I'm on this board and the owner had just took an extensive leave after being greatly unfriendly to a lot of people, snapping at others and clearly saying she did not want to deal with the members of the site (why are you running a board then!). I just shrugged and left her alone because I didn't really know her too well and I absolutely loved her site and the idea...sadly though I had to take a leave, but I left the usual away message.

I come back two weeks later and suddenly the site is in revamp mode...why, I don't know. It looked good from the beginning and new members (not characters) joined almost everyday. The quality of the site was amazing too with most of the members writing five paragraphs posts (with out the fluff).

SO she re-vamped and claimed it was for a month's period…then all of a sudden she decided to shorten it down to about two weeks. If I hadn't checked my email...I wouldn't have known...and I rarely check my email.

When I come back to the site, she's managed to have a new skin, and maybe a few more plot ideas...that's all. The only major changes that occurred were in her characters (which are all the major characters might I add) She changed her Pbs and even their bios. Now they seem to be the center of the RP. She not only did a two week re-vamp because she selfishly wanted to change her characters but during that process she proceeded to decide that all our hard earned character histories due to interaction with other characters apparently did not count now.

She decided the site should be run on a time frame and she wanted to start at the beginning of the year so all of her characters could have a fresh start. Then she also proceeded to erase all my characters relationships (if you're familiar with high school RPs then you know about relationships.) I have no way of reclaiming it and all my hard coding is gone. To say I'm mad is the least. I personally think she just incited her own site’s ruin…. but I love the plot of the site and the members minus her.

Has anyone else encountered any of this, has an owner ever done anything this selfish, or rude...or damn right irritating?

Ooook, I'll agree with you, the admin shouldn't've erased your stuff. . .that's just foolish. But the rest of this, I'm not sure what you're upset about. The admin has the right to change whatever he/she feels, and if that means putting his/her characters in the middle of plots, then so be it. That's why I don't believe in admin-created plots. I won't write plot for other characters 'cause they're not mine. I leave my own plots as open as I can whenever I can 'cause I want others to join in them, but I can't even see requiring anyone to join anything they don't feel. So there's that.

As to the contact thing. . .I'm confused. You were away and they emailed you and you didn't check email. I guess I'm not getting how this breakdown in communication is the admin's responsibility. How were you expecting to be contacted? I put up announcements of rule changes, and my members are expected to read and post at least once every two weeks unless there are extenuating circumstances. If we post it in the announcements, it's the board members' responsibility to read and take note of it. Sometimes we bulk email members if the news is crucial, but rarely. We generally save those for our biweekly inactive member purges.

I mean, it's cool to vent, but I guess I don't get what the problem with some of this is.

Sure, an admin can do what they want, but the members were not informed when they joined that this would be the case, am I correct? This was an after-the-fact, without notification, changing of everything without considering her members feelings or ideas. Plus Trix said that this admin had been generally rude and selfish, and was already a problem.

If she said the site would be closed for a month, then changed it to two weeks and emailed everyone, I don't see that as being unfair, but to delete everyone's else's work in the meantime was immature, and I think Trix is right - she just sealed the fate of the site. No one can trust her with their characters or plots, so the site is going to lose members. And if this person goes on to make other sites, she's already lost out on the members she has had before, and probably future members who get wind to not join this admin's sites.

There's a lot of sites that seem to revolve around the admins. Sometimes an admin has to have a central character because that's the only way to keep the site going (especially like headmaster, etc), but I've never understood why sites with strict plots that revolve around a few characters all run by staff seem to survive and get members.

I guess I didn't clearly outline why I was so upset. I wasn't upset at the fact that the site was centered around her characters...but that wasn't how it was in the beginning, it was a pretty open ended plot as you described, but now, it's as if she reigns supreme. I feel like she drew me in with false advertising, then changed everything around on me. And the re-vamp wasn't an issue as much as the fact that the purpose of the re-vamp was so she could change up her personal characters. If I'm not too off on this…but the point of making a role-play is to make something others can enjoy. Once she made the site, I personally believe she should have taken into consideration what her members wanted (not that that is an obligation). The re-vamp was hardly prior notice, about three days in advance (which to me is not a lot of time)...Of course it's the member's responsibility to check announcements...but not having an opportunity (since we all can't live at our computers) especially if the time period was a mere three days...isn't something that should be held against any member.

