3,000 bans since mid April lmfao. What garbage people are running that place? 
Friends and expats,
It is difficult to create a community.
You can build a website and write a mission statement, but these things are only structural. It takes interest, passion, and participation from users to turn an inanimate website into a living thing. It will take the effort of every member here to turn our burgeoning congregation into the true community we are looking for. No moderator or administrator can be responsible for that – this is a responsibility every user shares. It is rare so many people have the opportunity to start something new together. If we are going to be successful, we must believe in what we are doing.
Many of us have come from someplace else and have nowhere else to go. We must be humble and mindful of this fact. As we adapt and recreate the homes we’ve lost, we must be conscious and leave certain things behind. We must shape them in a more perfect vision. If we aim to create someplace respectable and dignified, we must individually uphold those values. While first and foremost this is a hobby forum, it also aims to be much more than that for hundreds of its members. This is our pocket world. It’s our place to go. We are all each other’s neighbors and must treat each other as such.
There is no place else on the internet like what we are trying to build. We must take it seriously.
As you post and get acclimated with our new forum, channel your energy into reconstruction. Do not fall victim to petty arguments, do not capitalize on every opportunity to be negative, and remember that everyone here is a refugee. Seek positive conversation. Remove your ironic veil and speak honestly. Post thoughtfully and thoroughly and remember everything you contribute is a building block. Do not let our menagerie collapse under the same heavy-handed negativity that defines other forums we find distasteful.
Be inclusive in your language, beliefs, and expectations. For this forum to become a massive multinational destination, no human being can feel unwelcome in its environment. Respect their culture, respect their gender, and respect the identity of every member at all times. Nobody should ever feel defensive of their humanity. This kind of hostility cannot be tolerated here. This kind of standard is non-negotiable and should be upheld by every member.
Conversation is invigorated by dissent. It is natural to disagree with your fellow posters and it is commendable to take a stance on something you believe in. If you argue, do so in good faith. Allow members to speak their mind and answer them sincerely. Do not declare your fellow member a lost cause before the conversation has had the chance to conclude. Certain values are non-negotiable, but not every argument is untenable and we must allow one another the space to disagree.
Restrain your urge to hyperbolize. Exaggeration overstates your investment and encourages extreme responses from others who feel the need to mirror your position. Attempt to articulate why you care about things, or how things make you feel, and leave room for others to respond at different levels of intensity.
Do not forget where you came from, but focus on our future. Everyone here comes from somewhere else and we mustn’t cling to our nostalgia. This is a new era free from the burden of history. Embrace your new home, believe in its livelihood, and relish in this occasion. Do not fall victim to the false comforts of the past. Remember why we are moving forward and do so with pride.
Lastly, be accommodating to the growing pains of the website. There are bound to be technical hurdles. There are bound to be trolls who slip through the grate. There will be some quiet days as members are approved and you may feel like important faces are missing. But you must have patience and support your new board through its afterbirth.
Be confident in yourself and others. Remember what you want this forum to be and hold yourself to that ideal. Demand it of your peers by setting the example. Nobody would be here if they felt at home anywhere else. Remember, we really are the last of us.
With admiration, respect, and confidence,
Finale Fireworker
