Misconceptions and other items clarified for public record..
Posted 07-01-2003 at 08:17 PM by diamond
Hello people-
Why are you reading my journal?
There has been some recent drama in Interland and I would like to write what my true feelings regarding this particular subject.
I came to Interference.Com a few years back. Ive been a passionate fan of U2 for nearly a quater century now. I have been a fan longer than it's creator Joel Tanner. Im 10 to 20 years older than most of the Moderators that run Joel's site. I was attending U2 shows when most these kids were in grammar school or diapers no less. I state these things not to be boastful but to let you know of my long time commitment to the message of U2, Bono and his music.
I always hoped a U2 fanbased website would be more about the music and not about the fans of the music. Sadly it has started becoming this.
I have met many many fans over the decades of attending U2 shows. For the most part U2 fans are cool and giving people. They are compassionate and considerate.
I have many friends from Interference. Sicy and I have had an on and off again friendship. Most of the time off.
When I first heard of Sicy's situation I had several inquiries from U2 fans, members of Interference and members of other U2 fanbased websites asking what my feelings were regarding this.
I had 3 distinct feelings.
1-I felt bad for her. I knew she was overworked. I knew she contributed a lot to Joel's site. I knew she didnt step down voluntarily. I know Sicy has a large ego and her whole life was Interference which was unhealthy. I could emphathise what she was going thru. I really did feel bad for her. I really did.
2-I looked at it is as a blessing in disguise. If the ppl were her friends only because she was an Administrator, this would be a test to see if these ppl still remain her friends. I think most will be. She should find joy in this.
3- Alot of ppl have left Interland because it is too cliquish.
A U2 site should not be this way. It should NOT appear as-
Elvisference.Com
Sicyference.Com
Salomeference.Com
Diamondbruno.Com
DeathBearference.Com
Khanadference.Com
etc
etc
etc.
I think that is what Joel's thinking was.
Ppl have implied that Ive been insensitive by stating this. I think they are misinterpreting my meaning. This has nothing to do w/Sicy and our past grappling w/one another.
Iam not a petty or vindictive person.
I speak for the outsiders that want to come in.
I speak for the ppl that have left voluntarily and involuntaringly. Iam a voice for these people.
I speak from that perspective.
I speak for the average u2 fan that doesnt have a computer.
I speak for all of these.
I think to solve this Joel could possibly rotate shifts for Mods perhaps seasonally.
Like pitchers in a bull pen. 90-120 day increments perhaps.
A long while back Sicy taught me things on the comp.
We used to talk on the phone.
We have a checkered history
I choose to remember the good things.
U2 was never about having power on a message board, it was about sharing the power of love in the real world..
Why are you reading my journal?
There has been some recent drama in Interland and I would like to write what my true feelings regarding this particular subject.
I came to Interference.Com a few years back. Ive been a passionate fan of U2 for nearly a quater century now. I have been a fan longer than it's creator Joel Tanner. Im 10 to 20 years older than most of the Moderators that run Joel's site. I was attending U2 shows when most these kids were in grammar school or diapers no less. I state these things not to be boastful but to let you know of my long time commitment to the message of U2, Bono and his music.
I always hoped a U2 fanbased website would be more about the music and not about the fans of the music. Sadly it has started becoming this.
I have met many many fans over the decades of attending U2 shows. For the most part U2 fans are cool and giving people. They are compassionate and considerate.
I have many friends from Interference. Sicy and I have had an on and off again friendship. Most of the time off.
When I first heard of Sicy's situation I had several inquiries from U2 fans, members of Interference and members of other U2 fanbased websites asking what my feelings were regarding this.
I had 3 distinct feelings.
1-I felt bad for her. I knew she was overworked. I knew she contributed a lot to Joel's site. I knew she didnt step down voluntarily. I know Sicy has a large ego and her whole life was Interference which was unhealthy. I could emphathise what she was going thru. I really did feel bad for her. I really did.
2-I looked at it is as a blessing in disguise. If the ppl were her friends only because she was an Administrator, this would be a test to see if these ppl still remain her friends. I think most will be. She should find joy in this.
3- Alot of ppl have left Interland because it is too cliquish.
A U2 site should not be this way. It should NOT appear as-
Elvisference.Com
Sicyference.Com
Salomeference.Com
Diamondbruno.Com
DeathBearference.Com
Khanadference.Com
etc
etc
etc.
I think that is what Joel's thinking was.
Ppl have implied that Ive been insensitive by stating this. I think they are misinterpreting my meaning. This has nothing to do w/Sicy and our past grappling w/one another.
Iam not a petty or vindictive person.
I speak for the outsiders that want to come in.
I speak for the ppl that have left voluntarily and involuntaringly. Iam a voice for these people.
I speak from that perspective.
I speak for the average u2 fan that doesnt have a computer.
I speak for all of these.
I think to solve this Joel could possibly rotate shifts for Mods perhaps seasonally.
Like pitchers in a bull pen. 90-120 day increments perhaps.
A long while back Sicy taught me things on the comp.
We used to talk on the phone.
We have a checkered history
I choose to remember the good things.
U2 was never about having power on a message board, it was about sharing the power of love in the real world..
