This is a song we sang, as young girls in scouts.
Make New Friends, but Keep the Old
One is Silver, and the Other, Gold.
Like many people, I was astonished when ATS opened the floodgates, and the membership went through the roof in a short period of time. I think I
didn't post anything for a few weeks, because it was all so.....overwhelming. I noticed the same from several of my pre-2010 friends.
It's taken some getting used to, and I think I may be coming around.
However, I've lost some good, intelligent, funny, kind friends along the way. Some brilliant. They either couldn't or didn't want to adjust to all
the “influx”, or, quite often, were banned. In any event, they now post only a fraction of what they did in the past. Some still check in on
the site, others don't.
We were instructed that we WOULD NOT be rude to new membership. We would not chase anybody away. We would welcome new membership with open arms.
Fine. But in the process, many old members have been lost.
The older membership are the ones who produced the threads and made the posts that prompted the new members to want to be here in the first
place.
I complained once, about a friend who had been banned, and I was told that things go on behind the scenes, through u2u's that I might be unaware of,
and I accept that, and don't doubt it in the least.
Members can be stubborn and unyielding. As well can Admin?
Don't get me wrong. I have come to adore S.O., and Springer, and have never had a bad encounter with a mod. I've had my wrist slapped, of course,
deservedly so, and when it happens, I typically apologize, and move on. Never have I been treated unfairly. But not everyone's personality is like
mine.
Some people will take it to the last edge of the cliff, until they fall off, or perhaps, are pushed?
What I'm wanting is some kind of “older member retention” effort. If someone has been a fantastic member, and has a meltdown, or breaks a t/c
from frustration, can we please find a way to deal with it, rather than banning?
Would it be possible to even lift bannings on some of these members?
Can we find a way to make new friends, but keep the old?