Sorry, didn't intend to direct negativity toward the folks still here and contributing to a better future for the site and community. The team and I have put a lot of work in to turn things around and eventually forge a better outcome for this place than the one we had prior to the drama, which we're already starting to see bear fruit, and you guys and gals being on board with all that is what makes it possible and gives it meaning ultimately. I'm optimistic and motivated about running the site, in stark contrast to 2017's misery pit vibes on the board accompanied by some of the most traumatic personal issues I've ever had to confront one after another that year (and I'm not referring to #metoo). I'm okay, though, and NeoGAF's not just turning around but is also headed in a carefully and purposefully constructed direction I've put a lot of care into planning and executing (with the support of our supremely talented sysadmin team and perhaps NeoGAF's first true set of moderators in the proper sense, of whom I'm proud of already for how deftly they're guiding threads).
NeoGAF's traffic has doubled in the last 30 days alone, and an astonishing amount of real, challenging discussion is happening paired with an all-time low number of bans involved. It's wonderful to see it all play out as hoped and far better reflects my intent for this place than where we started to head in recent years.
Just took me to a bleak spot in the moment reading this thread, yes, for the reasons I mentioned. The "grandstanding," apparently.
No, I had not read it at the time back then. Or basically any of these threads beyond the titles. It was too hurtful to read the site at all that day. As silly or fragile as it might paint me as, I had to ask mods and friends and such to summarize or otherwise relay the gist of what was happening and being said at any given time on the site to me during peak head-on-spike mode, since I would start breaking down if I read it directly. I am used to infinite internet trolling and misanthropes in my direction and I normally don't sweat it at all and have fun sparring back and forth if time permits, but I legit care about my community, have put my heart into this place for over half my life already, and couldn't bear to read what was being said by the crowd as they burned it all down in spite and revelry.
But that's in the past, and may have been for the best, since things were so poisonous and miserable here in 2017 that it was taking a serious toll on my health and well-being beyond everyone else going on already. It was taking a serious toll on a lot of my ex-mods, too, some of whom had fallen into proper serious depression solely as a result of their involvement with the site, no doubt many users as well, but a vicious cycle had formed and decided to persist. With NeoGAF so successful and outlasting almost all the other major forums on the 'net and then some, it was like "winning," but hating the outcome and finding myself unsuccessful in all of my efforts to change outcomes anymore, while my life entered a period of serious turmoil...and then #metoo blindsided me and you know the rest. But let's stop there.
Now it's a fresh challenge and opportunity to utilize everything I've learned since the beginning of the whole journey, without pushback from a hostile userbase or a small contingent of duplicitous team members sabotaging our efforts to course correct or any of that. The internal structure is streamlined and not wishy-washy consensus peer group based anymore to any degree, or open to contrary agendas or egos. There's a clear vision being developed and executed, and hopefully you're seeing that play out to your liking and finding more occasions where you're inclined to participate.
Thanks for the support and kind words. Except for Snitch, who apparently thinks malicious porn bomb account suicides attempting to destroy NeoGAF in the name of Resetera are acceptable behavior as per the other thread I just nuked his account in. Virtuous and honorable individual all the way through. ;b