Two important things:
1. If people have not seen the new Market Gems thread header, take a look immediately. It is basically an admission by the subject of our thread that our complaints are valid and actionable. It is a fascinating turn and confirms that the pressure we have brought to bear is hurting people where is counts...in the pocketbook.
2. If you are an SI member who has in the past paid a membership fee, and you are disgusted by the atmosphere of advertisements and outside pay sites that have now infested SI, you are absolutely justified in demanding your membership fee back...especially if you have been a member for many years, as I have. I joined SI precisely BECAUSE it was an ad-free environment, in contrast to almost all other chat sites. When I joined in 1997, posts blatantly pointing readers to outside pay sites were immediately deleted, and the atmosphere strongly discouraged intentional, repetitive promotion. Now, however, this is not the case; SI has become exclusionary...not only do many of these posts direct readers AWAY from the SI community, but the rise of "moderated" threads has completely altered the open atmosphere that used to exist and made SI unique.
Because of this, this website bears almost no similarity to the one I paid a fee to join several years ago. If you feel the same way, you have every right to demand that SI change, or refund your money. I strongly encourage everyone to do so. |
