To all,

I have tendered my resignation to TER staff as moderator of the Politics board effective 12:01 AM Nov 18th, 2006

I wish you all the best.

TMT

where's the spam filter?

Good luck to yourself.  Whatever will you do without us?

-- Modified on 11/17/2006 5:18:26 PM

Good luck and best wishes to you.

Dealing with the Merry Band of Brothers [and Sisters] on this Board was probably more than tying most of the time.

It's been a pleasure.

Godspeed on your next adventure

I'll support Jack for moderator.  Let this be a grass roots campaign with no lobbyist influence.

Thank you TMT for a great job moderating this board.

-- Modified on 11/17/2006 8:56:09 PM

Can we start calling all the rightwingers assholes now?

thanks anyway, but I have a life.

And X and Dr G can co-chair.

I'll volunteer to handle the Junk Filter.

you done good bub.

FWIW, i always felt you were fair.

you need to work on your temperment first

moderate your booze first,

then step up to a job like this....

But it's part of the mark of a good moderator that I hardly knew you were here.  

It has been fun.

We need to cast the net for someone who is fair-minded and temperate.

Which leaves out many of us.

Way back when one season the ever hapless Chicago Cubs did not have a manager, they had a "college of coaches" wherein mangerial duties rotated every 5 weeks among the various coaches.

Why not try a similar goofy experiment?  Rotate the Moderator position among the most frequent contributors[or any other selection criteria] for relatively brief periods of time.

Needless to say, the Cubs' experience with the "college of coaches" did not pan out as expected.  But jey, it's the Cubs. Whattaya' expect?

I think the politics board has the potential to change peoples views and to change laws. Such as marijuana for medical use and our hobby.  

I think TER should make the moderator position a paid salary position.  Even if it's just a 16 week minimum wage intership position for some snot nosed college kid.

Yeah,  that's the solution.  Make the moderator position a paid position.

come back here and we'll help you assemble them.   Maybe one of these days you'll learn to solo.

One of the more interesting, little known, facts of TER is how the number of 'reads' for Discussion Board posts have declined over time.

If you go back to 2001-2002, there would be literally thousands of reads for individual posts on the 'General Discussion' board. Now you'd be lucky to see popular posts with reads numbering 1/5th those numbers.

Of course, this decline is magnified even further when you move to the Political board, where apparently only a few curmudgeons still post (yes, BK and GOPgeezer, you're included!).

Possibly this reflects a decline in the popularity in TER or the internet in general. It could also indicate too many competing sites for attention...that, combined with Short-Attention Span Theater for the post-MTV generation.

-- Modified on 11/19/2006 4:44:41 PM

Well, i can live with that.

Less competition on this Board for my angry and cynical rants, er, excuse me, I meant my impassioned, heartfelt opinions!

Just reading posts that openly discussed "the hobby" and sex was a new thing for many.  

Discussion groups might not be as interesting as it had been for many.  There's now myspace, there's now Yahoo groups where many ladies hold their own court (courtesans?) and their own discussions.  The time for all that had to come from somewhere.    

TER might not host as many well read discussions, but the spirit lives on.

I'd rather just continue in my cloud of self-deception and tell myself that my efforts here will have a positive effect on the world around me.
 My toiling under the sun here surely isn't an empty chasing after the wind??  My efforts will result in furthering some cause greater than I can even grasp...
 
 Uphoric delutions of self-worth that come from being a moderator far out weigh any rewards of monetary gain!   ;>

too small of sample can skew results