ASPD alumni question....

[LazurusLong]

Chevalier brought up a very solid point and I concur.

Much of what I recall fondly from ASPD was from when I first joined and that happened in another city where the "civility" was already on the downhill side and where I first learned that a client jealous of a provider seeing and actually liking another client way more than he could lead to the jealous client outing him to his employee. YIKES!

But the names of the providers I met and some I grew to know a bit always brings a nice smile to my face.

As mentioned, as the Internet became the place to try and be safer when seeing providers and the providers tried to escape the streets and hard copy Observer type papers, many factors went into the growth and the ensuing troubles.

A website of the size of ASPD and now ECCIE that depends strictly on volunteer staff to keep things in check is unheard of. Staff typically chooses to try and help by giving up some of their spare hours in a given week but at the same time they have their own real lives and their own hobbies here and other places and so the total time any given volunteer can devote instead of paid workers pales in comparison.

Would ASPD having paid staff members with scheduled hours and accountability to the owner (IF Amber would have been able to pay attention?) made a difference?

I'm guessing yes.

The complaint made above about the inmates running the asylum could have been addressed if the volunteers had been paid workers who did the mod tasks as a job and even if done on a basis where certain types of work paid differently, an incentive system surely would have helped slow down and maybe stop the collapse of ASPD.

I'm going to go and relax and have a cold one before bed. Hope everyone sleeps well and has great plans for this coming weekend!

[pyramider]

Originally Posted by Chevalier

I suspect you read more into the comment you describe than was intended or inferred more than would have been interpreted by most people -- did I explicitly use a term like "stupid"? -- or are leaving out context.

But perhaps not. I don't remember the incident at all (were you "pyramider" then?) and without the ASPD archives have no way to refresh my memory. So perhaps I was exactly as much of an asshole as you say.

If you are remembering and describing it accurately, then, yes, my comment was wrong. It would have been wrong even when I was just a member. More so during that very brief period I was a mod.

Any other grievances you'd care to share?

I was pyramider then. I was a newbie. That was my only encounter with you. But it set the tone for the p.

Hell, I was even banned without a warning or even any points when I became a modtard on another SHMB. That prompted the creation of new handles.

[phildo]

Originally Posted by Copierguy0

you should THINK before you type phildoo

who gives a rats ass about ASPD, they are in the PAST, dead and long gone. as long as you live in the past, you will lose the present. ASPD was just a stepping stone for the new and improved ECCIE. The owners of Eccie saw all the problems on ASPD, they were there. AND they addressed those issues and made it much better. ASPD started with a great idea, ECCIE improved on that idea.

CG

All that aside, as you missed the point of both my comments. I will never sing the praises of ASPD as it was no Camelot, there's no real reason for me to rant it out though, because in uptight paranoid tight ass Dallas, ASPD was THE way to get laid in 2002. Having participated in the wide open Houston scene and the "you don't have to belong to something" attitude in Austin, I found the "clubiness" of ASPD the classic reflection of starched shirts and monograms that had long plagued Dallas' infatuation with it's shinola based value system identity. Oh, and you STILL have that little brown piece of corn stuck to your nose. Maybe that's a new threAD, though.

[Chevalier]

Originally Posted by Glenn Quagmire

From my observations, any mod who took the lead on any matter was disliked by someone. If a mod issues points he is "power tripping". I don't know why anyone would sign up to be hated by anonymous keyboard warriors.

Some of the dislike relates to questions of policy. You see that on any board, ECCIE included. A substantial number will think the staff is too lenient, not controlling the trouble-makers and shit-stirrers adequately. A substantial number will also think the staff is too harsh, restricting members' freedom for no good reason. A difference in opinion and perspective, and management tries to balance in order to maximize membership and revenue.

And some of the dislike relates to mistakes or errors in judgment or conscious decisions to deviate, rather than questions of official policy.

Some staff members don't have much if any input on questions of policy - and may or may not agree with it, even though expected to defend it publicly. On questions of judgment or how to apply policy to specific situations, there may be considerable disagreement among the staff behind the scenes. I saw a lot of that, including some knock-down, drag-out battles. And every staff member who does much at all probably makes mistakes or does things that she/he later regrets. I certainly did.

