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Site Update
If you like the idea of the reputation feature suggested in the comments, why not share some thoughts on it on this thread?
Hello folks, I'd like to talk about something that concerns me. There have been quite a lot of people who have mentioned the Aywas community has not felt the same and has seemed, almost... colder and ruder.
In the beginning, we all knew each other from a small handful of common sites. We recently passed 30,000 users - so we've grown a whole bunch from the original beta testers, and people from all kinds of sites have joined and made Aywas their home.
With more people, the original family feel gets diluted. I suppose that happens when you have so many people coming in. We can, however, all work together on that.
First thing is, for those of you coming from more aggressively moderated sites, you may not know that the moderators are all really, really nice people. If someone rubs you the wrong way or behaves disrespectfully to you, our staff is always here to help. We've seen a large number of these sort of reports lately and we encourage you to keep reporting. We want to help!
Second thing is, we have always required that members be mature and respectful - it's a staple of our TOS . It's kind of awkward phrasing, but I think it's still a decent description - to show respect to other members, the staff that works hard to entertain you, and the site as a whole.
This seems to be slipping. More and more, there are people who are not acting mature and/or respectful. We've seen a larger increase of individuals who express damaging and hurtful comments in public places, on and off site. This also contributes to an overall feeling of coldness and breeds pain and anger, because whether it's here or not, it still affects all of the community in the way that it infects. We encourage thoughtful feedback, but we don't tolerate bashing and mindless insults, whether here or elsewhere. That hurts our community feel, and does not represent a mature and respectful attitude.
While we want to welcome everyone, maturity and respect is necessary to keep our community thriving, and keep that family feel we all yearn for. The best way to ensure this is to report inappropriate behavior and contribute ideas, not venom and hatred.
That said, please remember that Aywas is a private website. It's one of the things that sets us apart from other ones - our ability to filter registrations. That doesn't end at the sign up page, though. We want a community full of awesome people who have fun together and are, of course, mature and respectful. Please remember to be mindful of how you treat others, the staff, and the site - everywhere. Our community does not welcome hurtful attitudes, and we as staff will step up and do our best in preserving the purpose of our filter.
Your reports are the most helpful in aiding us there - whether it's someone speaking in chatspeak or someone who acts disrespectfully toward you, site, or staff, your reports can make or break our efforts.
I think our community needs healing, but I know we can do it. :) Thanks to all for reading. Now let's do our best!
Posted by Jack
(#1) on Mon Sep 5, 2011 8:33pm
- Boethechick
(#11594)
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Posted on: Mon Sep 5, 2011 8:45pm
I also agree that this is the most friendly site I have been on in a long while. I have noticed that it is slowly moving to a place where you can not trust for fear of being taken advantage of, and that there are people that now beg, demand, or are just plain rude. So I can see what you mean when you talk about coldness....its kinda lost a little of the homeyness.
I can vouch for how amazing the Mods are here. I for one was pleasantly surprised at just how awesome they are. They want to help and they are super nice about it!!!
No matter how many people join the site, as long as the staff are always as awesome as they are, it will always be an amazing place!
- Jack
(#1)
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Posted on: Mon Sep 5, 2011 8:46pm
Yeah... there's a big problem with the chasm between new and old players. Our economy is ever-changing. Someone else said this better than me, but the only way we'll show newer players how Aywas works is by educating and guiding, not calling them names. Some understanding is needed from both sides. Older players are not elitist and newer ones are not beggars.
- King Sombra
(#382)
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Posted on: Mon Sep 5, 2011 8:46pm
Ace Hart, Im with you there. I like greeting newbies, but its depressing to make new friends who disappear within a week. (;n;)/
- Kaze
(#989)
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Posted on: Mon Sep 5, 2011 8:47pm
I love seeing new members on here! I've always felt like Aywas is a big community... ever-growing!
- L N
(#8904)
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Posted on: Mon Sep 5, 2011 8:48pm
I hope everyone takes this post to heart. Even if it is growing larger, the community here is still more friendly than any of the other sites I frequent. I hope it will stay that way <3
- Alera
(#157)
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Posted on: Mon Sep 5, 2011 8:49pm
This news post does need like button c: More love, hugs, and understanding for everyone. Yes? <3
- Inu
(#3296)
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Posted on: Mon Sep 5, 2011 8:50pm
I think maybe the applications should be filtered a bit more? Or maybe even closed for a while? o.o I dunno, I try to be a nice and friendly person - despite being an older user though, I'm more of a ghost buuut I don't really mind that. x'D I try to keep out of situations as best I can where I'd get in trouble. *shrug* I hope aywas can recover though :)
- Leno♥Cynder
(#12953)
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Posted on: Mon Sep 5, 2011 8:50pm
Slash I look up to you. You are just the best Site owner ever. This is (literately) the ONLY site that has a thoughtful owner, staff, and members. Ill do my best!
- litwick
(#7410)
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Posted on: Mon Sep 5, 2011 8:53pm
THANK. YOU. for posting this. .___. Let's hope people actually heed this and behave differently now.
Posted on: Mon Sep 5, 2011 8:45pm
"who express damaging and hurtful comments in public places, on and off site" I found a lovely bashing site for Aywas users yesterday. The more time I spend on Aywas, the more I hate the community. Even if its just a few bad apples they spoil it so much.