Chit Chat

Whaaaaaat is going on here?

Okay so I have been away from the boards for a while and I came back tonight and immediately felt like I've missed something big... and I have several questions:

1. Lots of references to past "mass exoduses" and I think I get the gist of what that's all about- every few years TOS changes, people get banned and people leave in protest of people getting banned and the community kind of dies down for a while. My question is for those who have stuck around through one or more of these exoduses- what has made you stay through that? Just curious.

2. Many people have pointed out that it's bad business to ban and alienate the people who form your core community, and yet apparently this also happens with some frequency so TK must regenerate its community pretty quickly. BUT based on experience with lurking TB, it's still pretty dead over there five months later... do y'all think this community just attracts new members more quickly?

So far from what I gather Ashley is the only one who has actually been banned... will you leave if a lot of other regs are banned (or choose to leave because of the TOS changes)? 
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Re: Whaaaaaat is going on here?

  • WinstonsGirlWinstonsGirl member
    First Anniversary First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its
    edited May 2015
    Possibly new TOS, though very ambiguous, as per usual.  Ashley banned after posting lots of middle finger gifs.  See her TOS post below.  Now it's sunshine, rainbows and lollipops on other threads.  

    1.  I stay cos I hate Proboards.  I can't read them cos they're too small, and if I make it bigger, half of the text is off the screen.  I also found that they're mostly daily chats, and since I teach, I can't participate.  Once I get on the boards, everyone is gone, which makes for boring conversation.  

    2. TK regenerates cos there are so many people getting married.  I had assumed TB would bounce back eventually, with people having babies, but they are proving me wrong so far.  Maybe there are just more places to get info on parenting/kids??   

    I will probably stay for the above mentioned reason.  Many have already bailed to Proboards, so it appears TK has accomplished it's goal without mass bannings this time??  I also don't post as much as other people, so I guess it affects me less??  But I always hate the mass exoduses and love when you all come back to troll visit on those random days.  :D

    ETA - clarity

  • I've been here since the days of Lucy and Eddiebee.

    I came because I needed some way of stopping my friend from having a horrendously rude wedding.

    I stayed because I actually really like the community. I'm not a regular by any means, but every now and then I drop through a few different boards to see what's goin on. I like the regs here. I appreciate the no-nonsense tone, the blunt advice, and the overwhelming support I've seen them give others when real bad things happen. (By that, I mean deaths etc, not "my napkins are Sky blue and I ordered baby blue").

    It was during one of my "away" points that Stage and Linger got banned, and that sucked. I still don't really know what happened there, but Stage especially was (that I saw) always very level-headed and helpful.
    I came back and people like Addie and Ohannabel were the regs. Their opinions/advice turned out to be just as interesting to read, and so I still call through and every now and then.

    The regs all know the TOS. They know what they can say and how they can say it to get their point across, and can explain when SSs moan exactly why their advice is sound.

    Except now, it seems, they don't.
    These new TOS are as clear as mud, and until TKGs start some explaining, they're gonna make for some... Interesting... Situations.
  • I think TK remains despite the occasional exodus because yes, new people are always coming along with wedding questions. I was just a lurker before the one a few years ago, I was here for the last one and struggled with whether or not to stay because I had been part of the regs who were "working with" (we thought) admin to fix the problems and then we found out it was just sunshine being blown. I went and helped start Treehouse AND remained here because I like weddings.
    What did you think would happen if you walked up to a group of internet strangers and told them to get shoehorned by their lady doc?~StageManager14
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  • The God honest truth why I still float around?

    TK attracts the most insane, entitled, back-asswards lunatics, .


    YES!
    What did you think would happen if you walked up to a group of internet strangers and told them to get shoehorned by their lady doc?~StageManager14
    image
  • lyndausvi said:

    I'm a mod, so take my answers with a grain of salt.



    1)  I'm just not controversial like others.  I'm well aware I do not own this board.  I'm nothing more than a guest.    I do not expect them (the owners of the board) to owe me anything. 

     We are all, mod or otherwise, are just guests. We do not pay for this service.  As far as I'm concerned If I don't like the rules then I can just find another place.    Which I have done, but I came back because this board is not as strict as others.


