Last night, after many attempts at reconciliation and resolution, I had to permanently ban Chick, a regular contributor and prominent member of the community. I want you all to know that this decision was not based on any single action committed near the time of the ban, nor was it made without careful discussion and consideration by all of the active community leaders.

The reason for the ban will not be apparent to most of you because the bulk of the offences occurred in private messages and emails, not public discussions. There were some underlying issues that she was unable to let go of, and these issues often arose in private dealings with community leaders and possibly other members. She's been in the thick of every situation and argument that has been made public since her arrival.

In light of the recent goings-on, I want to take this opportunity to remind the community of our core values and to get us back to our culture of respect and maturity. The infrequency of drama here is unprecedented in sites of this size, and I do not want to see it dissolved into squabbling and petty vendettas. I expect my community leaders to be treated with respect for the time they donate to keep this community running smoothly. I expect members to treat each other with respect. Criticism should be constructive and should be received in the spirit in which it's given. Always assume positive intent. Keep in mind this community is international and the language used is not always native to the speaker, therefore it's not always possible for tone to be accurately inferred. With all that lieth in you, live peaceably with all members.

I also want to put an end to one point of contention. There's been some discussion of instituting voting criteria for our mapping challenges. The arguments have been heard and considered, but I'm saying now for everyone to see, the Cartographers Guild will never dictate voting criteria to its members. That fosters an elitism that has no place here. You don't have to justify to me or anyone else why you vote the way you vote. We don't require that anyone has a certain level of ability or agree with another member's narrow taste in art or style. If you want to see a mapping challenge that plays to your strengths, by all means offer a suggestion in the appropriate forum and if people are interested we'll do it. But I'm not going to tell anyone how they should vote and I'm truly puzzled that I even need to explain this.

Moving forward, I want to encourage anyone who has any concerns regarding this ban or the policies and behavior expectations for this site to contact me directly via private message or use the Contact Us link which will be sent directly to my email.