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There are still plenty of published writers contributing to this site and while they may not have publishing experience at the sharp end as it were, they certainly have experience of what hoops they have had to jump through to get published and are in a good position to advise those of us who haven't. I can think of two immediately who sell lots of short stories to womags.
The person who has left did not want to draw attention or make a fuss, Patrick, for reasons I can't go into and don't wish to. And as Pixie said, we respect their wishes, hence we are unable to tell all of TB. We sincerely hope it's a short sojourn...and look forward to them returning.
I do agree with the seeds of negativity taking root.
Lolli is quite right - many of us contribute as published writers, myself included. There are many more on here.
Lolli said: then obviously the rest of us realise that someone has left, even if we haven't missed them (and I don't mean that in a nasty way!)
I just think not enough time has passed where we'd notice a particular person's absence. It's sad if we have lost a few TBers, but with it being a forum where members come and go depending on the time they have to procrastinate when they should be doing something more productive (which, aside from the company, is why I'm usually here ;) ), even regulars can fall off the map without anyone being the wiser. Hopefully they'll come back to us when they're ready.
It seems that "some people" having left on the last page is now "the person who left" on this. I am not trying to belittle the issue, everyone should feel welcome, but one person taking a break suggests a different picture from people leaving in droves as implied by the other post about "nastiness".
I posted on this thread initially because I thought everyone else could see a list of people who had recently left - it would seem that it was my perception that was flawed.
People will come and go according to what else is happening in their lives - there is a vast difference between people taking a break due to circumstances and people taking a break because they have encountered "nastiness".
This person left because of the 'nastiness'. I didn't ask personal questions, not my place or business. I can only conclude that some people were not as pleasant and courteous as they should have been in conducting themselves here.
A number of us have encountered some rogue elements on here who have made a nuisance of themselves. I think that is what could be perceived as the 'nastiness', it's just a guess.
The "some people" on the previous page does, I'm sure, refer to those people who have left, like Dorothy.
To be honest I don't give a fig if certain people look down on WTB or not, I enjoy it and get a lot out of it.
Some people are easily offended, others offend easily. Such is life! There are bound to be an occasional clashes of temperaments on any site like this, it may even be a healthy sign. At least we have the freedom to do so. Its always sad however when people feel they have to choose to leave, because then we all lose out. Perhaps low key moderation will prove to be a worthwhile safeguard in this regard.
[quote=Pixie J King]Patrick wrote: everyone should feel welcome
I don't at times. [/quote]
Then please tell us Pixie why you feel that so we can resolve it.
I'm sure that the majority of us would not intentionally be unkind to you, and we can all misunderstand each other at times- I'm just as guilty of that as anyone in the world. :)
Someone said above that as writers we should be good communicators - and so we should - but as writers I think we have a tendency (over-generalising madly here!) to be sensitive people who can sometimes over-analyse and read too much into things. (Or perhaps that's just me :) ) Anyway, I think we do pretty well on the whole at resolving our troubles on here. If people choose to leave, that's sad, but it's inevitable it will sometimes happen.
Pixie, of course you are welcome. I for one love having younger folk on here and you liven up this forum no end - keep at it!
Rosalie,I think you have hit the nail on the head, so to speak. For creative people, over sensitivity often comes as part of the package. I certainly would have to hold my hands up to that one. On the whole I agree that we cope with it pretty well on here. The trick I think is in recognising our own tendencies for what they are, and being quick in forgiving others for their foot in mouth moments.
I tend to stay away for a while if something has upset me, but I cool off and come back. There are a couple that I know have left because of what has been termed 'drama' and it is up to them. Is this really the place to debate this and to be honest should we, if they want to go they can go, if they want to come back they will be welcomed. I understand Stirlings post and I don't see why names should be provided as proof, maybe it is best to let this emotive subject drop.
I think not only does a bit of over-sensitivity come with the territory, but writers are sometimes just too darned good at expressing themselves in writing. In a conversation, we'd soften our impact with 'umms', qualifications and body language. Hence I try not to take strong comments too heavily, but inevitably, some get through. The longer I am on forums, the better I get at that.
BTW in no way do I question HPRW's valuable contribution. She's written some stonkingly useful posts quite recently, and always when her information was urgently needed. It was just that I didn't know what to do with the information on leavers and lack of experts, etc. I think I'm more comfortable with that in light of the 30-odd subsequent posts ;)
I agree Neph. What's done is done, regrettable perhaps, but not really anything we can fix. All we (I) can do is try to keep Talkback as friendly and useful as it can be, and hope that any new visitors, or returning ones, stick around and feel welcome.
Comments
I do agree with the seeds of negativity taking root.
Lolli is quite right - many of us contribute as published writers, myself included. There are many more on here.
I just think not enough time has passed where we'd notice a particular person's absence. It's sad if we have lost a few TBers, but with it being a forum where members come and go depending on the time they have to procrastinate when they should be doing something more productive (which, aside from the company, is why I'm usually here ;) ), even regulars can fall off the map without anyone being the wiser. Hopefully they'll come back to us when they're ready.
*SA*
I posted on this thread initially because I thought everyone else could see a list of people who had recently left - it would seem that it was my perception that was flawed.
People will come and go according to what else is happening in their lives - there is a vast difference between people taking a break due to circumstances and people taking a break because they have encountered "nastiness".
A number of us have encountered some rogue elements on here who have made a nuisance of themselves. I think that is what could be perceived as the 'nastiness', it's just a guess.
The "some people" on the previous page does, I'm sure, refer to those people who have left, like Dorothy.
Some people are easily offended, others offend easily. Such is life! There are bound to be an occasional clashes of temperaments on any site like this, it may even be a healthy sign. At least we have the freedom to do so. Its always sad however when people feel they have to choose to leave, because then we all lose out. Perhaps low key moderation will prove to be a worthwhile safeguard in this regard.
I don't at times.
I don't at times. [/quote]
Then please tell us Pixie why you feel that so we can resolve it.
I'm sure that the majority of us would not intentionally be unkind to you, and we can all misunderstand each other at times- I'm just as guilty of that as anyone in the world. :)
Pixie, of course you are welcome. I for one love having younger folk on here and you liven up this forum no end - keep at it!
I agree: over-sensitivity and an analytical outlook come with the territory.
BTW in no way do I question HPRW's valuable contribution. She's written some stonkingly useful posts quite recently, and always when her information was urgently needed. It was just that I didn't know what to do with the information on leavers and lack of experts, etc. I think I'm more comfortable with that in light of the 30-odd subsequent posts ;)