While I don't like dwelling too long on the negative aspects of what someone writes in a forum, because I believe people are far more complex and broad in the spectrum of their thoughts and beliefs than is possible to spell out in a single article or post, I do find it a little disconcerting that Ryan wrote such a provocative article for everyone here to see, most likely deliberately upsetting the furniture, then barely joins in the ensuing uproar. It seems a bit one-sided to me. Ryan, I can understand if you busy and just don't have the time to be too active here, but then why toss a bomb into a community just now? Did you mean to engage in a true discussion, or just upset a lot of people? Now we have people speculating on what you intended and what you said, without having you clearing your end up. Why?
If I may be a bit harsh simply because I feel that honesty all around is necessary, considering that BPL itself is a UL cottage industry "product" and there have been a lot of unhappy customers, while at the same time the promised "improvements" almost never seem to materialize, except for a few spurts here and there, how is it that the article can claim legitimacy in criticizing other UL cottage industries for "lack of innovation" and "dull scissors"? BPL now most definitely faces a crisis that it has never faced before, in great part because it doesn't seem to have direction and doesn't live up to the promises it has made to its customers. Ryan's and other BPL originators' almost complete lack of involvement in the community these days certainly seems to show a waning interest in their own product. For some reason there is this unspoken agreement that criticizing UL manufacturers' products and services is perfectly fine, but anything BPL is off limits and must be regarded as almost sacred. Why? Why, every time someone voices frustration with the way things are run here, is there always this pitchfork reaction that the dissenter somehow is a monster? If any other manufacturer acted this way they'd quickly lose their customer base and most likely go out of business. I've asked it before and ask it again, what exactly are members paying for? The forums? I feel the forums are self-generating and BPL exists and is popular BECAUSE of people's volunteered contributions, not the other way around. The store? What store? When there was a store, what products? For YEARS members had to put up with excuses for why the products they wanted were never in stock and that they were supposed to be understanding because the BPL store was a cottage industry store. When products came in members had to literally be at their keyboards, fingers on their mice, ready to click "buy" before the entire stock was gone within one hour. How absurd can you get? The wiki? What wiki? The articles? Last year there was a burst of activity… now it seems to have puttered out again. We've even lost some of our most prolific and beloved writers.
So isn't that like throwing stones if you live in a glass house?
Don't get me wrong. I haven't been on BPL this long because of gear, but because of the community and the wonderful people, including Ryan, here. The gear just makes it fun and provides a common point of discourse. I'd like to feel that I want to remain committed to BPL and to see it grow in a positive direction. To me the community here is precious, something that I rarely find. I don't want to lose it or to see it disintegrate into chaos and then die, as I've seen two beloved communities come to (one of which I was a moderator) in the past. I'm even thinking of what I can do to help bring life back into BPL and am thinking of creating a UL cartoon series that can be one thing people look forward to reading regularly. But I have to feel that the effort put into creating such a thing is worth it and will be appreciated. BPL itself has to be the fulcrum which SUPPORTS the entire UL industry, especially since this is where a lot of people's introduction to and long-term interest in UL starts and maintains itself. I'd like to see other members offer similar efforts on their part, instead of just criticizing without contributing anything. A community cannot exist without members thinking on their part and actually doing something about their ideas. That, of course, also means that BPL itself has to actively encourage people to be active and to support their efforts, instead of throwing stones. I'm not sure what Ryan hoped to gain by publishing the article, though the discussion it has started might be something constructive, after all.
Perhaps there needs to be an understanding about who belongs to whom… does BPL belong to the community, or does, as is so often suggested, does the community belong to BPL and Ryan? I don't think it can go both ways. I certainly don't feel and have no desire to be part of something businesslike, where I am treated like an employee having to take direction from the "boss". I post strong sentiments here often because I feel I am an equal contributor and feel that what I say and what others say are important and helpful (well, perhaps not always…) in the ongoing life of the community. What connection this has with the business aspect of BPL is the big question, and perhaps what Ryan needs to figure out, if that is possible without being self-contradicting.
All in all, what I'd like to see is BPL being as vital as once was, with the same enthusiasm and love that drove it for all those years. Along with that I'd like to see the strong conviviality and mutual support between BPL and the UL manufacturers that was the touchstone of everything that has happened here and brought it all to where we all are today, grow deeper and richer. It would be a shame to see bonds broken and resentment rule the day. I believe it is a sign of true maturity when people who have been together a long while learn how to stay together longer instead of descending into bickering. Think why so many former members have let their memberships lapse. There is a reason for that.
