to see said thread (except you, kikimm, who gives me one tiny quote). If nothing else it can be saved in a mode I can have emailed to me, no doubt. Hell, archive it so everyone can see.

[Big D]

Staff forum discussions are almost never revealed publically. Whenever that happens, people take things out of context and make all kinds of wrong assumptions about what's actually happening in that forum. Also, since most staff are extremely open and honest in there, it's not fair on staff members to make their thoughts public.
There's an almost-absolute "what's said in staff, stays in staff" rule.

If members can request one thread to be made public, then the same thing'll happen again when someone else wants answers, and so on and so forth until people are demanding that every little thing be opened up for them to see, and claiming bias if it's not.

[Leeza]

Yep. It's actually the #1 rule.

[Yamaneko]

Well, I've had enough of this. Hey, look I'm closing this thread which must mean that those dirty staff members can't handle what the members have to say, and like always just close the troublesome thread and get something witty in after everyone else. Although that's probably true, I'm still closing this thread, and all I'm going to say is I'm sorry if you fealt offended in any way by the events that transpired yesterday. That's all I CAN offer. Now, let's move along and do whatever the hell we do here.

[Big D]

Not that there's anything really interesting in the staff forum, anyway. Besides the 'warned members list', it's all basically Word Association threads and Kishi asking for fashion hints.

[Leeza]

...and porn, of course.

[Del Murder]

Sorry we're such creeps, but we do care.

[Loony BoB]

Since this was my idea (although kikimm DID personally authorise it ), I suppose I should reply to this thread, even if I'm late.

First of all: http://bash.org/?367896

Okay, with that out of the way, back to doing things. First of all, one of the reasons much-loved admins have stepped down in the past is because people get like this after a small prank gets played. I mean, come on, guys. It's not the end of the world by any means. If you know EoFF enough, you should know that this kind of stuff happens from time to time. If you don't know EoFF that much, now you know it a little bit better. I assure you this will most likely not be the last time a banning spree goes ahead.

No warning was given for the same reason that Wyllius never warned me that he was going to call me at 3am in the morning just to get back at me for doing the same to him earlier. For the same reason that people don't give warning about what they're going to do on April 1st. etc.

I can give you 100% assurance that anyone who was banned during the prank was either informed or made so that they could not view the forums while they were logged in.

If people say that all of this is us abusing power, then you can also say that the members who spam up a thread in our forums knowing that they won't get a ban for it are abusing their power, too. But we don't throw a hissyfit over it.

In the T&C of EoFF it states that the Admins & CK's can pretty much do whatever we want at any time. So that covers any "law of the land" issues.

I do not apologise for what went on, but I am sorry that people took it the wrong way in a few occasions. I've only received one complaint that actually had any real personal story backing to it, and I respect that. But I see no evidence of any physical, mental or emotional damage to any other members. If anything, I see a couple of members who either

a: don't like fun
b: don't want Staff to be able to have fun
c: are holding a grudge because they were banned
d: are holding a grudge for some other reason I'm not sure of
e: enjoy complaining about things like this
f: are a bit too serious for their own good (which is kind of funny given the past actions of one of the members - I trust you know who you are)
g: all of the above
heestlinc

If you assume that EoFF is a 100% serious place, then you've made the assumption, not us.

So that's my public statement. It seems that only one or two people have a problem right now, so they can feel free to PM me regarding it if they want to, because I think this thread may as well stay closed.