What is Sulekha doing about the CH?

by lurker Fri May 06, 2011 4:29 am

I just posted for the first time at Sulekha Forums, as a long-time lurker on the site who is pained by recent developments. Here is my posting:

I have been a long-time lurker on the CH reading posts from time to time for almost 3 years now. Over these years, I saw many bad times for the CH, and last week is the most difficult time so far. Some of the people I like to read here moved out to another forum (which I am lurking also) and some of you are committed to staying here. Both are good, and both groups are showing loyalty to the CH in some way. The real problem is actually Sulekha. What are they doing? They have not fixed the problem -- threads are still getting killed by psychos. And their attempts to fix the problem is actually making this forum worse -- now you see some stupid formatting tags in the posts here. Sulekha people should at least follow the principle, "first, do no harm." They are taking away functionality, but failing to fix the thread killing problem.

by Guest Fri May 06, 2011 4:37 am

You are no longer a lurker!

by Guest Fri May 06, 2011 11:49 am

LOL at your deletion lurkerji. you did not give the hafta, eh? you must know that even lurkers require a registration to lurk and if you are lurking unregistered, you have to pass those two idlis to them.

by Guest Fri May 06, 2011 11:56 am

Guess at this point in time, not sure if Satya realizes that this is not just a CH problem.... ANYONE who wants to sabotage sulekha can start breaking their classified/city/blogs pages (I think, not that I tried). Given the amount of advertising they do in India, this can really shut them down... he better hire those cegonsoft peeps soon.

by lurker Fri May 06, 2011 12:14 pm

It is not a laughing matter. This is why I prefer being a lurker. I don't want to get involved. But the current state of Sulekha is bothering me.

by charvaka Fri May 06, 2011 12:28 pm

Tracy Whitney wrote:he better hire those cegonsoft peeps soon.

My guess is he has already declared victory for the recent intervention in old CH. This is perhaps how he scores the intervention:
Made some changes, check.
Reduced the functionality, check.
Made CH noticeably worse, check.
Solved one way to kill threads, check.

After grading it a success, he likely thinks: "this should teach them to write me emails and make phone calls asking for intervention."

by Mosquito Fri May 06, 2011 12:37 pm

lurker wrote:I just posted for the first time at Sulekha Forums, as a long-time lurker on the site who is pained by recent developments. Here is my posting:

I have been a long-time lurker on the CH reading posts from time to time for almost 3 years now. Over these years, I saw many bad times for the CH, and last week is the most difficult time so far. Some of the people I like to read here moved out to another forum (which I am lurking also) and some of you are committed to staying here. Both are good, and both groups are showing loyalty to the CH in some way. The real problem is actually Sulekha. What are they doing? They have not fixed the problem -- threads are still getting killed by psychos. And their attempts to fix the problem is actually making this forum worse -- now you see some stupid formatting tags in the posts here. Sulekha people should at least follow the principle, "first, do no harm." They are taking away functionality, but failing to fix the thread killing problem.

I emailed Satya last night. He said he will get back to me on that. I dont know what it means.

by charvaka Fri May 06, 2011 12:50 pm

PseudoIntellectual wrote:I emailed Satya last night. He said he will get back to me on that. I dont know what it means.

Oh no. I hope he doesn't take away more features without fixing the bug! Razz

by Guest Fri May 06, 2011 1:44 pm

PseudoIntellectual wrote:I emailed Satya last night. He said he will get back to me on that. I dont know what it means.

it means he will get back to you. maybe in a next life. be patient.

by Marathadi-Saamiyaar Sun May 08, 2011 12:25 am

Looks like I-am-ts is running, rather killing, all threads in CH today. No exceptions. Simple slashing every thread.

I am sure everyone will be convinced that someone from "here" is doing that there.

Looks like sulekha has "given up" on tackling it. Even if it is weekend, someone would have been put on OT if satya thought it was important. So, he does not seem to be.

