Spoiler section

[El Diablo]

Asking a question - and I think the answers are fair.

[iago]

This is the sort of poll that gives a chance for bad feelings to develop, if you ask me, but I'll let it ride for now. Hopefully everyone will stay civil.

[Kali]

Now, I'm not one of the board's more noisy posters.  I tend not to post unless I have something substantive to say (or something funny...) so even though I've been here a very long time, I don't have a mondo post count.

That said, I've never noticed a problem in the Spoiler section.  I just say what I wanted to say and go on about my life.  So I can't say I even understand the problem.  So what if some people post a lot?  So what if they disagree with you?  Who cares?  What life-altering thing were you hoping to accomplish in the spoiler section of a message board?  You state your opinion, you're done.  If someone gets shirty with you, report them.  That's pretty much all there is to a message board.

This isn't the UN; you're not going to change world economic policies toward third-world nations.  If you think someone is browbeating you, you better first decide what your goal in being here is.  And if it's anything other than "to state my opinion on topics of interest and to read the opinions of others" -- a goal, I'll note, that no one but a mod can prevent you from attaining -- you might be expecting too much from a message board. 

[Katty]

*stands up and applauds Kali*

I agree 100 percent.  Well said.

[Matrix Refugee (formerly Morraeon)]

:: Applauds Kali:: I admit I haven't been posting a whole lot, for a number of reasons, but the main one is simply that I haven't had anything substantial to say lately, due to many factors, least of which being that I've been busy in other fandoms. Doesn't mean that I've left TDF, or that I have no interest in Alera (which I need to get caught up on: read the first three books and got the last three, just haven't had the impetus to read them since I've been on an anime kick lately), it just means I've had other fannish priorities. I will admit that the more heated discussions started getting to me and I felt like saying "Hey, who made you the keeper of the mythos? :: Laughs:: " , but it wasn't the main reason I've been lurking more than posting lately. :: Looks at the two or three dub anime sites open in several tabs ::

I will confess that I've been staying away from speculation on Changes, mostly because I'm a bit skeptical about some of the things Jim's bringing to the table in it. No reflection on Jim or the folks discussing these "Changes", but more a reflection of my own personal doubts. I'd rather wait and see what he comes up with, rather than make guesses about it.

[Chiroptera]

I'm usually not very vocal in Spoilers unless a topic comes up where I think I have something of substance to say.  When I do, I've never been put off from saying it.  I will say that I sometimes find the parsing/dissecting of posts a bit hard to keep up with.  It kind of creates a situation where there are multiple conversations on different subjects going on at the same time, which can be hard to follow.  I don't find it unwelcoming, though, just a bit daunting at times.  But I usually have no problem picking out a point or two I'd like to address and commenting on that.

I like some of the speculating myself.  It can be fun.  It can also become decidedly un-fun when it devolves into standing on either side of a window and arguing whether it faces in or out.  I don't think that that is something the mods can do anything about, it's just up to people to be the one to step back and move on.  There comes a point at which you have to realize that no matter how much text evidence you think you have that says Lara Wraith wears ecru panties, you're no more right or wrong than the guy thinks they're eggshell.  That's the only real problem I see cropping up in Spoilers.  I don't think anyone is trying to be inflammatory or rude.  But remember, it's just fiction.  No matter if we disagree on a point, we're all here because we enjoy a great author.  Know when to agree to disagree, shake hands, and find a new topic.  (Besides, anyone with half a brain knows Lara wears ivory panties).

[Kali]

You think she wears panties?  That's so sweet...

[the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh]

For what it may be worth, for me the detailed dissection, and cavilling on the ninth part of a hair, and so on, is the fun.  I've been reading these books in detail with attention for some years and we still, as a forum, find things that surprise me with some regularity; Jim's work is solid and deep and complex enough to reward that level of reading.