How to kill a community

One of the greatest things about the interwebz is its ability to bring together groups of people from all across the world to share their experiences and ideas on any given subject. At some point, these groups and discussions become so large and complex that relationships and communities start to form to hold things together. Within that, people will eventually either step up, or by virtue of their contribution, be considered responsible enough, to take on a role of leadership or authority. It’s just the natural order of things.

These are things I learned long ago. These are things that I know aren’t easy to manage or maintain, but they are a necessity.

What makes a community successful is when everyone, no matter their role or place in the scheme of things, can respect and abide by the order set in place. There will be conflict and there will be strife, but the one thing that remains is that we have to believe that it works. When that is lost, then things can rapidly take a turn for the worse.

This is something I never considered doing, but given some recent events, I think it’s the only option left.

To anyone that’s involved in the current ongoing dispute regarding the Podtacular community’s IRC channel and some of our administration in that area…STOP IT. Really. You’re all acting like children.

Maybe some of our members (including my fellow administrator Dialpex) think that’s a little harsh and counterproductive. Maybe it is. Nevertheless, it’s the truth. If you’re someone in this community that feels it’s necessary to undermine and take shots at the people in charge of things, then you just need to leave. There’s no simpler way to put it. You’re more than welcome to start up your own podcast and web community and see how much fun it is when you dread visiting your own site because of all the senseless bickering.

You might think I’m being melodramatic, I’m not. At some point in the last several months, I think all of us leading the Podtacular charge have grown tired of the unnecessary drama. Foo Mo Jive, JVB and Dialpex are all welcome to speak for themselves, but I can assure you, this community isn’t hardly as fun and engaging for me as it used to be. Call me disillusioned, but even the long-awaited launch of Halo 3 hasn’t done much to inspire my confidence in where our community is heading.

On the other hand, if you’re not involved or have no idea what I’m referring to, then it might be better that you don’t know. Just know that, yes, it involves Dialpex, several members of our community, both private and public exchanges and promotions/demotions that maybe should have/have not happened. For the most part, it’s a truly small matter that has since escalated into something that seems now beyond a simple resolution.

If you’ve taken the time to read this far, then I appreciate it, because that at least tells me that you care and want our community to succeed. You’re more than welcome to comment and even disagree, but remember to take a look at what you contribute to the discussion and evaluate if you really want to be here in the first place.

Thank you.