--------

If you like a P4P board, it's more likely because of the people you met there. If you dislike a P4P board, it's more likely because of the mods.

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Why do people volunteer to do it? Lots of reasons, probably. Power. Potential opportunities for "rewards". Obligation to give back to an institution that benefitted them. The thanks of (a few of) their peers. Or just a severe case of stupidity/insanity.

Unlike LL, I don't think monetary compensation - at least of the amount that a site like this could afford to pay -- would improve things much. Accountability to ownership is key, and that is possible with or without paid moderators.

[onlyAMPs4menow]

Bitches were hotter, johns were classier and it was a lot more fun.

Signed,

Formerly Phil_Landerer

Is it something you are, or something you do.

[jethro tull]

Originally Posted by onlyAMPs4menow

Bitches were hotter, johns were classier and it was a lot more fun.

Signed,

Formerly Phil_Landerer

Is it something you are, or something you do.

I agree.

[TinMan]

Dammit, Phil, why didja have to go change your handle? It truly was one of the all-time greats.

[Guest040816]

Originally Posted by pyramider

I was pyramider then. I was a newbie. That was my only encounter with you. But it set the tone for the p.

Hell, I was even banned without a warning or even any points when I became a modtard on another SHMB. That prompted the creation of new handles.

I can't imagine you being banned,,, the funny comments are Legendary.
Motarding can be equal to a magical wand and some get carried away with magic

[cookie man]

First off ECCIE has done a great job of carrying on and improving the hobbyist/provider connection in ASPD's passing.

I came upon ASPD in late 2001, and it was a quite the Godsend. It was the best place to safely hook up with quality ladies. I missed out on the early years but thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the banter at the time. Drama and all, it was great fun. Other than the characters back then, I would say it is about the same as ECCIE is now...with one caviat.

If you were going to post something on ASPD, you had better bring your "A game". The bar was set a little higher, and you should think before you posted. Yes you could be flamed or judged on your presentations. It was almost like a select club before the membership got too big. With that being said, newbies should not be afraid to post. You never learn to swim if you don't test the waters.

One thing I think should be noted is when Gina came along with P411 and brought screening into the 21st. century. Before that it was providers calling providers to get references...rather cumbersome.

I would like to point out that in the 13 years I've read Chevalier's posts, he has always been a gentleman and a voice of reason.

[Namssa]

Originally Posted by onlyAMPs4menow

Bitches were hotter, johns were classier and it was a lot more fun.

Signed,

Formerly Phil_Landerer

Is it something you are, or something you do.

Originally Posted by jethro tull

I agree.

ditto

If you wanted drama back then all you had to do was find sugarbutt.

[LazurusLong]

Originally Posted by Namssa

If you wanted drama back then all you had to do was find sugarbutt.

Let's not forget Dyan (sp?) TallRed........

Wasn't she one of the first to get banned for life on ASPD back before the board was even 2 full years old?

[DallasDoc]

sugarbutt !!! old memories... interesting times none the less.

[aRandyOne]

ASPD was unique in concept to those of us that were TSML fans. THAT was cumbersome and the vBulletin platform was way more friendly for something that just reviews.

[TinMan]

Originally Posted by aRandyOne

ASPD was unique in concept to those of us that were TSML fans. THAT was cumbersome and the vBulletin platform was way more friendly for something that just reviews.

I think part of the reason some of us have very fond memories of aspd is because we remember how far it took hobbying beyond what we knew before.

I had been out of the hobby for several years when I discovered the site in 2001. I had been active with the newsgroups in the nineties, and I was amazed at how far things had advanced in just a few short years.

It is a testament to the folks that shaped aspd that Eccie is still formatted very much the same.

[Glenn Quagmire]

Damn it, Tinman. Don't be all logical and common sense like. There are some emotionally crippled people who have some some deep seated resentments of perceived injuries who still like to exercise their demons when they get the chance.