    The thing most members don't realize is that you're not guests- you're the product. XO group made 21 million in online advertising revenue during Q1 this year. Without pageviews, there is no revenue. 

    XO doesn't host these boards out of the goodness of their hearts so people can connect with others going through the same thing. They host these boards because they're a cash cow and pad the bottom line. 

  • Amberly88 said:

    lyndausvi said:

    I'm a mod, so take my answers with a grain of salt.



    1)  I'm just not controversial like others.  I'm well aware I do not own this board.  I'm nothing more than a guest.    I do not expect them (the owners of the board) to owe me anything. 

     We are all, mod or otherwise, are just guests. We do not pay for this service.  As far as I'm concerned If I don't like the rules then I can just find another place.    Which I have done, but I came back because this board is not as strict as others.


    The thing most members don't realize is that you're not guests- you're the product. XO group made 21 million in online advertising revenue during Q1 this year. Without pageviews, there is no revenue. 

    XO doesn't host these boards out of the goodness of their hearts so people can connect with others going through the same thing. They host these boards because they're a cash cow and pad the bottom line. 

    I'm well aware of that.    It's a business, they  exist to make money.     I'm not at all delusional that they run the boards out of the goodness of their hearts.  The boards are just a by-product of the site.    

    To me, I'm simply a guest taking advantage of their free board.  If they start changing the rules (which the TOS has not changed lately), so be it. I can either follow the rules or leave.    

    If stricter rules cause them to lose users, which causes them to lose money, that is their problem not mine.  

    I also think more people come on the site to look at pictures, read articles and search for vendors or products then come for the boards.  I know I didn't come on to the site to join the community, it just kind-of happened.  I like community boards.    There a lot of people who do not even bother coming on a message boards.  






    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
  • doeydodoeydo member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    I think when I first joined TK was about when there was that mass exodus after Stage and Linger were banned.  I stayed because I liked the website and weddings and I didn't "know" the members that were banned.  As of right now, I'm planning on sticking around.  I love weddings and helping people with things related to them.  I'm on Treehouse to try it out, too, though, because so many members I like have said they are done with TK and headed over there.
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  • falsarafalsara member
    First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its First Answer
    I plan on floating around on here because I still have a wedding to plan and I like to see the crazies.

    I'm also on TH because I can talk about other things besides the wedding there, and actually get to know people.

                                               

    Wedding Countdown Ticker

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  • arrippaarrippa member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    I lurked through Thunderdome and started posting, under my old name, during the last mass exodus. I stayed here because proboards are blocked at work. That's where I do most of my postings. It's as simple as that.
  • FiancBFiancB member
    First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its Name Dropper
    I like these boards because we are generally treated like adults and allowed to give opinions and post about naughty subjects. 

    If that stops, which it seems to have, I'm out. There are plenty of forums out there that have a fit if you drop the f bomb. 
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  • Also, I'm staying because people need good advice. I mean, TK the company probably would be totally okay with these boards getting the rainbow-enemas culture of WW or the hive. If everyone who speaks truth to crazy leaves, and those who just tell people what they want to hear stay or take their place, TK might get more ad revenue. If the boards were actually going to be dead, I'd have no qualms about leaving to "stick it" to XO, but they're not.

    So I'll stay as long as I'm allowed, even if the decision-making about who's allowed to stay and who isn't is moderately arbitrary and ridiculous. At least we know.
  • The God honest truth why I still float around?

    TK attracts the most insane, entitled, back-asswards lunatics, while still being way more legible than Bee or Wire, and there is still a (diminishing) amount of flack you can give a person for acting like children.This is where I go when I want to crack open some popcorn and feel better about my life. Treehouse, Banter, Facebook groups, and other proboards are where I have honest connections with people.

    Because if the last banhammer taught me anything, it was that this place isn't a safe place to build relationships. But it's hella great for finding people who are ruining their weddings.

    I was wondering about this aspect- goodness know that it's entertaining to see selfish people throw fits and make asses of themselves. That's why I kind of wonder how long some of the people to go over to Treehouse will really stick around over there.

