The Official Feedback Thread

[fairysyndrome]

The creation of this thread gave me hope, especially with the first post detailing “We will read and consider every piece of feedback posted here”. Commitments like this are very reassuring for a community, however actions need to be met with these statements to show credibility and trust. Over the time of this thread, certain statements by staff have felt more like a formality or way to manage criticism rather than a genuine commitment to change. Currently, that’s why many of us are sceptical, frustrated and disappointed right now. We haven’t came to this conclusion because we felt like it, it’s through repeated avoidance within this thread.

rosetti, first and foremost i want to say thanks for crafting such a lengthy, detailed, & well-penned response regarding this thread & all involved / discussed situations. i know you had - far earlier in the thread at this point - asked for clarification on when staff would address everything as it would influence your response, so it's good to see what that response ended up being & it's ultimately a very good one. there is one thing about it i'd like to make note on but this is overall a very good expression of both your own feelings / criticisms as well as those of a lot of us expressing our own that feel like we haven't been heard in expressing them.

It could be a case of ‘we won’t do this again, sorry’, (only after we have highlighted things) - but I’ll always remember the predatory ‘van joke’ a few years ago in 2020 (x). At the time, this was defended by staff and feedback did not feel heard. So over the last 5 years, it could be argued that predatory actions are not only made by staff, but not taken seriously, as this has happened multiple times now? I seriously hope these will not continue, but we shouldn’t even be having this conversation to begin with, as it just shouldn’t happen - especially on an animal crossing website, or take the community in 2025 to feel heard and receive accountability.

i wasn't active at the time of this event & hadn't heard of this situation so seeing the linked photo of what is effectively a child predator joke left a pretty sour taste in my mouth & i ended up looking into it further to see what the discussion had been at the time. the fact the official staff response ended up being "we don't see an issue, lighten up" (x) is... well, that's not how you should respond to a legitimate criticism from users, and it seems there really is no change in approach to response since then (especially not on Jeremy's end, as the person who made that specific statement). change really won't come here if staff isn't willing to hold themselves / each other accountable, which it seems they're so far unwilling to do. here's hoping all of this criticism - especially as Destani responded so positively to your post - will cause a change in this direction.

i do have one thing that's kind of bugging me about what is otherwise a very well-articulated and well-written post, though.

AI Use Within Posts, Text & Writing

Unfortunately, even within the last few pages of this thread, I’ve noticed people using AI instead of their own words to share their thoughts. As a user, as soon as I spot this, I’ll keep scrolling. Please use your own brain in a feedback thread to be authentic and genuine, not chatgbt. I don’t know if this is something staff will consider with the AI images discussion - but as a user it’s incredibly off putting. Not everyone will have the same opinion, this is just my observation and thought it would be important to note. Personally, I want to read and talk to real people, not a deceptive inauthentic robotic waffling spiel that talks-like-this and uses really—long dash marks instead of - across the text.

This is not meant to be rude to anyone in particular, if you take offence then I do apologise. My frustrations are at the wider rising AI issue and not any members personally. I hope you find confidence in your writing, you coped without chatgbt for years - your own personal words and unique phrasing always sounds best! Much better than a robot that damages the environment.

this. it's this. i think the assumption that some of the people contributing to the discussion have been using AI to partake in the conversation at hand specifically because of certain writing quirks or typing styles is a little insulting at best. i know this is sincerely well-intentioned as generative AI is a plague that contributes to rising anti-intellectualism, wrecking of the environment, and infringement of privacy due to many very much having their words or art fed to it without their conssent. but the assumption people are using it here and that they aren't using their own words and that they need to find confidence in their writing does - while i know this is wholly unintentioned - come across as quite condescending.

it's important to note that generative AI (such as ChatGPT and Grok and whatever da hell else is out there idfk) is at its core a scraping tool. it works through scraping and harvesting data through whatever it has access to - whether fed it directly or through accessing it publicly - and scrambling that together in a new response. meaning: the typing styles that seem indicative of AI did in fact come from real people first. the em dash (that long dash mark) has existed for centuries - there's even a Rolling Stone article from last month about the history of its use, especially with the rise of AI making it seem ingenuine! it's effectively a semicolon (or parentheses), or a comma, depending on how you use it, and it's been a fan-favourite of writers (whether prose, roleplay, or fanfiction) for ages. it's also more than easily accessible on mobile and in some programs - at least for iPhones, double-hyphening (--) will automatically convert the mark into an em dash. or you can hold down the hyphen button for access to the en dash, em dash, & bullet. things like that or the talking-like-this exist as legitimate and gramatically-correct typing tactics to assist with how someone reads something. AI did not invent them.

