You're special to me ...

Just had to say ditto to all of this ...

 

Not every newsroom has people who want to talk shop. There are people who don't give a crap about what's happening at the paper in the next county, let alone six states away. They are not necessarily bad at their jobs, they are just not into hearing someone else's take on how the sausage gets made.

Ron spent his entire 61 years living in one state, even going to college in-state, and he worked for two employers over 38 years. But he cared about the business and the people in it, and he loved to talk about it with anyone who was willing to engage. He found a lot more here than shop talk, but it is the shop talk that brought him here initially. As it did with most of us.

Obviously, though, I would not have clicked over to the Anything Goes section in the first place if shop talk was the only thing you've added to my life. This is just a cool place to be.

 

I knew exactly what this thread would be just based on the title and couldn't agree more.

While reading the RIP thread, some of the posts reminded me of past events and I went into my IMs -- all 35 pages of them -- and started reading. Even had one from Ron that I'd completely forgotten about. And another from our deceased friend Tripp McNeely.

But the first ones, from almost four years ago -- at some point Moddy and Webby asked us to clear out the PMs so the one I actually was looking for was gone -- were exchanges with people who became friends and then became what at the time felt like bitter enemies.

But Ron's passing made me think about a lot of what has transpired at this internet place so many of us call home. And it makes me think -- as YGBFKM noted -- life is way too short to get caught up in the bitterness.

So I just want to echo Rosie's opening thoughts. Even those who have left here and have expressed outright hatred toward me, I miss the fact that we were once friends and I still wish you all well.

So for all that are still here, please know that even in the midst of political differences, you are all special to me. More than you could know.

 

Very well said, Tony.

I often read about the old days, and over the years I've interviewed many politicians who could battle it out with a guy all day long in public, then go for a beer after hours.

Somehow, we've lost that. And we're all poorer for it. Our opponents aren't just wrong ... they're evil. It's crap. At the end of the day, we all want the same things; we just have different ideas about how to get there.

Some describe this place as a family, and that's probably the best way to characterize it: We fight, we throw things, we yell ... but at the end, what we have in common outweighs our differences.

 

I mentioned this on the RIP thread, but its funny that Ron/Spnited and I would occasionally discuss the mutual view we had that many people here took SJ, and message board interaction in general, too seriously.

I think we were both wrong about that. His death made crystal clear to me something I think I've always known.

SJ is one of the most important, and one of the best things, that have ever happened to me. I count so many friends from this place, both the ones whose friendships have bled into my "real" life and those whom I only know through here.

People here have made me think, made me pissed, made me laugh and inspired me to escape out of my own normally shy personality. This place influences me in the most profound ways. I wish I could name everyone on here who has contributed, but it would take so damn long and I'd leave too many names out, from SJ'ers both past and present.

I am also guilty of the worst of this place as I am proud of (maybe) being a part of the best of it. I've been guilty of becoming irrationally pissed, I've gone over the line in the zeal to make an argument, and regretfully, I've hurt people's feelings, even those whom I consider to be friends.

This place isn't for everyone, but I love everything about SJ, even its supposedly less desirable qualities.

This is my online family. And I'm proud of that.

 

I think that this is one of the saddest posts I've ever read here. It's sad what happened to this place in such quick order. I'm so oblivious, I didn't even realize it was going on. I think the other board was up for at least a year or two before I even knew it existed. I just didn't pay any attention to board politics (as opposed to the Politics Board, which I did pay attention to) at all. When I started to realize I was basically high up on the enemies list, it was really jarring, because I just thought that this was a place where anonymous people in the same business could squabble about all sorts of different things. An escape. That there were alliances and such, and secession, was in a weird way like finding out that Santa Claus wasn't real.

To bring it back to spnited, his death makes it all seem 100 times more petty than I already thought it was. It'll be interesting to see where it goes from here.

 

I think I was lucky to meet so many SJ people while hosting the Toronto gathering when I was still a relative newbie. You all have been real people to me rather than anonymous screen names. Mind you, living with JR has always been an object lesson in how different people can be from their SJ personalities.

 

Simon_Cowbell just upped and vanished one day.

I've often feared the worst.

Anyone know what happened to him?

 

The two former board members I miss the most are Clubber and Cowbell.

 

Cowbell changed his name so many times (when you could) that I feel he's here somewhere as someone else.

 

Really? You think he's still here... I haven't really run into one here who posted in the same vein.
His abrupt disappearance left me scratching my head.

 

I don't think he's still here. I'd be very happy to be wrong.