Notion "Addicts"

[gcrv]

That just about tells the story. Peoole need something new and intresting to keep them occupied. I think not realising Genisis early on was a big strategic mistake on part of NI.
High numbers of posts in the blog as well as forums started showing up in anticipation of the product. Later on the delivery issues drove traffic. The only way NI can keep renewed interest is when companies and individuals make software for adam. Which is why NIH and Tabletroms has traffic.
I think this friday we had only 3 posts. A bit of it is the forum's fault. When the initial few people had trouble with their Adam's they literaly used to scour every thread and try to twist every ones experience of owning Adam to mirror their their own. This really set the tone for the forum. It appeared that the only thing going on here was complaining and bashing. These couple of people cost NI a lot in lost sales may have even made a big dent in NI's bottom line.

Forum Admins should not only weed out offensive posts but also ensure that forum is balanced and builds a community. I think a couple of people in this thread and the person maintaining the spreadsheets did more for the forum than the Admins realise.

[MATrickett]

So where would you suggest that the forum goes?

[JonnyBoy]

I speak only for myself here and in no way do I pretend to reflect the opinions of Avo and other Mods when I say this:

Reading this thread and following NA over the past 2 months, I find it ironic and sad to contemplate where we are as a community.

I say ironic because early on we lost one of our biggest contributors to what he perceived to be censorship and stifling of opinions. However, reading this thread now, I see that many feel that on the contrary, the rampant whining and negativity that was not "pruned" has driven many away from the forums. My assessment of my own work as a mod tells me that I have been very permissive of inane opinions and really hands-off in using my moderation privileges around the forums. Rarely have I deleted or blocked someone's comments (apart from spammers) out of my own volition, even if I wanted to. Usually I only act in response to users' reports of abuse because I consider myself to be the "hand of the community", thus acting only when the community requires me to. If I don't like someone complaining about their shattered dreams that cost them $600, who am I to tell them to go somewhere else to whine? There is no somewhere else.

I'm the first to admit that this has probably lead to allowing many people to come, complain, and leave without contributing. But at the same time I firmly believe that these forums are a true reflection of the NI community. To try to shape, or change that for the sake of keeping a nice and tidy garden would be to create a reality that simply isn't there. If people were really interested in their Adams, if the company fostered goodwill and provided for vibrant discussions, then this would be the place where you would readily see that. On the contrary, if the hype has died, and the interest wondered off to other devices, then that IS our reality.

It was previously mentioned that several members have done more for the forums than the Admins realize, but I believe that the community as a whole has realized this. It's also mentioned that Mods should be in charge of building the community, but personally as a Mod, I don't feel that I'm here to break news, solve problems, provide ingenious tracking tools, but rather to facilitate the discussions that will allow you as a member to do that. Members shine and excel for their contributions, and the Mod team is not an elite group of members that drive the herd or set the topic list for the week. We are facilitators, cleaners, behind-the-scenes workers that allow you as a member to focus on contributing to the community. If you as a member want a vibrant community, a fun place to come, free of whining and complaining, then I would say that it's up to you to leave whining threads to whiter and die from the lack of responses, and up to you to start good threads on topics that you consider interesting, so that they may to flourish and thrive.

I concede that NIH has grown steadily, so much that they've broadened their scope and are aspiring to an ever greater audience. I applaud them for this and sincerely wish them the best. However, because of our nature, I wouldn't suggest that we follow their footsteps.

This is THE NI community on the Internet. This is the place to cheer, criticize, learn, rant, and help fellow Adam owners and NI followers. Live or die, we are the community, we follow NI, and we are here to provide a place where you may do that too.

I hope that over time we will be able to grow along with NI, and once again become a place that you visit with joy. So even if leave us for a while, you're always welcome to come back and drop us a post, I'll look forward to reading it on my Adam :-)

[MATrickett]

I would agree if threads that were "pro" Adam hadn't been closed because of purported "negativity."

With that said, I check in and comment on the threads that I find constructive.