tldr; while the concern is genuinely understandable, there are just genuinely real people who type like this. hell, even bolding for example is apparently a common AI tactic (which a friend mentioned to me after seeing me type) that i had no idea about & it's something i use a lot myself because i picked it up as part of the field i work in. there's never going to be any 100% indicator of what makes something AI or real (except maybe for if complete bull****tery or sources that don't exist get referenced since AI loves getting things incorrect) and while there do absolutely need to be measures against it... in this case with what you're posing / referring to it might come with risks of targetting users who just type in specific ways and banning them from doing so comfortably because they're accused of using AI when they're not.

just wanted to make note of this one; other than that, your post is as said incredibly well-penned.

 

[SkyKnight03]

I also just want to note that, while I did post a quick feedback and go, it's not because I don't care about the seriousness of certain topics. It's just simply I don't have the knowledge of the events that transpired over the course of the last few months to adequately be able to voice an opinion. To do so I think would be a detriment to the discussion already given. I do think it's lovely though that the discussion is happening as it seems like one that needs to be addressed for all sides. I hope the best resolution can be found.

To further expand on my comment, night mode is an important aspect to me and would help me be a more active user which I would love to be again. It's hard for me in any capacity to frequent a forum which naturally means a lot of reading without darker options as a result of past brain injuries. Doable but not very comfortable and I like to think there's a lot of others out there like me that would agree. TBT has always had the best community to me compared to other sites that do have the darker options. It could even be a starry celeste theme. Thanks for reading!

I'm actually glad this was addressed. I noticed there was some gatekeeping happening in regards to this thread in terms of what could be posted. The main discussions are absolutely valuable and will continue regardless so to prod or cast shame at anybody or to scare off those leaving a smaller comment is quite unnecessary. (There's also a multitude of reasons of why one may not be able to articulate or contribute to them). I was not in the presence of most of these issues either so I don't feel I can properly articulate my thoughts. Even after reading through many pages. (however being the person who suggested this thread be created in the first place I felt a tinge of responsibility to at least try).

I have not much else to contribute here although I sincerely hope that we can soon sort out our collectables manually. Collectables are not a feature that I've taken much part in although I spent a year visiting here and purchasing the birthstones. Only to find out that I can't order them the way I prefer because of a time based system.

One of the more important issues I could comment on is that I do fully agree on the revamp of the 'block' feature. In it's current state it's basically a soft block function. If I block it's typically because I don't want to see that person at all anymore. That should be my choice and my boundary to create.

I do not like the staff being totally exempt from the block feature. That relies on the idea that people are infallible.

I actually vocalized that opinion a long time ago in the random thoughts thread. (granted it's not clearly not a place for user feedback and had been drowned out).

I probably won't post further here although I hope this thread can steer this place in a healthier direction.

 

[-Apples-]

Question for the staff. If you ever do upgrade the ignore feature to a block feature, will you also implement stricter policies against block shaming or creating another account to circumvent someone’s block? Or are these policies already in effect?

 

[rosetti]

rosetti, first and foremost i want to say thanks for crafting such a lengthy, detailed, & well-penned response regarding this thread & all involved / discussed situations. i know you had - far earlier in the thread at this point - asked for clarification on when staff would address everything as it would influence your response, so it's good to see what that response ended up being & it's ultimately a very good one. there is one thing about it i'd like to make note on but this is overall a very good expression of both your own feelings / criticisms as well as those of a lot of us expressing our own that feel like we haven't been heard in expressing them.


i wasn't active at the time of this event & hadn't heard of this situation so seeing the linked photo of what is effectively a child predator joke left a pretty sour taste in my mouth & i ended up looking into it further to see what the discussion had been at the time. the fact the official staff response ended up being "we don't see an issue, lighten up" (x) is... well, that's not how you should respond to a legitimate criticism from users, and it seems there really is no change in approach to response since then (especially not on Jeremy's end, as the person who made that specific statement). change really won't come here if staff isn't willing to hold themselves / each other accountable, which it seems they're so far unwilling to do. here's hoping all of this criticism - especially as Destani responded so positively to your post - will cause a change in this direction.

