Conversation Nation Off Topic

Recently there have been a series of events that has necessitated that we close down OT for a while and refocus and get back to the mission of the WBZ Blogs. We want to be very clear about the stance we have taken and the measures we have taken to communicate with all of the participants on OT lately. Dealing with the personal battles being waged on CN and OT over the last few weeks have taken up a major chunk of time (including my vacation) and disappointed us as well.

A small group of individuals have taken it upon themselves to decide what the rules should be, how they should be interpreted, and to whom they apply. As a result, many members have developed a sense of entitlement. There are too many personal conversations that divert the topic at hand and discourage others from participating in the WBZ experience. Our goal is, and always has been, to encourage thoughtful conversation between adults who can voice their opinions – popular or not – and appreciate others’ perspective. We don’t pretend, nor encourage, nor want everybody to agree. We do insist that there be a level of respect shown for each other, and for the WBZ team who works hard to provide you all with this space to share.

In the last couple of weeks, the email complaints that we receive have taken a marked shift. People have become focused on a power play and getting other people ‘kicked out’. I've read almost every comment thread; had email and phone conversations with many of the members that this situation involves; and have received email complaints about many individuals. Not surprisingly, we’ve found that many of the complainants are engaging in the same bad behavior they find so offensive.

If we were to kick out everybody who has broken the rules, as some of you have suggested, then I’m afraid many of you would be excluded. We are hoping it doesn’t come to that. Instead we are asking that people look inside themselves, take personal responsibility for their own behavior, and get back to participating in a constructive way. We’re doing our best.

We've spent that last 2+ years building up the WBZ blogs to create a space for thoughtful and respectful exchanges that get people interested in their communities and perhaps wanting to advocate for making a difference in Massachusetts. Overall, we've done well, until a couple of groups started turning our blogs into a personal sandbox for chit chat and verbal assault. 

We don't openly discuss the specific communications we have had with other blog members, but can assure you that we take this situation very seriously and have made repeated attempts to reign in those who have gotten out of control. Unfortunately, in more than one instance, members have taken advantage of the second chances they have been given.

You are welcome to email me and set up time to discuss the activity on the blogs and your behavior specifically. Please do not place responses to this post in Conversation Nation, we will remove them. We wish you the best, and appreciate your participation in our community.

Thanks TSAL for posting these in the comments. I've added them back as a post so people can see them again.

Here are the steps to getting into Facebook and finding the group for keeping your personal relationships going. As I've mentioned before, personal chit chat, banter, attacks, etc... now need to move to Facebook or some other place. I've removed all comment-able posts because OT is going to go dark for a while, possibly deleted completely.

I'll be in touch. I'll be in the comments in CN for discussing the topics of the day if you care to join the conversation. Same rules apply.

Greetings everyone in OT. After considerable review and consideration we are making a change to what the Off Topic Blog has become and will be refocusing it back to its original intention.

OT will be a blog where we can talk about relevant issues that are derived from interesting points made in the CN comments that deserve more consideration, or topics suggested by the audience that WBZ selects to post.

It is wonderful that many people have developed some great and connected relationships, which we encourage. However, we ask that the personal conversations happen elsewhere – in the Facebook group created, or other groups you may create. This can keep the personal relationships going while keeping the conversations topical and focused for the WBZ blogs.

We have seen exciting growth in our overall online community in the last few months and need to refine the experience to serve the whole, not just a select few. Over the last few weeks the current OT experience has deviated from WBZ’s initial intent, to a forum that has pitted people against  each other over differences of opinion that escalate to insults and disrespect; use of off-color and inappropriate language; innuendo, etc.   In addition, it has required a tremendous amount of time to manage some of the recent shenanigans, and has taken resources away from other WBZ priorities.

Basically... this just isn't working...

So we are going to make some adjustments to suit the needs of the community as a whole and WBZ. We fully realize that some members may not like these changes, and we respectfully understand your position, but it will not change our objective to refocus the blogs. You will have the ability to choose to remain part of the community as we intend to maintain it, or not.

Going forward, WBZ will be more aggressive in removing comments that stray from the topics at hand or violate what we have outlined as acceptable behavior.

As always, we enjoy our audience and the relationships we are building with you. We look forward to continuing the thoughtful and respectful exchange of ideas, curiosities, and opinions.

Greetings to all members of the Nation! Over the last few months we have been asked for a space where you could create new conversations about different topics. We created the Off Topic blog so we could post new topics when suggested; or when a common theme starts taking the Conversation Nation topic off course.

We encourage unofficial fan groups on Facebook and other blogs, just let us know where they are and we'll become part of them too.

As always, the same rules apply: no out and out name calling or use of slurs, vulgar language, and nasty discourse over differences of opinions, and troll like behavior. We reserve the right to delete any comments that cross the line as deemed by our management staff.

Become a WBZ ambassador and invite people in to share yours and their expertise, passions, opinions, and common respect for your fellow members. Encourage people to watch the news, declare their curiosity, and join the conversations.

Suggest a blog topic and it might end up in Conversation Nation or CN Off Topic.

Thank you all for being part of the WBZ Blogs.
Stephanie Miller aka "Kord"