Comment about those replies from a TC staffer (Score 1) 157
It has been *very* interesting following this discussion for the past week or so, you know. There's been some really well-thought-out discourse here. (And, of course, there's been that couple of hundred other posts, too...)
You'll notice that I've posted several replies to some of the more recent posts in this thread, using a Talk City CCC nick rather than the ubiquitous Anonymous Coward nom du tron. I've also included a link to a home page on TC where I've written a longer explanation of the facts and logic behind these IRC-access changes.
That decision isn't something that was done arbitrarily, nor without a lot of extended discussion on the corporate level. But it *is* something that has stirred up a lot of controversy in the online community.
There's been a lot of anger, a lot of support, and especially a lot of misinformation being spread around the chat rooms and the rest of the Web about this change. Inaccurate speculation and erroneous assumptions were making the rounds of the Internet within minutes of the announcement. That's why I think it's important for those of us who know more instead of less about this particular issue to make our voices heard in response. And that's why I'm posting here about it now.
Most of the people doing most of the talking seem to believe that nobody at Talk City is listening. That is very definitely not the case here. I can assure you that TC has been following the various threads about this in the discussion boards, and in the chat rooms, here on Slashdot, and on the alt.online newsgroups, etc. The company is well aware of what our users (and also those who are not our users) have been saying about this change. And believe me, the online hosts and the TC community staff are all very aware of what everyone's been saying about it, too.
A few of you may recognize my CCC nick, but I expect that even fewer of you know who I actually am. I'm Rick Albertson, and I'm the Homes Pages Producer for Talk City. However, I'm not just being a company mouthpiece when I post to these threads. I'm speaking as a concerned and informed individual, not as an employee parroting a party line. What I'm saying here is my own opinion, based on my own beliefs, and not an official pronouncement from the company itself. If you have any questions, comments, or complaints about anything you read in my posts, please feel free to email them directly to me.
And I'm not just saying what I say here because I work for Talk City - trust me on that one, because with the job market as tight as it is in Silicon Valley, I wouldn't have to work here if I didn't want to. But I do want to. I like the people I work with, I like the people I work for, and I think we generally do what we do better than most anybody else does.
Your mileage may vary, of course. I know you have your own ideas and opinions about all of this. And that's why I encourage you to make your own voices heard where it really counts. Here are some places where you can go to learn more about the details, and to tell Talk City what you think about them:
To read Talk City's current FAQs and information about this IRC change, go to
<http://www.talkcity.com/irc>.
To send your feedback to Talk City's corporate staff about this IRC change, go to
<http://www.talkcity.com/help/egain>.
To read and post to the Talk City discussion boards about this IRC change, go to
<http://boards.talkcity.com> and open the Community News folder.
To read an excellent article discussing growth and change on the Internet in the context of this
IRC change, go to <http://www.talkcity.com/communities/computing_art icle1.htmpl>.
To chat with Talk City's community producers and CommOps staff about this IRC change, log
in to #TalkCityChanges on chat.talkcity.com. The room should be open from 4-5 am, 9-11 am, and
5-8 pm Pacific time every day during the changeover period.
cheers,
Rick Albertson
Talk City, Inc.
You'll notice that I've posted several replies to some of the more recent posts in this thread, using a Talk City CCC nick rather than the ubiquitous Anonymous Coward nom du tron. I've also included a link to a home page on TC where I've written a longer explanation of the facts and logic behind these IRC-access changes.
That decision isn't something that was done arbitrarily, nor without a lot of extended discussion on the corporate level. But it *is* something that has stirred up a lot of controversy in the online community.
There's been a lot of anger, a lot of support, and especially a lot of misinformation being spread around the chat rooms and the rest of the Web about this change. Inaccurate speculation and erroneous assumptions were making the rounds of the Internet within minutes of the announcement. That's why I think it's important for those of us who know more instead of less about this particular issue to make our voices heard in response. And that's why I'm posting here about it now.
Most of the people doing most of the talking seem to believe that nobody at Talk City is listening. That is very definitely not the case here. I can assure you that TC has been following the various threads about this in the discussion boards, and in the chat rooms, here on Slashdot, and on the alt.online newsgroups, etc. The company is well aware of what our users (and also those who are not our users) have been saying about this change. And believe me, the online hosts and the TC community staff are all very aware of what everyone's been saying about it, too.
A few of you may recognize my CCC nick, but I expect that even fewer of you know who I actually am. I'm Rick Albertson, and I'm the Homes Pages Producer for Talk City. However, I'm not just being a company mouthpiece when I post to these threads. I'm speaking as a concerned and informed individual, not as an employee parroting a party line. What I'm saying here is my own opinion, based on my own beliefs, and not an official pronouncement from the company itself. If you have any questions, comments, or complaints about anything you read in my posts, please feel free to email them directly to me.
And I'm not just saying what I say here because I work for Talk City - trust me on that one, because with the job market as tight as it is in Silicon Valley, I wouldn't have to work here if I didn't want to. But I do want to. I like the people I work with, I like the people I work for, and I think we generally do what we do better than most anybody else does.
Your mileage may vary, of course. I know you have your own ideas and opinions about all of this. And that's why I encourage you to make your own voices heard where it really counts. Here are some places where you can go to learn more about the details, and to tell Talk City what you think about them:
To read Talk City's current FAQs and information about this IRC change, go to
<http://www.talkcity.com/irc>.
To send your feedback to Talk City's corporate staff about this IRC change, go to
<http://www.talkcity.com/help/egain>.
To read and post to the Talk City discussion boards about this IRC change, go to
<http://boards.talkcity.com> and open the Community News folder.
To read an excellent article discussing growth and change on the Internet in the context of this
IRC change, go to <http://www.talkcity.com/communities/computing_ar
To chat with Talk City's community producers and CommOps staff about this IRC change, log
in to #TalkCityChanges on chat.talkcity.com. The room should be open from 4-5 am, 9-11 am, and
5-8 pm Pacific time every day during the changeover period.
cheers,
Rick Albertson
Talk City, Inc.
