Hello everyone. Since Pam has had to leave her position as Community Manager, her absence has been felt by the entire Forum. She is absolutely our most prolific member, ever. I miss having her here on a personal level, but from an administrative standpoint, she handled a lot of problems and at times got me involved when I needed to be. Our Moderators are great and already do an excellent job watching the place for spammers and minor rule violations, but sometimes a person has to make a decision and this past year, that's been me.
For some time, I've mulled over what to do without her here and how to stay aware of any major issues when I cannot read every post (though I do try to look at new posts regularly). I've taken over a portion of her role, and thinking that I will continue to handle things like major rule violations, or make the call based on the majority when we talk out a problem with the staff (we have a sort of democracy and often talk these things out). To our Moderators, I want them to know that isn't changing.
My family experienced some very unfortunate life-changing events lately, and I just wasn't able to keep a watch like normal. I'd been asking myself who to extend an offer to for months now, and just recently it hit me that a person was already on top of that and communicating with me regularly - almost daily, even! MrsFlynn.
I do not want anyone else to feel overlooked, because she is not the only member of staff I considered. It took me some time to figure out exactly what I did need for that role, and it's pretty well defined. It became very clear to me that this was the right decision, based on my needs as an administrator.
She has helped during server issues by being my guinea pig (sorry for the bans, MrsFlynn!), pointed me to questionable posts, and always suggests ways to improve the Forum's organization and member experience. While she didn't at all want a major management position, she did agree to continue to be here in her current capacity, which is exactly what I needed. The thought of her abruptly stopping or losing interest bothered me so I realized the best way to handle it was to approach her! MrsFlynn has agreed to assist me here in an official capacity, instead of just doing it out of kindness. Pam has expressed that she is happy with this decision, as well.
While MrsFlynn is not the only one to get me to things that need my attention (and I hope others will continue to), she's done it reliably and without me ever asking her to. She cares just as many others do, and It's a heart-warming thing to realize that so many people love this Forum. Pam should always be proud of her role here, because this is without a doubt one of the kindest communities on the web.
When we see more members as Sims 4 grows in popularity, this will be even more important. I do not want to be distracted by life or my job and feel that I neglect the community. It would seem that this is a good solution, so that I can feel secure when I'm busy on a long project or dealing with the continual issues my family is enduring. New Expansions always take my attention away, and I must always be on top of something to keep going down this path. Some of you know it was my dream to do this, and I'm very grateful for all the support I've received here and elsewhere. I hope that this decision is supported as well. Thanks for taking the time to read how I came to this conclusion, and thank you to every member and Moderator who has stuck with us during this transition.
