Is ZooChat toxic now?

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Pandamich

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I really didn't want to do this but I need to get this off my chest.

While I love zoos and wildlife will all my heart, this site has become really mixed to be on. My hope is to write a book and work on my new channel, but I've been met with unnecessary aggression. Along with this, several members have become quite rude from what I've silently witnessed. I've been considering just abandoning the zoo community and just doing my own thing because of it. So is it just me, or is ZooChat toxic now?
 
Pandamich said:
I really didn't want to do this but I need to get this off my chest.

While I love zoos and wildlife will all my heart, this site has become really mixed to be on. My hope is to write a book and work on my new channel, but I've been met with unnecessary aggression. Along with this, several members have become quite rude from what I've silently witnessed. I've been considering just abandoning the zoo community and just doing my own thing because of it. So is it just me, or is ZooChat toxic now?
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No, ZooChat is definitely not toxic at all. In all the threads I've looked at over the past thirteen months, I haven't come across a single post that might show any signs of this website being toxic.
 
@Pandamich your feelings are totally valid. I've talked to several members privately over the last year or so who have expressed feeling discouraged to participate due to increased hostility since they first joined. With that said, I don't think ZooChat is very toxic at all. Personalities will clash from time to time and not everybody is on the same page about things, but friendly debate is one of the most important aspect of a site like this. It's also worth noting that things don't always translate well online; a harmless remark could be interpreted completely different. Overall the vast majority of ZooChat members are well spoken and respectful individuals who have good intentions. It's not but perfect, but trolls are quickly eradicated, politics are mostly avoided (admittedly not always) and the atmosphere is largely pleasant.

You think this is bad? You wouldn't have lasted a day when Sun Wukong was around. ;) *JOKE*
 
There have been a great deal of times I felt another member was being hostile, and then communicated with them further and found that it had been a miscommunication in tone or in words. There are also times I've said things I felt might sound hostile that I knew were not intended to be.

A lot of us have strong feelings and opinions and the internet can make it hard to tell the difference between a playful comment between friendly acquaintances and hostile sarcasm, and sometimes between thoughtful analysis and personal opinion. In addition, there is a lot of tug and pull here between zoochat as a community of casual hobbyists on one hand discussing personal thoughts and the more analytical side of the site where we compile and verify information and make comparisons based on criteria. For me, there are days I need a species list that is curated and serious, and days I just want to read anecdotes and personal experiences. I love both of those things dearly, but they occasionally bump into each other in ways that can be uncomfortable.

I don't feel Zoochat is toxic, but I can understand easily how someone could come to that conclusion based on my own history of misunderstanding people and needing to clarify things or course correct. It's a very complex community environment.
 
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