Greetings fellow OTF’ers!

I’ve really been struggling about what to write this column about. Something big and controversial? Something small and fluffy? I even asked a few of my fellow chatters what I should write about, and of course, everyone had a different answer. But the more I have been turning OTF issues around in my head, I keep coming back to thoughts about our Forum system. Now that it’s been operational for a few months, some interesting characteristics have come to light, making me wonder if the Forums are a good thing or bad.

On the good side, the Forums have provided an outlet for some of our very prolific writers to expound on a variety of subjects. From healthy debates, to creative storytelling, our members have been exposed to a host of imaginative and thought-provoking material.

With all of its different categories, we have easy access to read just the topics that interest us, without having to scroll through a bunch of things that don’t. My personal favorite feature is that button labeled “New posts,” so I can quickly look through the newest topics when pressed for time. Some of my favorite topics are the funny ones… from treehouses to our own academy award pictures, we are able to have a laugh and poke fun at ourselves. I also enjoy the “human interest” type of topics (ie. What is your favorite _________?, or If you were stuck on a desert island, what would you take?). These give us insights into the personalities and lives of those in our community.

The Forums have allowed us to develop a lot of good things that are beneficial to the OTF community and its members. But, it has also caused some things to cultivate that aren’t so good…

I mentioned healthy debates at the beginning of this piece, and we’ve had some, many of which were on controversial subjects. But they were done in a respectful manner, allowing for successful discussion of differing viewpoints.

However, lately this type of healthy conversation has turned more and more into negativity fests and petty arguments. In subtle and not-so-subtle ways, people are using and abusing the forums for their own personal agendas and/or attack platforms; turning, in some cases, the simplest topics into bitter blasts of negativity, half-true accusations against OTF’s and RL world’s administrations, or continual re-beatings of topics which have either been explained multiple times or weren’t appropriate for the forums in the first place.

It seems to me that with increasing frequency, especially over the last month, there have been a lot of borderline-to-outright violations of the Prime Directives, all in the name of “freedom of speech.” I put this charge to all of you now: let’s remember that we are supposed to be acting as a community here.

One of the negatives of the Forums has been that people seem to be using them to “disconnect” from each other a little. When we are removed from “face to face” media like the chatrooms, it’s easy sometimes to forget that the things we write in emails and Forum posts will be read by, and have an affect on, real people. People who aren’t going to agree with you; people who may be offended by what you write, even if you personally don’t perceive it as offensive. Let’s face it, OTF’ers are a pretty opinionated group! (And I think that’s a good thing, because I like hearing other views on things). But done respectfully, we’ve proved that we can handle tough topics together.

I think we can get back to that point again, but we all have to work at it. I guess I’m just saying (and this goes for me too, as many of you know I have my moments just like everyone else!), think about what you’re writing and how it will affect others. In my opinion, there are constructive ways to make any point or suggestion. I would like to see us try to be more respectful and positive with each other, build up the community instead of tearing it down.

That said, I would like to close by encouraging all of you to take this month, where we are trying to give people a break to relax at OTF, to maybe take a break from the Forums too. Maybe if we get back to the basics, and just chat with each other for a few weeks, we can reconnect with some old peeps, and get to know some new peeps. Too simplistic a view? Perhaps, but this month is all about making things simpler. I think it’s an attainable goal. We often say to each other, “It’s just a chatroom.” This is true, but it’s also a place to connect with other people, and it’s important to all of us in one way or another. A very unique “hobby” we share…

If you’re still reading, thank you for taking the time to see what I had to say.

Respectfully submitted,

CL7 JJ
ST Sector Commander
JJ@outpost10f.com