[The Flying Mouse]

Originally Posted by TheDoode

It's a discussion forum, and if it's going to stay active and have users engaged in discussion, silence by way of claiming ownership isn't going to go down that well. If you create something within the public domain dedicated to a popular artist, you have to accept that they're going to want to use it for debate. I'm glad that R set this site up in the first place, but I do think that on occasion he can come across as being a bit dictatorial.

But ownership gives you certain rights, no?
R put this place together. He chose his team, and with our consultation (which, being a remarkably rational human being, I hardly think he needs) makes the rules for the place.

Let's get it straight, this place is open to the public free of charge, but if R decided tomorrow that you could only log into this place if you were wearing a pair of yellow fishing waders and one of those caps that holds a couple of cans of beer, he would be well within his right to do that.

The rules of the forum are in place to promote a forum where fans can discuss Meat's work and projects in an atmosphere that is respectful to Meat, to the forum staff, and to each other.
If certain content is felt to be detrimental to a thread being respectful or on topic, it's the privilege of the web master to act as they think best.

If you want a forum where you can say exactly what you want exactly when you want to say it, there's a whole lotta web out there for you to build one.

Originally Posted by robgomm

I think some bans would be entirely appropriate and are actually long overdue, so in that respect R and the mods have been TOO fair to some people.

Hey, check this out, I wrote a poem for ya, it goes something like this

For every forum member
a different point of view
You think that I should ban some
Some think I should ban you

She thinks that you're much too positive
He thinks you show to much doubt
But it's the mods who always get ~~~~~~ed
When Meat begins to shout

So have a little patience
With others on this forum
Learn to respect each other
And show some goddam decorum


Everybody has their own idea of what should be acceptable on this forum

Originally Posted by TheDoode

I think the question then becomes 'where's the middle ground?' I know that I don't come here to offend and provoke Meat Loaf, but I also know I don't come here to gush over everything he says or does. If I have an interest in part of his performance or technique (or a song, or a record, or a video), I want to talk about that and see what other people think. Sometimes I want to hear from the other side of the opinion so I can adjust my own views to things I might not have been aware of or thought about before. I don't come to this site to cause the owner any offense, and I don't come here to intentionally offend other users.

As R said, we've been looking for that middle ground for the last 10 years.
I thought I found it once, but apparently it was Belgium

Where Meat is concerned, I think it's always worth remembering that everything said on the forum is personal to him.
To use a metephore i've used before, imagine a baker looking online and finding a forum dedicated to scrutinizing every loaf he's ever made?
How would you react to the news the rolls you baked on Thursday were shite?

Originally Posted by Paul Richardson

I guess these are fairly unprecedented times.

It's not exactly unprecedented to have Meat lose his rag on the forum, but i'll be ~~~~~~ed if it's getting easier.
(Note on this subject, Meat last said something on this thread on page 4/5, we're now on page 18 ).

Originally Posted by JennaG

I've always thought that if people are going to leave then they should just go and not make such a big song and a dance about it but of course that is only my opinion.

Could it be because the forum actually means something to them?
Some folks have been comming here a lot of years. They feel attached. It's natural that when somebody decides to leave it's an emotional time for them. I, for one, have no problem with people posting their goodbyes if they so choose. And should they come back I never greet they with messages like "oh you're back, I thought you'd left ".

Originally Posted by Evil Ernie

Lol, I love drama on internet forums.

People make it sound like coming to a message board is actually worth a shit.

At best it's a mindless distraction. Get over yourself.

Tell that to the two staff members (me and Andy) who met their wives through the fan community, another staff member who has a beautiful baby girl with another of our members, and other such relationships that have sprung from mlukfc

This is a community, and IMHO it's certainly worth much more than a shit.