    It seems to me that the people who are the most confrontational, and presumably enjoy being that way, are the most likely to get banned. But at Treehouse there are no SS to provide entertainment and drama. I guess it's good if you were really here for the connections... it's just hard for me to imagine some users being content with that.
  • I'm a newer member so I wasn't around for the last mass exodus.  However I've been "message boarding" for a long time (even met my FI on a message board), including admining and mod-ing elsewhere, so what I'm witnessing this time around is nothing new. 


    I'm like Lynda... a bit of a rule follower, and also acknowledging that these are not my boards, and they don't belong to any other member, regular or not.  I also get why they're upset.  People get comfortable on a board, form relationships, etc., so when something comes in to disrupt that, they don't like it.  But, that's why they're free to go form their own groups on Proboards or wherever else if they're not happy with what's going on here.

    I originally came on these boards just to get ideas for my own wedding as I'm pretty much clueless about them.  I have learned a lot, and also had some nice discussions about non-wedding related topics.  I imagine that those will continue, with or without the current regulars, because that's how I've seen it happen elsewhere.

    I will also say, that as a newer member who isn't someone that would be classified as a "strong personality", I felt pretty intimidated by a lot of the regs.  I think we've all witnessed someone asking an innocent and non-offensive question, and a few people just going nuts with it.  That isn't the way to get and keep new members, especially those that aren't as used to interneting.  Since the goal of this website is to make the owners money, I can see why they wouldn't want members around who hinder new folks from coming and participating.
    You could not put this any better. Exactly this. 
    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
    Funny Awkward animated GIF
  • edited June 2015
  • MadHops21 said:

    I'm a newer member so I wasn't around for the last mass exodus.  However I've been "message boarding" for a long time (even met my FI on a message board), including admining and mod-ing elsewhere, so what I'm witnessing this time around is nothing new. 


    I'm like Lynda... a bit of a rule follower, and also acknowledging that these are not my boards, and they don't belong to any other member, regular or not.  I also get why they're upset.  People get comfortable on a board, form relationships, etc., so when something comes in to disrupt that, they don't like it.  But, that's why they're free to go form their own groups on Proboards or wherever else if they're not happy with what's going on here.

    I originally came on these boards just to get ideas for my own wedding as I'm pretty much clueless about them.  I have learned a lot, and also had some nice discussions about non-wedding related topics.  I imagine that those will continue, with or without the current regulars, because that's how I've seen it happen elsewhere.

    I will also say, that as a newer member who isn't someone that would be classified as a "strong personality", I felt pretty intimidated by a lot of the regs.  I think we've all witnessed someone asking an innocent and non-offensive question, and a few people just going nuts with it.  That isn't the way to get and keep new members, especially those that aren't as used to interneting.  Since the goal of this website is to make the owners money, I can see why they wouldn't want members around who hinder new folks from coming and participating.
    You could not put this any better. Exactly this. 
    Yup, me too.

    I'm not really a "reg" here so I would not be interested in following anyone in particular out of here... Especially based on a hissy fit about rule changes which seem to be designed to make the community more polite and therefore accessible to all.

    My wedding is in a month, so I can't say for sure if I will be as interested going forward but I still hope it does stay as active.

    image

    Daisypath - Personal pictureDaisypath Anniversary tickers

  • The God honest truth why I still float around?

    TK attracts the most insane, entitled, back-asswards lunatics, while still being way more legible than Bee or Wire, and there is still a (diminishing) amount of flack you can give a person for acting like children.This is where I go when I want to crack open some popcorn and feel better about my life. Treehouse, Banter, Facebook groups, and other proboards are where I have honest connections with people.

    Because if the last banhammer taught me anything, it was that this place isn't a safe place to build relationships. But it's hella great for finding people who are ruining their weddings.


    These are my feelings. I'm on both
    image
  • And sure, part of the entertainment here is the never ending parade of snowflakes, but a good part of why I'm here is because I've become really fond of people. I want to know how the wedding turns out, and if you've graduated, and see baby pictures, and hear about the new house, and if your batshit crazy parents are behaving. All that stuff. 
    And this is why I'm staying. 

    I wasn't on during the weekend so I completely missed out on whatever happened as well, OP.


    imageimage



  • I stay because of the drama really. I'm entertained by special snowflakes and their weddings. I also just love weddings in general and will be in a couple over the next two years, so why not. I do also love hearing about reg's KU announcements, etc.

