Hi everyone,
I just want to make this post to clarify some things.
First of all, the changes to The Lounge that were implemented were my doing. I implemented them hastily, partially due to misreading the situation, and partially because I decided that enough time had passed and that action had to be taken. The reality is that not enough time had passed, and not enough people were properly consulted. There was insufficient consensus. I take full responsibility for that, and apologize to the community for causing such an ill planned disruption. I was attempting to take on a leadership role with actions that were premature, and it has caused quite a mess. The settings that I tinkered with were for an advanced technician and it set some mishaps into motion which are now corrected. Oopsies! Yes, admins are humans too, and technology can be unforgiving sometimes. Nonetheless, there is definitely a general consensus that The Lounge needs some changes. What those changes look like, how they are to be carried out, and whose role will be what, are back on the drawing board.
I believe that the best way forward is to do thorough consultation, along with openness and transparency. The accusation that has been made - that the forum management is secretly trying to get rid of The Lounge - is not true. The only thing we want is to make Bluelight a better place and more inclusive of everyone. The Lounge has a long tradition and we don't want it gone, we want it to be more integrated with the rest of the community forum. Based on the backlash about hiding The Lounge, it seems like a lot of people still feel it needs to be visible, which means that there is a clear precedent here and desire to find a solution. Ironically, my premature action has set a lot of dialogue into motion, more than we've had in months, so it's my hope that we can take this conversation forward in a positive way.
I hope that eventually the detractors come to realize that we have the highest good of the forum in mind and we volunteer our time to make sure Bluelight continues to evolve in positive directions that are of service to all.
This thread is going to be closed now, mostly because the original announcement no longer applies, but also because we need to give staff time to regroup and come up with a plan.
Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful 2015 and that it treats you kindly. May there be peace between you and yours, and me and mine. Cheers!