Diapering Reorganization, please read - Page 9

[spatulagirl]

Meco,

I think why tempers are a bit flared is because while the PTB are saying the split is for organization it was born out of a call for a seperation of frugal vs. hyena. I have read every single thread from the very first snappi and prefold thread that turned nasty to the several threads talking about splitting up diapering. All of the earlier threads stated that those in favour of the split wanted it so that the expensive version of diapering was apart from the frugal version of diapering.

Plain and simple.

Now the split has occurred and everyone is spouting off about how organized it is, etc. But it wasn't split because people were complaining that it was confusing. It was split because people were complaining about hyenas vs. frugal diapering.

I have never seen a hyena mock anyone for their diapering choices. Most of the crazy hyenas on this board (and oh man I am one of the top ones) have always supported any diapering choice any mama has chosen to make. When LoveBaby decided to completely simplify we all cheered her on. No one mocked her.

And yet we get mocked all the time. From stupidity comments for spending $200 on a diaper for our kids to $h!% in to overconsumerism comments (as though we are buying our diapers from Walmart!) to.. well the list goes on and on.

The point I am trying to make is if the mods had come to the diapering board and said, "Listen, we think things are a bit confusing here and we want to make it easier to navigate. Got any suggestions?" well I am pretty sure we would all have some great suggestions.

But they didn't. Instead non-diaperng board posters complained they didn't like the hyena aspect of the board (and I admit we have a lot of hyenas here but we have a lot who aren't) and they wanted it split. Not for easier navigation or organization but for a frugal vs. hyena. WITH the hyenas off in a sub-forum.

[apmama]

Kate, I just couldn't agree more. Well said, kudos and all that crap. The whole thing has left a very nasty taste in my mouth.

[meco]

Well, I read the threads too, and I fully understand what you are saying.

Overconsumerism does not mean buying sposies at Wal-Mart. Consumption means we are using goods and services. Overconsumption would be using more resources than you need. Of course, everyone perceives their needs to be different. I realize not everyone here is NFL or mindful of what they buy, resources they use and how it effects the earth. But this still is a community with does promote mindfulness. This is not our agenda, but the mission of the entire website.

I have spent my fair share of dollars on diapers. I have done hyena diapering, and I have done prefolds. For me it is not about the money spent because well, like art, clothes, food and hotels there are definitely many quality and price levels. Different people have different preferences and ideals. I am not one to tell you what you can and cannot buy. I totally support buying diapers from WAHMs. And I am all for them earning a fair wage for what they create. I am more concerned about myself and how much I consume.

But rampant consumerism is a huge problem in our society. I think it is important to acknowledge it and be aware of it. I can see why some are concerned about the overtone being all about showing off, stalking, what I bought, what got what, etc. It is not as simple as hyena versus basic to me. Show offs, stalkings, fluffy mail threads, etc are not all hyena threads. They are non-hyena as well.

I also do not think hyenas or any more active diapering posters mock people. I know diapering mamas are kind, generous, helpful and always step up to the plate. They never leave their community members behind. I agree with you there. And I do not think any of them are intentionally trying to ignore or exclude anyone. But posters have said they feel like their posts go by unnoticed, that they do not get help. I have heard the reasons why some say this happens--the people who read it may not be able to help, what you would say has been said, whatever. But the fact is, some people feel like there is a problem here. I would hope as a community we would work towards finding a way to help these people. As a CD advocate, I want to promote the use of cloth, and show people it is easy, affordable, convenient and worthwhile. But roadblocks happen and we need to offer them support.

Tangent there. You said hyenas are mocked. I have seen judgement passed, and that sucks. Again, for me it is not about the dollar amount spent. But bringing up a very real issue, like consumerism and overconsumption, is not being mocked, it is someone who is passionate about something posting to share their piece with you.

But I remember a thread where possible solutions were discussed. So it is not as if people could not have offered other, better solutions. And the "non diapering posters" is part of what I am talking about, so much for community. I do not post here all that often anymore (as I explained above), but I lurk all the time and read many threads. In my earlier days here, I too spent most of my time in this forum and have posted here a lot. I love Diapering too, and part of the reason I do not post is because of the direction of the board. It does not fit my needs. But as I mentioned, I do not expect the board to fit me. I expect it to be the best it can be to as many people as possible, hopefully an endless resources for those who want to CD, already CDed or have CDed.

I also see there have been various reasons for this split/reorganization, but to me this is nit picking, For whatever the reason, there was some unhappiness with the direction of the board. As a community, I think it is great we are working to solve that issue by trying new ways of connecting people to diapering. I am more focused on making the change positive rather than dwelling on the past.

We are your potential posters, your possible sisters. You are here, so it works for you. Others are not here because it does not work for them, why can changes not be made in the attempt to bring more people in? Maybe it could work for more people, and that would be a good thing.

Anyway, I really just would like to try to make any changes with a positive spirit, and hopefully build a beneficial community for all. I think there is more work, the revamp is not complete. Perhaps in the end it will work for us all. What do you think are some possible strategies for reorganization? I think brainstorming positive solutions is a good place to start. SInce input is still being taken, we all could offer other ways to do it.

[Trishy]

Ok, I think that there has been just about enough speculation and accusations about why this is happening. The change was suggested and being discussed before the infamous prefold thread. Cynthia, Megan, Darshani and I have been doing our best to try to find a solution to this that makes most everyone happy. We tried to make a Basics subforum and that was met with much resistance and plenty of suggestions that we do the show off forum instead. So we decided to do that. And now it seems that y'all don't want this either. The Diapering forum is the most heavily trafficked forum on MDC. The subforum is being implemented to make Diapering more user friendly to everybody, hyenas, simple stashers, newbies, old timers, and whatever other groups are out there.

I am a mod of this forum and I am also a person. I have been a member here for almost 3 years and care a lot about the community and its members. My feelings are hurt by many of the comments made in this thread. If any of you has any helpful suggestions for a solution that will be amicable to most everyone I would love to hear it. The implication and accusations that we are doing this to segregate the hyenas is personally offensive to me and preposterous. If you have a better idea of what subforum(s) could be added to make it more user friendly to everyone let's hear it. The speculation about why "they" are doing this stops here.

[Cynthia Mosher]

We have made the decision to reorganize the forum so this is not a thread to debate the split or post why you think it is being done or why it is wrong or what else can be done. This is not the first time the issue has been raised nor was the heated thread referred to the impetus for the reorganization. The mods, both past and present Diapering mods, have long seen the need for a better organization of the forum, have had to deal with the issue themselves, had fielded many inquiries from newbies and other members about the thread flooded forum that prevented them from getting basic diapering questions answered well. We made a few attempts in the past to organize without creating more subforums hoping to resolve the issue. It didn't work well, and really, not at all. We would like to try a different setup. Yes, TRY. We will try it out and see how it goes. If we see it is more detrimental to the forum as a whole rather than a benefit, we'll step back and reconsider. It's not that difficult to do.

I realize this may not be a comfortable or convenient change for some. But we ask that you work with us in giving it a try. If you can't do that then we apologize for whatever difficulties we may create for you in these changes and hope you can manage to visit and contribute as a member whenever and however possible for you.

As we got little response to our OP question about titles for the forum and subforums. I'll close this thread now and we'll work with prior suggestions to get the new set up started. As for questions about what goes where, all that will be worked out as we implement the new organization and make decisions as we move ahead. I'm sure the mods will do their best to keep you all informed. This forum means a lot to them as it does to all of you. So let's please give it and them a chance to improve things and make it a beneficial reorganization, even if you do personally disagree with the changes.