i do have one thing that's kind of bugging me about what is otherwise a very well-articulated and well-written post, though.


this. it's this. i think the assumption that some of the people contributing to the discussion have been using AI to partake in the conversation at hand specifically because of certain writing quirks or typing styles is a little insulting at best. i know this is sincerely well-intentioned as generative AI is a plague that contributes to rising anti-intellectualism, wrecking of the environment, and infringement of privacy due to many very much having their words or art fed to it without their conssent. but the assumption people are using it here and that they aren't using their own words and that they need to find confidence in their writing does - while i know this is wholly unintentioned - come across as quite condescending.

it's important to note that generative AI (such as ChatGPT and Grok and whatever da hell else is out there idfk) is at its core a scraping tool. it works through scraping and harvesting data through whatever it has access to - whether fed it directly or through accessing it publicly - and scrambling that together in a new response. meaning: the typing styles that seem indicative of AI did in fact come from real people first. the em dash (that long dash mark) has existed for centuries - there's even a Rolling Stone article from last month about the history of its use, especially with the rise of AI making it seem ingenuine! it's effectively a semicolon (or parentheses), or a comma, depending on how you use it, and it's been a fan-favourite of writers (whether prose, roleplay, or fanfiction) for ages. it's also more than easily accessible on mobile and in some programs - at least for iPhones, double-hyphening (--) will automatically convert the mark into an em dash. or you can hold down the hyphen button for access to the en dash, em dash, & bullet. things like that or the talking-like-this exist as legitimate and gramatically-correct typing tactics to assist with how someone reads something. AI did not invent them.

tldr; while the concern is genuinely understandable, there are just genuinely real people who type like this. hell, even bolding for example is apparently a common AI tactic (which a friend mentioned to me after seeing me type) that i had no idea about & it's something i use a lot myself because i picked it up as part of the field i work in. there's never going to be any 100% indicator of what makes something AI or real (except maybe for if complete bull****tery or sources that don't exist get referenced since AI loves getting things incorrect) and while there do absolutely need to be measures against it... in this case with what you're posing / referring to it might come with risks of targetting users who just type in specific ways and banning them from doing so comfortably because they're accused of using AI when they're not.

just wanted to make note of this one; other than that, your post is as said incredibly well-penned.

Hi - firstly, thank you for further looking into the details around that 2020 van joke. I hope anyone reading this clicks the link in your post to see how it was handled at the time, and to get further context.

Thank you for highlighting my wording around the AI part. I’ll reiterate specifically:

This is not meant to be rude to anyone in particular, if you take offence then I do apologise. My frustrations are at the wider rising AI issue and not any members personally. I hope you find confidence in your writing, you coped without chatgbt for years - your own personal words and unique phrasing always sounds best! Much better than a robot that damages the environment.

I do sincerely apologise for how the second half comes across, my intention was to reassure anyone using AI that they don’t need it to effectively communicate their own thoughts and feelings. Again, my wording is not directed at any members personally or specifically but if it’s interpreted as condescending then I am genuinely sorry, I wasn’t going for this approach but I can see how it may read like that regardless. I was hoping the bold part was enough to explain that I’m not trying to come across as rude (or condescending), but ultimately it did. Thank you for highlighting this to me.

I probably (definitely) didn’t explain very well all the writing quirks associated with generative AI, this is not something I wanted to fully get into with my feedback as it’s a discussion outside of the main focus of my post. However I understand by not doing that, we’re now having this conversation and people have drawn good assumptions on my AI understanding - which is fair enough and my own fault!

Thank you for getting into the AI discussion further and giving it the proper information and attention that my feedback post failed to do. I hope everyone is aware that AI did not invent punctuation marks! They have definitely always existed before the invention of chatgbt haha

The em dash (I refer to it as a long dash) is a correlation with AI use, not a long dash = must be chatgbt. Of course people can use it within writing (and have for many years before assistive AI), and it does not automatically mean that they are using AI when including an em dash. I completely agree with you. Especially with that Rolling Stones article - the long dash can seem ingenuine even when it is not. When I used it as a quick example in my post, I should have gone into more detail like you have here providing a wider context. It was definitely unfair of me to use a correlation of AI rather than a ‘set’ example.

Thank you for the tldr, I’ll note that I do already agree and had this opinion before my post and now yours. I do apologise for not clarifying the topic further and for wording the things in the way that I did. In the future, if I mention AI use I’ll absolutely be more mindful and understand that further context is needed.

