Like a ghost town it is. ?  I have been away for a while but the site seems very quiet. ? 

I'm here and so is Andrea. Not sure where Griff is.

Things are indeed quiet!

hi Alison, hi Richard

glad you're both here, Andrea too and everybody else

so what do we do now?

okay should we have workshops or challenges?

i am not a native speaker of English, i'm just a learner things got a bit advanced and started using English for writing poetry too, all i can do is choose a challenge or workshop and see if i can do it.

i can set simple challenges, words or haibun or haiku related. 

i don't think it's a bad idea to always have open challenges. for prose or poetry.

With the best will in the world....the site has sunk. Where is Luigi? David? Steve?

We now have Coolhermit to receive accolades while giving zero in return. Something very wrong here manifesting in loss of talent.
I will not avoid the elephant in the room.

Somebody needs to speak up!

Over and out.

well congratulations to whoever receives anything positive in general 

but what do you mean dear Alison "giving zero in return"?  generally speaking aren't any type of accolades free of any obligation to give something in return? personally I would find it unpleasant if for every nib or cherry (yes I returned to abctales and I'm under some surveillance / moderation without any clearance unless checked and approved there as a 'new member' so I gave up for now, no hard feelings aint nobody got time for that) I had to give something in return.

I haven't read coolhermit's work but now I will. 

Indeed where are they?

well I just checked this member's profile he says something nice "for me, art should be freely shared and not just on offer to those who can pay for it."

absolutely.

well that's about it I'm afraid wish him luck and more accolades for him as well as you Alison and every other person here and elsewhere write and prosper darlings write and prosper

Thank you Nic

I value your always authentic opinion. My gripe with this person goes back to when he first arrived. His actions caused others to leave, people who were so motivated to help others and also so well qualified too.

This person sneered at his fellow poets.

On returning recently, all I could see were 'nibs' awarded to someone who had in the past blatantly put down his fellow poets.

I would never be so churlish as to suggest nibs were not deserved but I feel that on dropping in repeatedly over several months, to see someone who has given nothing to the site as a whole being the person majorly recognized was both sad and in my opinion disheartening to many. We have many very educated people on here and if we do not give them their due, they will leave.

Simple as that.

We also have some incredibly talented people who are not 'educated' Many are late developers close to my heart.

In fact several exhibit such talent, as to leave me breathless. I want to encourage, not discourage.

I am sad to see so many stalwarts of the site have left but totally understand why they have.

I had no idea, nastiness however has nothing to do with talent, being nasty or an a-hole or a generally not an easy-going person may even attract attention.

as wise Janet Jackson once said 

No my first name ain't baby
It's Janet
Miss Jackson if you're nasty

we can always just avoid nastiness even if it is groovy

Posted by: stormwolf

 

Thank you Nic

I value your always authentic opinion. My gripe with this person goes back to when he first arrived. His actions caused others to leave, people who were so motivated to help others and also so well qualified too.

This person sneered at his fellow poets.

On returning recently, all I could see were 'nibs' awarded to someone who had in the past blatantly put down his fellow poets.

I would never be so churlish as to suggest nibs were not deserved but I feel that on dropping in repeatedly over several months, to see someone who has given nothing to the site as a whole being the person majorly recognized was both sad and in my opinion disheartening to many. We have many very educated people on here and if we do not give them their due, they will leave.

 

Simple as that.

 

I left the site for a while but it was due to other problems here. The constant arguing, the cliques where everyone complimented everyone else in their group, the attitude of some to certain comments on their work. Would I like comments on the stuff I post? Yes, even if they tell me it's complete rubbish and I need to try something else. I'm not offended if I don't get comments but I would be lying if I didn't admit it's a little off putting. Because of the kind of person I am, I always assume it's because it's so terrible that no one can find even one good word to say about it.

However, if someone deserves nibs, they should get them, regardless of whether or not they comment on other work. They bring their work to the site and they're not obliged to do anything else. There are many reasons why people don't comment and I've mentioned a few. I've commented on Rick's work because I can understand it and it has a great deal of passion. There are many works I can't comment on because I don't understand them and don't want to show myself a fool for not understanding. There are also times I disagree so much with the subject of the work that I can't say anything.

However, you do have a problem with the way things are being run and this forum is here for discussion, so what changes would you like to see here that you feel would make the situation better?

No agreed.

You can be a very talented asshole

Just others may chose to opt out of that circuit.

yes and please when you two finish with this matter about various coolhermits/cliques/compliments/accolades out there

pray let's start talking about challenges workshops etc okay? tia

Call me old fashioned...I believe in give and take. Old fashioned manners,

I am old school perhaps no place for me here any more.