Hub.mn

Dear community members,

There is some significantly problematic with the way the Micras channel is currently run. Illustrated, not only by my recent "quarantine", but also by the (granted, partly self-inflicted) ban of Bijaro. I will state these problems here briefly, and would argue that these need to be addressed for a better functioning of the community.

1. The Micras discord channel has become the most important channel of communication in the community, because it effectively replaced the old channels.

2. As such, exclusion from participation in the discord channel is effective removal from the community.

3. Having established this, the discord channel should be administrated objectively and should be an open and inclusive platform for all members of the community, regardless any preferences of how to participate in this hobby, or political opinion. There should be free speech, in accordance with law, not with preference of administrators.

4. Two of the current four administrators (Edgard and Halian) have a history of conflating IC and OOC, as wel as emotional reactions to affairs in Micronations, therefore they are not fit to run the channel in an objective and distant way.

5. The current bans, as well as quarantines issued by the board are arbitrary and should be overturned.

If it was up to me I'd shut the channel down so the community can return to a slower, more harmonious vibration.

Discord, like IRC and AIM before it, is an aptly-named venue for idle windbaggery and cumulative self-incrimination in which projects and narratives are drained of spontaneity by pre-gaming or else suffer death by a thousand minor arguments before they've even matured. People need to consider whether the dopamine supply they get from the banter in there is worth the fatal drawback of having an instant outlet for transitory rage which will always prevail as long as the place is inhabited at either end of the banhammer by people with deficient impulse control and bipolar emotionality. The more structured platforms of forum and wiki, by their nature, dilute and smooth over our respective personality defects enough that we mostly get along. Discord, fuelled as it is by brevity and speed, favours ill-considered outbursts and administrative high-handedness instead (for a RL analogue, see the leading role of Twitter in the ongoing collapse of Western civilisation).

I attribute the popular esteem I seem to have built up over the years to the fact that I stay well clear of the mud-slinging that goes on in there. I don't consider myself "effectively removed" from the community as a result, so any value placed on that particular assertion is subjective. It certainly leaves me out of the loop on a lot of matters - embarrasingly so at times - but it's a price worth paying and something I've never once regretted.

I appreciate that everyone gets their kicks from different things in this business, and Discord may well be an indispensable part of the Micras experience for a lot of people - but I would urge anyone who's brave enough to try living outside of it, even for a little while, and see if their life in this pixelly little world feels any easier.

In that context a Discord ban could be seen as an act of grace which, by denying a return to its dark temptations, will push you through the dopamine withdrawals and help you rediscover a sense of independence from the place.

Jack wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 11, 2019 2:54 pm

2. As such, exclusion from participation in the discord channel is effective removal from the community.

I've spoken at length with you about your ban (now quarantine), with the last thing being, and I quote, "This is all I'll say on the matter", so I'm not going to discuss anything here other than replying to this point. While Kras' summary of Discord is highly exaggerated (given that he's never ventured there, I feel he thinks it's more like the chat/argument channels of old than the reasonable off-topic conversations that actually occur there 99% of the time), he is the perfect example that not being on Discord is nothing akin to being removed from the community. He is a respected member of the MCS Council; a role that requires being clued-up on what's going-on across Micras, and runs (according to your own summation) the only "sanely operated nation" in the community, yet has never stepped foot in the Micras server. Either Kras isn't part of the community, or you can easily survive with only having read-only access on the Discord chats...

Craitman wrote:Kras' summary of Discord is highly exaggerated (given that he's never ventured there, I feel he thinks it's more like the chat/argument channels of old than the reasonable off-topic conversations that actually occur there 99% of the time)

Fair point - I know Discord's a way more capable platform that allows more developed conversation, but on a purely structural level can't compel it in the same way as forums/wiki; instead it has to rely on meticulous admin supervision, with all the irritant humanity that entails. So one either has to lose the expectation that it'll function in the same way as other venues (I suspect many participants have internalised this, allowing them to maintain their sanity) or one has to limit onesself to the latter...

Yastreb wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 11, 2019 5:50 pm

So one either has to lose the expectation that it'll function in the same way as other venues (I suspect many participants have internalised this, allowing them to maintain their sanity) or one has to limit onesself to the latter...

Absolutely. While it (Discord on the whole; the Micras server doesn't house the internal aspects that nations' own servers do) has certainly taken a good chunk of the conversational, developmental activity away from forums, I'm not sure anyone actively goes into using it expecting it to function in the same way as the public faces of our projects.

Perhaps having entered the Discord through a different route to those who were regulars on the IRC (I only ever used that once in its existence, so never endured its full potential), knowing that it formed as a successor to a prior Skype group (itself borne from older MSN chats) in which I was ever-present, makes me look at the Micras server in a more positive way

The main issue that needs to be addressed here, however, is not the value of the Discord. Rather, we should focus on the fact that it is lead by an instable boy with mental health issues, who is way to triggerhappy when it comes to giving away bans. And I am very curious how much support this has in reality, from the whole spectrum of its members.

The person who creates the resource gets to determine the conditions of its use. If anyone in our fine and upstanding community of freeloaders objects to how they are treated they are free to attempt to set up alternative Arrangements and see where it gets them. We are not paying subscribers - we either avail ourselves of what is there or we don't.

I doubt that last comment strengthens your case Jack.

Jack wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 11, 2019 10:00 pm

The main issue that needs to be addressed here, however, is not the value of the Discord. Rather, we should focus on the fact that it is lead by an instable boy with mental health issues, who is way to triggerhappy when it comes to giving away bans. And I am very curious how much support this has in reality, from the whole spectrum of its members.

He's a human being like the rest of us with all the flaws that come with it. I think that, barring a few outbursts, he's kept the servers more or less on track while also giving it room to breathe. If anything, I think he could use a hand to help monitor us yahoos better.

I have failed many times to uphold the virtue of silence. All of those times were solely my responsibility.

Continuator wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 12, 2019 12:28 pm

The person who creates the resource gets to determine the conditions of its use.

It does house though quite a large number of people who are involved in the hobby and I think that questions of its administration are very important. However, from memory, Hal said there were some issues with removing him from Admin for it (I remember a while back he was considering stepping down as admin of it). That said ari and Craitman are pretty reasonable and given that for the most part it has more of the feel of a pub than a forum for micronational discussion, I wouldn't have too many issues. Yes I agree that bans have been handed out a bit too easily and on whims (I certainly feel that Hal has a way lower threshold for what constitutes agitating other users than most people), but I think as time goes on and if we can keep these discussions about its organisation on a good level (rather than throwing shit at each other's faces), then we'll see some progress.

Jack, start your own channel if you're not satisfied with the way the Micras channel is run. As for the support for Hal's actions, I would say it's solid. I haven't seen any objections at all. If you want to participate on the server, you need to check the way you interact with people.

Jack's ban came after personal attacks against several members, among them Hal himself. Now you've been unbanned and it would probably help your cause if you show that you can interact with people without insulting them. Like calling Hal an "instable boy with mental health issues".

Response to general themes here:

1. My ban has not been reversed. I am banned from posting for a year (!), and can only read messages in general. This is completely disproportional.

2. It is obvious that me starting a new channel will likely not solve anything. There is little incentive for most users to switch, until they themselves are hit by the administration. This discussion is about the position of the discord in the community, and the direction it should therefore follow "start your own then" is not a useful contribution to this debate.

3. I will always call things what they are. And I am certainly not the only one to use harsh words from time to time.

Sure. Regardless, you whining about it here will probably get you nowhere. I can't presume to speak for everyone, but your support seems to be slight to none.