> That would be great if RinkWorks were a public service run by volunteers, but it's not. If it changes in a direction that upsets, frustrates, depresses, or otherwise displeases me, thereby becoming enough of an emotional tax to maintain without enough compensating reward, it has to go. I do not think we are at this point. But I don't want it to be heading in that direction.

Ah, yes. I remember a while ago when I replied to one of your posts, saying that chat shouldn't at all be a burden to you. I still feel that way, and I'm sorry that wasn't clear. But I hope it is an encouragement to you to know that chat is still a good thing even if it isn't perfect, and that thoughts like that help *keep* it from becoming overly burdensome.

> > As I was typing, a thought came to me. I know that one of the appeals of online journals for a lot of people was that it was *theirs*, so they could write about whatever they wanted without having to worry. Worry about things like.. would people want to read this? will people think it's stupid? is it worth wasting server space to post this? And in regards to chat, I think that it's just plain easier having to type something once than explain something multiple times to different people.
>
> I can understand this, but if people are using livejournals to tell their friends about developments in their lives, they can count me out. This model of communication completely reverses what friendship is about, turning it from a giving model to a taking model. "You can be my friend if you come over here and listen to me when I happen to be talking" instead of "I want you to be my friend, so I am making a point to tell you what's going on with me."

I was trying to explain what I've perceived, and not at all defending it.

> You'll need to explain that one to me. Where is the elitism in the forum? I could see this as a complaint about RinkChat. Although I don't see the op system as elitist, I'm open to people making cases about abolishing the op system in the hopes of reinvigorating chat, but I don't know where elitism, real or perceived, comes into play in the forum.

I was thinking you'd ask. The reason I didn't explain more in my original post is that I'm not sure how to go about explaining. But I will be doing some thinking on it.