Announcement about RDF Part 2.

[Simon_Gardner]

And guys, let's keep our heads about this. Let's be rational and not emotional. Let's wait a few days and see if we learn anything else before jumping off the deep end.

It’s not like RD.net didn’t do down for (what was it?) 10 days a little while back.

But I disagree with suggestions this isn’t Prof Dawkins’ fault. Of course it’s bloody Prof Dawkins’ fault.

[num1cubfn]

Only thing is, Richard was actually on the forum last night. It would have been a simple matter for him to make some sort of announcement, and he was clearly in touch with Josh throughout.

By the time RD logged on, all the posts expressing discontent with the new "discussion area" had been removed. There's no telling what Josh told him about the matter.

I didn't even realise he HAD logged on, I thought RD was in some remote area of the world that doesn't have internet access! I'd still like to know what ended up happening to start the site shut down. There must have been a reason, things don't just spontaneously implode (do they? Where's is susu.exp when I need him!)

[Valden]

So why were these people deleted?

I went to the front page, and spammed a bit in protest (like three comments) in one of which I had asked to be banned.
But instead I was completly deleted from the forum. All 5.5k posts, two years worth of time and memories, gone. I was not expecting that to happen, and figured they do what the other mods do and just ban me.

Thankfully Life is downloading the deleted members posts for us. But deleting us completely from the forum was the last straw for me. I wont even lurk there anymore.

[num1cubfn]

And guys, let's keep our heads about this. Let's be rational and not emotional. Let's wait a few days and see if we learn anything else before jumping off the deep end.

It’s not like RD.net didn’t do down for (what was it?) 10 days a little while back.

But I disagree with suggestions this isn’t Prof Dawkins’ fault. Of course it’s bloody Prof Dawkins’ fault.

Simon! Your picture got bigger!

[num1cubfn]

So why were these people deleted?

I went to the front page, and spammed a bit in protest (like three comments) in one of which I had asked to be banned.
But instead I was completly deleted from the forum. All 5.5k posts, two years worth of time and memories, gone. I was not expecting that to happen, and figured they do what the other mods do and just ban me.

Thankfully Life is downloading the deleted members posts for us. But deleting us completely from the forum was the last straw for me. I wont even lurk there anymore.

Which is odd, because I called out the two guys by name in a post with the message "sod off" to them, and I'm still a member...

[life]

For some reason I never liked Josh, his smug comments throughout most (uncut) DVD interviews almost always made me eat in reverse!

[virphen]

Which is odd, because I called out the two guys by name in a post with the message "sod off" to them, and I'm still a member...

Yes, but their cleansing of the forum has been performed with the same air of competence as the rest of their conduct over the last few days.

[InYourFaceNewYorker]

Guys, I'm just saying that WE DON'T KNOW.

My point is that if Richard is on a book tour, he's probably incredibly busy and stressed. I know I wouldn't want to deal with something like this if I were on a book tour. Give him time, and give the situation time. We don't know how much of a hand he had in this.

Julie

[Robert_S]

And guys, let's keep our heads about this. Let's be rational and not emotional. Let's wait a few days and see if we learn anything else before jumping off the deep end.

It’s not like RD.net didn’t do down for (what was it?) 10 days a little while back.

But I disagree with suggestions this isn’t Prof Dawkins’ fault. Of course it’s bloody Prof Dawkins’ fault.

It's in his name so he is ultimately responsible, but that doesn't mean that Dawkins intended for all this to happen.

[NineBerry]

It boggles my mind why the forum was closed. Yes, I understand that they did really stupid things like deleting posts and stuff, but what exactly HAPPENED to start the site's downfall?

Simple:

They want to throw out the old couches and armchairs in the corner and replace them with a nice clean steal table and steal stools. Because this way, it is much cleaner and more representative.

Also, they want us to get rid of the heaps of magazins and news paper lying all over the floor and instead have a steal shelve with a copy of the Ecyclopedia Britannica on it.

