Having run two forums for not quite a year now, with all the attendant headaches, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the moderators and board admins here - this board is almost 8 years old and I'm sure most people don't realize what an achievement that is - or how much work.

Again - thank you.

Wow - 8 years, huh? Seems just like yesterday. And a fun 8 years it's been, too!

I have to say that it's an extremely easy thing to do because you guys make it so simple. It's not hard to keep things running along when everyone is trying their best to make it work and help each other out. So give yourselves a huge pat on the back - you deserve it!

And I think the easy attitude to rules and newbies makes a difference, too. I get really angry when I see how some forums treat new members, always jumping on them from a height if they make a simple mistake or ask a question that's been asked before. Or acting as though someone just ran over their kitten if they misplace a post. :rolleyes: It's just so unnecessary. It's not a huge deal.

LabRat

This is a fun and safe place because of you guys. Yes, thank you.

What LabRat said... these days, keeping this place in order is exceptionally easy because all our members keep themselves in order. I'll delete a double-post if someone asks, but mostly I just read.

Mind you, 8 years ago, it was a little trickier -- though still not as hard as we'd feared. Since these boards were opened as part of a fandom split, we were worried that the fighting might follow us. So we instituted a very strict no flame-wars policy. I think we were called fascists once or twice but it paid off...nothing got out of hand, and the people who were inclined to start trouble quit trying. Not that there were that many mischief-makers anyway.

But that's one of the reasons these boards are so nice now -- flame wars aren't tolerated. And, again, it's been 7 years or so since anyone tried.

Mostly, though, we just have really really nice board members and as admins, we appreciate that!

PJ

Well, as someone currently recovering (at least patting down the flames) of a covert flame war on a board, the civility and overall tenor of this board is something to be envied and emulated. Thank you again for your great example.

I want to add my kudos because this is such a great place to be. And I totally agree with LabRat. I recently joined another forum and have never seen such an unfriendly place to be and this forum has kids on it. You are allowed 5 "Warns" before you get kicked off the board. I got one warn for saying I liked someone's art. That wasn't allowed, don't you know. I got my second warn for answering someone's question about the forum. But I wasn't supposed to answer the question in the thread. I was supposed to PM them. I'm not sure it's worth it. Again thanks for running such a great board.

Grief. I remember I got warned on the Stargate forum because I answered a post from someone asking about illegal downloads with a one liner advising that it was a taboo subject on the forum.

Apparently just telling someone it was a taboo subject was...taboo. Eeesh. I left shortly after that. Life is too short.

LabRat

This is the first forum I've followed and only the second fanfic site I've read anything from.

The first fanfic site was well done and continued the Quantum Leap seasons with new story arcs. Since the show itself didn't have continuing story lines it added a lot of depth that the TV show didn't have. I really enjoyed it, but there was a core group of writers doing things behind the scenes and, somehow, editing individual stories into the overall arc. On the other hand, other than an occasional request for new writers there wasn't anything promoting creative input. I appreciate that your forum encourages people to write, not just read and lurk.

After discovering this site I thought it'd be a great idea to check out fanfic for other shows I enjoyed (ST:TNG for one). It didn't take more than about five minutes to see the quality difference in the stories. It took a while for me to get to the Submissions page and read about how the Beta thing works but it shows. Nothing is worse than reeding some ones pour writing. I mean even if the sotry's OK I cant wade thruogh there ideals with the bad speling and gramar rong to. Though I still don't completely understand how anyone writes (and posts) things in chapters I definitely appreciate the effort to produce quality stories and good writers.

I also appreciate that the forum attracts (tolerates?) people with a slightly twisted sense of reality. You know--people that I'd probably hang out with if they were local.

Thanks for all the work.


EDIT:
I came here to update this post for a different reason but on reading I realized that everything I said then is still true. I've been here for 13 years and I am still thankful for this message board and both the high standards of conduct it continues to exhibit and the high quality of stories the members have produced. I appreciate the hard work and dedication that it has taken and it shows. Thank you!

What got me here is yesterday I randomly clicked on an old old link. And I found that after 16 years of inactivity the first fanfic site I ever read from will start posting new stories starting Thursday! Quantum Leap: The Virtual Seasons If anyone is interested there are already 9 seasons online. I can't say anything about the new stories yet but I recognize some of the names so I'm hopeful. Enjoy!

bump

Thank you, Shallowford, for buming this!

Michael