As I read the postings on the newly resurrected OBT, it seems that John Lester (JL) has his adamant supporters, some detractors and some folks on the fence.

IMHO I think it will be very difficult to bring all those folks back into the same community based on how they are interacting at present. Lines are being drawn in the sand.

DocJohn's BT2 seems like a good option for those folks who won't feel comfortable going back, or who simply want to start afresh -- particularly if the archives are not resurrected at OBT.

From personal experience, I know that it is not unusual for people who run/own/moderate forums to burn out.

And people do simply walk away from forums that they own/moderate -- but usually they make an effort to explain this to the participants and hand the management/moderation over to someone else so that the community goes on without a major interruption.

Perhaps, after many years of OBT, the Brigadoon/SecondLife format is just more exciting for JL -- and OBT has run its course for him?

If that's the case -- and I'm only thinking aloud on this -- perhaps he should be upfront about it.

It would make everyone's decision so much easier.

Best, Dottye