See You In October
A burned‑out moderator hits ten thousand followers, bans a few trolls, and presses pause for sixty days to rebuild the house this community set on fire.
By Moderator Sam
I started this blog because Jody emailed me crying in her driveway, and I did not know what else to do with her story. I thought maybe twelve people would read it. Maybe three would comment. I thought it would die in a week like most good intentions.
You people broke my metrics.
We are past ten thousand followers now. I am getting submissions from Cape Town, Copenhagen, and a small town in New Zealand where apparently everyone is already naked and just wants to complain about sheep. I have a folder of one thousand unread stories and another thousand I have read twice because they wrecked me. I have banned three people, cried at four posts, and developed a drinking habit that my liver has filed a formal complaint about.
I cannot do this alone anymore.
We are going on hiatus for sixty days. Not because we are dying. Because we are growing, and growth requires structure. I am vetting new moderators. I have three solid candidates and one wild card who may be a genius or may be a disaster. We will find out together. I am rebuilding the site so it does not crash every time Nigel posts and the Brits descend. I am talking to sponsors who align with what we actually believe in, not just whoever will cut a check. Body-positive brands. Small resorts that actually welcome everyone. Maybe a sunscreen company that understands that fat people and dark people and old people all burn and all deserve protection.
I will read every submission that comes in while we are dark. I will respond when I can. If your story is urgent, mark it urgent. If it can wait, let it wait.
The blog will be back in October with new voices, new threads, and probably new ways for me to lose my mind in the comments.
Thank you for the fight. Thank you for the kindness. Thank you for correcting me when I was wrong and trusting me when I was right. Thank you to Jody for starting this. Thank you to Desiree for never letting me get comfortable. Thank you to Jordan, Casey, and Sofia for being brave before you were ready. Thank you to Nigel for being the villain we never asked for but absolutely needed.
If you are new here, read the archives. Start at the beginning. Feel the whiplash. Stay for the community.
If you are old here, hold the line. Check on each other. Keep being naked, whatever that means for you.
My name is Sam. I am the moderator. I am tired, and I am grateful, and I will see you in October.
Stay naked. Stay messy. Stay here.
