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SoylentNews is people

posted by mattie_p on Thursday March 06 2014, @02:35AM   Printer-friendly
from the not-kim-jung-un dept.

I can no longer sustain the level of activity needed to run SoylentNews, and so I have resigned as leader.

In the end, I was literally begging people to step back and let the site "just run" for a few days while I caught up... alas, to no effect. Issues must be resolved "right here and right now" continuously throughout my day with no end in sight.

NCommander has taken over as project lead - he has access to everything from the registrar down. I understand he has a different vision for the project, which will soon be revealed.

I'm sorry to leave like this, but there's really nothing for it. I'm going back to my AI studies, which happen at a more leisurely pace.

John Barrabas

(And yes, this was an amicable transfer of power. There's no hard feelings on my side.)

[Ed. Note: this is a word for word article based on Barrabas's journal entry.]

 
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  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by bucc5062 on Thursday March 06 2014, @03:16AM

    by bucc5062 (699) on Thursday March 06 2014, @03:16AM (#11699)

    John,

    As a /.'er since 1999, your effort to bring back the foundation that made that site good, while keeping it fresh in today's world is something to acknowledge. So thank you.

    Now, I am confused. Just two days ago I read these great statements from you about your direction, your view of the future for S/N. Today you just walk away. Not that it matters, but that pisses me off. Leaders, innovators just don't walk way with little more then "you ask to much of me". Of course we do, that is why we follow. You started a revolt and just as it starts to catch fire you say "dude's, I can't handle the truth, take care". Bull. You knew what you were getting into, so do we, so your journal entry is lacking in being open.

    So glad you can just retreat back to your AI project, so glad you can just walk away. Better then you said nothing and faded away for being so honest you betray those who followed.

    I'll stay on. I'll help support this new site, but so close to the beginning...this was a disappointment.

    --
    The more things change, the more they look the same
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  • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 06 2014, @03:22AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 06 2014, @03:22AM (#11705)

    He didn't start the revolt, we did when we boycotted the first stories.

  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Kilo110 on Thursday March 06 2014, @03:25AM

    by Kilo110 (2853) Subscriber Badge on Thursday March 06 2014, @03:25AM (#11709)

    If he quit so early on, do you really want him to stay in a leadership position?

    • (Score: 1) by DNied on Thursday March 06 2014, @12:23PM

      by DNied (3409) on Thursday March 06 2014, @12:23PM (#11879)

      Cynical, but you do have a point.

  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Iskender on Thursday March 06 2014, @06:22AM

    by Iskender (470) on Thursday March 06 2014, @06:22AM (#11789)

    Why does he have to throw away his life just because you call him a leader? If it doesn't work out with his life, he has no obligations to you. You're getting the service you paid for.

    Also, his task wasn't to "help support" the site. It was to support it, and that makes a big difference. I don't think we really know what he was getting into - starting a site from scratch with a lot of users in your free time requires luck at the best of times.

    • (Score: 5, Insightful) by bucc5062 on Thursday March 06 2014, @01:45PM

      by bucc5062 (699) on Thursday March 06 2014, @01:45PM (#11918)

      I only point out that he was a leader, in his own statements her indicated that he was "leading" this project. He had a vision, he set out goals that were defined and established by him. Those are typical traits of a leader.

      I respect what John set out to accomplish. I truly thank him for it, but my point was expressing a sense of betrayal and frankly I am sick and tired of one day reading rosy reports from on high, hearing blue birds sing from the mouth of leaders (be the CEOs, business owners, politicians, and Project Managers of start up, forked discussions sites) then the next day the same person says "I'm changing" or "we're shooting the birds" or some other shoe that drops without warning. It's like having your wife say "I love you honey" one day, then the next say "but I'm leaving you". Hits you in the gut.

      Other's, while thankful for his efforts also feel like something is missing and yes, perhaps we do have a need (if not right) to know why. John's a big boy and obviously makes his own decisions, but when you make them in the context of effecting others, it requires more then so long and thanks for all the fish.

      As to NCommander, my comment at the end was mainly to him and the others to say, I'll help support this site by continuing on with it through posting, reading, and contributing. I enjoy coming to S/N even though I feel like its a way back machine to when I started with /. back in 1999. I believe in what John did, I am just disappointed in how he abdicated his responsibilities.

      --
      The more things change, the more they look the same
  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by hubie on Thursday March 06 2014, @03:12PM

    by hubie (1068) Subscriber Badge on Thursday March 06 2014, @03:12PM (#11975) Journal

    Just two days ago I read these great statements from you about your direction, your view of the future for S/N.

    I think that is what has made this so jarring to some people. I don't know if there had been hints or comments on IRC or in journals (myself, I only hang out on the main page), but at least from only looking at things from the main site, this seems to have come completely out of the blue and seems very unexpected (and thus leaves one with many questions and much speculation as to what happened and why). I don't think most people can begrudge him anything because the only thing that most of us have invested over here is hope for a new community site.