Treasure Tables joined the 9rules Network way back in November of 2005, and I’m sad to announce that as of today, I am withdrawing TT from the network.
If that makes you go, “Crap. Something bad is about to happen,” rest easy: Apart from the absence of the 9rules logo in the footer, nothing about TT will change. I love running this site, writing about GMing and interacting with the TT community.
If you’re curious about why I made this decision, read on. If not, check out today’s GMing post, Mapping Combats: A Balancing Act.
When I joined 9rules, I was ecstatic. TT was still a young site — less than four months old — and I took my acceptance into the network as a signal that this blog was not only a quality site, but a site that had the potential to be even better.
In the original 9rules member agreement, members had to commit to constantly improving their sites — not only to continue writing posts, but to actively seek to improve every aspect of their blogs. I took that to heart, and I’ve spent the past two years trying to improve TT in a host of ways.
The revised member agreement, however, highlights the fact that I’ve never been involved in 9rules as a community: Members are now expected to take part in the various community aspects of the network. This update came in conjunction with today’s roll-out of the new 9rules, “Ali2,” and I understand where the folks who run the network are coming from.
That side of things has never been what 9rules was about for me, though; I saw it is a home for quality blogs, offering its members (like TT) exposure and getting excellent content in return. I’ve never really participated in 9rules as a community, and I just don’t have the time these days to make the kind of commitment that the new agreement requires.
More importantly, I’d rather not make some kind of token contribution just to stay a member — that’s neither genuine nor fair to anyone involved (it’d be like needing to have 15 pieces of flair). My focus is on the TT community.
It’s been a pleasure being part of 9rules. Thank you to Scrivs, Tyme and the rest of the 9r folks for inspiring me to make Treasure Tables a better site. I know that sounds corny, but it’s also true — you lit a great fire under my ass. Best of luck with Ali2, and cheers.
Er, to what are you referring to in the Mapping Combats post?
I’m not sure what you mean, xcorvis. The reference was a way of saying, “Yep, there’s an actual post here today, too — not just site news.” ๐
Hey Martin, thanks for being a member for all these years and thank you again for being understanding with the new member agreement. We wish you the very best of luck.
Mike
Right back at you, Mike — I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of 9rules, even though I wasn’t participating in the community aspects. You guys have a good thing going, and I understand why you saw the need for a change.
Kudos for making what had to be a tough decision, too. I’ve been following some of the comments over on 9r (particularly the ones on the “exodus” Note), and I’m surprised by some of the bitterness. Give it a week or two to blow over, and you’ll be where you want to be.
Thanks for stopping by, and take care. ๐
Oh, duh. I read it as being related somehow. Nevermind. ๐