They want to remove the posters of pop stars, artists and funny cats everyone put on the walls at sixes and sevens and instead have all the walls painted in a clean and nice bright cyan colour. Because that's more representative and the posters only distract from work.

Also, the dart board and the tabletop soccer in the other corner will be replaced with a bicycle exercise machine. That's cleaner and healthier and distracts less from work.

In short: They have great ideas to improve the environment to make the people in the environment more productive and representative.

They should know: People work better and are more productive when they feel comfortable, not when everything is clean and streamlined...

[95Theses]

Guys, I'm just saying that WE DON'T KNOW.

My point is that if Richard is on a book tour, he's probably incredibly busy and stressed. I know I wouldn't want to deal with something like this if I were on a book tour. Give him time, and give the situation time. We don't know how much of a hand he had in this.

Julie

I appreciate you are a huge fan of his Julie, but his team, and through them him, have behaved absolutely terribly about the whole thing.

Sacking mods, deleting entire post records, preventing us from getting together elsewhere, shutting down PM's etc etc.

Personally I couldn't give a fuck if he's on a mission to the moon, it's his staff and his website and the people who have donated hundreds of hours of time for free to help him establish it have been treated worse than dirt.

He fucked up, or people fucked up in his name, I don't care, he'll always have my respect as a scientist and an educator, but if he wants respect as a person, he needs to fix this and show he actually gives a shit about people who worked tirelessly on his behalf for no reward apart from thinking that perhaps they were appreciated a little.

[charlou]

Posts regarding the copying, saving and distribution of rdf threads split to a new topic, here: http://rationalia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=75&t=9063

[RPizzle]

I'm kinda pissed that I donated to the RDF Fundraiser. Guess it'll cost a lot to bulldoze the forum...oh wait.

[InYourFaceNewYorker]

Guys, I'm just saying that WE DON'T KNOW.

My point is that if Richard is on a book tour, he's probably incredibly busy and stressed. I know I wouldn't want to deal with something like this if I were on a book tour. Give him time, and give the situation time. We don't know how much of a hand he had in this.

Julie

I appreciate you are a huge fan of his Julie, but his team, and through them him, have behaved absolutely terribly about the whole thing.

Sacking mods, deleting entire post records, preventing us from getting together elsewhere, shutting down PM's etc etc.

Personally I couldn't give a fuck if he's on a mission to the moon, it's his staff and his website and the people who have donated hundreds of hours of time for free to help him establish it have been treated worse than dirt.

He fucked up, or people fucked up in his name, I don't care, he'll always have my respect as a scientist and an educator, but if he wants respect as a person, he needs to fix this and show he actually gives a shit about people who worked tirelessly on his behalf for no reward apart from thinking that perhaps they were appreciated a little.

Look, maybe you're 100% right and it is his fault and he did some horrible things. I'm not saying he definitely did or didn't. I'm saying that we JUST DON'T KNOW.

[life]

I emailed Richard and don't appear to have been vapourised.

I did it direct, though - not via RD.net, and even stated in the email that I did so because I wasn't wholly convinced that Josh was above such twattery. Well, I phrased it a bit differently...

I cannot find the words to express how much I despise what Josh's whole conduct epitomises. It's completely and utterly father-knows-best, arrogant, smug, obnoxious, sneering, devious, tactless, inept - everything objectionable, from the get-go.

The calculated hushing of those who do try to escalate the matter inflames my offence even more.

And I have a sneaking suspicion that Josh is rather equanimous about the idea of taking advantage of Richard naturally tending to side with him, not to mention Richard's ambivalence and ignorance of the nuances of the forum, and his disinclination to exert authority himself. In short, I think Josh knows he'll 'get away' with this. There is an air of almost gleeful lack of accountability, and I find it contemptuous.

I've said my piece for what it's worth, and I know that Richard at least sees my as I am in an important respect: frank and honest.

The bottom line is that I personally am far more offended by Josh's 'handling' of this debacle than I am of the initial decision.

QFT