I will edit this section of my feedback and take out the examples.

——————

I find this topic really interesting and I’m always open to learning! I’m absolutely not the most knowledgeable on the subject and have had a couple of discussions with members recently around it after making my post. Thank you to anyone who’s taken the time to do this with me, and thank you fairy for getting into the matter properly, I think your post is really beneficial to everyone.

 

[Sharksheep]

There's a very easy solution around staff being blocked which is to make an announcement account that's unblockable that is used to make important announcements like rule changes and maintenance.

Pretty sure some of the NPC accounts have been used for event posts so why not use them all the time.

I don't care who ignores or blocks me and I don't care if they know it. But if someone goes around making alt accounts (which are against the rules btw) to get around being blocked, that should be unacceptable behavior.

 

[Mr_Keroppi]

rosetti, first and foremost i want to say thanks for crafting such a lengthy, detailed, & well-penned response regarding this thread & all involved / discussed situations.

tldr; while the concern is genuinely understandable, there are just genuinely real people who type like this.

just wanted to make note of this one; other than that, your post is as said incredibly well-penned.

Thank you for getting into the AI discussion further and giving it the proper information and attention that my feedback post failed to do.

Thank you for the tldr, I’ll note that I do already agree and had this opinion before my post and now yours. I do apologise for not clarifying the topic further and for wording the things in the way that I did. In the future, if I mention AI use I’ll absolutely be more mindful and understand that further context is needed.

I find this topic really interesting and I’m always open to learning! I’m absolutely not the most knowledgeable on the subject and have had a couple of discussions with members recently around it after making my post. Thank you to anyone who’s taken the time to do this with me, and thank you fairy for getting into the matter properly, I think your post is really beneficial to everyone.

Icons respecting icons

I really appreciate both of your responses to this topic! I love how kindly you both discussed things and the explanations are very well written! I just wanted to give my thoughts again (SORRY YOU HAVE TO HEAR THIS AGAIN ROSETTI—) but I really think AI is so icky and chatgbt as a whole. I understand that some use it as a medium for creativity, ideas, and art but I believe it makes people way lazier and takes away talent and hardwork. Its such a grey area but idk it just rubs me the wrong way, I do see how it can possibly be beneficial… in some ways.

 

[LadyDestani]

What is the best course of action if a staff member is the one “breaking the rules” by posting inappropriate content?

This is not just a response to Aurita. I think it's a great idea to discuss ways to report staff.

There are multiple ways to handle it if you feel a staff member is breaking the rules or being inappropriate, depending on your own comfort level.

- You can report the post like normal. That may seem counter-intuitive at first, but it's a valid option because we do hold each other accountable in private staff chats. If you reported me, for example, there's no way I could hide that from the rest of the staff. Even if I saw it first and rejected the report, it would still be there where other staff could see. However, I can promise you I wouldn't even try to hide it. I would read the report with an open mind, and then ask the other staff members where I went wrong and how I can correct it.

- You can create a Contact the Staff thread. Similar to the report option, this would give you the option to point out an issue with a staff member, but in this instance it would be even more visible to the remaining staff members.

- You can use the Contact Us link at the bottom of the forum to send an email that only Jeremy can see. If you have an issue with the behavior of any staff member and don't want everyone to see it, you can use this option to send your concerns directly to Jeremy. As the site owner, he will address it with the staff member.

- You can send a Direct Message to any staff member you feel comfortable with. Many of you have expressed discomfort with certain staff members, so it's understandable if you want to avoid them. If there is any staff member you feel comfortable approaching, you can message them and they will raise the concern in our private staff chat. My DM's are always open, even if you want to complain about me.

This is based on our current procedures, but it's possible we could create new ways to handle this in the future.

Why do some users posts get edited to remove certain information, for example names getting removed for privacy or whatever - but some users don’t, for examples a certain post in this thread from a member of staff naming and shaming a user? Surely the rules should apply to everyone. Could we have some clarity on this rule if I’m misunderstanding it?

This is a fair question. Everyone's privacy should be protected under our current rules. However, there was a lapse in judgement previously in this thread that I acknowledge creates a serious double standard. It never should have happened and it's extremely regrettable that it did happen. Our hesitation in removing or editing that post up to now has been concern that we'd be viewed as sweeping things under the rug again. We are honestly feeling pulled in multiple directions right now with some of the feedback, so we're just trying our best to sort through things and figure out the best path forward.