As for contacting me...I don't check my email every-day or even every week and I made it blatantly clear to her that I didn't wish to be contacted via email by anyone on the board including herself (As did a lot of other members and she claimed she had no problem with that). I most likely wouldn't have even given an email addresses if IF didn't require it.

And of course I said I was mad because she decided by herself that it now didn't matter what relationships or plots members had in mind, but that things had to now completely start over from the beginning. I'm aware it's the admin prerogative to do anything they wish with their board...but something like this that heavily affected characters shouldn't be done on a moment’s whim because ‘I'm tired of playing bobby john.’

Eh, my charrie Jaide on my forum is quite the center of the plot but I'm not going to make sure nobody ever gets attention.

Also, what forums was this? I might've been a member.

I don't mind if the Admin's character is the center of the plot...but by the fact that it wasn't that way when I first joined the site. If I had joined and it had been that way, I wouldn't have minded because that's what I obviously wanted.

I'd rather not say the site, if I'm correct, the owner frequents this site and as much as I disagree with what she did, I'm not into degrading her forum and her by naming it.

Heh. I remember a site (of which I was a member) where the admin decided to completely delete and revamp everything 'cause she had a plot going with another chara and that writer chose to "break up" with hers. . . That was REAL mature ;)

That's so sad it's funny.....

I know the site and the owner quite well. The owner took an extensive leave because she has a serious medical condition to where she was getting 0-3 hours of sleep at night. No, she shouldn't have been a bitch but frankly, I think anyone would have been in that situation. She had a lot of members pming her like 30 messages a day even attacking her aim with questions that could have gone on the questions board. So it was irrtating to her. I think we can all agree that once in your lifetime, you would have done the same thing in her situation.

As for the revamp, the activity was dwindling (you were on two weeks leave so obviously you weren't there for a while) and a lot of the members were restless since nothing was really happening with their characters. Their was a lot of inactive staff problems and characters. Now, she revamped it with a new plot idea that people of the site had been suggesting for a long time. FBI, Social Workers, Adults, Teachers to further involve students and make things more interesting.

As she didn't know with her medical condition how long it was going to take, she said for a month. She got some medicine and is slowly on the recovery therefore shortened it down to two weeks. Also because a lot of members were anxious for the new site. She's got three-four new character possibilties, a new skin, 70 something new canon, and some other subplots that haven't been put up yet.

As for her character revamp, I think she has clearly stated canon are just premades in this rpg and have no importance anymore. She revamped her only girl back to her original form of 10 years ago because she didn't have anything to do with her. Now, her characters has a purpose in the rpg, not just finding a boyfriend and what not but an actual purpose. She brought in one new guy so she could rp with more of the students. She upgraded two of her guys to adults so she could rp with the adults so they wouldn't be left alone in the rpg.

As for the center, I hardly agree. She didn't put any subplots about the other canon because she wanted others to make thier own subplots. A lot of members have upgraded to canon if you see that she has a "SUBMIT A CANON" and "SUBMIT A SUBPLOT" for people to use. As I said, canon are just premades. The only subplots there were submitted by either her own characters histories or as in the Scotlan's subplot, Paul. I can't see anywhere on that site where you can't submit an idea for a plot. Some of the subplots were submitted by members.

As for the deletion of character histories, if you look she cleaned out plots of the INACTIVE people so it would make it easier on the characters. She even said it in the c-box one day. Personally, that's really nice. She saved everything from everyone, applications, posts, pictures, etc in the revamp archive. A lot of admin won't do that. As for the time frame, it was suggested by a member and agreed on members a while back, Mouse is the members name. They wanted a more structured time for events and seasons. So, she didn't erase your character relationships unless they had inactive characters on there. They are in the revamp. Oh yeah, about the email thing, how else she is supposed to contact you? Hmm? Three days, nope you had two weeks. I think she said if you played a canon, to contact her asap. As for starting over on relationships, I don't think anyone really did. A lot of members just said it happened over the summer or last year.

Own site's ruin? I think the site had seven people join today and more comming soon. I think the site is better is better than before. I'm not trying to pick a fight, I'm explaining to everyone what really happened since their is a lot of accusations from someone who wasn't there when the revamp was going on. I know that some of the plot ideas were from members who submitted them when the site was on revamp.

Basically all I can say to you Summer is that I see where you're coming from.

