Post by Odin on Sept 9, 2004 13:19:31 GMT -5
Last week, I placed a "want ad" for someone to fill the soon-to-be-vacant admin position. Some of you may have thought, "What's the big deal? It's just one new admin to replace the old one." I, however, had big reservations. Because I was taxed for time and energy this past year (and will continue to be taxed in the years ahead because of work and personal family issues), I thought about giving up this forum. In fact, some of you may remember that I made a similar plea for a new admin earlier this year, only to change my mind. But as the new women's volleyball season came around a couple of weeks ago, I knew I could no longer provide the support you needed. In fact, I went without checking my email and IM for many weeks this past year because, simply put, I did not have the time or the energy. There were even times when I did not check this forum for weeks at a time. That's when I knew I was not right for this job anymore. That's when I knew this forum was better off without me, like George Bailey.
Why did I take this job in the first place? Let me give you a brief history lesson.
Around 1999, there weren't many volleyball forums on the web. In fact, the only one with any life was the one run by Volleyball Magazine. Not surprisingly, it had a very vocal Hawaii contingent. However, the admin of that forum had a tendency to censor and shut down the forum in a manner that was very frustrating. For example, the admin censored the word "kill" because he/she was afraid of the constant death threats and the like between Hawaii and Long Beach State fans (those were the days when Long Beach State had a good team, LOL), which was ridiculous because one of the main technical lingo in volleyball is "kill." In 2000 alone, the Volleyball Magazine forum shut down three times, sometimes the shutdown lasted for more than a month. It was clear that Volleyball Magazine was not committed to promoting their forum and actively encouraging discussion. (or possibly worried about liabilities)
Angered by the management of that forum, ModJoe (Joe Joritano) decided to start up his own forum called Volleyball 24/7. He wasn't trying to steal the membership away from Volleyball Magazine. In fact, he did not mind fans going to other boards and indeed, many continued to post at the Volleyball Magazine forum. He merely wanted volleyball fans to have a forum 24/7 (which will never shut down) to discuss the sport they loved so dearly, and which Volleyball Magazine was not incubating. ModJoe made two promises:
(1) the forum would never be shutdown -- never; and
(2) the forum will remain independent.
In the early days, the one poster who drove discussion was Richee. (I do not know if "Richee" is the same poster as "Not Richee")
As time went on, the membership at Volleyball 24/7 increased while Volleyball Magazine decreased. When ModJoe moved to Israel on business, he passed the reins to a friend -- me -- in 2002. I believed in his vision of consistently maintaining a forum that will never shut down. When I took over, the only thing I did was move the forum to this new server at Proboards, changed the layout, and changed the title to "VolleyTalk". Despite some resistance, the changeover worked. To my surprise though, VolleyTalk has now become the premier volleyball forum, next to PrepVolleyball. As for collegiate volleyball, it is unsurpassed. Many posters are responsible for driving VolleyTalk's success. The most notable is IdahoBoy.
As I prepare myself to move on to other things (as I must since I no longer have the time or energy for this forum), I am concerned that ModJoe's original vision of an independent volleyball forum that will never shut down may be in jeopardy. That was the only reason why I kept the forum to myself -- I simply could not trust anyone else with it. I knew I would govern this forum fairly and keep ModJoe's original vision alive. But others? I had about as much faith and trust in human nature as I do hiring a fox to guard a chicken coop.
But as time went on, I found myself logging on to the forum less and less, and caring less and less about what was going on. I was just too busy at work and some personal issues came up with my family that, to be blunt, made VolleyTalk inconsequential and immaterial in my life. Without going into details, I hope many of you will understand that family tragedies have a way of altering your perceptions of the world. Thereafter, this forum was basically running itself as a headless beast, so to speak, for I was absent.
Can I now trust others to run this forum? No. But I have no other choice. I am not right for this forum and what this forum needs is better leadership, more creativity, and ultimately, new blood.
Last week, fourteen posters submitted their candidacy for this position. Of those, I chose three as the finalists. They went through several rounds of questions. While they were fairly equal in terms of their responses, my gut told me to go with what I knew and that is, how did they contribute to the forum in the past? Do I think I can trust them to carry on with ModJoe's vision?
One of the last messages I delivered to the candidates was as follows:
"I hope that, if you keep our history in mind, you will always see the big picture and do what's right for volleyball fans, coaches, and players. In whatever future incarnations this forum takes under your capable hands, I do hope that you remember ModJoe's vision of an independent forum which will never shut down."
This was important. My resignation follows a complete and unconditional transfer of ownership of this forum to the new admin. In essence, the new admin can do whatever he wants with the forum, including shutting it down. I will have no access, no backdoor key. It will no longer be mine. I demanded no "clause" from the new admin whereby, if I decide to change my mind and want the forum back, he/she would give it back to me. I did not want the transfer to be conditional. I had to let go.
By midnight tonight, the forum will be under the ownership and management of a new admin. This new admin is one of you -- a poster -- and has been an active poster for many years. By agreement, I have promised the new admin that I will not identify the new admin; that is, I will not tell which poster was selected as the new admin. However, the new admin will make an announcement himself/herself in the near future. Whether the new admin elects to identify himself/herself with the poster name he/she is known by, that is up to him/her.