To add to this - if you’re aware that a lot of us have seen the ban message and the perceived reason for banning them isn’t the actual reason, there has been a clear miscommunication along the way with the userbase. I’m not saying you need to air the reasoning in this thread, if anything the opposite - but I don’t think it should be down to the banned user to have to contact staff (which has been suggested). If you’ve made a communication error regarding a ban surely you should reach out to the user / unban them / clear up the ban reasoning.

Currently it just seems unclear and anyone that questions it gets shut down or the thread is closed.

I agreed this was worth checking into, so I reread the ban notice. I verified the words tone and bluntness were not used once, and the wording seemed clear to me that those were not the reasons. However, I recognize that I'm reading it from a staff point of view with more knowledge of the context and I can see ways to improve the message. If it has been misconstrued by the banned member and this many others, then I think it's fair to say some sort of clarification should be sent. I don't know exactly when it will be sent, and it won't be posted publicly, but they do deserve to more fully understand the reason beyond the ban extension.

I also just want to note that, while I did post a quick feedback and go, it's not because I don't care about the seriousness of certain topics. It's just simply I don't have the knowledge of the events that transpired over the course of the last few months to adequately be able to voice an opinion. To do so I think would be a detriment to the discussion already given. I do think it's lovely though that the discussion is happening as it seems like one that needs to be addressed for all sides. I hope the best resolution can be found.

To further expand on my comment, night mode is an important aspect to me and would help me be a more active user which I would love to be again. It's hard for me in any capacity to frequent a forum which naturally means a lot of reading without darker options as a result of past brain injuries. Doable but not very comfortable and I like to think there's a lot of others out there like me that would agree. TBT has always had the best community to me compared to other sites that do have the darker options. It could even be a starry celeste theme. Thanks for reading!

First of all, I hope it didn't seem like I was calling you out in any way when I gave night mode as an example. It was fresh in my mind after having read your post.

I did want to open this question up to you and everybody else who wants night mode. There are different styles and specific things people need. If anybody would like to share more details on what they would find most helpful or be more likely to use, please do so.

Are your concerns regarding the banner (seasonal/time of day changes), thread list (beige with darker brown letters), posts (white background with black lettering (usually), or any combination? What changes would help the most?

Thank you all again!

 

[S.J.]

To further expand on my comment, night mode is an important aspect to me and would help me be a more active user which I would love to be again. It's hard for me in any capacity to frequent a forum which naturally means a lot of reading without darker options as a result of past brain injuries. Doable but not very comfortable and I like to think there's a lot of others out there like me that would agree. TBT has always had the best community to me compared to other sites that do have the darker options. It could even be a starry celeste theme. Thanks for reading!

I was actually meaning to comment on your original post about dark themes, but lost track of things! I recently met someone who has significantly impaired vision, both in their prescription and in being sensitive to light. Whether it be due to photophobia or ocular surgery, they have to wear sunglasses while both outside and inside, they use dark mode on all of their devices, and they have shortcuts to use dark mode on shared (work) devices too. I don’t experience light sensitivity, and don't generally think about light/dark mode in most programs/apps (but prefer light!), but I now appreciate accessible design/dark modes a little bit more after seeing their perspective!

I don’t actually have any feedback on the issue myself, I just wanted to share the above with people and why dark mode can be helpful for some, and thank you for sharing your perspective on it! I also appreciate LadyD clarifying that a dark theme for TBT would cost time and/or financial resources, since I know there are other site-associated costs that I’m sure take precedence.

This is not specific to the poster above, since I imagine they already have their own solutions, but if anyone wants to try a workaround, I’ve found the extension Dark Reader works ok with TBT (not as pretty as a real dark theme would be), though it doesn’t convert the colours well on every site, so something to consider.

 

[-Apples-]

I would actually like a dark mode too, but not like how it worked in one of the April Fools events I missed. I would also like a nostalgia mode (like how TBT 2.0’s background changes went).

 

[Sharksheep]

- You can use the Contact Us link at the bottom of the forum to send an email that only Jeremy can see. If you have an issue with the behavior of any staff member and don't want everyone to see it, you can use this option to send your concerns directly to Jeremy. As the site owner, he will address it with the staff member.

As a regular member I do not recommend doing this. It's better to make a CTS. At least there could be a slim chance, that a staff member might agree with you and argue on your behalf. The more visible it is the less likely it'll be silenced.