Okay, I am familiar with the site that you are referring to, Trix. And as a member from the beginning, I think that summer has actually said everything that needs to be said. All of the characters things are in the topic that is from the revamp. The site deleted characters not information. I dont recall a time where any of the admins nor members of the site have been rude or snapping off at the fellow members. Also, if you would have scrolled down to the bottom of the site, to see the Revamp section, you would have noticed that all the topics were in those forums. Simply join again, and Quote your topic and get the coding for whatever it is that you want. That is what I did with all of my character's things. It's simple as pie, seriously. And about the e-mail, as summer stated, that is your fault. How is it the owner's fault that you dont check your e-mail? If you dont check it, then you shouldnt have it. The site does NOT revolve around none of the admin's members. As you can see, it says SUBMIT A CANON and SUBMIT A SUBPLOT. Use 'em. I know I am. Make your character a canon and you can have subplots. I'm not trying to call anyone out, or catch an attitude, I'm basically stating what the real problem is and how the problem could have been solved. And making a topic here really isnt a way to solve it, at all!

I can also see where you're coming from blkhavenprincess, but I didn't make the thread to argue about the site in mention...or I would have named it, this was a rant. It's one that won't have any affect on said site, or it's members whether in people who join or any other area. you yourself have ranted before (this in no way is me taking back what I said) I got it off my chest...and I'm over most of it.

Being an admin is really, really, really hard work. No one tells you about the things they love and enjoy about the sight even a tenth as much as they will complain about things they don't. That isn't a player-bash, but it is true that we are more likely to be outspoken about what we don't like, than what we do. People want this changed, people want to try that differently, people want you to help them, want you to make an exception, want you to go look at something and tell them if it is okay rightthissecond. An admin is constantly in demand, and it's an incredibly tough gig into which we invest a huge amount of time. Yet it seems to be difficult for those who haven't done it to understand it. I've come across players who throw tantrums and hissy fits, who insist that if they don't get their way that they will leave and take all the other players with them. It's really hard going, but we do it off our own backs because we love it. We are gluttons for punishment!

Unfortunately, one cannot please everyone - an admin under pressure might try desperately to do just this, but in the end, they will have to do what will work for the majority and not the individual. It sounds as if the admin was trying to make the best out of a bad situation and I believe that one should always make allowances for this. It isn't, unfortunately, the admin's responsibility to know if their players check their email - if they have one up for contact purposes, then that is what it is used for.

I think that if you are honestly unhappy with the way it went, then don't stay. It'll make things more pleasant for you, and you won't be in a situation where you feel resentment toward the admin for doing something that spoiled your gaming experience. Getting on with other writers is just as important as getting on with other characters and enjoying the set up of a game, isn't it? RPG is a hobby and you have a right to enjoy your hobby -and other people have a right to enjoy theirs, so if you are left feeling uncomfortable, then consider trying somewhere else that meets your needs.

I don't think she meant all admins in general were these terrible people or something.

I kind of get where she's coming from. There are some admins who are downright terrible to their members, using that excuse that "oh this is a hard job, and I'm stressed, so it's okay that I ate your face in a misguided rage against you for talking to me! How dare you!." NO IT'S NOT OKAY. Nothing gives you the right to treat another person like that, nor does humiliating someone enough that they are chased off a site.

I mean it works both ways. If an admin wants members respect, he or she needs to respect them as well.

Aww, noo, so sorry that you got that impression off me (blush), I didn't mean to insight the OP was implying all admins are evil...I mean that's one of our best kept secrets! No, I'm kidding : ). Just trying to put emphasis on the fact that the site admin could have been acting as they did as a result of one of many reasons to try and do something beneficial for the site, and it might not necessarily mean they were promoting their self-importance. It's difficult to create understanding of one admin's situation without covering admin problems in general ^^.

Finding a happy medium between "over-moderating" a site and "under-moderating" I think is difficult. I helped kill a site by over-moderating it - the activity wasn't as high as I would like, so I completely revamped it rather than just letting it grow and spending my time RPing to help keep it active. Not a good idea. But admins that just sit back once they've created the board and let things slide right and left aren't fun to work with, either, so...I guess it's difficult.

I think part of what bothers a lot of people is that sometimes admins "over moderate." But really most often it's just that people complain when an admin/mod just does their duty and doesn't take crap, and that's when members should just zip their lips and leave if they have a problem. (I'm not saying that this case is a "just zip your lip" one, trust me. I know I don't know enough about it to say.)