The current and future Status of the CSB

[Miles]

I will continue to post here as the climate is much more relaxed. I have visited the CSB and still feel the tension. Perhaps I am overly sensitive but during the final days of the CSB melt down, before Gar retuned, the hostility was palitable and quite uncomfortable.

I also wish to thank everyone involved in the creation and care of this place and hope it will continue to thrive and grow.

[Reality Bytes]

I've not said a lot about what I think about CSB past present or future - but I agree Miles there is certainly a feeling of tension there, has been for a long long time and nothing that has been done so far is going to reduce that the damage has been done and imo isn't fixable, which is why I haven't bothered posting my thoughts or emailing Gar.

The CSB we all remember is gone - and it won't be back. If it's true that Gar is planning to monetarise the site - and frankly you don't invest in a dedicated server costing 3k a year for a forum with barely a handful of regular members unless you have a very healthy bank balance and nothing else to spend your money on - then CSB cannot realistically remain an unmoderated free speech forum. The main way to make money on a forum is through sponsorship and advertising, and once you bring in the advertisers then they will have a long list of things they won't want to be associated with or won't allow to be discussed (for example anything negative about their product or company). Gar knows this he's not daft and he's been involved with online marketing for a long time, he may get a deal now where they promise to be "hands off" but that won't last and threatening to pull revenue is a very good way to make sure the owner goes along with whatever they want. I've been a member of many boards where the advertisers have ended up dictating whats allowed and whats not.

It seems the plan is to bring in a lot more people - thats great for Gar but for the old guard like ourselves it's the tolling of the bell - lots and lots of people mean that the needs of the many prevail it won't matter that people leave because there will always be others to replace them, the history and ethos of the CSB will mean nothing to the newbies, and anyway read what Gars already posted - he may not even keep the old board up even as an archive - thats how little we and it mean to his future plans.

[@meric@nwom@n]

Well, ever hopeful we will continue to have this place.

For it doth sucketh over there for the most part.

[The Hen]

I have no problems with G-Man changing the CSB to suit his needs. Afterall, we created Plan B to suit our needs.

Despite editec, Quaddriver and Steve beleiving that this was not like the CSB was, they were wrong. The site they thought they were part of has now moved over here and G-Man can make of his site what he will.

I will support him on his site as he is very dear to me. The CSB I tried to save went many years ago I expect. Potentially it vanished when he was away and Gwen was in charge. (Nice one Gwen. You must be so proud of yourself. Give yourself another big pat on the pat. Hang on a bit. I'll see if I can get Steve to help you.)

So Quad and Steve, how's about that unmoderated free speech board? Looks like it migrated here. What a shame you were both such pricks and aren't welcome here. (That is not to say you can't join. Even Quad managed to work out how to join. He just doesn't have the backbone to post. Do you darling Quad. Bit of a spineless prick, you.)



There. That be my spit for the day. Have a good one, one and all. (Even Quad.)

[@meric@nwom@n]

Definitely not welcome on my part. Presumably Gwen has the tech savy to start her own board. I wonder that she hasn't.

[Joe Guy]

Steve needs medication for Blood Pressure. He will pop one day.

Perhaps he should marry Gwen and be done with it.

That would be a great marriage.

Gwen would linger in her boudoir and occasionally respond to Steve's constant attempts to make her feel important.

And Steve would drool and wait for Gwen to enable him to feel good about himself for acknowledging how important she is.

It's a marriage made in CSB.

[@meric@nwom@n]

Well I played the game he has going about the time limits on editing. He has not had and has no intention of making the amount of time what I could consider reasonable. It's his hangup and honestly who cares? If it bugged me that much I would simply not post at all over there since this place is free of such hangups.

How long is editing here anyway?

[The Hen]

I think it is currently set to forever.

[Gob]

How long is editing here anyway?

Don't know, all to technical for me...

[Lord Jim]

Well I played the game he has going about the time limits on editing. He has not had and has no intention of making the amount of time what I could consider reasonable.

Up until today, to be honest, I was beginning to think myself that that might very well be true.

But we now have an agreement on the CSB that includes three key elements:

1.An immediate ten fold improvement over the editing time limit that was imposed three months ago

2.A relatively brief time period for this limit to be in place.

3.At the end of that time period, another vote, the results of which will be respected.

