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December 5, 2011

And while we’re on the subject
Posted by Patrick at 12:00 AM * 60 comments

This site would be in much worse shape if we hadn’t, four years ago today, taken on Abi Sutherland as a front-page blogger, and somehow convinced her to help moderate the comment section as part of the deal. Thank you, Abi.

We’d also be in crap shape if our fellow front-pager Jim Macdonald weren’t constantly cleaning out the Augean stables of spam. Thank you, Jim.

We are genuinely fortunate in our friends and readers. We don’t say it often enough. Thank you, Abi, Jim, Avram, and many others.

Comments on And while we're on the subject:
#1 ::: P J Evans ::: (view all by) ::: December 04, 2011, 10:51 PM:

Thanks to all for fighting off the trolls as well as the spam!

#2 ::: Serge Broom ::: (view all by) ::: December 04, 2011, 11:14 PM:

Thanks, all of you, for making Making Light happen.

#3 ::: Larry ::: (view all by) ::: December 04, 2011, 11:59 PM:

Hear, Hear. This is a great site and much thanks and kudos to all of you making it so.

#4 ::: MacAllister ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 12:18 AM:

Online communities do tend to run on the near-invisible rails of behind-the-scenes people who work very hard to keep things in good working order.

Now that I've hopelessly muddled that metaphor, thank you very much, Patrick & Teresa, Abi, Jim, and Avram. While I'm not a particularly frequent commenter, I've been a faithful and constant reader for a number of years now. My world is considerably brighter for the presence of Making Light.

#5 ::: Jacque ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 01:20 AM:

What they said!

#6 ::: JM ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 01:42 AM:

Hear, hear!

#7 ::: Syd ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 02:20 AM:

I for one welcome our new sidebar overlords!

And I have particular reason these days to be grateful to Making Light and the community it has fostered. Thank you all.

#8 ::: GlendaP ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 03:06 AM:

I'm lurker who is deeply appreciative that a place such as Making Light exists and who has profound gratitude for those who make it happen.

#9 ::: Ludens ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 04:59 AM:

Indeed. Another lurker thanks you all for making this place exist.

#10 ::: Gray Woodland ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 08:15 AM:

* Doffs hat. Makes sweeping bow.*

Yea, a many thanks indeed!

[The preview feature just protected me from being replaced by Gray Wpodland, whom I assume to be some kind of pod person. Brrr, narrow escapes!)

#11 ::: pedantic peasant ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 09:09 AM:

Thanks to all unsung heroes.
Half the work you do goes unappreciated,
And the other half unnoticed.
But you continue anyway.
And the smoothness of the path you have made
Is noticed only in its absence
When someone stubs a toe
And thinks not,
"How nice that someone kept
the rest of this path
So clean and neat."
But, "Why did some inconsiderate oaf
Leave this here to inconvenience me."
So thank you for all you do
And know that we have seen you
In the absence of irritations
And the silence of oaths;
Have found you
In the cleanness of the type
And the polish of the page.
And you have made us better for it.

Thank you.

#12 ::: Rob Thornton ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 09:29 AM:

Much obliged, Abi!

#13 ::: OtterB ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 09:40 AM:

Thanks and applause all around.

#14 ::: Adam Ek ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 10:33 AM:

Hail, Yog Sysop!

#15 ::: KayTei ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 10:44 AM:

Sixteenthed!

Thank you, to our admins and our gracious hosts.

#16 ::: Tom Whitmore ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 10:45 AM:

A note to the lurkers -- it's quite possible for you to contribute to the community as well. Some of you have already broken the ice by talking in this thread -- it's just as easy to join in elsewhere! I speak with no authority here, just as someone who contributes when the whim moves me. Inertia means that it's easier to post again than to post the first time!

And part of why that's true is the tireless work Patrick is extolling in the start of this thread, for which I am very grateful. I'd add him to my thanks, because he's a very important part of the mix (and an important part of the moderation, too).

#17 ::: Paul A. ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 10:50 AM:

Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!

#18 ::: Mary Aileen ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 11:01 AM:

Thank you all! My life would be much poorer without Making Light.

#19 ::: Jacque ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 11:01 AM:

Gray Woodland @10: Gray Wpodland

Must...not...commit...nickname!

#20 ::: Singing Wren ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 11:29 AM:

N + 1!

<kermit arm flail>Yaaaaaayyyyy!</kermit>

#21 ::: Bruce Cohen (Speaker to Managers) ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 11:33 AM:

Many thanks to all of you who keep Making Light luminous. This community has given me a place to laugh and think and learn at times when the world wasn't a good place to be. Long may you shine!

#22 ::: Lee ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 12:06 PM:

Yes, thanks to all -- hosts, admins, mods, and commenters. It's a non-trivial amount of work, and no one would do it if they didn't love the community.

#23 ::: Steve C. ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 12:36 PM:

Thank you all for a clean, well-lighted place.