    Now that I'm married I'm still going to hang around. I lurk a lot because the mobile site drives me up the wall with logging me out frequently.

    I've been around a very long time. I've seen a couple of mass exodus to treehouse or other boards.
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  • SmileDamnitSmileDamnit member
    First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its Name Dropper
    edited May 2015


    I'm reserving judgement, and joining the treehouse as well.  Lots of people belong to both sites. It looks like a fun place. Some of my favorite people are there.

    It's not about flouncing, it's not about following, it's not about a "hissy fit." It's not about "quitting."

    But if it comes down to having full time babysitters, hell, yes, I'm out, because this place will become Wedding Wire. Let's not mistake a "more polite" place with a more controlled and restricted place. 
    If a ban-a-palooza begins, or babysitters come in and start policing behavior, I would really hate to lose touch with people.
    I just don't belong to groups that require me to censor myself. I do that all by myself, being a grown up and all. One of the reasons this is such a busy and active community is that it isn't run like a kindergarten class. 

    And sure, part of the entertainment here is the never ending parade of snowflakes, but a good part of why I'm here is because I've become really fond of people. I want to know how the wedding turns out, and if you've graduated, and see baby pictures, and hear about the new house, and if your batshit crazy parents are behaving. All that stuff. 
    Yep - lots of double dippers!

    I joined TH about a year ago and spent a good deal of time lurking while slowly starting to participate. It's a way, way different vibe than TK, but one I ultimately found I ended up liking better. Yep, still post here but not nearly as much - more just pop in to see if there is any drama or how some of the regs are doing. At TH, you are expected to act like an adult and will get treated as one in return. It can be harsh at times, and also hard to "keep up" as there are some very active (read: long!) daily threads, but the connections that can be made with some awesome ladies are real…if you're willing to invest the time to get to know them. 

    I'll be very interested to see how many of the people who are jumping ship actually stick around over at TH. 
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  • I'll play.

    1) I like talking about weddings. And I like helping people avoid common pitfalls or getting caught up in their wedding planning. For those who were here through the exodus a couple of years ago, you've probably gathered that this doesn't even come close. This isn't even really an exodus...it's one member who got banned after multiple warnings and all were not even from Friday. Other posters are choosing to leave TK, some will keep active accounts in both places. If people find that another community is a betted fit for what they want, cool.

    2) Yea, I think it's important to have a core community and if administration goes on a banning spree without any warnings, that would be bad for business so to speak. But that's not what happened here and, objectively, these boards aren't XO's bread and butter anyway. There's been a core community for a long time. Some regs have been around for over a decade. There are always people getting married and newbies joining and deciding to become regs. I think @lyndausvi put it well that we are all guests, including mods, old regs, new regs, newbies... If they don't like the way I'm modding, they can say bye. If I break the rules, they can warn me (FTR, I have been warned). If I hit too many warning, they can and will ban me. No one is immune. And that's a good thing IMHO.

    I have a warning also.    It happened a few weeks ago.    Even mods are not immune to getting warned.






    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
  •  I was here a little bit before they got banned. I joined the Treehouse but remained here because it was the most helpful and I just prefer here over there. 

    Live fast, die young. Bad Girls do it well. Suki Zuki.

  • APDSS22APDSS22 member
    First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its First Answer
    I've been here since before the last exodus.  I don't post as much lately, but I do like to try to help brides who want to treat their guests right.  I also try to check the OK local board because people try to post there occasionally and it's fairly dead.
  • Okay so follow-up questions (and I appreciate y'alls responses so far):

    1. First the practical question- based on something Lynda said I think I misunderstood the initial incident that caused all this kerfuffle. Have the TOS changed recently or not? What exactly set Ashley off and caused her to get banned?

    2. The bigger question: putting aside issues of how much power of censorship administrators should or should not have, do YOU think this community would benefit from being more polite? And I don't mean benefit in the financial sense (as in, XO's ability to profit off the forums), but benefit in terms of your increased enjoyment of being here. Basically, would you be happier if the community where somewhat less snarky?
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