Okay ... as many of you know, I set up a new domain and bought a bulletin board to replace this Greenspun forum. Then I got busy, stopped writing, and never got around to it. It's time to pay the next quarter's hosting bill, and I'm trying to decide if I should bother.

I like having a forum whether or not I'm keeping a journal at the moment, but maybe you all have lost interest. Should I bother?

And before you suggest it, Greenspun is attracting an increasingly annoying set of trolls ... if I do this, I don't really want to do it here.

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2001

Answers

Yes. Please.

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2001

Yes! There is a message board vacuum for those of us not nice enough for TWA and too nice for vodkatea.

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2001

Definitely still interested!

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2001

YES! definitely yes. pretty please, with sugar on top...

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2001

yes!

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2001

Another yes. Very interested. I like the people who post to your forum.

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2001

Yes. Yours are always fun boards.

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2001

Jesus god, yes. Please. Please?

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2001

Absolutely. Jen Wade pegged it perfectly. We need a board for mean people over the age of twelve, please.

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2001

I would look forward to another forum, especially after the recent flap at 3WA. Though I rarely participate there, I did enjoy reading the politics forum. I was always impressed by the intelligence, insight, and degree of control which most people showed when posting there. As far as politics discussions go on the web, that forum was of the mildest sort. Efforts to edit them recently were far to strict and, it now appears it was done by people who have little interest in the important things which affect our lives. I think it's very sad that they would think it is unimportant to discuss politics or other pertinent issues of the day.

There is another better place where you can create free forums, too, although I guess the downside is that the specific one I know of, http://www.worldcrossing.com does have an ad banner, and a usage limit.

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2001

Since I've already paid for the software and the domain, I probably won't go the "free" route at this point. But thanks for the suggestion.

I think you guys have nailed our demographic here: not nice enough for ThreeWay, too nice for Vodkatea, and not afraid to discuss the important issues. Cool. I like that.

And fuck, yeah, we will have a religion topic, if anyone wants one.

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2001

Oh, Beth, I would love it if you started up your forum. I miss your posts and point of view. And ... um ... yep, that's about it.

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2001

Forum = cool.
Beth writing again = much cooler.
Dog pictures (how's Crash?) = priceless.

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2001

definately interested!

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2001

yes, please

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2001

Yes, yes - oh ye gods and little fishes, yes.

Having been unjustifiably whomped by the censor stick over at 3WA, I long for intelligent, open-minded grown up discussion.

And now that I am one day away from being employed again, I will pay - blank checks, Amazon, paypal - whatever.

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2001

No, no, nobody has to pay. But I was thinking about something that might be kind of cool. There is a really good dog rescue group associated with UC Davis vet school, all student operated and funded. On their website, they have a deal where you can sponsor one of their dogs for a hundred bucks. Maybe if I can come up with t- shirts or something, or even a donation button, anyone who wants to can kick in a few bucks, and as a board we can sponsor a dog every quarter.

See, I like to think that's what I'd be doing with that forty bucks a month if I weren't running a forum, but the truth is I'd just buy books or Doritos or plants or something.

Is that too revoltingly nice, or do you guys think it would be kind of a cool idea? My recent experience with Crash has made me really want to do something for people who do dog rescue on a regular basis. It's not a fun job, not at all.

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2001

Oh ... not that Crash isn't fun. He is. But thinking about what happens to dogs nobody wants ... that's not fun.

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2001

I'm most definitely in. If we're lucky, maybe we can get some of that planet.gregory vibe happening.

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2001

Yes!

umm... what happened at 3WA? I can't access that forum from work because of the rather unfortunate domain name...

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2001

A group sponsorsip deal sounds like a terrific idea! (And dogs don't care if you mention religion...)

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2001

All over it, love.

I'll be happy to cough up some support for the venture. but if it's anything more than $50, I want a table dance.

(Hey, gup, quit crowding my table . . .)

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2001

Well, of course there will be table dances at the new board. What kind of operation do you think I'm running here? Live nude Xeney! (Run away, run away!)

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2001

You had me at nude.

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2001

Curtis is going to give us a table dance?! woo!

