Happy New Year to Everyone and many thanks for the sentiments expressed on my Christmas Greetings.
New Year’s Eve seems a good time to review what has happened over the months that the site has been open and to look ahead to what I hope for the site in the coming year. So, much as I hate moaning – I’m going to have a moan, right here and now!
Let’s remember that, however often I design new banners and write my quizzes, and Bearsy does the technical stuff like tidying up people’s codes, the site depends on you, on your posts and how you interact with each other.
As most of you know, a couple of people had their accounts removed in the early days because they mistook “Freedom of Speech” for “Freedom to Abuse”. Several others removed themselves in sympathy. Such is life!
Unfortunately, over the last few months I’ve read comments that have, obviously, upset other posters. Continual personal ‘slash and burn’ comments may be amusing to those dishing them out, but they are not amusing to those on the receiving end, they are boring to other readers, and they add nothing to a debate. I know of at least one person who has taken a ‘break’ because they are fed up with such comments, and I suspect one or two others have done the same. Can I remind Authors that you all have total control over your own posts and can remove unwanted comments. If you don’t – I will – since I dread the thought that this site might descend into the sort of sniping contest from which so many of us fled.
I’m also a little unhappy about the way the Creative Writing Competition seems to have lost its impetus. I’ve refrained from saying anything earlier, since Christmas is such a frenetic time of year! But I propose that it return to its fortnightly slot.
I wish everyone a Happy and Prosperous New Year. I shall be drinking double Champagne tonight: one for the New Year and one for our Wedding anniversary!
Boadicea's Chariot 
You did a very good job here with the site Boadicea. (Bearsy and Soutie). Fact of life; it’s impossible to please everyone. Everyone cannot like each other. 🙂 For my part I’m glad I met you and other Charioteers and being able to read the Chariot. Thanks for everything. May God bless you all.
A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR , HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, MANY MANY HAPPY RETURNS.
Levent
A happy new year to the two of you.
I’ve assumed that the main reason for the reduced activity is the holidays, I know that I have had less and less time to spend at my computer than usual.
I wouldn’t fret too much, The Chariot is still in it’s infancy (relatively speaking) I think that we’ve had a fantastic first year, hats off to you and the bear (even if I do try his patience now and again ;))
Thanks and happy new year and anniversary to you both. My apologies for upsetting the chariot occasionally.
Levent Thanks! I have to wait a week for the Birthday bit!
Soutie Thanks! I try Bearsy’s patience sometimes, too!
Sipu Thanks! No apologies necessary. I was very, very careful with my wording. Everyone gets carried away sometimes – it’s the ‘slash and burn’ comments that I’d like to see go. 🙂
Boa, well done again. Backside is on the naughty step for the day and has promised he’ll try not to upset anybody in 2011. 🙂
And a happy new year to you too Boa.
Good bye to a very bad year, luckily we shall never see 2010 ever again. Let us hope that 2011 is an improvement for us all and the world in genreal.
Hopes for 2011.
The demise of the Euro
The UK pulling out of the EU, other than as a trading partner.
The Eurocrats all being hung for crimes and dishonesty
A UK government that speaks the truth for once and listens to the needs of the electorate.
An end to all the reality crap on TV and the idiotic celebrity shows.
The list goes on.
I’m not actually sure I know what a slash and burn comment is?
Not into creative writing for nothing! So can’t help you out on that one.
Anyway, happy new year to you both.
Don’t worry Christina! Just carry on as usual! 🙂
I recall your advice about ‘unpleasant comments’ some time ago – I’ve just decided it’s time I took it…
Rick, not just a bad year, but a truly awful decade.
Zimbabwe farm invasions begin
The Dotcom bubble burst
9/11
‘War on Terror’ commences – i.e. invasion of privacy and delays at airports.
Invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq
Tsunami
Stolen elections and hyper inflation in Zim
Credit crunch and recession
And to cap it all there was a decade of New Labour.
Excuse the emphasis on Zimbabwe but Mugabe has pissed me off no end.
One might add that Facebook got invented. Anything else anybody would care to add to the list?
A Very Happy New Year to all Charioteers, may it make you healthier, wealthier and wiser.
Me? I’ll settle for any one of the three.
Well done, B and B, I enjoy it here – I hope I don’t bore too many folk!
Happy New Year to everyone here!
Many thanks to you, Boadicea and to Bearsy too for all your hard work.
Have a Happy Anniversary. 🙂
In haste; we are off to a birthday lunch party and then celebrating the New Year. I’m not sure I will last to midnight. 😦
Araminta
At about midnight gaze heavenwards in the direction of the Royal Boro’ and look for two belting great fireworks lighting up the sky, that’ll be me, my Grandkids don’t call me Grandad Bang Bang for nowt, have a good day and evening
I think you are doing a marvellous job and that it is bound to lag a little at this time of the year….
I have been pretty busy, but agree a fortnightly approach to the writing contest may give it a boost. I’m still only a couple of hundred words into my story and I have a very limited time scale to do it in for this month… fingers crosses.
As to nasty comments… I agree we have all to work at keeping standards up.
Maybe if we each could introduce one more blogger there would be a little more volume as well?
Best wishes for 2011 to the Charioteers – showing that is it perfectly possible to run a blog on relatively civil lines for 99% of the time!
Happy New year to one and all, with especial thanks to Boa, Bearsy ans Soutie for keeping us lot in order.
Happy New Year to everyone, with special thanks to Bearsy, Boadicea and Soutie (in strict alphabetical order) for their work and help for the technologically illiterate (me).
I’ve never entered any of the creative writing competitions because I find the standard is so high and I don’t think I could compete. Also I tend to forget closing dates and get sidetracked by other things to do.
btw, Bearsy, my sons would be very interested in knowing which Australian cricket player you consider the “half” when you said there were only two and a half players in the team.
Just a thought before I leave 2010 – or is 2010 leaving me? Hmm! Too many glasses of Champagne to answer that question. 🙂
To all those who have found the last year / decade onerous. The Good News is…..
We’re all still alive to complain about it 🙂
“I wish everyone a Happy and Prosperous New Year. I shall be drinking double Champagne tonight: one for the New Year and one for our Wedding anniversary!”
I missed this bit on first read!
How many years, then?
Congratulations. I hope you don’t wake up next to a bear with sore head….
🙂
All the best for 2011 and beyond.
Thanks to the Management for their good work and a very Happy New Year and blessings to all.
😀
Boa, as you are now safely on the other side of the 2010/2011 divide in the Antipodes, a good New Year to you and Bearsy and all of yours.
Thanks to the two of you and to Soutie for all the hard work you put in and a particular thanks to you for your quizzes which both Mrs M and I enjoy so much.
But, I have to ask about the need to make the deadline for CW competitions every two weeks. I realise that this news will cheer up Janus who is at the opposite end of the hasty spectrum from me but I personally don’t see what impetus has been lost. There are currently 8 entries for this month (9 if you count Ferret’s inspired but presumably ineligible entry). So, not much difference from previous months then?
Added to which, if people are saying that they are struggling to make the deadline when they have a whole month, what is the logic in giving them two weeks instead?
Thirdly, we effectively have a Creative Writing competition every two weeks at the moment with the poetry fest interspersion (due by 14th January this month). Do you intend that to go down to two weeks as well?
Not complaining, of course, but merely asking. Your site and your decision.
Hope you enjoyed the night and that the double champagne went down well.
Boa, I’m afraid today’s events here remind me of the old adage about charity beginning at home.