Total Comments 11
Comments
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Hey Big D.Posted 07-02-2003 at 03:19 AM by cujo
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ok, i'll respond to this...
when people implied that you have been insensitive in your replies regarding sicy's removal, and suggesting other names to replace her...i can't help but wonder if you really knew what you were saying. some people ARE going to get offended by your posts nominating other users so quickly. and then joking around about it, telling sicy to not pm you, whatever.
when i first joined, i'll admit i first saw this place as too cliquish. but i had to learn how to interact with other users. and my biggest reward was making some really cool friends on here. Sicy being one of them. i dont believe in cliques, but i do believe in having close friends. we were all newbies at one time. and there will be more newbies in the future. its up to those newbies to interact and make friends while sharing their love and passion for U2. i believe sicy makes interference, whether you choose to believe that or not. she put alot of heart into this site. she worked hard for us. and i firmly believe this place will never be the same without her contributions to this site.
and this is joel's way of thanking her. what a guy. this has made me very bitter about this whole thing in general. elvis can't stay on vacation forever. i'd like to see this taken care of asap.Posted 07-02-2003 at 03:56 AM by cell -
Joel sholuda did things differntly I agree.
However if the music is the most important thing, what does it really matter?
Sicy shoulda acted like it was no biggie.
She fed into Joel's power trip.
The most important question is..
is a person here for the music or other reasons?
The best response shoulda been, "Thanks Joel I needed some time off anyway..you thankless bum,
take care."Posted 07-02-2003 at 04:58 AM by diamond -
What is this idea of "having power on a message board"?
I love visiting this site and to me it has nothing to do with power relationships. It has to do with chatting to some of the friends I've made here, enjoying debates in FYM, sharing amusing stories in IO and talking randomness in IO.
The idea that a forum about U2 should be about the music seems to me to fail to understand human nature. People are social animals, we make friends with others, we want relationships and friendships. The first thing we all have in common here is that we like U2, but each of us has more in common than that: maybe some of us have the same job, the same education, the same interests other than U2 - so we chat about those things also. Can you imagine trying to limit discussion here to *ONLY* U2? How dull would it be if we couldn't talk about a film we saw last week or complain about something that's going on at work? If all people could say here was "the new single rocks" or "my favourite album is Achtung Baby" this place would be nothing!
Yes, the primary purpose of this place is that it's based around U2, but we're all PEOPLE who like U2, we're not robots who like U2. We're people, we make friends, we have lives other than U2 - what on earth is wrong with chatting about that as well as talking about U2?
And that aside, how the hell can you claim to speak for "the average U2 fan" when you've probably not met even 0.01% of U2 fans in the world?Posted 07-02-2003 at 05:04 AM by FizzingWhizzbees - is a person here for the music or other reasons?
Who says it has to be a choice? Can't we be here because we love U2 and we want to be friends with other people who feel the same way?Posted 07-02-2003 at 05:05 AM by FizzingWhizzbees -
Hey Diamond.
I won't add anything I haven't already said in the thread discussing this matter.
I will say it's a pity people felt they had to leave (for whatever reason), or that in fact, some people may be considering it now. What goes on between people shouldn't affect the things we have in common.Posted 07-02-2003 at 06:04 AM by U2girl -
Diamond, just one thing. There will never be rotating or interchangeable moderators. It wont work for many reasons. If you are unhappy with any of us, tell Elvis. If you have some people in mind who you think would make a fantastic mod, then tell Elvis so when it comes time to get another, he knows who are the wanted ones.
With your thoughts on changing how things are run, tell Elvis. It wont achieve anything by posting them in Sicy's thread or in here!Posted 07-02-2003 at 08:47 AM by Angela Harlem - Quote:Joel sholuda did things differntly I agree.
However if the music is the most important thing, what does it really matter?
it matters alot when its done in a way that is disrespectful to your friends. i hate to keep repeating myself, but do friends do this to each other? i don't think so.
yes, this is a u2 message board. we all share that same passion for their music. but we don't go around shitting on each other because its for the "new front of interference." this is the argument. it was never about power trips. and to argue one of your favorite points...what would bono, larry, edge, and adam think of joel tanner's behavior? for that reason, im embarrrassed
to be part of this forum. but im still here i guess. friggen blue crack...Posted 07-02-2003 at 10:52 AM by cell - Icelle-
We dont know the whole story.
Do you really think Joel woke up 1 day and said..Im going to release Sicy cuz I just feel like it"?
Or was it a process?
I think that the members of the band would say not to take Interland or your on screen personas so seriously.
I think Bono told Joel something like that once.Posted 07-03-2003 at 02:49 AM by diamond - Just one final thing and then I promise I'll stop cluttering up your journal:
Maybe the reason people take some things that happen here seriously is because we're not just "online personas" - we're real people with real feelings and real personalities. Behind each of the usernames here is a person so to say something hurtful to another person here shouldn't be different to saying something hurtful to a person IRL.Posted 07-03-2003 at 03:18 PM by FizzingWhizzbees -
Hi there, I hope you do not mind me commenting in your Journal. I could not help it your post really hit a nerve with me. I can really relate. I have been here for almost a year now.
I have not felt very welcomed on here either. Not since day one. I am not sure if it is the way I come across when I post or if it is because I am not a premium member. Perhaps my age/sex/location/race/ religion has something to do with it. None of the people that have been here for a long time have made me feel welcomed. They kind remind me that I am not "in" in so may ways. I am offtened ignored or ever so cleverly made fun of.I have only been welcomed by other newbies.... I wish I knew why it has to be that way. I will not leave cause I enjoy the info I get ablout the band and the pics are wonderfull...Ok that is my 2 cents.Posted 01-03-2006 at 03:14 PM by Carmelu2fan
