Old friend Elias Alias has been busy redoing The Mental Militia site from top to bottom. This weekend might be a good time to check it out.
Some elements remain familiar: there are the forums, of course.
Other familiar features are gradually being updated.
There’s a membership program. A new logo that emphasizes the “mental” in Mental Militia. Some good links, including onsite links to Allied Camps. Some history of TMM.
And the thing I think Elias would most like you to know about (and contribute to): a a new movie he’s hoping to complete with a little help from friends.
Currently the site is a mix of the new and old, with navigation not always smooth between its component parts. But then, it’s a work in progress. Just like Elias himself. Just like me. Just like most everything.
I’ll ask Elias to keep me posted as he adds new features.
We’ve had quite an influx of new members and some new lively discussion at the “old” TMM forum. Drop in and take a look, folks. https://secure.thementalmilitia.com/forums/index.php
Too bad about forbidding private conversations aka PMs. A militia whose every word must be public and moderated.
-s… TMM has recently been under attack by a most talented and vicious troll. He/she/it was targeting new members via PM with seriously nasty messages…
Hopefully, the PM removal will be temporary. It is in no way intended to censor any but the troll. We’re trying a variety of things to get back to normal operation. PMs were available for the last 13 years or so, and should be again.
Moderation is pretty much limited to the provisions of the terms of service. Don’t like the terms? Oh well. The forum is private property and always will be.
“It is in no way intended to censor any but the troll.”
Intent is irrelevant, actions and predictable consequences matter. Blocking a communication channel in place since the founding of the forum 13 years ago is hard to interpret as anything less than brute censorship. To censor a troll, censor everyone.
It doesn’t show much confidence in new members to treat them as such delicate snowflakes that they can’t abide a nasty PM from a troll.
1,000 existing members had their private forum communications severed without warning to serve someone’s belief about the sensibilities of a handful of new recruits.
The question isn’t whether Elias can do this. He can do anything he wants, including driving away long-term members and burning the old place to the ground so that PMs are available only to paid subscribers. It is his choice.
The question is whether this is a good idea, whether it advances the goals espoused by TMM. There are also legitimate questions about the viability of a “community” that indulges in such behavior.
When Amazon remotely deletes files from millions of Kindles, I’m not surprised. When years of private correspondence are rendered effectively useless by edict of Elias, I am disappointed. Amazon gets paid money, TMM gets its rewards from the precious time members spend making contributions, thoughtful or otherwise. Treating your customers with contempt doesn’t advance the goals of either enterprise.
A bureaucratic response that can be fairly boiled down to “pound sand” isn’t very encouraging. The terms, conditions, and services provided by the forum were changed without warning or discussion. There is no question that Elias can do this, but whether he should do it is another question entirely.
Do talk to Elias about it. It was his idea… and his decision.