I agree with the sentiment. But the point is - I think Steve also deserves our trust. He has done a remarkable job so far, created something really excellent in Escape Pod, and I believe that he will continue doing so, in a way that works for him. I know that everyone here is being supportive, but whatever the exact nature of Steve's crisis, we shouldn't take his admission of its existence as an excuse to play armchair life coaches.
I'd wager a fair number of people here are investors in that business
No, I don't think anyone here is an investor in the business. Investors are people who give money in return for an obligation. We're customers, and some of us make donations which makes us paying customers, but Steve does not owe us anything back. It's worth remembering that.
As such, it's only reasonable to offer thoughts on ways to help mitigate the situation in the future. We are so supportive pretty much everyone here has said "Yes! Take Time! In fact, we're totally good with you taking time more often for yourself, your family, and your creative juices!" Giving ways to do that, again IMHO, *is* supportive by letting Steve know we'd be fine with less episodes, differently hosted episodes, etc. if it makes his life and EP better.
I understand this, believe me. But as someone who has gone through something that, based on Steve's description, shares a lot with his current situation, I also know that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Also, and I have to be honest about this, putting your life on the Web invites commentary. In this case, thankfully, it's all friendly commentary because Steve and EA are wonderful entities in and of themselves. But, truthfully, if Steve doesn't want feedback, I think he would probably be less personal about his posts and outros.
He has been less personal, for a while now. And he made it quite clear in his posting that the only reason he's telling this to us now is because he feels he owes an explanation for EP's hiatus. I think it's exceedingly unfair to let the fact that Steve has been perhaps too forthcoming in the past obscure the fact that he seems to value his privacy more now.
Anyway, I realize I'm also continuing to publicly discuss Steve's personal life here, and therefore I will not continue discussing this - I've said what I think about this, and I'll leave it at that.
As someone who has also gone through something similar as well, I found it *helpful* to have people give me good, solid suggestions that showed me the person cared, understood, and wanted to be there for me. So, I am not sure it's fair to say that simply because you have been through it, then another person going through it must feel the same. Steve is an adult, and he can choose to read or not read, follow or not follow, the ideas here.
I don't think anyone has been playing armchair life coach. No one has tried to tell Steve how to handle his life, we've made suggestions about one particular thing: possible ideas for taking time off of
EP in the future. No one is speculating on his personal situation, the reasons or extent of what is going on, what prompted the hiatus, or literally anything else not related to a few completely viable and well-reasoned options for what patrons might like to see on the BUSINESS side of EP, should he want to take more time off some day for some reason.
We aren't invading his privacy. No one here is asking questions about his personal life, which would be an invasion. We are also not discussing his personal life, other than to say "good for you, do what you need to do." We're not discussing his relationships, his family, his health, or anything else "personal." We've been discussing, again, things we might like to see on
EP, a business, should the
proprietor take a vacation.
Regarding investors vs. customers. Different people on the forums have differing opinions, but I'll go with customers/paying customers.It makes little difference Customers often discuss with proprietors things they'd like to see in the future, products they would and would not like, services that would be useful, changes in hours, etc. As customers, it's still completely relevant to discuss the policies, products, and other related issues for the business you patronize.
Regarding Steve being less personal, I agree, he has been. And, no one here has been discussing things from the past; so, again, I am not sure where the problem lies. He put out a statement that included some information relating to his taking leave. Discussion has stayed limited to that information. Steve chose to put it on the boards, which I understand, appreciate, and respect. In doing so, I am sure he expected discussion. I do trust Steve, he's an intelligent guy. I certainly trust him to know that discussion would take place because people care about him and EP, and to have locked the thread if that was a problem.