#24 ::: canisfelicis ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 01:01 PM:

I post very very rarely, but I read very often--thank you for making it possible. :)

#25 ::: abi ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 01:07 PM:

Thank you, Patrick and Teresa, for letting me play in your sandbox, and for the friendship and esteem that you've given me alongside it.

Thank you, Jim and Avram, my big brothers on the site.

Thank you, Mike, if you're reading this from wherever you are now, for being the inspiration for so much of what is best in us.

And thank you, commentariat and lurkers together, for being, as Teresa says, "the best thing about this weblog." You're the real reason I'm here, however fond I am of the rest of the front page.

Yes, it has been hard work. It is hard work, and sometimes I get crabby and frustrated. But no true thing is easy. And I've received at least as much from Making Light as I've put into it.

Love.

#26 ::: Mary Jean Haley ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 03:00 PM:

Another lurker says thanks for all who keep this intelligent, civilized, entertaining community going.

#27 ::: Linkmeister ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 03:04 PM:

I, least luminous, salute you all!

(I'm trying to remember Kipling's phrasing there, in case anyone wonders.)

#28 ::: dcb ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 03:16 PM:

Adding to the chorus - thanks, everyone. This is a great place to visit, and I much appreciate the community and the work which goes into maintaining a pleasant community.

#29 ::: Mary Frances ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 03:38 PM:

abi @ 25: " . . . no true thing is easy." Abi, that, right there, is the reason I keep coming back to this place. Thank you all.

#30 ::: Terry Karney ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 04:13 PM:

I have been pleased to be such a part as I have been. Thanks to one and all. It has been a blessing, and and lightening of various burdens, and a pleasant respite; where I can be of the world, but not in it, and the mood takes me.

#31 ::: Jo MacQueen ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 05:06 PM:

Singing Wren @ 20: I'm now trying not to imagine you as coloured green. Which is, pardon me, not easy, not with the arm-flailing. (Is there a name for the mental image version of an earworm? That's what I think I have, and a name for it other than 'eyeworm' would be nice.)

Otherwise, much thanks to our moderators for encouraging the best in us.

From an occasional commenter

#32 ::: Xopher HalfTongue ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 05:29 PM:

I believe that I literally would not have survived without Making Light.

For all you do, all of you, especially but not only abi and Our Hosts: I humbly thank you.

#33 ::: Michael I ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 06:33 PM:

Many thanks to all of the moderators from a very occasional poster.

#34 ::: Tony Zbaraschuk ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 07:32 PM:

As Kipling said of the Sons (and Daughters) of Martha:

It is their care in all the ages to take the buffet and cushion the shock.
It is their care that the gear engages; it is their care that the switches lock.

#35 ::: elise ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 07:32 PM:

So much gratitude from here, too. Also, gladness.

#36 ::: David Harmon ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 07:48 PM:

And another round of thanks for our moderators from me. I've managed an online community (pre-Web), and didn't do nearly as good a job as I wish I had. I know how hard it is, and I'm continually impressed by how well the Making Light mods do it.

#37 ::: SamChevre ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 08:36 PM:

To those who bid this board be safe yet cease not its discussion,
To those who stir the pot at need and channel the commotion,
Let their names be honored in denizens devotion.

#38 ::: cajunfj40 ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 09:31 PM:

This collective conversation, so carefully curated, is completely cromulent. Three cheers for the curators and commentariat!

This post brought to you by the letter "C", and the number pi.

Mmm, pie.

Why yes, I am in a bit of a strange mood, but I do truly appreciate all that goes on here, both in the foreground and the background, and have made ML a daily read when at all possible.

Thank you all!

#39 ::: Stefan Jones ::: (view all by) ::: December 05, 2011, 11:51 PM:

Well-moderated 'bboards are rare and valuable things. Danke!

#40 ::: Cally Soukup ::: (view all by) ::: December 06, 2011, 12:04 AM:

Hear! Hear!

Hurrah for good moderation, and long may the moderators wave. Or particle; whichever.

#41 ::: Xopher HalfTongue ::: (view all by) ::: December 06, 2011, 12:09 AM:

Hurrah for good moderation, and long may the moderators wave. Or particle; whichever.

I think ML has been fielding some pretty good moderators.

#42 ::: little pink beast ::: (view all by) ::: December 06, 2011, 12:17 AM:

Higgledy-piggledy
Making Light's luminous
But without loving care
Things would be grim.

Here's to the people who
Superheroic'ly
Keep the place looking neat:
Abi and Jim.

#43 ::: Caroline ::: (view all by) ::: December 06, 2011, 12:30 AM:

Tony Zbaraschuk @ 34: take the buffet

I had to re-read this a couple of times before I stopped thinking of gingered pygmy mammoth and realized the t was not silent.

