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Confessions Of A Website Copywriter

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Dear members,

It is with great sadness and regret that I have decided to close the forum temporarily for personal reasons. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Recent events have precipitated my decision to lock the entire forum indefinitely, and to give everyone a chance to take a breather. I'm not sure if I will reopen it again, but I will be reflecting seriously on whether or not it will be.

The forum seems to have lost its focus and purpose, which is a community meant to help each other in the spirit of cooperation, courtesy, and respect.

It was my sincere hope that this community would serve as both a support system and a soundingboard for copywriters, dedicated to enhancing and promoting our craft.

I knew full-well that the copywriting industry was a very ego-driven industry. I also knew that, as copywriters, we would hold strong ideas and opinions — many of which would differ from one another, and many of which we would strongly defend.

As a result, we often did not see eye to eye on some issues.

It was expected. After all, copywriters are a passionate bunch. Sometimes, strong opinions (along with strong language) were voiced. And I respected that.

I personally abhor censorship and try to avoid it as much as possible. As long as the forum rules were followed and its mission left uncompromised, I not only expected such strong debates but also encouraged them.

That mission is and has always been one of mutual support and respect for each other, for diversity and tolerance are essential to provide a positive environment that fosters healthy, productive debates based on substance — not spite.

But lately, the negativity, tension, and hostility have grown to unprecedented levels.

Never once did I believe this forum would stray from this important mission.

Never once did I think that I would have to constantly babysit this forum.

Never once did I think I needed to force members to walk on eggshells each time they wish to express an opinion, or, worse yet, be personally accused of favoritism, condescension, or worse yet, corruption when I did so.

But unfortunately, it has. And this saddens me tremendously.

I've worked very hard to build this forum to what it has become. It has grown by leaps and bounds, and fortunately reached a significant level of popularity.

I was proud of my board and my members. (I still am, in spite of recent events.) And I kept it up and running because I wanted to give back to the copywriting community, an industry that has been very generous to me and my family.

However, the growth of the forum seems to have paralleled the rise in hateful posts; rude, spiteful, and snarky comments; endless or unfounded arguments that always seem to disintegrate into vitriolic blackholes; and senseless or unsubstantiated complaints that have no point other than to seemingly boost one's moral standing.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again...

This forum is not a democracy. It is a privilege.

I've always tried to be accomodating. I've always listened to suggestions or complaints. And I've always tried my best to provide a nurturing environment for all.

I pleaded with members to use the report feature, or to message other members in private, if they ever felt offended. It didn't work — the evidence of which is seen by the incessant need to make personal attacks in certain threads.

But this is only a part of it.

When I decided to monetize the forum in order to justify its expense by adding ads and sponsors in between posts (since the board has always been and will always be free), but then became the target of childish, snide commentary, all the way to vicious, personal attacks, it both perplexed and saddened me deeply.

As another example, recently I took some decisive action. I was forced to make some very tough decisions I wish I would never have to make.

I did so because I felt the need to carry the burden of not just administering the board but also moderating it, even between moderators themselves.

This was affecting me deeply.

So I was forced to completely revamp the moderator lineup in an attempt to appease the growing rise in dissension and personal accusations. I was hoping that people would see this as a business decision, not a personal one.

But these decisions, which were some of the toughest I've ever made, not only did not sit too well with certain members (including some moderators), but also caused the loss of something more important than just members.

I've also lost a few friends in the process.

(This hurt me more than you can imagine.)

Plus, it seems to have backfired as it has fueled both insensitivities and egos to levels I have never seen before on any forum. Plus, it has made me and my board the targets of continued vilification and accusations.

Bottom line, I expected a certain levelheadedness and maturity from board members.

I expected that we would all respect each other, and help each other, even though we might not agree on every issue.

Alas, I may have expected too much.

Nevertheless, I apologize for taking such drastic measures, and I'm sorry it has come to this. I may reopen the board in time. But for now, I think the board — and its owner — must take a much needed rest.

We all need to take a breather.

Look at it as a cooling down period for everyone.

Again, I will reopen it, if I do, in the coming days after I've taken some time to seriously reflect on the necessity and future of the Copywriters Board.

There are many other discussion boards on the Internet, some of which are dedicated to copywriting. So if you need help or wish to continue conversations you have started here, I urge you to seek them out.

For example, there's a copywriting forum on Digital Point, and another on the Warriors.

If you want to stay up to date, or if you would like to comment or get in touch with me personally, you may do so on my blog at MichelFortin.com.

I appreciate all of you, and I wish you the very best.

And I mean that most sincerely.

Yours,