I have basically no trust in the staff holding each other accountable since there is no history of it. Do not blindly believe words without action.

The 2020 van incident: Not just one, but at least 2 staff members basically told the community "it's just a joke lighten up bro it's not serious". (Jeremy, Oblivia. Nefarious was not a staff at the time)

I'm sure the vday incident was even a concern on Chris's mind while he made hundreds of posts before making an official apology. I'm sure that he faced appropriate consequences for those inappropriate sexual posts since he was able to make a regular post soon after.

 

[S.J.]

The 2020 van incident: Not just one, but at least 3 staff members basically told the community "it's just a joke lighten up bro it's not serious". (Jeremy, Oblivia, and Nerfarious)

Hello! I don’t have anything to add to your post specifically, but I just wanted to mention for clarity that Nefarious wasn’t a staff member in 2020, so any comments at the time would’ve been from a user's perspective.

 

[-Lumi-]

Hello! I don’t have anything to add to your post specifically, but I just wanted to mention for clarity that Nefarious wasn’t a staff member in 2020, so any comments at the time would’ve been from a user's perspective.

I don't really understand what difference this makes in this instance, though. He was a member who agreed with a problematic stance and was then... promoted to staff? Perhaps the difference is it makes the judgement call to bring him onto staff on Jeremy's part look worse.

 

[Sharksheep]

Hello! I don’t have anything to add to your post specifically, but I just wanted to mention for clarity that Nefarious wasn’t a staff member in 2020, so any comments at the time would’ve been from a user's perspective.

Thank you I've edited my post

 

[Oblivia]

The 2020 van incident: Not just one, but at least 2 staff members basically told the community "it's just a joke lighten up bro it's not serious". (Jeremy, Oblivia. Nefarious was not a staff at the time)

I'm glad you brought this up as this is something that's been on my mind for a while now. Please don't take this as an excuse, but I've always seen the candy van image as something of a trope rather than an actual representation of harm towards anyone. At the time, I publicly stated that I "respectfully disagreed" with those who spoke up about the image being inappropriate and for that, I have no excuse. The image shouldn't have been posted in the first place and we/I should have listened to those who expressed their discomfort by removing the image(s) and offering an apology. While 5 years too late, I sincerely apologize to anyone who felt upset at my post, subsequent comments, and overall attitude towards this issue.

I like to think I've grown as both a person and a staff member since 2020, and whether or not it's always been clear, I care deeply for this community and value everyone who visits, posts, or interacts with TBT in any way, even during times of strife. I do see the genuine feedback being expressed by all of you alongside the hurt and frustration, and please know that your concerns are both valid and heard.

 

[daringred_]

i might get in trouble for this, but i do have an experience from a few years ago that's maybe worth sharing because it does substantiate some people's concerns about bigotry and in/tolerance on this site. i once asked about pride month backdrops, which is a little ironic now that we have them, and the response was, "LGBT is more about identity than an agenda, which is why we wouldn't try to turn it into some sort of site agenda or campaign here," which felt odd because why would support in the form of backdrops turn LGBT+ identities into an agenda or campaign? at the time, i remember this feeling like they didn't want to ostracize users who weren't supportive or who might claim it was being "shoved down their throat," and that the site was more interested in safely playing both sides by tolerating even intolerance, especially because it is usually only people against the LGBT+ community that would ever consider it an agenda, since it isn't one.

the response in itself also came across as very dismissive and a little defensive, with sentences such as, "Nothing the staff does is overtly or covertly homophobic," a strangely definitive statement considering covert homophobia often isn't something you're aware of doing, and when it's also not up to you to decide whether or not you're being homophobic if you identify as cishet, and donating to an LGBT+ charity as a forum (which was pointed out to me in the same response) does not change that. there was also, "I have never seen someone else accuse the forum of homophobia," which seems blatantly untrue considering other people's statements in this thread -- clearly other users have also felt like there's a homophobia/bigotry on this forum, but i can see why they maybe hadn't "accused" the site of it given the reply i got. (which was not an accusation in the first place but rather a concern.)

granted this was back in 2021, and obviously it's nice and good that we have pride backdrops now, but the fact that this was the response always made me feel a little uncomfortable here as a lesbian. perhaps the change is because there are more LGBT+ staff members, but this brief CTS thread has always lingered on the back of my mind during my time here. i felt like i was in the wrong for being concerned and "agenda pushing" for wanting pride month to be celebrated on here, and it really put me off reaching out to the staff going forward. even now, i'm usually remiss to report things and partly avoid threads like this one for fear of a ban/warning.

