iSoaker.net :: Soaking the world!

by **RAK** on Thu Nov 04, 2004 8:54 pm

i dont agree with belisaurius' decision to shut down his site. i feel that he didnt have a valid enough reason to do so. HOWEVER, i do acknowledge and appreciate his intentions behind it, as an attempt to support my site. it is very noble to commit to such an act of selflessness, but for what? for a statement? i've been pushing that statement single-handedly for a month or two now and it has gotten myself nowhere. i am still pushing. the only difference is that i have someone right next to me now, fighting abreast.

the statements we're making now is futile. will the community change? will hasbro change? will anything change? i've been fighting for many things not just these issues, and i already know that making your voice heard only creates problems. people sometimes are so bullheaded and closed minded that offering an opinion means infringing on their own. i've tried time and time again to give my take on matters, and people take that as a personal attack.

it's hard to "live" in a community like this where everyone knows eachother and reputations stick out more than the true attributes to them. i bet people who are reading my post only know about me by hearsay and are just believing what others accuse me of. it's hard to live in a community like that, where people hear rumors or accusations and what else do they have to believe as true? i know this feeling. i go to a school with about 500 students. inner city schools have more than a 1000 i'm sure. i live in a small town with a small school. i know everyone. i could point out an out-of-towner in an instant. that's what this community is like. in relationships here, i'll be the first to tell you that whatever embarrassing thing happened to you years ago, your girlfriend will hear about it from her friends soon enough. my ex knew about my camp stories... how's that for close-knit. word spreads like wildfire in small communities and gossip takes over. that's where degeneration comes in. this community is set up in such a way that it's so rapidly changing, but to grasp it and steer it in the way you want to go is impossible.

by **isoaker** on Thu Nov 04, 2004 10:41 pm

I agree with some of your thoughts regarding small communities. However, I don't quite believe most here really know the next person (apart from those who actually knew another prior to seeing their alias online). However, there are a lot of assumptions made by people on other people, 'tis true.

but to grasp it and steer it in the way you want to go is impossible

Yup.. can't steer an entire community. However, one can steer small parts and set examples. Well, I try, anyhow, though I'll freely admit having made my share of mistakes in the past.

At any rate, I'm torn between letting the discussion continue in this thread if it manages to stay mostly civil or whether it'd be best to lock it down since I highly doubt anything will be solved since the underlying problems have lingered around much longer.

... I'll have to let that thought simmer a bit... not quite done. :goofy:

For now, all I ask of those wishing to continue posting in this thread to take an extra moment thinking about what they're about to post before posting. Rak has made his decision to close Water Wars which will be missed by many. Though some may disagree with his reasoning, dwelling on that point won't do any good. If possible, I'd rather take this thread as a warning of the problems that do exist in the online communities. I'm hoping for brighter days in the future, but no one person can do it alone.

To build a strong online soaker community, the membership has to want to first and foremost be a community in the first place in spite and despite of any disagreements in some beliefs. One's presence in the community should be as a result of one's enjoyment of water warfare and soakers. If it is not, I really question any particular member's purpose here. If it is, then let soaking be the bond that allows us to find our shared enjoyment. Differences of opinoins should be discussed, not be taken as reason to divide (might just be wishful thinking, but I can always hope). :cool:

by **Belisaurius** on Thu Nov 04, 2004 11:11 pm

Well, for one thing, it was only going to be down for a little while out of protest, not forever. Secondly, I actually plan to expand it at some point in the future. So... don't give it too much meaning. i don't really agree entirely with you on this, rak (as i'm pretty sure i made clear several weeks ago on aim), although i don't like how doom and soakologist are acting either. I don't want to do water wars anymore when I read some of this stuff, not if it means I'm going to be like you guys. Even here, in the last battle between the CFM and Waterbridge, i must say I was very much upset by the conduct of the enemy team. something about the fall is just stressful for the network - august is always our worst battle, and then every novemeber we're all stressed on the network.

I remember reading quite some time back in the zen of soaking, about how soaking changes all of us. I think it's true. but i'm not so sure the changes have been positive lately. whehn i first got onto the network, i was very much over the top when it came to ideas. anyone remember judea? the imperial battle manual? a little out of touch. to some extent, i have developed a respectable opinion in the world of organized combat. my team still things i'm really bad at this kind of stuff, but... i don't really see this kind of change in some of you guys. did we have such polar newbies? there has always been tension in the older guys... sooner or later the rest of us just give up on them and start over. i think i'm about ready to take a vacation from the network.

the newsletter will still go out every 2 months until february, at least. i'm toying with the idea of a community devoted explicitly to wars and the organized team, and there's some stuff in the works for the website. if you guys need me to help with overhauls in the network, let me know. otherwise, i'm gonna take a brake. contact me on aim if i'm needed... yhrght359

lol... i swear, u guys are all polar.... no compromising, no forgiveness, no tolerance, it's insane. no offense meant, btw. just venting about ur childish natures... :p

Edited By Belisaurius on 1099624489

by **Doom** on Fri Nov 05, 2004 7:08 am

although i don't like how doom and soakologist are acting either

Please don't say that, I am trying to stay out of this if I can. I have no intent on continuing something like this, in fact I thought my last post was quite productive. Still haven't been emailed a link to zip file (if one was made), but I have started saving, though on a site this large there likely are a few pages I'll miss.

by **Belisaurius** on Fri Nov 05, 2004 9:14 am

Sry doom... the whole conflict is pretty much between you three, although all of us feel the effects. I'm gonna be away this weekend, at valley forge for a scout trip, so hopefully by the time i get back this will all be through with.

by **RAK** on Fri Nov 05, 2004 5:34 pm

isoaker, about 10 minutes after i made my previous post, i was thinking about the same thing; whether or not to close this thread (Q: whoa, rak can close threads? he's a mod? A: no, he who makes a thread has the power to close it). i decided to just let it be since i feel i'm somewhat in control of it, which should be my duty as the author and originator of the thread. i've made it crystal clear that i'm open for an argument if anyone has one for me, but THIS IS NOT THE PLACE. not this thread, not this forum, not this board, not this site. if you're going to criticize me and my site, do so to me personally at my site's board. doing it here only involves a third and unnecessary party (isoaker). people should not have a problem differenciating between a continued argument and an on-topic post, so this thread should remain relatively clean. if not, that is the fault of the individual, not the thread. i dont see closure as an appropriate measure as of now.

doom, you haven't been emailed a zip file because i havent made one. with few exceptions, updates to water wars and/or my involvement there is dead. i'm not in and out of the CPanel constantly enough nowadays that i could make a copy of the entire directory at will. the next free day i have is sunday, i'll see if i can do it then. however, i will make no promises to you or anyone else regarding a backup of water wars' files since that in itself is a task i'd need to be in the mood to do, let alone have the time to do all of that. basically what i'm telling you is, dont hold your breath.

by **Belisaurius** on Sun Nov 07, 2004 1:51 pm

well, in particular i'm going to save a document with information on other squads. after aqt's successors i really have not been very aware of other squads, excluding the cfm. even if the squad data there is old, i want to keep track of where there were squads, at the very least.

by **Veteran** on Tue Nov 09, 2004 4:20 pm

Just so you know RAK, your site is truely one of the "Old greats", and when we lose an old great, it's a harder blow than if we lost SSC.

Edited By Veteran on 1100031656

by **RAK** on Tue Nov 09, 2004 4:31 pm

it's a shame that actions speak louder than words...

EDIT: there's a lot going on at the Water Wars Board: http://www.board.watergunwars.com Check it out!!

Edited By RAK on 1100223261

iSoaker.net :: Soaking the world!

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