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Alaundo
Head Moderator
United Kingdom
5695 Posts |
 Posted - 18 Aug 2006 : 23:09:03
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Candlekeep would like to apologize for the recent unauthorized posting of a matter which discussed privately in the moderators forum.
We would also like to specifically apologize to R.A.Salvatore as this discussion was a private matter between himself and the Candlekeep moderators. Candlekeep in no way sought to make any part of this conversation public.
The moderators and staff at Candlekeep seek to make this place a good location for Realms fans, authors, and designers to meet and discuss the Realms in a constructive manner, and that each of our moderators is dedicated to making sure that such discussions are respectful and conducted in a mature manner.
Again we offer our apologies to R.A.Salvatore and also extend this to any other WotC author that may have been offended by the breach of our private forum. We are currently taking steps to track the means by which this breach occured so that action can be taken to prevent a reoccurance of this situation, and are also reviewing our moderation policy regarding novel\product discussions.
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Alaundo
Candlekeep Forums Head Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
An Introduction to Candlekeep - by Ed Greenwood
The Candlekeep Compendium - Tomes of Realmslore penned by Scribes of Candlekeep
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 19 Aug 2006 : 06:12:45
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I am obligated to add my own words to this topic.
Some of you may recall the uproar on the WotC forums when the Novels section was closed, and how discussion of novels was banned after that. I joined those forums right when this happened, and I saw all the complaints.
As I recall, the officially stated reason for closing that section of the forums was because the authors were tired of all the criticism they were taking. It wasn't just the fact that they were being criticized, it was the fact that some posters were quite rude about it, and others decried some things so many times that it was turning potential readers away from novels they might have enjoyed. Thus, it was not only affecting the profit earned by the Wizards of the Coast, it was also affecting the very livelihood of those who were giving up their own time to chat with readers about their books.
I'm not going to defend or decry that decision. I wasn't there early enough to see what all happened; I walked into the aftermath.
But it's beginning to happen over here, too.
No, we're not discussing closing down any sections of the forum. No worries about that!
But we are seeing some of the same activities happening over here, the same behaviors that drove authors away from the WotC forums. I'm not exaggerating -- it's happening.
I think I speak for everyone when I say we appreciate having the authors here, available and willing to talk to us. It's rare to have such ready access to authors, and we certain don't want any of them to feel unwelcome, or uncomfortable to be here.
It's pretty much guaranteed that not every author is going to be liked by every reader. There are some authors that are hated by some members, but loved by others. There are examples of books written by a single author, with one book getting rave reviews and another getting trashed. It's all subjective.
We are not saying there is anything wrong with criticism. Indeed, some authors welcome it, because constructive criticism can help them grow as an author. Nor are we saying that we have to start forming fan clubs for authors, and lining up just to squee at them. Having us turn into a bunching of babbling sycophants is not desirable, nor is it an objective.
What we do have a problem with are the behaviors that are becoming more prevalent over here: commentary that is rude and insulting, and the continuous repetition of the same criticisms. Some of us are only too willing to attack the people bringing the Realms to us, and some of us have gotten into the habit of voicing the same comments, over and over again, even in threads where it's not entirely relevant.
And I have been just as guilty of that as some people, and worse than a lot of other people.
It's been something of a blind spot, for me. I'm not used to dealing with large groups of people, so I'm not used to my words carrying any weight. Sure, my criticisms were never that bad, taken individually. But add them up, and it gets pretty negative. It wasn't my intent to give offense to anyone, but that is what happened.
I didn't see it happening, because I wasn't looking at the bigger picture.
But I've been thinking on it a lot of late, and it's become obvious to me that there was a problem, and that I was part of it. I decided that I had to work on changing that aspect of my behavior.
And then, this incident happened. And it got blown out of proportion. And again, that was partially my fault.
I feel terrible that I was a part of the situation. I feel worse that I was also a contributing factor. I even volunteered to give up being a moderator, and/or leave the forums for a while. My offers were declined.
I've done wrong. I can't change that. But I can change what I do in the future, and I can do my best to avoid this situation.
But it's not just me that needs to change. I'll not point fingers at anyone, but I'm not the only person who has been overly eager to express negative opinions.
Again, we're not denouncing criticism. It's a good, healthy activity, so long as it doesn't get out of hand. But it is starting to get out of hand. I've participated in it getting out of hand, and then done nothing as others did the same.
We need to change this. All of us. Me, the other moderators, Big Al, and all of the folks that post here.
As a reader and poster, I am no longer going to repeat my negative opinions. I will certainly not do so in threads that it is not relevant to the topic at hand. When I do have criticism to offer, it will be constructive, and it will be delivered in a civil manner.
I ask that everyone take this pledge. I also ask that if I start to fall by the wayside, that someone email me or PM me and let me know. I can't correct problems that I don't know exist.
As a moderator, I'm going to try to see to it that the criticisms that are delivered are, at the least, not disrespectful to the authors and designers. I'll not turn a blind eye to rude comments, expecting the authors to do the same.
Again, we are not saying you can't criticize anyone. We're just saying that you should have some consideration in how you deliver your criticism.
As for my part in the incident described above, I apologize to any that I may have offened by my actions, or by my failure to take action. I've been mixed up in this one since it started, and I did not handle it as well as I should have. I apologize.
Now, let's all get back to posting, and try to remember that we're all here for the same reason.
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Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!  |
Edited by - Wooly Rupert on 19 Aug 2006 17:12:54 |
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Arkhaedun
Senior Scribe
869 Posts |
Posted - 19 Aug 2006 : 15:46:10
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As a moderator here at Candlekeep I take the Realms and the discussion of the setting very seriously. While I am very proud of the discussions between the authors, designers, and fans, I have, at times, been more of a fan than a moderator, and not acted at times that I should have when discussions move from friendly to potentially obsessive.
We all love the Realms, and we all have our favorite authors, people, and places in the Realms, and sometimes this gives us a blindspot, and moderators are no exception.
As Wooly deftly pointed out above, we don't want to discourage our scribes from making coments that are true to how they feel about a product or novel, but at the same time, we do need to make sure that we aren't using the same automatic criticisms that we use whenever a given topic comes up. We also need to remember that not only is excessive criticism something that affects the authors and designers, but also the fans that might hold those authors and designers in high esteem.
But I would like to point out that everyone has an off day, and fans should be comfortable speaking about their passion, and often its only a nudge in the right direction that is needed. That is our responsibility as moderators, and this is why we have to hold ourselves to a higher standard, and work even harder to make sure that we keep the standards here at the keep high.
I would like to personally apologize for any situations that I have let get out of hand, and an opourtunities that I have missed, and I welcome any comments to help me to make this a better community for everyone. |
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A Statement from Candlekeep Staff & Moderators
Topic Locked