So I really don't think that criticism is valid.

As I said on the CSB, I believe that at this point Gar should be given some credit for moving as far as he has from his initial position to this point. It's a night and day difference from the approach of the CSB's late, unlamented "my way or the highway" former admin.

[The Hen]

As I said on the CSB, I believe that at this point Gar should be given some credit for moving as far as he has from his initial position to this point. It's night a and day difference from the approach of the CSB's late, unlamented "my way or the highway" former admin.

I am sure Gwen had her reasons for running the CSB the way she did. (Though the words 'power-trip' keep wanting to be typed by me for some unknown reason.)

Love you long time G-Man.

: )

[@meric@nwom@n]

So I really don't think that criticism is valid.

It's a perfectly valid criticisim and reflects exactly what I think. Ten hours is not the 24 that I feel is reasonable.

I actually don't even care anymore and likely will not participate in any future discussions about it over there.

I don't like giving chain-yankers satisfaction.

[Joe Guy]

Do you think Gwen might be feeling a bit powerless right about now?

Not that she ever had any power other than the ability to be an obtuse & snooty bitch that can't communicate with others without trying to make obvious attempts to make herself appear superior to them.

She has been neutered.

I can live with that.

[Crackpot]

I thought the proper term was "spayed"

[Rick]

I don't like giving chain-yankers satisfaction.

Who was yanking yer chain?

[Lord Jim]

Do you think Gwen might be feeling a bit powerless right about now?

Feeling it?

Undoubtedly.

Admit it?

NEVER

All you have to do is look at some of the stuff she posted at the CSB today to see just how DEEP in denial she remains...

[loCAtek]

I wonder what she did while the board was down?

I wonder what she'll do now it's up?

She never could post accurately about anything except how great she thought she was.

[Lord Jim]

She never could post accurately about anything except how great she thought she was

Well, it's obvious at this point, that's one thing that hasn't changed...

The lass hasn't lost a step...she's come back with all the boundless arrogance, snide condescension, clueless sense of blamelessness, and eye-popingly shameless dishonesty that had become her hallmarks before the board went down...

I'll give her this...

Her capacity to learn absolutely nothing, no matter what happens is truly impressive. It takes a highly disciplined mind to successfully shut out all evidence contrary to ones preconceived conclusions the way hers does......

One thing that does seem to have changed somewhat is Steve's behavior...

Is it just me, or does he seem somewhat chill...(at least compared to the full on maniac mode he was in the last few months before the board was closed)

Gwen has said some things I've found extremely irksome, and I have taken her severely to task for it. When I did that, I fully expected Steve to be "all up in my face".....

But frankly he's had little to say...his remonstrations have been fairly mild...dare I say it, he's almost been polite...(at least by his standards) the current ax he's grinding involves the CSB becoming a commercial enterprise; aside from chasing Gar around to try and get him to give Her Nibbs yet another public thank you, he hasn't expended much energy rushing to her defense, or attacking her critics....

Maybe while the board was down he finally got therapy...

Or some good meds...

Or both...

[Joe Guy]

One thing that does seem to have changed somewhat is Steve's behavior...

That's probably because he's even more confused than usual.

After all, his queen has been dethroned and his 'free speech' board is about to become commercialized.

Is there anything worse that could happen to him?

[Lord Jim]

After all, his queen has been dethroned and his 'free speech' board is about to become commercialized.

Is there anything worse that could happen to him?

But one would think that this convergence of events would make him rush about lashing out even more incoherently...

But instead he seems to be calmer, and more focused....

I've been able to understand just about everything he's said since the board reopened...(I haven't agreed with a lot of it, but at least it's been intelligible...and that in and of itself is an improvement)

Unless I've missed it, he hasn't been chasing Strop or Hen around with remarks about their sex life, he hasn't been chasing other female posters around with gratuitous, vile misogynist remarks, he hasn't been yammering on about "CSB traitors", or spouting gibberish about "weaker minds" that don't understand him...or any of the other foul and/or nutty things that were so much a part of his shtick....

Improvements all...

He's even got one lengthy recent post in the "Why Did You Start This Board" thread that's well written, thoughtful, logically constructed...even borderline eloquent.. it reads like it was written by a completely different person than the one we've come to know only too well in recent years....

Maybe it's sinking in to him that the war is over....