[shotspine]

I guess we'll see. I've writen much more and deleted, written and deleted. I can't think of much to say without being in trouble with someone.

[glenntaj]

Precisely what kind of retribution is feared?

I use my same username on this forum as I do on Braintalk, the Neuropathy Association, etc. I am also sure than on all these boards most people know exactly what my real name is, where I live, etc. I believe it's best to "hide" in plain sight, as it provides a degree of protection against unfounded accusations--anyone can Google me and find my posting history on many boards, which helps people make their own judgments (and, as the possessor of an unusual last name--Ribotsky, for those who don't know--I'm not likely to be confused with anyone else).

I am quite grateful to DocJohn for providing this alternative forum for us during the time Braintalk has been down. But remember, this forum would have been unnecessary had Braintalk not been offline for so long. It does not detract from John Lester's accomplishments with Braintalk, or from the value so many of us find in the community, to criticize and question WHY there have been so many long outages over the board's recent history, and why the communications about said outages have been terse and not completely transparent.

It is from that climate that so many of the angry and critical posts made here about the administration of Braintalk have come--and such posts only provide more evidence as to how valuable Braintalk is for so many. And it is to be expected in such a climate that other criticisms of Braintalk would surface.

People are peeved that their lifeline and info source has disappeared, and that it has done so for so long and without detailed explanation.

I am sensitive to the idea that this outage occurred at the worst possible time--when JL was travelling--and to the idea that he is allowed a non-Braintalk life. Nevertheless, Braintalk is still his baby--until the day he relinquishes guardianship to others--and no baby should be left without adequate caretakers. JL does merit THAT criticism. And it matters not that this is a volunteer, versus a paid, endeavor--it's still his baby. (I know I do not give my volunteer responsibilities--I am chair of the New York Road Race OmbudsAssociation, a volunteeer scorer at numerous road races, and a member of several committees in my co-op--short shrift just because they are unpaid, and I am sure most of us who do volunteer work can say the same.)

As I've said before, John Lester lives in such a rarified world of virtual communitites and such that he may not be fully aware of the reach and breadth of Braintalk, which is far greater than that of most such communities--it is a destination to get primary medical and resource information, not just contact and support, which distinguishes it from most other boards that he may now be heavily involved with. He may also not be completely aware of the depth of feelings about aspects of the board's administration at this point (as has been reported, many suspect he is not involved in a lot of the day-to-day). One can only hope at some point he reads some of these threads in depth, as one can see that most posts are not the ravings of malcontents, but serious considerations of the "state of Braintalk".

[ZombieSlayer]

So many outages in recent history?

Ummmm what...2 in 4 years? Trust me...that's not "so many". The first outage was due to hardware overload and was resolved in a reasonable amount of time.

The second one...still a bit cloudy (read my posts and you'll see where I posted what I thought was the reason(s) ).

As for his lack of replies/updates/responses...only Mr. Lester can explain.

[paula_w]

DocJohn,
Would it be rude to ask who sponsors your site and/or this one? i'm not dissatisfied with the forum and don't mean to sound accusing. and thank you for posting.

Paula

[DocJohn]

Not a problem; both are fair questions.

Psych Central sponsors this site as a public service.

Psych Central is principally funded by advertising revenues (as our most commercial websites these days).

John

[indigogo]

I am amazed at the level of suspicion that resides on this board. When I got an email from a friend that this site was up and running (at the very beginning), it was easy for me to ascertain who Doc John was and what his motivation was simply by reading the posts under general subjects and following the links provided. And I guess it is just experience from using other non-medical-related forums that I recognized this bulletin board format and color scheme - it is ubiquitous on the internet, not solely associated with BT1 or 2 by any means.

I am not a newbie - have been indigogo since I joined in 2002 on the old MGH board. I have almost exclusively posted in the Parkinson's forum.

But maybe I am naive and too trusting? It seemed that Doc John was clear from the first - and I believed him. Still do. He has been quite responsive, and just about as transparent as one can be on the internet.

I just don't get it.

[shotspine]

I just want to say that I appreciate your responses. Thanks Anyone else care to answer?

[paula_w]

I will admit to a bit of paranoia for a day, and I do appreciate your patience. I felt jerked around by a few posters, and spent too much time on Huffington Post while the forums were down. lol

Paula

[indigogo]

Paula -

A little bit of paranoia is probably a good thing - keeps you on your toes!

I guess I am more sad than amazed that we can't just accept this (for now) temporary home as a gift from someone who saw a need and filled it. My interpretation has always been that, given Doc John's background as a psychologist, he understood the importance of BrainTalk as psychological sustenance for many - and that its disappearance without explanation for a long period of time was not good. I believe there are people who do things without expectation of reward - except for that of the good deed itself.

The long time without a word from John Lester has me baffled - the justifications aren't plausible; the hardware/software issues should have been fixed more quickly, and JL's long silence seems out of character. It just doesn't make sense, but speculation also doesn't make sense. An interesting game, but not very productive.

Maybe someday we'll know the whole story; maybe BT1 will come back. In the meantime, thank you Doc John!

Cheers,

[Thelma]

Welcome to the Brain Aneurysm Foundation's message board. This board is part of a partnership with "BrainTalk Communities" sponsored in part by the Massachusetts General Hospital's Department of Neurology.

This is a direct copy from Braintalks list of forums. Why some forums and not all?

The above is not true and hasn't been for a long time.

Something is weird here. You 'doc' offered to help John and when he did not reply you went ahead and took from his forum hils words and created this one.

He did not want your help nor did he ask for it. Yet you did it anyway. Why?

I think you copied his forums but when did you do it and how did you do it after the site went down.

You had to have done it before....................something is not right here.