Thank You Brainformation

[forumadmin]

This thank you message is in response to the many private messages I've received lately regarding the general activity in our forums, and to the numerous responses in my post about Cussing. All the messages and replies to my post were read carefully and taken to heart. In some instances I've had an extensive exchange of private messages and e-mails, but for the most part I've been an observer of the goings on. That was a deliberate choice intended to avoid biasing any candid discussions of sensitive issues. It is now time for me to add my personal perspectives in the open forum.

In case you missed reading the site's mission statement or our Code of Conduct, I'll put it all succinctly as I can right here. Brainformation was created by me, and my sorely missed buddy Mark, for the purpose of providing an online space for people all over the Internet to exchange and communicate ideas. In so doing we hoped to contribute in a very small way to a better understanding of each other personally and culturally. The way this was all going to work was by applying one simple philosophy to all the activity within the forums. That philosophy simply stated is "to show each and every participant in our community dignity and respect." It's a simple concept with wide ranging implications. It's an idealistic approach, but the management here is dedicated to pursue the ideal.

Managing a web community was new to me when we first started, but it didn't take long for me to appreciate the value of our membership's contributions. This isn't my site. I just run the controls. Brainformation belongs to the contributing members. Viewing the operations here in that light has proved its value over and over during the nearly 1000 days we have been in existence. I try in discreet as well as in overt ways to give each individual here a sense of ownership. Your ideas and needs are what makes us what we are today. Your suggestions and request for changes are always taken seriously, and some of the best features here are the direct results of member suggestions. I am thankful to all of you past and present for being willing to make such valuable contributions to this community.

Another secret to the success of Brainformation is transparency and the open door policies we try to enforce. All applicants for membership to our community are considered for acceptance. An individual's history elsewhere on the Internet or in the real world plays only a small role in determining the approval of their application for membership. I fully realize the hazards involved with that line of thought, but it stands today that our members' history begins the moment their application is approved, not before. Once you are accepted in our ranks, however, you must prove your worth to stay with us. I'm very pleased to report that as of this writing nobody has ever been banned from our site.

The price one pays for success in a community such as Brainformation is complexity. The simple rule of respect ends up having to be clarified to cover unexpected situations, and showing that respect becomes increasingly more difficult as the variety and diversity of our membership increase. The more successful we become, the harder it is to remain that way. But, that is yet another item for which I am thankful. The Brainformation members have consistently gone out of their way to accommodate differences in personality, culture, education, and background of the people in our community. The fact that they continue to make those difficult adjustments shows the value of what we have here. The founding philosophies have been proved valid and worthy by all of you, and for that I am extremely grateful.

In consideration of all your efforts past and present, my promise to you is that I will use my administrative capacity to do all I can to preserve what we have taken so much pain to build. Some of you will welcome that promise, and some of you will leave because of it. None of you who stay with us for the next thousand days will regret it. Once again, thank you Brainformation. Thank you for being who you are, and thank you for helping us grow to be a world class community.

Dennis

[bea]

Thank you Dennis. You are the coolest administrator I know (apart from me)

[pilvikki]

[meadow]

rock on, Dennis. you are very fair and open minded. i appreciate it muchly!

[chicklin]

Dennis - although you try to minimise your importance here - I've discovered in my short time at brainformation that you are the glue that holds us all together.....x

.....and I think it is your consistently fair and unbiased way of running things here that make it a great place to come to.

[wsahm]

Without you, this place would be so empty...

HUG!!!

[ohlia]

Everyone knows, Dennis you're the bestest! Thank You!

[haysi]

Fair and unbiased. Thats what is good about the admin here.

[Flawless]

Thank you Dennis! Always remember, whatever decisions you make will always make at least one person angry.

[Bedford]

Yogi, the best administrator on any forum I've ever participated on.

(Then again, that's like saying someone is the smartest stooge, but still, it's from the heart. )