Response to thread "Outdoor Sports Introduction FAQS"

[Meinfield]

Hi Folks,
As a 10-year veteran of this website, I want to share some thoughts and concerns. Let me begin by saying I have the utmost respect for Mike and the way he built and moderated this website over the years; his wisdom, humor and strong commitment to community are the things that kept me involved. The member comments, information and just plain good times kept me connected.

I just read through the String "Response to New Moderator / Website Owner" but I could not post there because it has been closed to further comments. I learned that Mike had sold the website which saddened me but as a businessman that has built and sold several businesses, I understand there are many different reasons to sell a business, and I wish Mike the best. And if I read correctly, I also understand that "moderator bob" is a group of individuals who are handling the maintenance of the website and are part of a larger group named "Outdoor Sports" that has other interests.

I have a couple of concerns, and hopefully I will not be banned for this discussion, but that is the risk I take. First, many of the people I enjoyed conversation with over the years have been banned. Whipper? Really? Whipper added as much fun and technical information as anyone, and his banning IMO is a big loss to the community. I understand and respect Mike's long-time commitment to keeping the site clear of negativity and disrespect, but it seems that banned members were just trying to find out information about the new moderators and companies associated with them, and as far as I could find they were never given a straight answer.

Two things, to me, that made 6X6 world so successful were community and transparency. After reading through the posts, two things were apparent: that OS wasn't willing to reveal the other companies they manage, and that there were several moderators that would be answering comments under the name “moderator bob”. I respect those business decisions, as I understand there are other things in play that we are not aware of, but I disagree with these decisions and I also offer a warning. If I purchased a company, I would be sure to identify what made the company successful and implement procedures to keep those core values intact. I see this all the time when companies purchase other companies, and statistically in this country less than 30% of profitable companies that are purchased actually make money. I think it is a mistake to change the core (implied) values that made 6x6 world successful, especially if OS intends to grow and connect with new members.

The choices to not reveal the other companies OS manages, and to employ multiple moderators are certainly valid business decisions, but they will have consequences. By not revealing the other companies OS manages, members are left with a sense of mistrust, like there is something to hide. Moderator responses by “moderator bob”, with members not being able to put a face / personality to the responses, leaves us with a very impersonal feeling, not at all what we experienced with Mike.
I hope that OS will listen to the members they represent, and to create a personal, intimate atmosphere where our community can grow and have fun. It’s about community, after all.

Anyhow, just my two cents worth. Now it is time to get back to work on the Hustler!
All the Best,
Chris

[Meinfield]

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[Moderator Bob]

Hey Chris,

It's great to see you've been visiting the site since the beginning. You are correct, Mike is an outstanding member of the community and graciously answered the call to build a community-based website. He was very unique in the sense of both administering the site and attending group events.

Outdoor Sports is simply here to keep the website running smoothly and to maintain the forum. It has been our decision in all business ventures to keep them separate, and it has proven to be very successful.

Unfortunately one of the negative aspects of operating a forum is providing consequences to members for inappropriate behavior. We haven't changed the site rules, although we do operate with less tolerance to breaking these simple rules. We outlined in the "Forum Clean Up" thread the reasoning behind the banned members. Shortly after their bans, a number of those users attempted to join the site under different usernames, further ignoring the rules.

In the last 5 months, 6x6world has continued to serve as a friendly forum and has been free of technical site issues. We are pleased with the smooth transition of ownership and look forward to maintaining this site for hobbyists to enjoy.