I'd like to point out: I was never speaking out because I am eager to continue the contest and if it comes across that way then I am miscommunicating my message. I was trying to focus on the importance of the core of the site: the chat, its members and its social-dynamics. So when or if the contest returns is unimportant to me.

My main point of discussion was about how people are responding to change and the conflicts that have happened, and it has been interesting to read everybody discussing things here. I think I'm justified in saying that the overwhelming response seems to be to take breaks and start afresh, something that is fine by me. But I wanted to point out that for me, this is only a >reaction< and I don't think it helps to prevent future conflicts escalting into escchat wars, as has happened in the past. That's why I am placing so much emphasis on building a community where members support each other and use chat as a level playing field to discuss things without intimidation! Now I am in no doubt that members are already working together like this, but as Almila and Mina pointed out to me, people have brought petty disputes into chat from elsewhere, which makes for negative experiences for everyone else. And let's face it- conflict will always happen because we are human and have diverse opinions. Look at X Factor for example: if Danyl had won I could imagine I would fall out with people haha! Would you then ban me? Then you must ban other people who complain, and then, as Mina said, where do you stop.. ban the chat? So it's important to resolve conflict as a community and be able to express alternative and unofficial perspectives by non-violent, non-aggressive means.. so for example here we have used the forums as a threshold between the two existential planes- in chat and outside chat. Like this dangerous encounters can be transformed into less dangerous social enactments because it's inbetween stages. And if we use chat and forums to engage with each other rather than backing off or blaming external influences, we will strengthen our community. Members will be more likely to contribute to the site in a variety of ways and participate in chat IF they have this emotional identification with the wider escChat community. This can sometimes be developed through cultural affiliation, so things like contests, if they run alongside chat like jw said, can even help to integrate communities. But let me once again remind you.. I am NOT calling for the contest to continue!

I suppose where sometimes the instinct may be to want to stop negative influences affecting the site, the instinct to make the site strong so that it withstands negative influences is my prime interest. And I do hope people realise that =). I believe that by developing good intercommunity relations, conflict will never become as destructive as it has been. You may think I am overanalysing or that I am just talking rubbish and that things are fine as they are and can't be developed to be better.. and you're entitled to think I'm a madman!! I just want to get my ideas out there for people to think about. We must keep walking, because progress always involves a long march.

@ dingo,i totally get ur point-actually ur txt above is the one that enlightened me about what u said at the beginning lol.so by looking at the discussions made here i can say that we r doing good n that looks kinda promising eh ^^ regarding jws post,i remember this being discussed in the chat right after eleventh editions final.i was supporting,some wasnt n tbh i wasnt expecting number twelve to be held before 2010 so maybe some members thought that break thing was postponed.anyway this break thing will do well imo plus we have a chance to get refreshed by ourselves instead of a closure followed by a sinking.so its time to have some salad of alex-yeah i loved u recipe n ur last txt ofc-.lets move on-move along x

And to continue this thought in my own way and in regards to the contest, one of the ways that the contest can become negative-free (when it's back) would be, as I've mentioned before, that the host posts his/her votes prior to everyone else and then if someone stills insists that the host 'messed' with the votes, it shows lack of trust in the person, not in the contest or the way it's run...and that would be a totally personal problem between the 2 of them.
My point: the problem is not and never was the contest as a contest..the problem is lack of trust and that goes deeper than any contest, I'm sorry to say.
For me, and in regards to the older members, I trust each and every one of them, and to make a little joke, even if Stew p) hosted the contest, I would trust him 100%...not that he would ever host but just saying..looooooool

Anyway maybe now that we're taking a break from the contest, we could use this time constructively and remember what brought us together in the 1st place and what kept us together..and that wasn't lack of trust..we could have our fights and our disagreements but we are all friends and friendship should be above any contest and any placing.

And that concludes my Christmas message

YES !!! my message was to short so i writte this to

Just to point out, I am in favour of a contest break, or at least have no real opinion on it. I think it would do us in general, a fair bit of good. It was the way in which it was decided which I was a bit narked about. HOWEVER it is coming up to Christmas, and I think any hard feelings should be set aside and we should all start afresh (i'm not talking about this debate, because we hardly fell out, but I mean in general, because imo that'd be a starting way to make the site stronger )

As Dingo, Almila & Mina said, when petty disputes are brought into the chat it does nobody any favours, which is why god invented msn. So in future if we can avoid this sort of thing the site would be alot stronger and generally better off

I agree with Jonny, and don't really have an opinion on the whole issue of break vs. no break, I was just a bit miffed I guess. Christmas will happen, there will be a Christmas edition, that was always going to be inevitable. The 6-7 break was always going to have been repeated, in my opinion, it is just that time of year.

It is lovely to see people being so passionate about it though, and taking some time to think of something to say, whether it be lengthy or just thoughtful.

I guess it also means we have a lot to add in terms of how we can collectively improve the situation that were in, so that when the contest happens again, which I assume the majority would like to see return at some point, we can all make something together that doesn't have to end in petty fights and disputes.

We're all better than that, and if we ever have been inconsiderate in the past I'm sure we can all forgive and forget