Disrespecting.
 

Ok, I know Harley is not about and that is causing PMs/emails to go unanswered and things not done, but without him we would not have this site. He gives so much to RYL and when he needs to draw back and concentrate on his own life for once (don't we all?) all he gets is a load of abuse and disrespect.

How about some sympathy? he's obviously working hard and wouldn't stay away longer than he had to. When he's about he is up til all hours sorting this place out. ever thought that he couldn't afford to put time and money into RYL unless he was earning it in the first place??

so leave off, give the guy a break, yes it's annoying when there are things and changes only he can implement, but would you rather he'd shut the site down until he could come back?

This is an appeal for less of the sarcastic posts about him being away. I personally find it not only irritating and disrespectful, but think its a childish waste of time writing these posts because they don't actually achieve anything and they're a waste of forum space.

mand x

I haven't seen any of those in a while mands! but yes, good points *nods*

well said mand, I couldnt agree more

glad i'm not the only one who thinks this. i've been browsing some 'new' forums recently, the forum questions one for example and fed up of seeing these kind of posts, people complaining that things haven't been done yet. Silly things like colour schemes, ok so they're nice - but they're a luxury and it hardly prevents RYL from running smoothly.

Not having a webmaster prevents RYL for running smoothly. So when the head goes missing with no explanation people are going ot make comments, good or bad, it happens, deal with it. People are allowed to vent their frustration at things that don't get done when he's been gone for so long, call me heartless and horrible, I don't care. But the boss can't just go missing and not expect a few to go "Hey hold on a minute" especially when RYL is something that so many people depend on, and yes, it wouldn't still be here without Harley, we know that, but that doesn't excuse him from this.
He might've got a bit sick of this place (Everyone does eventually) and needs a break, or he might never be back. Who knows?

have you bothered asking anyone??

I did and i've been told he is busy working. You can vent frustration and i agree it is annoying and frustrating when things don't get done, but there is a way to do it and that way is without disrespecting anyone, especially someone who has worked so hard for this site.

Imagine he came on and found all these posts? He's been working his bum off (i'll bet more than a little of that money will go to RYL) and he ocmes back to people moaning and complaning, I'd imagine it would feel like a slap in the face and I wouldn't blame him if he felt he didn't want to come back.

No-one can be here 24/7 all year, every year. He has never claimed he was going to be. He's put in place measures which at the time were sufficient to try and keep it going in hi absence. he hasn't just left us on our own. we have a mod team, and a community team and we're all trying to keep things ticking over until his return.

I guess that since he funds a lot of RYL himself the place would shut down if he wasn't given your permission to go and work from time to time. It's the first time I can remember him to be gone for so long, and I've been here since ruin.

Just please stop having a go at him. real life goes on, he can't help that.

I think the problem is mand, is that he has been gone a pretty long time. and he is the only one able to do some stuff. if somebody else could do that (james, typsee maybe) then it would be fine. but when you're waiting around for stuff to be done that hasn't been done for a long time then you get frustrated.

Mandimoo no one is saying he can't have a life or go and work so basically stop taking peoples comment out of context, and don't exagerate them.
You have no idea what it must be like for the mods of this place now that's just gone. He's left them with everyhing to do, and as far as I'm aware it was a tough job even with him, so I'd say if they want to be angry, they can be.

This site is incredibley important to a lot of people, and he just ****s off with no explanation? How do you know what you were told is even true?

These comments are being made now becuase he's been gone far too long to not raise any suspicions, come on.

I can't believe you're defending his actions, to be honest. Yes he created this site. No he should not have just ****ed off :/

And don't even try to guilt trip anyone by using the fact that RYL costs money, that's pathetic.

Guys, stay calm or this is just gonna end up locked!

Sometimes it does feel like a ship with no one at the helm.

But equally I think there's a fine line between constructive criticism and slagging off. But then, even something simple like giving the head mods the same power as the webmaster would allow RYL to adapt and grow and respond to people's needs instead of stagnating as it sometimes feels like.

I'm in agreement with Crumple...

Harley has every right to take time out of RYL, he has a life like the rest of this place. From what i've seen, everyone has the greatest appreciation and respect for the work he has done on RYL over the years, but sometimes it would be nice if he popped in to say hi and to let us know what's going on in his life (even if it's just a rough guide - work or home life for instance) so RYL knows what's going on.