 

[-Mars-]

Hello @LadyDestani I would greatly appreciate a dark theme. I have Sensory Processing Disorder as a common co-morbidity alongside my Autism (ADHD also commonly has SPD as a co-morbidity) I am very sensitive to bright lights and I use dark mode on every single app and website that lets me have this option and I frequently wear sunglasses and have blackout curtains hanging above my bunk-bed.

I can not speak for what Selky wants or would help her best but for me personally I would appreciate if the white text boxes with black letters could have the option to be a black text box with white letters instead.
(inverted colors of this, see below for what I'm talking about)

 

[Selky]

First of all, I hope it didn't seem like I was calling you out in any way when I gave night mode as an example. It was fresh in my mind after having read your post.

I did want to open this question up to you and everybody else who wants night mode. There are different styles and specific things people need. If anybody would like to share more details on what they would find most helpful or be more likely to use, please do so.

Are your concerns regarding the banner (seasonal/time of day changes), thread list (beige with darker brown letters), posts (white background with black lettering (usually), or any combination? What changes would help the most?

Thank you all again!

Certainly not! There were some other sentiments shared in some of the posts which also I do not feel were specifically speaking to me. However, I did think with all combined it might be important to expand on my post and intentions so any others passively or actively reading might not get any misinterpretation.

I appreciate your dialogue and interest in further considering this with us. For me the best example I can think of is Reddit dark mode or, if non-black, babycenter forums implements a dark blue shade with light text. That's why I suggested just a permanent night time of day if wanting to keep a nature aesthetic just in dark blue background/thread boxes/night banner theme. The most harsh for me is the thread lists/cream but also the day time background light green/blue.

As S.J.'s post touched on, there are browser addons which I try to employ but they don't carry over well for a lot of sites all of the time so I like to use the website options specifically designed to be the most compatible with the site when available. If it is something that becomes feasible to do in the future, maybe a vote on the main page could be added with a feedback link to a topic to expand any thoughts further.

 

[Jeremy]

i might get in trouble for this, but i do have an experience from a few years ago that's maybe worth sharing because it does substantiate some people's concerns about bigotry and in/tolerance on this site. i once asked about pride month backdrops, which is a little ironic now that we have them, and the response was, "LGBT is more about identity than an agenda, which is why we wouldn't try to turn it into some sort of site agenda or campaign here," which felt odd because why would support in the form of backdrops turn LGBT+ identities into an agenda or campaign? at the time, i remember this feeling like they didn't want to ostracize users who weren't supportive or who might claim it was being "shoved down their throat," and that the site was more interested in safely playing both sides by tolerating even intolerance, especially because it is usually only people against the LGBT+ community that would ever consider it an agenda, since it isn't one.

the response in itself also came across as very dismissive and a little defensive, with sentences such as, "Nothing the staff does is overtly or covertly homophobic," a strangely definitive statement considering covert homophobia often isn't something you're aware of doing, and when it's also not up to you to decide whether or not you're being homophobic if you identify as cishet, and donating to an LGBT+ charity as a forum (which was pointed out to me in the same response) does not change that. there was also, "I have never seen someone else accuse the forum of homophobia," which seems blatantly untrue considering other people's statements in this thread -- clearly other users have also felt like there's a homophobia/bigotry on this forum, but i can see why they maybe hadn't "accused" the site of it given the reply i got. (which was not an accusation in the first place but rather a concern.)

granted this was back in 2021, and obviously it's nice and good that we have pride backdrops now, but the fact that this was the response always made me feel a little uncomfortable here as a lesbian. perhaps the change is because there are more LGBT+ staff members, but this brief CTS thread has always lingered on the back of my mind during my time here. i felt like i was in the wrong for being concerned and "agenda pushing" for wanting pride month to be celebrated on here, and it really put me off reaching out to the staff going forward. even now, i'm usually remiss to report things and partly avoid threads like this one for fear of a ban/warning.

