Avatars?

[Ariake]

What the---?!?

WARNING: Severe irritation (on my part) ahead caused by severe overreaction (on their part) to innocent comment asking a very simple question. Proceed with caution.

I wasn't aware we were paying DougO by the hour. Or by the day. Or at all, really.

Did I even imply that?!?!? Or did I ask a simple question based on a comment posted by DougO himself? My God, don't take such a "what the hell's your problem" attitude.

I've said it before...I would.

But yeah, beggars can't be choosers.

Take a chill pill, Ariake.

A chill pill?!?!? Now I need one as you two have royally pissed me the f--- off. The only thing that I did was state what I had done, as most administrators want you to do, and then ask what the current status was. Here is my quote again since you both obviously can't read:

I have spent the last 20 minutes or so trying update my avatar as well. Even went so far as to delete my previosu avatar in hopes that I could make some headway, but to no avail. Any idea as to when this will be fixed since it is now 1 1/2 days since this was supposed to be addressed?

Thanks!

Now, both of you, where in there was I even hinting at being malicious??? Did you even stop to think? or did you simply run off at the mouth? Think about it, if I was upset, would I have said "Thanks!"??? No, I would have been pissy, like I am now. Instead, I explained my experience, asked when the problem would be resolved as it was past the time previously specified, and then thanked DougO for his help. If you are referring to "Any idea as to when this will be fixed since it is now 1 1/2 days since this was supposed to be addressed?" This is what is called a question. It is, as www.dictionary.com states: "An expression of inquiry that invites or calls for a reply." This is what that line was, an inquiry asking for a reply in regards to when the problem with the avatars would be fixed. Obviously, you read someone else's post because a simple inquiry should not have gotten both of you to respond the way you did. I have not done anything to deserve the treatment you two have dished out to me. This crap is why I stopped coming to this board until it calmed down. Obviously, things have not calmed down.

I want to make it crystal clear that I completely appreciate the job that DougO does here. I have never asked him anything before, I have never pestered him, nor have I caused any problems. As a board administrator myself, I understand and appreciate what he does. And no, I do not get paid either.

So:

DougO
THANK YOU!!!
You are awesome!


To close, Radhil & Z'ha'dumDweller, if you don't have anything intelligent to say to me, or anything important to add, don't waste my time with your petty comments that have no real pertinence to my own comments. Normally, I would say: "If I offended you, I am sorry, but this is my view/opinion." As it stands, in my present state of mind, if I offended you, I really don't give a damn.

[Jan]

Um...Speaking of overreactions, Ariake...that was one. Since I seem to have had a similar reaction to your saying

...since it is now 1 1/2 days since this was supposed to be addressed?

as Radhil & Z'ha'dumDweller did, let me try to explain the perception.

What you seem to have meant was along the lines of "Hey, DougO, can we have an update on the Avatar thing? It seems to be taking longer than you thought it would." However, what came across as it was written was "Yo! DougO! Why aren't you doing what you said you would? We're waiting here, you know!"

Given that DougO had just finished unknown-how-many hours rebuilding and upgrading the site, that perception caused those reactions from Radhil & Z'ha'dumDweller...and me, except that I didn't post it.

<moderator> Let's all adjourn to our neutral corners now, shall we folks? </moderator>

Jan

[Ariake]

Like I said at the very beginning of the post, I was a little irritated. You should see me when I'm really mad.

I just got done posting a pm to WorkerCaste in response to a comment he made, which I won't repost without his permission, but feel my response to him is relevant to you as well, Jan.

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Hey WorkerCaste,

Do not worry about offending me. I don't mind other perspectives, I just mind when they come with a bad attitude.

Looking at it from your perspective, I can see what you mean. However, I am the type of person that, if I am going to slam you, you and the rest of the neighborhood will know it and feel it, as noted by my response. The use of the word "since" was not intended as a slam, but rather to join the amount of time elapsed to the action that had been expected. The word "since" is often used in this fashion by most people, and being written, and not spoken, it was likely harder for you to hear that it was not meant as a slam against DougO in any way, shape, or form. To phrase it another way, I could have said:

"Hey DougO, what's up? I tried getting the avatar to update the same as cornholio1980 above, but I couldn't get it to update. Don't think I did anything wrong. Reading the previous posts, I see you said you would look at it yesterday. Anything I or the community can do to help? I know you've been busy, so no rush. I'm just curious. Thanks for all the hard work you do! We all appreciate it!"

However, I tend to be more concise, but that is essentially the same thing I said previously, just written longer with other unnecessary comments. Another thing is that I will specifically analyze word by word comments that people make. I could have said, "What the hell is taking you so long? Don't you know people are getting impatient out here?" Yet I didn't. I didn't even think to say that. I wasn't even feeling like that.

As I just noticed Jan's reply to my post, I will note that I fully understand and appreciate (now) the misperception that you most likely had. This is a major problem with text-based communications: misperceptions that lead to irritations which lead to anger and on and on. I can see how my comment could be taken wrong. Which is obviously what happened. It was not intended to be that way, though.

In response to Jan's note, I will say that while my followup comments may have been overreaction, I still feel they were, in some small part, justified. I was not the only person to overreact. Perception in forum-based communication is a huge thing, and, with hindsight being 100% accurate, the proper thing for Radhil & Z'ha'dumDweller to do would have been to verify that I truly meant what they perceived. If they had asked, "What do you mean by that?" this incident could likely have been completely avoided. But, here you have action-reaction-reaction, and now, another reaction. Hopefully, this is the end of this particular string, now that the truth is out as to what everyone was thinking and how everyone perceived what was written.

