Sincerest condolences to RDF staff

[Ayaan]

Thanks Charlou

The staff (past and present) have worked very hard but the thing that upsets everyone is the loss of the forum because that's been the whole point of all the work. I can live with being treated like shit provided it's for a higher cause than my own transient emotions, which RD.net forum is of course.

In 3 years it's become the busiest atheist forum on the Internet but that doesn't seem to rank highly with Josh. He really has no idea what he's throwing away (as I've told him via email, which has not yet been answered).

It's a huge loss.

I'll be away for a few days (terrible timing), but you guys will be in my thoughts.

Don't hold your breath, Flora.

Thanks again, Charlou.

(Oh, btw, for those who don't know, I'm sciwoman at RDF.)

[JimC]

You have been treated appallingly...

Anybody else see RD as the ill, aging Theoden, and Josh as Wormtongue?

We need a fucking Gandalf!

[Bella Fortuna]

You have been treated appallingly...

Anybody else see RD as the ill, aging Theoden, and Josh as Wormtongue?

We need a fucking Gandalf!

I thought that was you, judging from that caricature...

[hackenslash]

I may as well replicate my message from there in this thread, before it's consigned to oblivion:

I, too, would like to express my gratitude to the moderating staff. Having been a forum member on many fora, and a moderator on three, I really appreciate what a difficult and confrontational job it can be. The moderation in this forum has been far and away the best moderation I've seen anywhere, bar none. The contribution of the moderating staff in making this forum quite probably the best learning resource on the internet simply cannot be overestimated or overstated.

I would also like to thank the rest of the membership. I've learned more in the last year than in many years beforehand, and it's all through the dialogue on this forum. My deepest gratitude to you all.

[Woodbutcher]

[Matt H]

Agreed. Sorry for being such a pain (though I should have had a medal for calling Robert Byers a moron, not a warning! (just joking)).

[Mr.Samsa]

Agreed. Sorry for being such a pain (though I should have had a medal for calling Robert Byers a moron, not a warning! (just joking)).

I had just typed up a thread dedicated to how much of a cunt Dr.Klass is and when I clicked submit I got the message saying the forum had been disabled. Such a cruel twist of fate - it was like being told I was about to be executed, then finding out the warden had run out of cigarettes.

[Ilovelucy]

Thanks for the virtual hugs and stuff guys. Just for posterity, here's what I posted on the tech thread before Josh nuked it:

Well, as an admin in a sinking ship, and a poster on this board from day one, I would like to join the chorus of disappointment for the way we and the membership have been fobbed off, bullshitted and royally shafted. I hope I keep bumping into you guys in cyberspace and the real world from now on. Love to all of you, even the ones that gave me the biggest feckin' admin headaches ever. Love to all the mods who gave so much just for the joy of seeing the community flourish. Love to all my intellectual adversaries and all the people that made me belly laugh at my computer as my typing fingers resumed the role of stern admin. I'll even go as far as to tip my whisky glass at the creationists and fundies. I feel like the proprietor of some outdated cafe or shop that was the hub of the community that's being torn down to make way for a big shiny tesco. I guess I'm going to head out now in my pyjamas and lie down in front of the bulldozer.

"There's no point in acting all surprised about it. All the planning charts and demolition orders have been on display in your local planning department on Alpha Centauri for fifty of your Earth years, so you've had plenty of time to lodge any formal complaint and it's far too late to start making a fuss about it now."

[cowiz]

Agreed. Sorry for being such a pain (though I should have had a medal for calling Robert Byers a moron, not a warning! (just joking)).

I had just typed up a thread dedicated to how much of a cunt Dr.Klass is and when I clicked submit I got the message saying the forum had been disabled. Such a cruel twist of fate - it was like being told I was about to be executed, then finding out the warden had run out of cigarettes.

Fucking brilliant !!! Especially since he's a grade A cunt

[klr]

Thanks for the virtual hugs and stuff guys. Just for posterity, here's what I posted on the tech thread before Josh nuked it:

Well, as an admin in a sinking ship, and a poster on this board from day one, I would like to join the chorus of disappointment for the way we and the membership have been fobbed off, bullshitted and royally shafted. I hope I keep bumping into you guys in cyberspace and the real world from now on. Love to all of you, even the ones that gave me the biggest feckin' admin headaches ever. Love to all the mods who gave so much just for the joy of seeing the community flourish. Love to all my intellectual adversaries and all the people that made me belly laugh at my computer as my typing fingers resumed the role of stern admin. I'll even go as far as to tip my whisky glass at the creationists and fundies. I feel like the proprietor of some outdated cafe or shop that was the hub of the community that's being torn down to make way for a big shiny tesco. I guess I'm going to head out now in my pyjamas and lie down in front of the bulldozer.

"There's no point in acting all surprised about it. All the planning charts and demolition orders have been on display in your local planning department on Alpha Centauri for fifty of your Earth years, so you've had plenty of time to lodge any formal complaint and it's far too late to start making a fuss about it now."

Eloquent as ever.

[Apollonius]

I thought the mods did a good job over there. I didn't always agree, but they were fair.

I don't know all the behind the scenes BS that went on. I'm just glad I happened to log on and catch the link to this place before RD.net's forum imploded.

I hope a lot of the other regulars move over here too.

[Taryn]

I'm really shocked to see how badly you have been treated, so sorry for all of you.

[SevenOfNine]

RD dedicated his book TGSOE to Josh, so even if the forum comes up again, I am not sure that I want to be a part of it. No doubt ex-members who attend the upcoming AFA conference in Melbourne will be most curious to learn first hand what RD thinks about the whole affair.

[virphen]

I think you guys were (the odd nit pic here and there) doing a bloody great job in often trying circumstances. And it's bloody hard to understand the mentality that would shaft you all like this.

If any of you are in contact with starr could you perhaps PM me here? I didn't get the chance to give her my e-mail, and I'd like to talk to get it passed on to her. She'll never get to read my happy birthday PM it seems!

[Thommo]

I'm glad this thread is up, I wanted to sign up here to get a chance to thank all the (former) mods/staff/admins at the RDF forum for all the hard work, time and effort they put in.

The way you guys were treated is absolutely appalling, a generic PM with just a couple of lines added compared to the notice that went to members is a really shocking effort, it was patronising rude and about as fucking classy as dumping someone via SMS.

So much quality content will be lost or go unappreciated now, Durro's mafia game that I was enjoying, Mazille's science writing contest, the anti-creationist nukes and all the associated information and probably a dozen more things that took the equivalent of working weeks and months of skilled time for the staff to set up, but that I never found the time to look in to.

Here's to you guys, you deserved better.

Thanks again.