I would like to start this post out with my own apology. I am sorry that in my second post I seemed to have attacked Rockmower directly. The fact is, his statement was written and therefore put himself out there. As a representative of LDW, it may have been more prudent to have let the Administration make the first move. I do however want to say it was not an attack. It was yet another example of how the rules are interpreted by others. It was pointing out how, even though the rules say one thing, they can get twisted into something else to fit one's own perception of how things should be run.

When I got the invite from Carla, I was told specifically to bring back the fun factor to the forum. I tried with all my might to make that happen. I used my own knowledge of Flash to create coloring books and a maze. I ran a few contests and forum games (Although the Easter Egg Hunt was a disaster and I take full credit for that one). In the end I failed. Some of my failure was due to the restraints given to me later and then, what I perceived as lack of interest in what I was trying to do. I can only do so much. In the end, I felt as if I were nothing more than a glorified member with extra powers (which I do miss but it was me who asked for my demotion).

The history lesson of LDW, though fascinating, didn't really, in my opinion, have much of anything to do with my original post. I thought my message was clear. I took 3 days to compose that post. It was a factual representation of my views of a problem between the LDW Forum and its members. I was not just complaining. I was stating it as I saw it and I gave a solution to those issues. I had a boss once who taught me not to complain about something unless you have a viable solution to the complaint. I did that. Remove the SB. Drastic? Yes. A solution to the problem? Yes.

It was said above,

I do not believe anybody, ESPECIALLY myself, ever belittled or blamed Carla and Arthur. I had the great fortune to meet them personally and sit with them at a sidewalk café in San Francisco. They are 2 of the nicest people you will ever meet. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit with them and I will treasure that moment in my history for as long as my brain still functions properly. I have nothing but the utmost respect for them and what they do. They would have been people I would have loved to cultivate into a personal friendship, but that would most likely have been a conflict of interest.

Nobody has a complaint in this thread about the games they produce. I can imagine the tremendous battle they have trying to make a living making the games they do in this topsy-turvy world of economical uncertainty. I applaud their effort and hope they always find a way to make it work for them. If it works for them, then we benefit from it. I really just wanted to go on record with that. It has nothing to do with the issue at hand but, again, since it was posted, the door was open for comment.

Though LDW is Arthur and Carla, and the forum is a bi-product of LDW, they are not the "front man". Yes, they give it direction, but it is not them who are here everyday, dealing with the day-to-day issues that arise. They have better things to focus on. That is why they chose to have someone else deal with that. So, again, I don't see how the history lesson has anything to do with what my original post was about. If anything, it actually reinforced it. Though not intentionally, it reinforced my observation.


A couple of those points are these:

• "Once the Shout Box arrived with the first forum software upgrade in late 2006, before many of you arrived here, the entire character of the forums changed, and so did the workload associated with managing them."
• ...the Shout Box became the center of activity here, which put a tremendous load on moderators and admins. We simply cannot operate a chat room, IM service, or social media network with the scarce resources we have..."
• "...things are always falling through the cracks. It was entirely LDW's fault that the 'focus' part failed, since we simply didn't have the time, resources, or money to fuel the fun in a way that fit our stated strategy."

So, again, my solution is remove the SB. Remove the SB and it will remove many other variables that have a negative impact on the company image as a whole.

One last point I would like to address before I end this post, and again, I am sorry if this is rather direct, but it needs saying. It was stated above that:
"LDW can get along just fine without people who want to rewrite the rules rather than play by them."

Yes, LDW CAN get along fine without some people, but when there is an obvious conflict, it is our right to bring it to the attention of those who count and MAKE changes. THAT is what this country is based on. THAT is the reason we have soldiers. THAT is how we make a better life for ourselves. I will not idly stand by and have someone tell me not to make waves in the pool. I will not cower in the corner while someone tells me that "this is the way it is, like it or lump it". That didn’t work for me when my Dad told me that as a kid and it surely doesn’t work for me now as an adult.

As much as I protest, I protest to bring positive change. As much as this place has aggravated me in the past, I cannot seem to cut the apron strings so-to-speak. It is out of my unwavering loyalty to Arthur and Carla that I protest. I know this can be a better place. I know what potentials this place could have. I couldn't do it as a moderator, so now that I don't have the stigma of "company representative" anymore, I am once again free to state my own opinions and if I rally the troops behind me, great! Maybe someone will finally listen and concede for the greater good. Do not tell me to, in essence, sit down and shut up. That will just make me find a bigger soapbox in which to stand upon and a bigger megaphone to yell through.

I have brought this SB issue up as a moderator more times than I can count, though my solution wasn't to remove the SB. Maybe if I bring this to a public forum, maybe I will be taken a bit more seriously. This is all said and done with love. Trust me. Nowhere in here should this be conceived as hostile attacks. I just think that for all things said, maybe LDW would be better off without the SB. The SB, when looked at by the public, is a place to have open conversations and get a bit silly with one another. If that is not what the SB is to be, and if it causes all the hostility it seems to, and added workload, and headaches, maybe getting rid of it would be the best plan of action.