I feel RYL is, the majority of the time, in limbo. Not everything can be done without Harley being present.
It can become irritating when someone is missing for months on end. Quite a few members here pay to sponser this website, i'm sure they would like to see him around on occasion, just to let us know what he's working on, how he's doing, if anyone on RYL can do anything to help, etc.

From what i've seen, the only comments that have been made are in a jokey manner. No one to my knowledge has disrespected him. It's just merely become a joke to say "If you can get hold of him" because he's rarely ever around.

I have not seen any comments slagging him off. It just seems to me that you are making a thread to have a go at people to make yourself seem better. Where are these so called bad people making all these bad remarks?

QFT.

I haven't seen any comments like this?...

CONCUR!

PS. Fi you're amazing.

I've seen a couple posts mentioning Harley's absence but I haven't seen anything dismissive. Harley himself as said his absence has been a problem so there's not a lot of argument to be made on that point. I'm sure he's busy with something and its admirable he pays for site and keeps it running but its too bad he doesnt enjoy the site anymore (Iv'e see a few forum owners just run out of gas - it stops being fun). Maybe that can be changed someday. He's a brilliant guy and was central to sites success but when a person like that drops off things disintegrate. Actually for the disintegration that has taken place things could be much worse. It's a tribute to remaining crew and members that things haven't been worse. I have some serious issues with the place but its still ahead of a lot of other places. With some attention an upswing is not out of the question at all. In this economy its fortunate places that don't make money can even stay open.

I have a general disrespect towards Harley but it has nothing to do with how he runs his site.

[&whatfisaid]
Pretty much.

Yup, pretty much. & what Fi said.

Well said. x

obviously i agree with fi.
it has been a long time.

I haven't seen Harley being "slagged off" on RYL, but if it did I'm sure people would get points for it.

Also Harley could do with a break if you ask me! We all need time for ourselves at some point.

But I don't think RYL has changed much from when Harley is here.

what Fi said,
there have been a lot of issues raised recently about different things, and i think he should be here to see what people are saying.

But, he was online like 3 days ago or something, he just didnt post anything.

Also, why make a ost about this, why not just pm the people that have made comments? from what ive seen there have only been about 3 or 4.
**** stirring/ass kissing?

hes online now ....

What squirrelspit said.

I wasnt complaining at all. Just wondered if any progress was being made.

quotey quote.

i'm not saying it isn't frustrating when things need doing, but to echo another poster, there's a fine line between contructive criticism and slagging off.

this.

this, particularly with regards to things like the ezine, I think that high up staff members have proven themselves enough to be able to do this.

and this

this is a little more blunt and thingy than I would have put it but to an extent this.

Now that isn't fair to post on public boards, if you have personal issues with Harley or indeed anyone on this site, I think it's best to tell them in private, for example via pm (no jokes about waiting for an answer please :-P)

From my point of view, I think Harley has done an amazing job building this site into what it is, and in fairness, everybody is allowed a few hiccups, nobody is perfect. However I do think giving certain (high up, trusted etc) staff members more modly powers is the right way to go if these absences are going to continue, because otherwise RYL is at a real risk of going into decline.

Just wanted to say that I agree with the majority of the comments on this thread, and agree with Fi's line of thinking.

*plods off*

i know i'm not the only one to have seen the comments, as the first 2 replies agreed with me. they may have been meant in a jokey way, but to me they came across as sarcastic and rude.

i'm not about to drag individual comments into a thread in a 'naming and shaming' as i don't think it's productive and could be contrued and bullying or flaming.

this.

Admins need to be online every day, or appoint a second admin. It's that simple. I'm a moderator on another forum, and as much as it's drastically different and gets much lower traffic than RYL these days(which probably just makes my point stronger), if the Admin isn't around things go down hill quickly, and it's near enough impossible to keep a grip on things particularly with technical difficulties around.

I'm not saying he can't have a life, but if he is going to take the entire weight of administrating the site, then he needs to be around to hold that weight or share it with someone who can be around. A shared adminstration works very well.

So, as much as I can understand him not being around, people have to accept he will get slagged off for it and so long as it's not overly offensive... I think it's wrong to stifle that with heavy handed moderation. I don't know if that goes on since I've not seen any comments about his absence. Nor have I personally noticed the effects of his absence.

some of the admin is shared with james and typsee (who is around a LOT) so he hasn't left things completley alone. it is frustrating but why not say 'its frustrating and would be good if x person could share some of the power to make changes' or 'i know how to program(me) and would gladly help to cut down on the workload of the admins' instead of sarky comments which just complain and offer no solutions.

but has he actually officially left typsee in charge?
*shrug*

yeah, he needs a break. because you can't expect someone to be here all the time, he has a life too. but at the same time, soemone else needs to take over where he left off.

