Hi Everyone!
Thanks for the many comments on my recent blog post over the weekend. I’ve also read through the responses that followed on after that. I very much appreciate the candid feedback and sharing of your concerns.
I had good intentions but the wrong strategy.
Just some brief clarification about the Community Guidelines - my intent was not to set “rules” or limit/restrict anyone’s natural way of communicating but I understand that was how it was perceived. The guidelines are here mostly so they can be referenced when moderation is necessary. They help the community to be a place where everyone feels safe and comfortable in participating. The perceptions of someone who is new to the site can be very different from someone who has been here a while, and the guidelines are simply designed to serve as boundaries or reminders of how our words may be perceived by all EX members. It’s good to periodically review guidelines like this to ensure they continually fit the needs of the community. This is where you come in and why I asked for your feedback.
With regards the issue of profanity… I was likely a bit overzealous in asking three members to remove old comments that contained prohibited language. Please trust that I will only make requests like this going forward on new posts/comments that clearly violate community guidelines about attacking other members. If you have concerns about any posts/comments, please feel comfortable sending me a Private Message - all reports are kept confidential.
I’m still relatively new to the community and have likely been much more active than previous EX Admins. In my previous work in online community management, I have preferred to be actively involved and connected with members rather than hiding in the shadows. However, given how mature the EX community it, my eagerness to jump in both feet first may have been too much too soon. I took this position with EX because I was inspired by the strong support and passionate relationships that power this community. Please know that I’m here to support you in any way that I can… helping to collect info to support your online/offline meet-ups… fixing technical issues with the site… moderating spam… ensuring the site is up and running nearly 100% of the time… and occasionally weighing in with my observations or musings. Admittedly, I’m not likely to get things right the first time, every time, but look forward to continuing an open dialogue and getting to know all of you.
Thanks again for all your honest feedback. Each and every post was truly appreciated.
If you have additional comments, feedback or questions, please feel free to leave them below.
Mark
EX Community Manager
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