CH is dying.

by Guest Sun May 08, 2011 1:02 am

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:I am sure everyone will be convinced that someone from "here" is doing that there.CH is dying.

everyone already is. seva just accused us of sabotaging the site.

this great "partition" of ch -- something magical has happened in the couse of it. the people who have refused to move: QB, maria, seva, sandilya, TS, vivek all have a STRONG common trait of character. and this trait is something perverse, loathsome and aberrant. that these people have been so quickly sifted by this upheaval is what is magical. suddenly the veneer of hypocrisy, lies and coquetry has been taken away and they stand exposed. they are all behaving in unison (thus underscoring the fact that they share a fundamental aspect in their personalities):

- they have delienated "us" and "them." for them it is war (in reality there is no war, no us, no them; this partition is a figment of their imagination);
- they believe we are sabotaging "their" site (exaggerated sense of self importance/worth);
- they talk to air eweRRyday (thinking we all are reading them and they are addressing us -- their speaking to air everyday almost smacks of lunacy);
- they will do NOTHING to save old ch except accuse us and shoot emails to sulekha. they really cannot do anything -- true BUT they will bask in the glory of their achievement/hard-work/perseverance/i-told-you-so if CH is ever set right. if it isn't...balls to it. that's the attitude. we are the ones doing the hard work. but we are "sabotagers."
- they believe by joining here, they would have LOST the long argument they have been having with their detractors over the last several years. here, they feel, they can only appear denuded, defeated -- and that is why they are unwilling to come here. they are taking everything personally. that is some twisted thinking.

folks who are not coming here but also not talking to air everyday, like luke warmus, kripamaya are more genuine.

edit. to add

by Marathadi-Saamiyaar Sun May 08, 2011 1:29 am

The crowd that is sticking to CH are non-youngsters, and steeped in traditions of loyalty, pride, education, determination....(there is only one complete stupid in that group). Ironically, most are also very strong Pro-hindu.

Then there are a few who are "comfort-seekers" and "contented" They will move if they are ultimately forced to.

The mystery group consists of Flimmy and anyone like that. proud and hates the group left in CH, but too egotistic to move elsewhere.

I will say ...this place is more like an "Apple-group" of people whereas the left over CH consist of "PC-loyalists".

Someone has to give in.

by charvaka Sun May 08, 2011 1:58 am

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:Looks like I-am-ts is running, rather killing, all threads in CH today. No exceptions. Simple slashing every thread.

I am sure everyone will be convinced that someone from "here" is doing that there.

Looks like sulekha has "given up" on tackling it. Even if it is weekend, someone would have been put on OT if satya thought it was important. So, he does not seem to be.

CH is dying.

Between the killers on old CH, I thought there were three distinct people. I think so because there was some "teaching" going on between them (about how to kill threads) after the stupid "fix" that Sulekha put in place. Between those three, even if one of them is determined to keep the place down, the place will be down for a long time.

by Guest Sun May 08, 2011 2:05 am

charvaka wrote:Between those three, even if one of them is determined to keep the place down, the place will be down for a long time.

that is the best case scenario. the worst case scenario is that new killers may develop (including QB).

by charvaka Sun May 08, 2011 2:06 am

Huzefa Kapasi wrote:everyone already is. seva just accused us of sabotaging the site.

Seva is logically-challenged. I wouldn't set much store by his opinions. (You know that already, and BTW, I laughed out out when I read your post asking him if he validated this logic using mimansa.)

Huzefa Kapasi wrote:suddenly the veneer of hypocrisy, lies and coquetry has been taken away

I don't find the reactions of Seva, Sandilya, TS and QB in the least bit surprising. I fully understand their behavior. I also understand Luke Warmus's absence; it is what I expected him to do (at least in his main handle.) Maria's response was a little surprising for me, and that is because she has herself led revolts against Sulekha in the past. Perhaps the fact that some of us didn't join her in those efforts stands in the way of her moving her. What I found surprising in her behavior was taking shots at the people who moved, and then denying that she took those shots. (The first time I expressed my views to her; the second time I didn't bother but Tracy called her on it.)