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2001

Colin, there have been some rumblings over at 3WA about the censorship on the board. Over the weekend a few of the political threads developed flame wars and the moderators closed down pretty much all the political discussions. Whatever.

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2001

A flame war, ha! There was never really any fire. Someone said - "I don't give a shit what you think about me...". And bammo! Twist and lock. Personally, I thought it to be as fine an opening rebuttal line as I've ever seen. Sara was just being all girl and exercising that thing they have that we don't... yeah that one thing they have that makes them superior to us... the thing that they use to bend our will and bring us to our knees... the thing they have that makes us luv hem all the more -- female prerogative.

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2001

I never really posted on 3WA because it really wasn't my cup of tea. But, I have been a reader of xeney forever and a day, so i think a forum would be cool.

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2001

I'm waiting to see your analysis of stee's entrance into the fray (the one none of us knew was there til they said so). Also female perogative?

"No more discussion except in email!" *lock*

"And another thing...! No more discussion except in email!" *lock*

"And furthermore...! And yo mamma wears combat boots, too! No more discussion except in email!" *lock*

(Relevent to nothing except that I want to say it - the more people get online, the sillier the definition of 'flame war' gets. Beth, can you promise to censor and ban anyone who uses the expression frivolously??)

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2001

i lost interest reeeeeal quick when threeway went up. i miss the writing. i keep following this, more as a voyeur right now than as a participant. so yes i hope it goes back to the old way, but i dont know if i will regain the interest i lost. i feel like a broker.

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2001

Lynda: I think I'll just make it a practice to select a user at random once a day, and censor and ban them just for the hell of it. I'll put your names in a hat or something.

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2001

What if you selected a user at random once a day, made them chocolate chip cookies and sent them to them.

I'd like that.

-- Anonymous, May 11, 2001

I want chocolate chip cookies! And a forum! And dog pictures! And lots of garden stories.

Hell, I want it all. I vote yes.

-- Anonymous, May 11, 2001

I have some dog pictures I could post. I don't have time to do an entry, though, so I'll post them on the forum.

-- Anonymous, May 11, 2001

You can draw my name and ban me xeney, but I'll always come back. It's a given, a foretold, unchangeable event. I am destiny's child.

(I'm trying to be more "with it", keep up with the times, ya know? I figured all the kewl kids would have to like me if I referenced a currently best selling girl band. I am so down "with it".)

-- Anonymous, May 11, 2001

And like so many of Destiny's former children, you too, can be booted.

But you can always try for a comeback tour.

-- Anonymous, May 11, 2001

I think Sara (and perhaps Stee as well) have just completely and totally hit the limit on dealing with fighting and trolls, which there have been a lot of lately. Man, am I glad I'm not a mod.

Anyway, by all means start up a new board. Looking forward to it.

-- Anonymous, May 11, 2001

Sara has always shut down threads just because she doesn't like the direction they're headed.

-- Anonymous, May 11, 2001

Oh god, shut up.

I rarely interfere in the forum. Babies. Damn. Going on other forums to shit talk about 3WA will only make me mad, for what it's worth, if anything. On my last nerve...

But what I really wanted to say was I'm glad Beth is doing this. I think the more forums the better and beth's forum has always been fun.

-- Anonymous, May 11, 2001

A day late (sorry), but another, "Yes, please." The Xeney forum was my introduction to forums, and I've always enjoyed the writing of the people who tend to come here. Each forum, no matter how many there are, has its own mood, and I would hate for this one to go missing.

-- Anonymous, May 11, 2001

You're right. It *is* funnier if you read Stee's post in a donald duck voice.

-- Anonymous, May 11, 2001

Now that, my firend, was a good one.

-- Anonymous, May 11, 2001

stee, I love your journal and I think 3WA is a great first attempt at a journalling community board. That said, do you realize there have been three or four threads there attempting to protest the political thread lockdown that were shut down themselves? It was a given that people were gonna go elsewhere to air their feelings.

-- Anonymous, May 11, 2001

Man, I've been missing all the fun. I particularly liked this quote...

I don't much care what any one user thinks.
- Sara Astruc, here Yep.