*nods*

It is really frustrating to have him gone, and it would really help if he handed out some more admin powers to someone else (even if it's only temporarily). I totally agree, Harley has done so much for the site and without him there would be no site. But there's the problem - he's not here and the site is showing it. When I was new, I'd see Harley jumping in on convos all the time. It really made me feel connected to the site and him. The newer members don't get that luxury. I doubt most of them even know who he is, which is a shame.

Yes, I've seen the comments Mand is talking about. Yeah, they can come across as kinda cheeky but at this point everyone is so frustrated there's almost no constructive way to express that. You used to be able to ask a question and, within a week, have an answer. Now it seems that hands are tied and things are being left unanswered for weeks (or even months). It wears on your faith in him when you see it happening.

To have our admin just up and leave without checking in with the general population leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Yes, he's busy working but he does log in on occasion. Would it really be that hard to leave a note saying what he's up to because sometimes it does feel like he's forgotten us.

It's been said time and time again that RYL is like a family. When a key member of that family goes missing, of course it's going to fall into discord. Everyone is going to deal with it differently. Some people get overly sympathetic as a way to rationalize the disappearance, some get angry, some choose to flout the rules, some start trying to take some control of things, and some just sit there lost as to what to do.

That all being said, I want to thank Typsee, James, the Mods, and the CT for everything their doing to keep the site running in this difficult time. Hopefully Harley will be back soon and able to take over again, but for now you all are doing an amazing job trying to fill those very large shoes as best possible. If Harley reads this: I miss you, come back!!!!!!! :crying:

what they said ^^

put much better than i could i done x

I remembered the other day, when he used to reply to posts and post really long, supportive replies. This is back in the beginning days of RYL2.

I miss that.

I can't help but echo everyone else. Yes, he does & can have a life of his own, but yes, it would be nice to have someone who's around often enough with his powers to work in his absence.

I feel that the moderating team especially, and the community team, are affected by his absence. Some things only Harley can do or say, and without him around, some things can't get done that need to be.

To be honest, I don't even think we should be discussing his absence. He'll have his reasons and he's not doing it in spite, so we should just give him a bit of space. He might be hurt to see we've been discussing him in such a way.

Just my opinion.

I miss that too, Jo.

I was speaking to a mod about some ideas i had for a particular forum and she said something along the lines of: to make a change you need to be able to understand codes and be able to confidently change it. to her knowledge no-one on the modding team was able to do that. maybe she was wrong, but i haven't seen anyone step forward to offer help in coding these changes so all that needs doing is copy&paste etc.

what if Harley and James are the only ones with the knowledge to do this? What if in that respect no-one could be left in charge?

^^^

Jess reads my mind!

Sorry, really can't be arsed reading anyone's replies - I'm lazy! I can't believe people would even make this an issue. When I had the job I was supposed to, it would take me away from family and friends for extended periods let alone some website which was gratuitously helping people. geez, have some patience and respect!

Mand, there are other people on the site who know how to code. So it may be that someone else could be brought onto the team to do specific stuff.

But none of that matter really, as the idea can't be enforced until Harley returns. When he does i'm sure he'll sort stuff out. But from what I can gather there is a fairly long list. It'll just have to wait.

QFT

Have just spoken to James, he is going to see if Harley can get on here tomorrow to start sorting some stuff out. He says they should be back within a month maximum, but will be here occasionally until then.

He also confirmed that harley is busy with work and the whole needs money to be able to afford to take time out to run this place kinda thing, also he is dealing with some personal issues, which of course he couldn't go into detail about.

harley hasn't lost interest and they are not going anywhere. so just as soon as harley can, he'll be back.

mand x

Good to know, Mand. But it brings me back to what I said earlier: if he'd just pop in and let us know that that was what was going on it'd be unbelievably appreciated. I totally understand he's got stuff to deal with and had to step away for a bit (haven't we all had to do it?) but it'd be nice to hear it from his mouth. :blush:

I completely agree. I know they were 'just' jokes, but that doesn't make it any less disrespectful.

i agree with what Fi has said.
Mandimoo, why do you 'know' so much about Harley? How do you know if he is coming back soon and staying or if he is coming back at all?