To end, I do want you to know that I do appreciate your taking the time to let me see through your eyes for a brief moment. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Scott (Ariake)

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I hope that clears things up. And, while I am still upset, I have cooled way down, and am now proceeding to bed for the night so that I can sleep my "hothead" off and wake up in 3 hours with a nice, new, shiny (not oily, mind ) "cooler" head.

[Radhil]

*ahem* OK, well, that was fun. Or not.

Ariake, if you want intelligent commentary, I would point out that "supposed to be" was the trigger phrase that gave me my view. Those words implied assumptions and expectations (so yes, you *did* imply that). Not "since" - since is a conjunctive word and doesn't really carry any meaning by itself. "... since it's been a while?" would have slid by me like a cool breeze with nary a thought or ruffled feather.

If you want perspective, I would point out that you only just barely ruffled one feather - I posted one line as a mild rebuke, not as an attack on your character. I likely wouldn't have even bothered with that much had I not sympathized with DougO's server woes over the last few weeks. Your... "counterattack"... was about as much a suprise as would be dropping a pebble on a molehill and have it erupt into a volcano.

If you want to be concise, I suggest you use me as an example. One line, addressing the assumption I saw in your post. That's it, and I was out.

What *I* want is for you to relax a bit. I wouldn't have mentioned "chill pill" at first like ZHD did... I kinda presumed you were just eager, not offensive... but I very much will now. Your reaction makes me wonder how many boards you've been on, because you can't have lasted long on the wild wild Internet like this without exploding. Unless it was just some recent thing bugging you and we happened to be the unlucky venting targets... which, hey, it happens.

In conclusion - you've had very little effect on me, from the first post to the last. If -I- were to slam you, rest assured *you* would know - I can obviously go on for paragraphs if needed, and would be dissecting your personality problems with callousness and viciousness that come from five years of learning how on far less civilized fan boards than this, and arguing over topics far more important than little pictures.

You'll note, I didn't. I guess I kinda am now, but I'm trying to keep it as light as I can.

So, if you're chilled by now, cool. If you're not, take it from me, it was never that big a deal.

(aside to Jan: I woulda PM'd this - It cut me off. I woulda mailed it - board disabled that. Sorry.)

[Dr Maturin]

Sometimes I have fantasies about being Matlock.

[Jan]

(aside to Jan: I woulda PM'd this - It cut me off. I woulda mailed it - board disabled that. Sorry.)

I think PMs cut off at 1000 characters so long messages have to get broken up. I'm used to getting 2 or 3 PMs for one message/response and just number them so it's not too confusing.

Jan

[Ariake]

Ariake, if you want intelligent commentary, I would point out that "supposed to be" was the trigger phrase that gave me my view. Those words implied assumptions and expectations (so yes, you *did* imply that). Not "since" - since is a conjunctive word and doesn't really carry any meaning by itself. "... since it's been a while?" would have slid by me like a cool breeze with nary a thought or ruffled feather.

So noted. It had been noted to me earlier that "since" was the word, thus my response to the word since. In regards to "supposed to be," yes I did make an assumption based upon a previous statement. If you were to tell me that you were going to be at a friend's house at 6pm, and at 9pm your friend calls you to ask "What's up? You were supposed to be here at 6," I don't think would have said, "You're not paying me to be there, you don't own me, so don't talk to me like that?" You would have said, "My car broke down," or "Aw, sorry man, I forgot," or something to that affect. You get my point?

I probably went off the handle a little because this has been an excrutiatingly miserable work for me both at home and at work. I just finished my work week, and still have 10 hours of work to do to get ready to leave town and only 45 minutes at the time of this writing to do it all in. So, you could say I am a little stressed. So, if I overreacted, I am sorry. And yes, I do blow up from time to time, but it is very rare. Also, I am extremelly picky (normally) as to what I do with my time online, I am usually in site development and participate rarely in online discussions, as I typically don't have need to do so. I, generally, like this board, which is why I participate from time to time. But I rarely like to argue. I have my friends and family to do that with, so I rarely feel the need when online. But as you referenced, it was a serious of unfortunate circumstances over the previous 36 hours that cause your and Z'ha'dumDweller's posts to be the proverbial straw.

But, in conclusion, if you want me to be concise, I will reiterate the above with these 3 simple, yet meaningful, words:

I am sorry.

[OmahaStar]

*grads Jan's hand, takes a microphone, and begins singing "Kumbaya"*

[Jan]

*grads Jan's hand, takes a microphone, and begins singing "Kumbaya"*

Omaha, Omaha...you're not supposed to grad me in public!

Jan

[Dr Maturin]

Silver Surfer was an avatar, ya know. Silver guy. Rode a flying surfboard. Rebelled against his evil master.

[FuryPilot]

Omaha, Omaha...you're not supposed to grad me in public!
Jan

Er... Is that something like leveling up?

FP

[DGTWoodward]

Many thanks to Doug O for all the hard work he has put in, correcting the awful intrusion into our happy (though sometimes heated) community.

BIG UP DOUG O

[Towelmaster]

WOW! A flame on JMSNEWS! Incredible.

I was just wondering; DougO is perfectly able to object to a posting addressed to him. So why do other people respons for him?

[Dr Maturin]

WOW! A flame on JMSNEWS! Incredible.

I was just wondering; DougO is perfectly able to object to a posting addressed to him. So why do other people respons for him?

Like now??

[Ariake]

WOW! A flame on JMSNEWS! Incredible.

I was just wondering; DougO is perfectly able to object to a posting addressed to him. So why do other people respons for him?

Well, it was never intended as a flame... but it looks like it turned into a nuclear winter. But, I'm okay now. I think everyone else is okay now... so can we go back to being one big happy family???