-- Anonymous, May 11, 2001

Yeah, but Dave, VT reads like an overflowing toilet lately thanks in main to your venerable self.

I'm not saying censorship is good, but do they ever have unfortunate hunting accidents in Canada?

-- Anonymous, May 11, 2001

VT reads like an overflowing toilet lately

As opposed to what?

-- Anonymous, May 11, 2001

Yes to the new forum. I've been visiting quite a few forums lately and this one is definitely at the top. As for 3WA, I've been more inclined to cut the moderators some slack, especially with the crashes of late.

-- Anonymous, May 11, 2001

as opposed to a tidy bowl.

-- Anonymous, May 11, 2001

Late to the table here, but I also vote yes.

-- Anonymous, May 12, 2001

Cool. I'm working on it. But Jeremy won't be able to do the techie stuff until he's done with finals, I think at the end of the month. I'll get everything else ready to go, though, and in the meantime, I'll keep posting questions here even if I don't manage to write a journal entry.

As far as ThreeWay Action is concerned: I don't really agree with the way Stee and Sara moderate their board, and in fact I don't really agree with the way I moderated their board while I was there. But I can assure you that they do have a really hard job, given the approach they've decided to take. And they've been pretty consistent over the last ten months; it's not like it should be a big surprise to anyone that ThreeWay Action has some pretty strict rules and that the moderators aren't fond of the politics threads. If it's not your cup of tea, maybe the best idea is to just move on. Me, I wouldn't hang around just to talk shit about the moderators, and I wouldn't go to the trouble of talking shit about them on other forums.

On the other hand, if someone could explain to me why Gus still allows fake names and anonymous posts, I'd be happy to hear it.

-- Anonymous, May 12, 2001

Wanted to add: that wasn't meant to belittle anyone's frustration with feeling like they've been stifled. I do think there is a middle ground somewhere between an unmoderated free-for-all and just having the moderator say, "It's my board, I make the rules, and you can just shut up and take it." But finding that middle ground is a lot harder than you might expect if you've never been the person in charge.

-- Anonymous, May 12, 2001

The only problem with the walking away thing is that I really enjoyed a lot of the people on that board - a number of whom I've never seen posting on any other boards. But I could simply be sheltered, and or unobservant.

But anyway.

Everything's been put in motion, so a vote of "yes yes yes!" at this late date doesn't mean a whole lot, but I will say that I'm pleased, and very much looking forward to it.

I also vote for yes on the dog shelter donation plan/sponsorship thing. I'm more a cat girl than a dog liking person, but it's still a worthy cause.

-- Anonymous, May 12, 2001

Well, that's true. Walking away isn't easy when it's the place where you talk to your friends. Still, 3WA has never been a democracy.

I'm going to go make some graphics right now.

-- Anonymous, May 12, 2001

Thank God! The web has been lonely without xeney on it, in some form... although I rarely post, it will give me things to think about.

-- Anonymous, May 12, 2001

Praise gawd she's gonna be back soon! I know that the use of "I'm just sayin" and "hee hee" will be limited on your forum.

-- Anonymous, May 12, 2001

Not to mention "yo," and "I love you guys! You guys are the coolest! Everything goddamn thing you do is GOLDEN and PERFECT and FUNNY! I love EVERYONE!"

-- Anonymous, May 13, 2001

No, we run more to things like, "You all suck. I am out of here and I am never coming back." And then later: "Oh, and here's another reason why you all suck ..."

-- Anonymous, May 13, 2001

You know, I think this board has censoring capabilities. Perhaps I will censor the word "yo," or at least change it so that no matter what you type, it automatically posts as "yo, Adrian."

-- Anonymous, May 13, 2001

I will never again read "yo" without hearing Sly's voice.

Just wanted to say I also am glad a Xeney forum will continue, and that I think the shelter contribution idea is cool.

-- Anonymous, May 13, 2001

Me, I wouldn't hang around just to talk shit about the moderators, and I wouldn't go to the trouble of talking shit about them on other forums.

Well, there goes my number three reason for hoping you'll start a new baord.

