Posted by Free on November 29, 2010, at 20:09:04
In reply to Re: There's anxiety about this place dying., posted by Dr. Bob on November 29, 2010, at 3:06:37
> A door may be closed here. Is a window opened?
>
> Bob
I hate to say it, Bob, but the windows are broken. And they've been broken for some time.The broken windows theory says that if a window in a building is broken and is left un-repaired, all the rest of the windows will soon be broken.
I agree with others here that the critical window to be repaired is the one that Scott identified so well. I just don't see how Babble is going to get un-stuck from the status quo without first fixing this:
"...I think the control of speech here is rigid and too mechanical. Sanctions are triggered at a threshold of incivility that is too low. The evaluation of speech is compartmentalized and reduced to exercises in the strict application of grammar and diction. The length of blocks escalates too rapidly. Advisories are ubiquitous. The learning curve for the prescribed rules of civility is too steep. Some people are here for a week and then blocked from posting. The verbiage of the FAQ is too burdensome to read for new people to digest in order to post without being blocked. The posting system here is alien to most people who participate in forums elsewhere on the Internet. I believe that some people can feel completely stifled in their efforts to communicate. I have not encountered any other websites for which linguistics are scrutinized so closely that sentence structure takes priority over the intended conveyance of the message. I feel like I am being treated like a child." - ScottGood luck with all this...yeah, not easy.
Free
poster:Free
thread:971091
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20101014/msgs/971833.html