While I had some personal reservations about the new admin, ultimately, I decided that this person was the "best" candidate for the job. Ultimately, I did not really need this person's interview responses to judge him/her. I've had years of reading this person's posts to know that this person was the ideal candidate. Regardless of my personal feelings toward this person, I could not erase the fact that this person was destined for this job.
It has been rewarding serving you. Good luck. May your new admin serve you justly and hopefully, move this forum forward.
Roger
Why did I take this job in the first place? Let me give you a brief history lesson.
Around 1999, there weren't many volleyball forums on the web. In fact, the only one with any life was the one run by Volleyball Magazine. Not surprisingly, it had a very vocal Hawaii contingent. However, the admin of that forum had a tendency to censor and shut down the forum in a manner that was very frustrating. For example, the admin censored the word "kill" because he/she was afraid of the constant death threats and the like between Hawaii and Long Beach State fans (those were the days when Long Beach State had a good team, LOL), which was ridiculous because one of the main technical lingo in volleyball is "kill." In 2000 alone, the Volleyball Magazine forum shut down three times, sometimes the shutdown lasted for more than a month. It was clear that Volleyball Magazine was not committed to promoting their forum and actively encouraging discussion. (or possibly worried about liabilities)
Angered by the management of that forum, ModJoe (Joe Joritano) decided to start up his own forum called Volleyball 24/7. He wasn't trying to steal the membership away from Volleyball Magazine. In fact, he did not mind fans going to other boards and indeed, many continued to post at the Volleyball Magazine forum. He merely wanted volleyball fans to have a forum 24/7 (which will never shut down) to discuss the sport they loved so dearly, and which Volleyball Magazine was not incubating. ModJoe made two promises:
(1) the forum would never be shutdown -- never; and
(2) the forum will remain independent.
In the early days, the one poster who drove discussion was Richee. (I do not know if "Richee" is the same poster as "Not Richee")
As time went on, the membership at Volleyball 24/7 increased while Volleyball Magazine decreased. When ModJoe moved to Israel on business, he passed the reins to a friend -- me -- in 2002. I believed in his vision of consistently maintaining a forum that will never shut down. When I took over, the only thing I did was move the forum to this new server at Proboards, changed the layout, and changed the title to "VolleyTalk". Despite some resistance, the changeover worked. To my surprise though, VolleyTalk has now become the premier volleyball forum, next to PrepVolleyball. As for collegiate volleyball, it is unsurpassed. Many posters are responsible for driving VolleyTalk's success. The most notable is IdahoBoy.
As I prepare myself to move on to other things (as I must since I no longer have the time or energy for this forum), I am concerned that ModJoe's original vision of an independent volleyball forum that will never shut down may be in jeopardy. That was the only reason why I kept the forum to myself -- I simply could not trust anyone else with it. I knew I would govern this forum fairly and keep ModJoe's original vision alive. But others? I had about as much faith and trust in human nature as I do hiring a fox to guard a chicken coop.
But as time went on, I found myself logging on to the forum less and less, and caring less and less about what was going on. I was just too busy at work and some personal issues came up with my family that, to be blunt, made VolleyTalk inconsequential and immaterial in my life. Without going into details, I hope many of you will understand that family tragedies have a way of altering your perceptions of the world. Thereafter, this forum was basically running itself as a headless beast, so to speak, for I was absent.
Can I now trust others to run this forum? No. But I have no other choice. I am not right for this forum and what this forum needs is better leadership, more creativity, and ultimately, new blood.
Last week, fourteen posters submitted their candidacy for this position. Of those, I chose three as the finalists. They went through several rounds of questions. While they were fairly equal in terms of their responses, my gut told me to go with what I knew and that is, how did they contribute to the forum in the past? Do I think I can trust them to carry on with ModJoe's vision?
One of the last messages I delivered to the candidates was as follows:
"I hope that, if you keep our history in mind, you will always see the big picture and do what's right for volleyball fans, coaches, and players. In whatever future incarnations this forum takes under your capable hands, I do hope that you remember ModJoe's vision of an independent forum which will never shut down."
This was important. My resignation follows a complete and unconditional transfer of ownership of this forum to the new admin. In essence, the new admin can do whatever he wants with the forum, including shutting it down. I will have no access, no backdoor key. It will no longer be mine. I demanded no "clause" from the new admin whereby, if I decide to change my mind and want the forum back, he/she would give it back to me. I did not want the transfer to be conditional. I had to let go.
By midnight tonight, the forum will be under the ownership and management of a new admin. This new admin is one of you -- a poster -- and has been an active poster for many years. By agreement, I have promised the new admin that I will not identify the new admin; that is, I will not tell which poster was selected as the new admin. However, the new admin will make an announcement himself/herself in the near future. Whether the new admin elects to identify himself/herself with the poster name he/she is known by, that is up to him/her.
While I had some personal reservations about the new admin, ultimately, I decided that this person was the "best" candidate for the job. Ultimately, I did not really need this person's interview responses to judge him/her. I've had years of reading this person's posts to know that this person was the ideal candidate. Regardless of my personal feelings toward this person, I could not erase the fact that this person was destined for this job.
It has been rewarding serving you. Good luck. May your new admin serve you justly and hopefully, move this forum forward.
Roger