So far, Maria and Sandilya have both said they will check out the new forum. The ones who said they won't ever move are QB, TS and Seva. QB and TS firmly believe that consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, so they will move. Seva I have no idea.

by Guest Sun May 08, 2011 2:18 am

charvaka wrote:Maria's response was a little surprising for me, and that is because she has herself led revolts against Sulekha in the past. Perhaps the fact that some of us didn't join her in those efforts stands in the way of her moving her.

i think you are reading her correctly. i'll tend to agree with you

What I found surprising in her behavior was taking shots at the people who moved, and then denying that she took those shots. (The first time I expressed my views to her; the second time I didn't bother but Tracy called her on it.)

i did not find her evasiveness surprising. she likes to air her thoughts but will not allow them to be subjected to reason. but, like you, i too was surprised by her thoughts.

So far, Maria and Sandilya have both said they will check out the new forum.

maria has said she will checkout the forums -- and that is a redeeming thought and it mitigates the unpleasantness that surrounds her now. but guruvu gaaru has not said that he will check out the forums. he has said he will check out the forums AFTER ch is fixed. Very Happy

The ones who said they won't ever move are QB, TS and Seva. QB and TS firmly believe that consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, so they will move.

LOL. they will come -- i feel they will.

Seva I have no idea.

he too will come if everyone else does. he is already suffering withdrawals (cranky/irritated/abusive).

edit. typos

by Marathadi-Saamiyaar Sun May 08, 2011 10:33 am

QB is already here. Remember Sake 123? Obviously the "handle" QB is already "stolen".

Even the most "consistent" people have changed their views - but justifying the change and clinging to the consistency claim. Consistency is a buzz word and somehow supposedly puts the claimant on a higher pedestal. But, it is an essential human nature to change views.

Besides, why campaign them to change over to the new forum. You are doing it bcz you miss them all and want them to be part of the crowd. But, your intentions are suspected, as though someone is profiteering from the promotion AND has some grand vision of a billion $ idea for a new venture called "BASH Book" (Or taking revenge against Satya for sabotaging your marriage dowry).

I recall a venture capitalist putting money into Sulekha and taking share - about 3 years ago. I am not really sure how much Satya is involved with Sulekha and in what capacity. I am sure someone can google out the facts and his role.

If you want to promote this site, simply depend on Google to do the job with key words - alternate Coffeehouse, Coffee-house, etc.. for old timers to search and reach, and for new comers to join. I think the membership in this forum is almost reaching a plateau and not likely to increase much over the next month.

by Guest Sun May 08, 2011 11:03 am

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:I recall a venture capitalist putting money into Sulekha and taking share - about 3 years ago. I am not really sure how much Satya is involved with Sulekha and in what capacity. I am sure someone can google out the facts and his role.

if i were satya, i'd have siphoned out my millions as soon as venture funding came in. bought some prime estate in chennai, hyderabad and kansas and then concentrated on building the site. of course satya is a more righteous businessman. no need to google anything.

by Marathadi-Saamiyaar Sun May 08, 2011 12:32 pm

Here is Uppili's response to Maria's thread/poser:

*************

>> Maria ...Excuse me? Are you saying that they really want to give up their Site to Sulekha? Wow! If I put effort -passion and creativity into anything...I would not give that up for ANYONE- So soon!

Uppili: Looks like you have not been seeing/reading the other site. You don't need to join, but no harm in "browsing/reading" They are constantly checking and hoping this site will improve. some have written emails. They are discussing options on what to do if CH allowed to die by Sulekha. One of the options was to ask Satya to take over the site. YOu will be shocked that there has been no abuse or name calling despite attempts to start a fight 9Even Rashmun's Akbar thread was civil - disgustingly). So you can guess who the lightening rods for such abuses on THIS site (you are smart enough to figure it out yourself who the polarizing figures are). Now "developing a site?" giving up so soon ? You are mistaken. This is a site like facebook and all they did is to created their own "Coffeehouse for Desis" page. It is NOT their site just as your facebook or twitter page is not yours. If anything whosoever owns the "General site" (like facebook/Twitter/picassa/Sulekha) is the one who makes some money. Besides the effort is little more than setting up a webpage in the 90s. I have developed and run websites in those days and I know what I am talking. It takes some volunteering mind and serious goodwill to spend even that much time with their busy jobs. I am saying all this just FYI. Just trying to give my perception on the goings on. Like I mentioned in a "deleted thread" the alternate site is devoid of drama, abuse and ideally suited for people like you, Smitaa, Nutmeg, sublime and other "boring" non-controversial people while CH is for rowdies like myself and Flimmy and a few other trouble makers. To join or not is individual's decision. And, I am not here to promote any site or anyone's suspected agenda.