Number two is the hope that I'll see more of (maharishe) Jen's posts. She used to make me laugh all the time.

And, the number one reason is... my luv of web message board cliche/slang. It's gonna be so kewl, yo, to have a forum where I'm able to say things like "I'm just sayin'." Whuut? I'm just sayin.

I don't mind Gus allowing anonymous users. The thing I find hard to swallow is everytime I need to use the word smooth, he forces me to insert an 'h' or something or have it replaced with a picture. And I am all about shmooth yo. I'm just sayin'.

-- Anonymous, May 13, 2001

Yo, see, that's, like, totally why I want a board where I feel happy posting at, again. Because I miss rudeboy. Who used to almost love me best. The fucker's Mr. Fabulous Slicky Twitchy Pants over at TWA (Or 3WA. Or however they're calling it), now, and doesn't have a moment for the ones he left behind.

which is so not kewl.

-- Anonymous, May 13, 2001

Beth, while you're banning/filtering terms, could you please do something with "I'm just sayin'"? I am so entirely sick of that phrase. I read a post where someone ends it that way, I lose all respect for the writer. (Don't worry rudeboy, I never had any respect for you in the first place.)

Also, I prefer that moderators NOT suggest that people "take it to email." In a controversial thread, what you're suggesting is that someone send me personal attacks. Suggest we talk about something else instead, like the weather and everyone's health.

Done ranting now. Can't wait for the jolly new forum.

-- Anonymous, May 14, 2001

Jette, you want me.

-- Anonymous, May 14, 2001

Actually, Jette, I have another plan for flame wars or personal issues. One nice thing about this software is that the moderator can move part of a thread instead of having to move the entire thread. I'm going to have a "war room" kind of set up, a special area where all flames and personal attacks will be moved, and I'll tell people to take the fight *there* instead of to e-mail. And all posts in the war room will be automatically deleted after two days. (That's to save server space.) And I'm not going to moderate the damn war room. (That's for my mental health.)

-- Anonymous, May 14, 2001

Oh, and FYI: I don't consider strong disagreement about issues to constitute a "flame war." A flame war is personal attacks, or anything that's gotten repetitive and silly because the people involved care more about fighting with each other than discussing the issue.

-- Anonymous, May 14, 2001

Oh, what the fuck. I was trying to tone down the inter-board bitching, but based on my inbox this morning, I give up. Bitch away about any board you want, including this one. Have at it. It'll be therapeutic.

-- Anonymous, May 14, 2001

This board really sucks. Sucks something serious. Sometimes, sitting, staring, somebody somewhere shouts, "Sucks!"

what's the one animal you never want to play cards with?

-- Anonymous, May 14, 2001

May we have an education topic on these new boards? Since, based on one of the threads around here in Greenspunville, there are several people doing the Masters Degree polka - and I, at least, would like somewhere to compare notes and whatnot.

-- Anonymous, May 14, 2001

What's the one animal you never want to play cards with?

A cheetah!

Can we have a topic for only the really funny bazooka joe gum wrapper jokes too?

-- Anonymous, May 14, 2001

It's already on the list, Gabby, since I'm still tentatively planning on school in the fall.

There will also be a special forum where Rudeboy will do an online version of stand-up comedy, and we will all throw pennies at him.

-- Anonymous, May 14, 2001

Yes, ma'm, I'd like another.

-- Anonymous, May 14, 2001

Just pennies?

-- Anonymous, May 14, 2001

I think she meant to say "panties."

-- Anonymous, May 14, 2001

Yeah, that's what I meant. Panties.

-- Anonymous, May 14, 2001

That's funny, cuz the first time I read it I thought it said "penises". Panties are much better.

-- Anonymous, May 14, 2001

Yes, but in most countries it's not legal to remove a penis from its lawful owner, and it's really hard to throw an entire human person. Particularly if one throws like a girl.

-- Anonymous, May 14, 2001

Beth, I'd be delighted if you brought your forum back. It was the first journal one I read and I've always liked it because the same people keep coming back and I felt like I got to know them.

I like this software; for me it's quick and without a lot of extra features.

-- Anonymous, May 17, 2001