In the spirit of transparency, we need to share with you that a situation arose behind the scenes with someone entrusted to work as an admin. While in her official capacity, this admin used what was once our official Twitter account to maliciously attack fellow Spuffy fans and make political posts that are not representative of us as a whole. She attacked fellow admins when asked to refrain from misusing Twitter and to apologize to the fellow Twitter users she mistreated.
After many weeks of trying to resolve the ongoing issues (which caused another admin to step down due to the persistent turmoil), she was removed as an admin. However, she still refused to relinquish control of our official Twitter, separate the account from this archive's name, or to delete it entirely. We would have been satisfied with any of these outcomes.
Due to the level of animosity, the many ignored warnings and hostile communication, and our worry for the safety of this community and its members, we felt we had no choice but to follow our own community guidelines and remove her from the site entirely. Any member who engages in harassment, impersonation, and open aggression will always be removed (after the appropriate warnings and attempts at communication) for the sake of a healthy environment.
This is not a decision we made lightly. It came about after more than two months of internal struggle. The wellbeing of this community is and must remain our top priority. We harbor no ill will toward the ex-admin and wish her all the best. We also do not diminish or dismiss her contribution to this site, which was profound. None of us are happy with the way this entire situation has worked out.
Our only official Twitter account is @SunnyDAfterDark.
With any new creation, growing pains are inevitable. We sincerely apologize for the flames and the egregious misuse of our official Twitter. We'd like to officially extend an olive branch to anyone who was flamed on Twitter and assure you that you will always be welcome (and safe) to post here. We remain committed to making this archive a welcoming and encouraging environment.
Thank you for joining us and for your understanding as we navigate this difficult situation.
--Chelle, Dusty, and sandy_s on 11/16/22 07:42 am 7 Comments
You're all amazing and I can't imagine the kind of stress and pressure that was going on. Thank you for your transparency and doing your best for this wonderful community.
It breaks my heart that it came to this, but I understand it and support you all in continuing to make this archive and community flourish. We wanted to create a safe space for everyone. After 15 years at EF, I know not everyone can happily get along and hard decisions have to be made. It leaves scars when making them, and causes a lot of hurt. I know that all five of us will carry this for a long time and honestly, I just wish us all peace. I don't like drama, and it makes me feel quit ill that there are those that will use an incident like this to cause more hatred, anger and hurt. We have no control over others and can only do what we can do. Onward and upward, SADmin!
I'm truly sorry to hear about this.
I wish you guys all the best and thank you for your incredible efforts!
SAD has quickly become my happy place and I can't imagine how hard and stressing this time has been for you.
Sending bear hugs and good vibes your way 💕
Sad to hear this. The Spuffy community is such a priceless fandom time machine, spaces like this are so rare, it hurts to see things like this happen. Thank you for being transparent.
Here's to all things good going forward!
Late to comment, but I wanted to first say thank you all for working so hard to make this a safe space to read and write fanfic. I’m so sorry for all that happened, but I totally understand and I’m grateful for your transparency and caring for the community’s well being.
For some reason -- old age, post-concussion syndrome, head-up-the-ass syndrome -- I only clicked on this today. Why? I don't know. The reason why, for me is immaterial. But what I have to say to the admins is important. I'm not going to rehash the same sentiments listed by all of the above posters, however, I will say this: trying to keep adults in line on the internet is like trying to herd cats, geese, ducks, squirrels and 19 year old humans heading to a rave. It's still an impossible task. I wouldn't wish that on my least favorite relative . . . eh, no, I would wish it on him. Seriously though, I can only imagine how heavily this decision was -- especially given it was not that long after the split and the formation of this site. Not one of you is responsible for the actions of this person -- not one of you is responsible for the effect that person had on other authors. You acted swiftly and honestly, and did all the right things, and it was still NOT your fault(s). So, go easy on yourselves. That hair shirt isn't all the it's chalked up to be. I'm just glad whatever happened did not tear this site apart, because I am enjoying my time here. And now I'm rambling, so I will wish you all a happy Yule or Christmas or Hanukkah and a very Happy New Year.
Thanks for the communication, mod team! I’m sorry it came to this, but I appreciate the work you’ve all done to steer the ship forward!