*******
When did that troublemaker Uppili become a Gynaani?

by charvaka Sun May 08, 2011 12:52 pm

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:When did that troublemaker Uppili become a Gynaani?

Given that psychos are still deleting threads there, Uppili should consider posting this as a new thread there, so that the message reaches the person it is meant for. Like you said, Maria is probably not reading this forum, and the message will be deleted before she sees it.

by Guest Sun May 08, 2011 12:59 pm

Maria S wrote:>> Maria ...Excuse me? Are you saying that they really want to
give up their Site to Sulekha? Wow! If I put effort -passion and
creativity into anything...I would not give that up for ANYONE- So soon!

ha ha, surprise, surprise; the most unsuspecting of members has the biggest ego. the ego has swallowed the man (to borrow a phrase from o v vijayan).

by SomeProfile Sun May 08, 2011 3:19 pm

Maria's response to Uppili:

Maria S wrote:
Thanks for the info U. As you know- apart from the wiping out of threads and tech manipulation of posts here...it is has been relatively speaking....no abuse, unncessary swipes, cussing and swearing (vulgarity) here too *(now that I have said it..perhaps someone will so that to show that I am wrong!) *I said that I would not give up an effort- which was launched with passion and creativity.. "so soon"..only as in the context of nurturing and preserving a site someone creates (I think Seva immediately understood as a gardener..what it means by not giving up).,..and I thought you would understand what I said/why I said in that context. *Def- I am not a tech expert as you are...but, most of us- would like to nurture...anything we are part of..most normal people would.. unless someone is negligent/uncaring- they would care about anything they help to create ...whether it is one hour of hour...with no money involved..of it's a project which takes months to plan and implement- with a lot of money at stake! M

Dear Maria,

'nurture and preserve' - this is EXACTLY why we switched to a better forum. We want to nurture and preserve the energy and thought (as well as the meanness and thoughtlessness) that we put into our posts. For us, a site or forum itself is just a tool, just a means to an end. The people and the conversations are the real things of value that we want to nurture and preserve.

Technically, the site Sulekha has proven to be inadequate for helping us nurture and preserve the things we really value - the conversations and the people. The people who run Sulekha have also proven to be incompetent. Their attempts to fix the problems have not only mangled new posts being made there, but also old content. As such, we were forced to find a better place.

Your clinging on to Sulekha in order to 'nurture and preserve' it makes about as much sense as the jews in Moses' time clinging on to Egypt under the Pharaohs, and refusing to follow Moses to the promised land. The jews had lived for centuries in Egypt. I am sure they would have liked to 'nurture and preserve' what little they had managed to build there. But they realized what is of real value: the people, their relationships to one another and their relationship to God. Not the land Egypt.

I hope you can also differentiate between the things of true value, and the tools that help to nurture and preserve those things of true value. As things stand now, Sulekha cannot nurture and preserve the things of true value.

That's all I can say.

by SomeProfile Sun May 08, 2011 3:40 pm

Lamberdar wrote:so you think the other site is "the promised land", and that too under Carvaka, the sworn atheist!

First of all, you have to understand my post above as an analogy. Don't understand it literally. For an Internet message board / forum to run well, it doesn't matter whether the person who started it / maintained it is an atheist or not.

Secondly, compared to Sulekha, this forum is indeed like 'the promised land'.

