KelliH said:
Well, now here we go- AGAIN- I am (in a roundabout way) being blamed for the downfall of Fauna. The ironic thing about that is that I'm not here fighting you, Rich. I'm not here causing problems and bitching about the way you run the website. See that coin over there to the left? Yeah, I paid money to support this place, and you. Why, after all the horrible events of summer 2005 and summer 2006 would I do such a thing, you may be wondering? Because I cared about you, Rich, and I cared about Fauna and wanted to make things better somehow. Obviously I have failed miserably.
I thought we had all of that worked out, Rich. I thought that we had agreed to let bygones be bygones. Apparantly I was alone in that thought wasn't I. You are unable to forgive me, and I am really sorry for that. I have tried explaining over and over and over again why some of the things that happened, happened. I have practically begged you to forgive me. I have tried the best way I know how to make it better, and I have just now realized that it never will.
I'll always be "the bad guy" in your eyes and one or two others here on Fauna because of the chain of events that followed the most horrific nightmare of a time I will ever experience in my life. You, and anyone else that cannot at least try to have some empathy for what I went through and try to understand why I may have not had the best judgement at that time, you and they have no heart and you and they have no soul.
Just to make it clear (I'm almost done), Rich, I am sorry that I was confused about your motives during my time of sorrow and anguish following my son's death. I was wrong. I am sorry that I became frustrated being here and being a mod here, and that I took some of your statements personally when perhaps I shouldn't have. That was wrong. I am sorry that I decided to create my own website for my fellow gecko keepers and breeders to have a place to call "home". I am sorry I did not inform you that I was going to do just that, it was wrong and I should have told you about it. That was wrong. I am especially sorry about allowing the thread in which Fauna and you and some of the members were made fun of to remain on the test site.
Since you have made it quite clear that those events were what have caused you to not care anymore about Fauna or it's membership, I will do the proper thing now and cease posting. I hope that no longer seeing my posts here will in some way help you start to care about Fauna and the members again. I will miss posting but I will get over it I am sure. I hold no hard feelings towards you, and I respect your feelings about everything that has happened.
And to Bruce: I was and still am utterly amazed that you dislike me so much simply because I disagreed with you about the situation where the geckos that GKO shipped to you died. It's just so stupid, really.
Griz said:
I'll try to make this brief as I am attempting to type this inbetween feeding oatmeal to my kids and trying to get out the door. We'll see what a multi-tasker I am.
Rich, your post comes as no surprise to me. I realize that you placed your heart (Fauna) out there and the whole "other website" debacle trounced on it. But, get over it. I mean that sincerely. People are only human and sometimes we can turn real ugly, even the best of us. But, it's what we do after the hurts been done that shows us what character really is. I've seen Kelli come back on here and sincerely attempt to reconcile and to start educating others about her love of gecko's. THAT'S what Fauna is about. Sure, what Kelli site did hurt but, in my opinion, that one thread will NOT determine what I feel Kelli is about. She may be hard headed and stubborn at time but she has also shown a very gentle, caring and sharing quality about her that has only attempted to help this site out.
Rich, if you think that you are going to get by in this world without experiencing disappointment from those that you cared for then I am glad I don't live in that world. If Fauna has lost it's worth to you then end it. I won't remember Rich as being the Cornsnake King of the Nation. I will remember you as the originator of the best damn reptile site that was ever built. Each thing we do in life creates our legacy Rich. THIS site is part of your legacy and to be blunt, I would rather see Fauna simply close it's doors then to see a part of your legacy fall to the wayside.
Rich, you talk a tough game but in my line of work I have to read people and to blunt, your not as tough as you would like this board to think. You care too much about this site and I know it tears you up to see what has transpired. But, only you can make it right. I am glad to help as I know others are as well. But, you have to start counting on those individuals who have earned the right to help not simply paid for it. If I knew you were sincerely going to start caring again and start taking control over the site then I would happily pay to help support your efforts. It's never been a money thing to me Rich, it's a quality thing and right now the quality is no longer there. And that pains quite a few of us more then you will know.
Griz
This is not all about Kelli. If it had just been Kelli alone posting those things, it would have been a rather insignificant event. Not even really surprising, at that. It was the number of other posters as well as the vehemence displayed that counted. The thread is still here if anyone cares to review what I am referring to.
Kelli, I do hope you break out of this stage you are in sometime soon. You read things but obviously do not read everything, making assumptions based on only partially understood phrases twisted into shape to match your own preconceptions. I am assuming you were not always like this. But not everything someone does or says is directly about YOU. Please show me where I said (even in a roundabout way) that I hold you at fault for this.
Another point in these two threads is rather interesting. On one hand, one member feels that their paid membership should be held as a strong indication of their support for this site.
See that coin over there to the left? Yeah, I paid money to support this place, and you. Why, after all the horrible events of summer 2005 and summer 2006 would I do such a thing, you may be wondering? Because I cared about you, Rich, and I cared about Fauna and wanted to make things better somehow.
Yet on the other hand another member is pretty much telling me that I should completely discount the paid membership status, and even though I chose to determine that the higher paid memberships SHOULD be considered as a pretty good rule of thumb indicating the level of support those members are willing to offer this site, this should be completely discarded as any sort of criteria....
But, you have to start counting on those individuals who have earned the right to help not simply paid for it.
See what I mean about conflicting opinions?
Obviously I choose to weigh heavily on the paid memberships, but par for the course, some believe that should be completely discounted.
That being said, how many different ways have webmasters chosen their moderators? What criteria was most commonly used? Personally, from what I have seen, the most common criteria used is nothing more than the desire of the webmaster to hogtie a nucleus of members to help promote the website by their presence and participation. And many webmasters, have paid dearly for doing it that way.
So what are other options? Choosing based on public opinions? Well how many people have voted members here as good guys who later on turned out to be not quite as good as they had thought? Would those people have made wonderful moderators here? Would giving such people the ability to delete YOUR messages when they became soured of the things you said about them have been really such a wonderful idea? I am no more psychic than you are, yet I am expected to intuitively determine such things? Based on what? There is an
InternetCrystalBall.com site out there that I am not aware of for such things?
Oh well. Yep, same old tune we are all singing in harmony, I guess. Time to change the channel....
