Forum:My Sojourn

Overview
So, I was away for quite a bit.

But I was watching you.

Which today, MightyErick pointed out on Quest. Of course, considering the ample load of hints that I dropped, both explicitly and implicitly, I should have expected someone to have made this conclusion sooner. However, the fact that it took so long indicates that most people on this site are either not paying full attention or are less intelligent/perceptive than anticipated.

I made a variety of conclusions about this site:

Users
I had realized a long time ago that people behaved differently when I contributed than when I was not around, and I wanted to see what effect my disappearance would have on regular contributors to this site. I was disappointed by some.

User:Serprex continued to use the summaries for spamming pointless comments, which clearly goes against the correct use of edit summaries, despite User:Abcxyzzzz's repeated reminders to the contrary. Indeed, Serprex upped the spamming as a result, indicating that he is in some respects a rogue user. I believe a form of censure is now in order.

User:Fythring has clearly demonstrated a devotion to this site even in my absence (which greatly reduced site traffic), contributing significantly to the collection and welcoming new users. As a result I will give Fythring rollback rights. In addition, should Fythring apply for adminship, barring unusual circumstances, I will give the adminship flag.

User:Mightyerick has shown an affinity for a variety of sites of the creative hub and is in the running to be its coordinator should I resign that post. Mightyerick has also demonstrated his intelligence and insightfulness through uncovering User:Abcxyzzzz's true identity. As a preliminary reward, I will give Mightyerick rollback rights.

Site
My sojourn has also pointed out a few things about this site:

If for any significant period of time no one contributes to this site, it temporarily dies, and the inertia to get it rolling again requires significant effort by an individual editor, as User:Abcxyzzzz's edits showed, single-handedly increasing site traffic by several hundred percent within three days. Also significant was the "withdrawal effect" that resulted when I ceased activity: site activity dropped 90% within a few days. The user base here is not very dedicated to Novelas.

Both the archives and the ratings template are neglected, revealing a tendency of users on this site to slack off and avoid work, even though doing so would improve the site, especially with updating the archives. No one took up the task of listing stories in archives in lieu of me. For that I am deeply saddened. I would have thought that more of you would be enthusiastic about the system. If any of you have input as to how to get the system to work, or have suggestions for a different system altogether, please tell me.

I also wanted to see if new fiction would be kept up do date by someone loyal to the cause. Unfortunately, User:Serprex deleted that section off the sidebar very soon after I left, indicating that he despised the idea to begin with. As a result I will probably not be ressurecting the idea.

Misc
I noticed that people noticed when I disappeared. However, that was as far as it went. No emails sent to me, not much asking about me on my user page, nothing. On the other hand, I didn't see any backstabbing or vandalism against me, for which I am thankful.

Do not ever think that I am not dedicated to Novelas. Even if I seem to cease activity for many, many days on this site, it does not mean that I have quit. You had best keep your guard up and not disappoint.

Sockpuppetry claims against me are futile. At no point have I used two accounts to vote on the same thing.

Hints I dropped included (but are not limited to):


 * 1) YZH in the image with the balls of light;
 * 2) That I put this image on both Novelas and Imagination;
 * 3) That I made discrepancies regarding my signature and user name;
 * 4) That my second appeared from nowhere with an immense knowledge of wikitext;
 * 5) That my second advocated the same things as I did;
 * 6) That my second posted stories with the same style and avidness as I did;
 * 7) That my second rated stories the same way I did;
 * 8) That my second's story fit very closely along the lines of other stories I wrote (indicating most of you did not read my stories);
 * 9) That my second appeared in the debate with ToaBionicle on RunescapeFanFiction wiki;
 * 10) That my second was just as avid with me about changing main pages very early on;
 * 11) That my second used edit summaries in the same sparse style as I did;
 * 12) That my second did not receive a message from me regarding the Idea project;
 * 13) I ceased activity just as my second started working;
 * 14) I did not pick up activity after traditional midterms ended over spring break;
 * 15) The wikistat on my user page was still at 'just fine' when I ceased activity;
 * 16) Similar vocabulary base and linguistic style;
 * 17) Reused character names including Tel, Loiryn, Sara, etc.

14:22, 27 March 2008 (UTC)