Post #564001 by hanford_lemoore on Sun, Nov 7, 2010 8:04 PM

Aloha all,

Hanford here. Just thought I'd drop a note about some of the stuff going on, and a bit of history.

A lot of people have recently told me Tiki Central is no fun for them. That there's been a lot of jack-assery going on that has made TC an unhappy place, and they don't want to visit anymore. I totally understand where they're coming from. A times it's even difficult for even me to check my own site.

But I want you to know something: We've been here before. And we will no doubt be there again.

We've had melt downs. We've had riots. We've had train wrecks. And over the years I've tried a lot of different techniques for moderation on this site. For a while I even tried a heavy handed approach with public scoldings and a lot of temporary user bannings. We didn't really get any real solid results from those attempts. In fact, it made me realize something about this site:

Tiki Central does not work because I FORCE it to work. It works because everyone on the site is TRYING HARD to make it work. When people stop trying, the system breaks down.

In other words, this place is a community, and everyone works together to make it run smoothly. That's the only way it works. This means people going out of their way to be nice to each other, but also to have some thick skin when things do get a little rough. It means not adding fuel to fires, and trying hard to not rubberneck.

It means not picking fights, but also calmly walking away when people are trying to pick them. It means not drudging up old flame wars, and sore points. It means trying your hardest to not carry a grudge, and avoiding those who you feel ARE carrying grudges. It means coming here for what you're into and and avoiding the topics that irk you.

I think most of you get this, and follow it instinctively. To you, I say thanks. But there will always be people who take this place for granted, or feel like it's my job to keep the peace. And from time to time I need to remind them:

No, it's not my job to keep the peace. It's your job.

It's easy to have fun on Tiki Central when things are running smoothly! It's all sunshine and Navy Grogs. But the true test of this community -- and any community, really -- is when stormy weather approaches. The seas are a little rough for the time being, but I ask everyone to work together, baton down the hatches, and help us sail through it. That's what community is all about, and it's the only way we'll make it through the storm unscathed.

Do your best to help this ship sail smoothly. Most all of you do! But if you can't do that, or simply can't be bothered, As Captain of this vessel I encourage you to abandon ship, cuz you're not helping out. You're dead weight.

We're heading into Tiki Central's 12th year, and to all those who stay aboard and help out, I lift my Tiki Mug to you! Sunshine is again just around the corner ...

Respectfully,

~Hanford Lemoore
Founder, Tiki Central

PS: I want to take this moment to thank our moderators, in no particular order, who do more of the legwork around here than I do:

Hakalugi, Bora Boris, Tikiwahine, Aaron's Akua, Martiki, Humuhumu, Sabu The Coconut Boy, and of course Tiki-Kate.

Also I do not want to forget previous moderators of days past .. too many to list, but still an important part of keeping TC running over the years.

And I said it a few times before, but I want to say it one more time: I want to thank the 99% of you who are perfect community members. You guys are what makes Tiki Central so special for everyone.

[ Edited by: hanford_lemoore 2010-11-07 20:06 ]