In truth, our mods don't take the silent-t buffet; they give us a wonderful, infinite one and fill it with so many joyous dishes -- and help us find the right places for the food we bring along.

#44 ::: Tony Zbaraschuk ::: (view all by) ::: December 06, 2011, 02:09 AM:

Caroline @ 43 : the t was not silent

Ah, the joys of English. I love that recipe and "so many joyous dishes" is indeed a very nice way of stating all the fun stuff that shows up here.

#45 ::: TexAnne ::: (view all by) ::: December 06, 2011, 07:14 AM:

I find it apt that Abi posted the DFD continuation on the same day Patrick posted this. She didn't do it on purpose; it was just what the community needed. But subtle beauty and Abi go together like pages and covers.

Abi, you are one of the finest human beings I have ever known, and I am very proud to call you my friend.

#46 ::: Mark D. ::: (view all by) ::: December 06, 2011, 09:20 AM:

All thanks and praise indeed - this place restores the soul.

It is fun to see the "View all by" comments of folks like myself who seldom post: "little pink beast" @ $42, I am looking at you - your LOL Cat trope was wonderful!

#47 ::: Slithy Tove ::: (view all by) ::: December 06, 2011, 10:14 AM:

Re-re-delurking, briefly, to add my thanks.

Usually, by the time I've read far enough down to be ready to chime in, what I wanted to say has already been said, so I don't say it. But this is one of my favorite sites on all the internets, thanks largely to the efforts of the owners, and mods, and commenters.

Lively, intelligent, charming, fascinating: these are but some of the words that come to mind when I think of "Making Light."

Thanks, everyone.

#48 ::: Jacque ::: (view all by) ::: December 06, 2011, 02:09 PM:

It sometimes amazes me how much of my "How to be a Good Human Being" I've learned here on Making Light.

#49 ::: Fragano Ledgister ::: (view all by) ::: December 06, 2011, 03:01 PM:

I am so happy that one day I stumbled upon ML while roaming the wastes of the internet, and after a long while lurking, realised that here were my people. Patrick and Teresa, not to mention their fellow moderators, and all who post here, have created a real community. I really am grateful for the existence of Making Light.

#50 ::: Lori Coulson ::: (view all by) ::: December 06, 2011, 03:16 PM:

Thanks for everything -- I think ML is one of the reasons I'm able to behave as if I'm sane.

#51 ::: abi ::: (view all by) ::: December 06, 2011, 03:24 PM:

TexAnne @45:

Are you entirely recovered from your recent illness? You sound a little...well, like you're hallucinating about me.

(Srsly. Thanks for the vote of confidence. You may have guessed how much I've appreciated your friendship these last couple of years. But I suspect you're lowballing it.)

#52 ::: Melissa Singer ::: (view all by) ::: December 06, 2011, 03:57 PM:

Echoing everyone else's words of praise and gratitude.

#53 ::: Dave Bell ::: (view all by) ::: December 06, 2011, 04:20 PM:

Three years ago, Making Light had just started a thread on St. Barbara, and I was in hospital after a road accident. I was in a mess. When I eventually got out of the ITU, the rather half-hearted web browser built into the bedside TV gave me the lifeline of Making Light.

The timing is visible in Open Thread 117.

#54 ::: Jennifer Baughman ::: (view all by) ::: December 07, 2011, 12:18 AM:

As one of the recently delurked who found a warm welcome here, I also want to thank all involved for Making Light. It's rough, I know, to run a board, and you guys make it look easy.

#55 ::: Debbie ::: (view all by) ::: December 07, 2011, 04:35 PM:

What Slithy Tove @47 said. Every word. It's wonderful here.

#56 ::: Lin D ::: (view all by) ::: December 07, 2011, 04:48 PM:

I don't come here as often as I'd like, but I often come here when I'm in desperate need of erudition, puns, obscure references that I get, and other forms of distraction. Thank you for your insights, your support, your handling of trolls and the delightful removal of vowels belonging to same. I love us all!

#57 ::: Lenora Rose ::: (view all by) ::: December 07, 2011, 04:58 PM:

YEs to what almost everyone has said. i may lurk more now than before, but this place remains one of my internet staples for good reason; amazing moderation, amazing posts, amazing comment threads.

#58 ::: Nancy C. Mittens ::: (view all by) ::: December 07, 2011, 08:18 PM:

Thank you. All of you. Even the trolls, without whom we would have less popcorn.

#59 ::: Andrew Wade ::: (view all by) ::: December 07, 2011, 08:56 PM:

Kudos everyone, and thanks for making this site both educational and fun. Good moderation is a big part of that.

#60 ::: Amit ::: (view all by) ::: December 09, 2011, 02:08 PM:

Thanks from this regular reader (and very occasional poster) too. This is one of the best communities on the web, and its because of your efforts. I did not realize how much moderation mattered until I saw sites without it <shudder>. Thanks again for a wonderful place.

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