I really wish I didn’t need to do this, and some could even say that I don’t or that I should merely let it slide. And yet I feel that like two sides of a coin, if both opinion’s are not expressed one will never truly never know what the other side thinks. This stems from seeing comments that express opinions on my behalf and yet the one expressing it has not bothered to ask and find out what I truly think about the changes here at theOtaku on account of the new Version Vibrant and Worlds blogging system.
Now I am not going to name any names but rather the sentiment that has been expressed that I have been pushing for myOtaku to be left behind and that I only favor the new site. I intend to address this because I feel that my post indicating how thrilled I am with the change was wrongfully taken as a stance against myOtaku. And it pains me to see such assumptions as to my intent and thought being made, since on some level that is so inaccurate that it’s not even funny.
Now, seeing that my attitude of loving the change has been brought into question, I think a little history lesson as to my background might help people understand why I favor change to begin with. Even if that change seems drastic, painful, unnecessary or even a step in the wrong direction, though I do not see it as a wrong step. Anyway, for starters keep in mind that I am 37 years old and have held a fair number of different jobs over the years, many of them in customer service, research and tech support for different companies.
I have worked for so many different companies in this capacity that seeing change is something that if I don’t see it happening, worries me that things are going in a negative direction. That they are stagnating and in danger of collapsing, something I have also seen, companies folding, taking my job with it. This has happened many times over the years and it’s never a pleasant experience, believe me. I have also literally spent thousand of hours talking with customers who were unhappy with the changes they faced from the companies they had bought products from. So I know the story here when it comes to change, intimately.
So, my point to this post - I would ask that people not make the mistake of assuming what I truly think and feel about the situation with the change. Not once did I ever say I was in favor of myOtaku being left behind and that I only favored the new system. I am here more now, but people are forgetting that it’s my job to be here more. I would not have spent countless hours doing moderation work and approving quizzes and other materials if I didn't like this place. I would not have spent two years working as a moderator, for free I might add, if I did not love this site and the community.
I understand that the situation is frustrating and that all the new changes are making things harder. Just try to remember that just as you feel hurt by the separation, so am I when I see those assumptions being made about me. No one likes to find out that people are saying negative things about them, especially when what’s being said isn’t true.
I really don’t know what else to say, other than it makes me wonder if people are focusing on what’s lost or different instead of figuring out what’s possible with the change. It’s so easy to focus on the idea of the glass being half empty instead of it being half full. And perhaps that’s part of the problem, I hate seeing things as half empty when it’s more fun to focus on what you have. I’ve already seen fantastic examples of what one can do with the new system here.
A really good example of the sense of community that one can have here can be found by this site that some members set up: The Watercooler So really, before you look at that glass and think it’s empty… stop and think about what you have and can do as well.
And please, if you really want to know what I think? Ask me, don't post or comment telling others what I think when you don't know. That's just rude.