There are a few things I'd like to address in this thread since my previous post on Friday, but I just wanted to make a quick response to this topic because I took a look back at the thread and wanted to clarify what was said about it. You had pointed out then that LGBT isn't political or an agenda, and this is something we have also been clear about here on TBT, which is why we agreed with the statement that it is "not an agenda." I personally feel that companies (etc.) changing their logo once a year often comes across as a bit empty, so we've gone for something both more involved and inclusive (Celebrating Diversity event), and, beyond just raising awareness, financial support to relevant causes. This year, Mistreil has put a great deal of time and effort into this new (and very large!) series of backdrops that were started and released in February. These do not exist in support of an "agenda," but rather as a way for people to express themselves or show support for people they care about. This series is also as realistically inclusive as possible thanks to community feedback and, of course, the effort spent designing them. As for the general topic of homophobia, we would certainly be interested in hearing about specific examples (in private if necessary). For example, so far in this thread, it was said by at least one user that the Hogwarts Legacy thread is a specific example (of transphobia in this case).

 

[Firesquids]

I'm glad you brought this up as this is something that's been on my mind for a while now. Please don't take this as an excuse, but I've always seen the candy van image as something of a trope rather than an actual representation of harm towards anyone. At the time, I publicly stated that I "respectfully disagreed" with those who spoke up about the image being inappropriate and for that, I have no excuse. The image shouldn't have been posted in the first place and we/I should have listened to those who expressed their discomfort by removing the image(s) and offering an apology. While 5 years too late, I sincerely apologize to anyone who felt upset at my post, subsequent comments, and overall attitude towards this issue.

I like to think I've grown as both a person and a staff member since 2020, and whether or not it's always been clear, I care deeply for this community and value everyone who visits, posts, or interacts with TBT in any way, even during times of strife. I do see the genuine feedback being expressed by all of you alongside the hurt and frustration, and please know that your concerns are both valid and heard.

Your apology is appreciated. But I do want to note that's it's literal years late and it should have been made before you were directly called out.

A very concerning part of staff 's response to posts in this thread has been that no accountability is taken until the community directly (and publicly!) calls out specific members of staff.

 

[daringred_]

There are a few things I'd like to address in this thread since my previous post on Friday, but I just wanted to make a quick response to this topic because I took a look back at the thread and wanted to clarify what was said about it. You had pointed out then that LGBT isn't political or an agenda, and this is something we have also been clear about here on TBT, which is why we agreed with the statement that it is "not an agenda." I personally feel that companies (etc.) changing their logo once a year often comes across as a bit empty, so we've gone for something both more involved and inclusive (Celebrating Diversity event), and, beyond just raising awareness, financial support to relevant causes. This year, Mistreil has put a great deal of time and effort into this new (and very large!) series of backdrops that were started and released in February. These do not exist in support of an "agenda," but rather as a way for people to express themselves or show support for people they care about. This series is also as realistically inclusive as possible thanks to community feedback and, of course, the effort spent designing them. As for the general topic of homophobia, we would certainly be interested in hearing about specific examples (in private if necessary). For example, so far in this thread, it was said by at least one user that the Hogwarts Legacy thread is a specific example (of transphobia in this case).

if i recall correctly, my concern was that being LGBT+ was being seen as political by the site, because the issue was raised privately before the CTS thread. i specifically said that it isn't political or agenda pushing, but the sentence i've quoted from the CTS thread flat out says that you didn't want to turn it into one, i.e. suggesting that having pride backdrops would be doing that, but how so? what is agenda pushing about people having pride flag backdrops to represent themselves during a month for that purpose? like i said, it's great that we have them now, and i really appreciate mistreil's efforts and designs, i loved displaying the lesbian one in february, but at the time of the CTS thread, it seemed as though said backdrops were never going to happen. at least, that was the distinct vibe that i got, because, again, it seemed you wanted to play it safe with all political viewpoints.

also companies changing their logos might seem "empty" to you, but its rapid disappearance also signals a problem with how society views us right now. are they capitalizing off of us during pride month? sure, maybe, but it's also very important (and not empty) that that support is there, because when it disappears and they stop changing said logos, it shows we're in trouble and that the current political climate doesn't favor us because it is more profitable to be anti-LGBT+ or at least not outwardly supportive of us. i know there was at least two other examples in this thread of general homophobia, un/intentional and/or c/overt. the case that involved mick, which i realize has been apologized for, and i believe someone else said something about people commenting on marriage being between a man and a woman. my example would be that CTS thread, personally, for the reasons i explained in my above post: that it felt dismissive and deflective to tell me, a lesbian, that my homophobia concerns were accusations and that categorically nobody on the staff is or seemingly could be covertly homophobic, even though that was the impression me (and another lesbian user!) were very much getting from the forum in general.