Cindy did a thread in the Main Board that sort of asked what the world would be without Dimensions and theorized on what would happen if I got hit by a truck, or if I didn't exist.
Well, I am glad I exist, though I know some don't share that feeling at all, but I ended up responding, and I felt I wanted to repeat it here rather than have a longish post languish at the end of a thread. So here is my response:
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Well, this is a difficult thread to weigh in on. Needless to say I am extremely happy that the Dimensions community has made a difference in some many people's lives. And it is gratifying that while I keep a low profile, some realize that quite a bit happens behind the scenes. Large sites do not run by themselves, improve by themselves, or are managed and kept safe by themselves. Far more goes on than meets the eye.
It's difficult to casually comment also because so much of what this vibrant community is today has its origins in the distant past, but it gets tedious to start every explanation or paragraph with a "well, back in 1987 we ..." and some such. Maybe I should summarize the history of Dimensions more clearly and post it somewhere prominent, so that the real story is easily accessible.
I very much believe in balance in life, and common sense. I hate hypocrisy, rudeness and self-serving political correctness. So it was always clear to me that the cold political dogma issued by the aspiring size acceptance movement needed an infusion of warmth and humanity; less bitterness and anger and more positive self awareness; fewer rules and more celebration -- not in the form of chants, but in the form of true freedom, freedom to love, freedom to dream, freedom to play, freedom to simply be.
It's been said in this thread that I am hands-off. That is for a good reason. Apart from all that is going on behind the scenes in the engine room and command central, Dimensions might have long been gone had it, and I, gotten involved in every battle, every debate. People burn out that way. They have the very best of intentions, but soon it's "I am leaving!" because the stress of constant battles is just too much. So I rarely engage. I have a ship to run.
Perhaps one of my biggest worries is that this community and haven of ours is fragile indeed.
On the one hand, it is big and reaches far. There is a site out there that tracks about 2,000 of the largest and most active boards and communities in the world. Among them, Dimensions would rank #15 in terms of maximum simultaneous users, among English language vBulletin boards, #6. That amazes me.
On the other hand, a full backup of all that constitutes this haven is just 6 gig of data. There are backups, but no backup machine. In early 2006, when the predecessor server failed, I had a more powerful server machine standing by for just such a case, and was able to migrate everything and bring the community back online within 11 harrowing hours. This time there is no backup machine. I need to build one, but paying the mortgage has to come first, and Dimensions is not exactly a money maker (heck, if everyone at least made their Amazon purchases through Dimensions, there'd probably be a backup machine within weeks). So that worries me.
Would the community die without Dimensions? If I were, as Cindy conjured up, hit by a truck or met an equally unpalatable end? I don't think so. Someone would pick up the pieces, but I sure hope it won't come to that. There's stuff to be done. Hey, the first Dimensions Convention lies still ahead, and with Web 2.0 coming on strong, rapid additional growth that could lead to all sorts of things, too.
The chat server is a constant worry. It's perhaps exemplifies the "Cheers" metaphor I at times use better than most, as there is always someone there, 24/7, and often it's packed. A stunning number of people have met and become couples through that place over the years. Yet, if that machine (which is separate from the main server) breaks, the software won't run on any other, and it's long discontinued and the authorization codes thus irreplaceable. So I need to be on the lookout for a backup there as well.
Dimensions will live on because it is a spirit and frame of mind, a place where likeminded people meet and explore and learn and reach their potential, but I do realize that with that comes a responsibility to guard the realm and keep it safe. I do need more backup and contingency, so thanks, Cindy, for reminding me of that.
Well, I am glad I exist, though I know some don't share that feeling at all, but I ended up responding, and I felt I wanted to repeat it here rather than have a longish post languish at the end of a thread. So here is my response:
======================
Well, this is a difficult thread to weigh in on. Needless to say I am extremely happy that the Dimensions community has made a difference in some many people's lives. And it is gratifying that while I keep a low profile, some realize that quite a bit happens behind the scenes. Large sites do not run by themselves, improve by themselves, or are managed and kept safe by themselves. Far more goes on than meets the eye.
It's difficult to casually comment also because so much of what this vibrant community is today has its origins in the distant past, but it gets tedious to start every explanation or paragraph with a "well, back in 1987 we ..." and some such. Maybe I should summarize the history of Dimensions more clearly and post it somewhere prominent, so that the real story is easily accessible.
I very much believe in balance in life, and common sense. I hate hypocrisy, rudeness and self-serving political correctness. So it was always clear to me that the cold political dogma issued by the aspiring size acceptance movement needed an infusion of warmth and humanity; less bitterness and anger and more positive self awareness; fewer rules and more celebration -- not in the form of chants, but in the form of true freedom, freedom to love, freedom to dream, freedom to play, freedom to simply be.
It's been said in this thread that I am hands-off. That is for a good reason. Apart from all that is going on behind the scenes in the engine room and command central, Dimensions might have long been gone had it, and I, gotten involved in every battle, every debate. People burn out that way. They have the very best of intentions, but soon it's "I am leaving!" because the stress of constant battles is just too much. So I rarely engage. I have a ship to run.
Perhaps one of my biggest worries is that this community and haven of ours is fragile indeed.
On the one hand, it is big and reaches far. There is a site out there that tracks about 2,000 of the largest and most active boards and communities in the world. Among them, Dimensions would rank #15 in terms of maximum simultaneous users, among English language vBulletin boards, #6. That amazes me.
On the other hand, a full backup of all that constitutes this haven is just 6 gig of data. There are backups, but no backup machine. In early 2006, when the predecessor server failed, I had a more powerful server machine standing by for just such a case, and was able to migrate everything and bring the community back online within 11 harrowing hours. This time there is no backup machine. I need to build one, but paying the mortgage has to come first, and Dimensions is not exactly a money maker (heck, if everyone at least made their Amazon purchases through Dimensions, there'd probably be a backup machine within weeks). So that worries me.
Would the community die without Dimensions? If I were, as Cindy conjured up, hit by a truck or met an equally unpalatable end? I don't think so. Someone would pick up the pieces, but I sure hope it won't come to that. There's stuff to be done. Hey, the first Dimensions Convention lies still ahead, and with Web 2.0 coming on strong, rapid additional growth that could lead to all sorts of things, too.
The chat server is a constant worry. It's perhaps exemplifies the "Cheers" metaphor I at times use better than most, as there is always someone there, 24/7, and often it's packed. A stunning number of people have met and become couples through that place over the years. Yet, if that machine (which is separate from the main server) breaks, the software won't run on any other, and it's long discontinued and the authorization codes thus irreplaceable. So I need to be on the lookout for a backup there as well.
Dimensions will live on because it is a spirit and frame of mind, a place where likeminded people meet and explore and learn and reach their potential, but I do realize that with that comes a responsibility to guard the realm and keep it safe. I do need more backup and contingency, so thanks, Cindy, for reminding me of that.