Finally, the moment I feel that this website is 'under Carvaka' or anybody else, I will leave. For this reason, I requested Carvaka to stop logging in as admin and he has decided to do so for as long as we can go on. I hope that we can go on without his ever having to login as admin.

Many of us on this site care as much about freedom and privacy as you do. That is why we have asked the tough questions in the beginning when this forum was being created and we are watching closely to ensure that this forum remains a free and safe place. And yes, freedom includes the freedom to post any opinion you want, including abuses and fights.

by charvaka Sun May 08, 2011 3:50 pm

Lamberdar wrote:so you think the other site is "the promised land", and that too under Carvaka, the sworn atheist!

I am happy that such questions are being raised. Better than stay silent without raising the questions.

SomeProfile wrote:For an Internet message board / forum to run well, it doesn't matter whether the person who started it / maintained it is an atheist or not.

Are you quite sure? Atheists are bad people, per mimansa.

by Guest Sun May 08, 2011 7:32 pm

SomeProfile wrote:
Finally, the moment I feel that this website is 'under Carvaka' or anybody else, I will leave. For this reason, I requested Carvaka to stop logging in as admin and he has decided to do so for as long as we can go on. I hope that we can go on without his ever having to login as admin.

How can anyone ensure that he does not log in as "admin"? That requires trust which is precisely what's not there among those who don't want to join. He may not post as admin but he can still login, can't he? Of course, the paranoid can check the memberlist and monitor that.

I don't blame them. I too will not join a place that was started by someone with whom I've had years and years of altercation.

by charvaka Sun May 08, 2011 7:43 pm

blabberwock wrote:I don't blame them. I too will not join a place that was started by someone with whom I've had years and years of altercation.

I don't blame them either; I can understand their fears. That is one of the motivations for my proposal to turn the forum administration over to Sulekha.

by Marathadi-Saamiyaar Sun May 08, 2011 8:30 pm

ok...here is a question:

Carvaka CAN login as Admin and just watch and observe w/o posting anything. No one will ever know that he was watching everyone.

Rite ? Anyway one can prevent even this kind of invisible possible login?

Second: Can he see the IP addresses ? If he can how to fool proof that from being found out ?

by charvaka Sun May 08, 2011 9:03 pm

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:ok...here is a question:

Carvaka CAN login as Admin and just watch and observe w/o posting anything. No one will ever know that he was watching everyone.

Rite ? Anyway one can prevent even this kind of invisible possible login?

Second: Can he see the IP addresses ? If he can how to fool proof that from being found out ?

I have said this before... I don't know of any way to see IP addresses. As for the admin login, logging in as admin and doing nothing is no different from logging in as charvaka and doing nothing. May be they have a feature to show a "log of admin activities" that can be made public so everyone can see it when they want to. I will look into that.

by Sponsored content

What is Sulekha doing about the CH?

What is Sulekha doing about the CH?

Re: What is Sulekha doing about the CH?

Re: What is Sulekha doing about the CH?

Re: What is Sulekha doing about the CH?

Re: What is Sulekha doing about the CH?

Re: What is Sulekha doing about the CH?

Re: What is Sulekha doing about the CH?

Re: What is Sulekha doing about the CH?

Re: What is Sulekha doing about the CH?

Re: What is Sulekha doing about the CH?

Re: What is Sulekha doing about the CH?

Re: What is Sulekha doing about the CH?

Re: What is Sulekha doing about the CH?

Re: What is Sulekha doing about the CH?

Re: What is Sulekha doing about the CH?

Re: What is Sulekha doing about the CH?

Re: What is Sulekha doing about the CH?

Re: What is Sulekha doing about the CH?

Re: What is Sulekha doing about the CH?

Re: What is Sulekha doing about the CH?

Re: What is Sulekha doing about the CH?

Re: What is Sulekha doing about the CH?

Re: What is Sulekha doing about the CH?

Re: What is Sulekha doing about the CH?

Re: What is Sulekha doing about the CH?

Re: What is Sulekha doing about the CH?

Re: What is Sulekha doing about the CH?

Re: What is Sulekha doing about the CH?

Re: What is Sulekha doing about the CH?