In October of 2010, Dylan (founder of this lovely community) asked a shocking question on Facebook: Would anybody be willing to take over running the LAMB? What?! It was like Santa was asking one of the elves if they wanted to run the North Pole, which could only result in total chaos.
After emailing Dylan to verify that he must be joking, I found out that he indeed was completely serious. Real life had gotten in the way, and he no longer could give his all to shepherding the LAMB. So after convincing myself I had time, or could find the time, to do it, I took a deep breath and hit reply, saying I’d keep the LAMB going…as best I could.
Jump ahead 15 months and the LAMB has survived. But has it thrived? That’s what got me into the this mindset last month. Things have been running quite smoothly, with our regular weekly/monthly/annual features on track, almost 500 new LAMBs added under my watch and no permanent damage done. But I haven’t found myself with the creative energy to add any new features or make any significant changes. Or perhaps I was too scared to try. Either way, I realized my heart wasn’t in it anymore and this community deserves better.
And so I’ve decided to step down and hand the reins over to the very enthusiastic Joel of Deny Everything (LAMB #913). If you follow the LAMB on Twitter, that’s thanks to Joel. If you’ve been to the forums lately and noticed a spike in community discussion, that’s thanks to Joel. No doubt he is the best man for the job.
Of course, only after I emailed Dylan my “resignation” did I realize that I was doing it at a terribly busy time for the LAMB with the LAMB Devours the Oscars and LIONs for LAMBs underway. So I decided to stick around to see both of those features finished up. Plus I’ll still be handling the weekly LAMBScores, so you’re not completely rid of me. As of now Joel will be taking over the general day-to-day duties and all contact for the LAMB can still go to [email protected].
So that’s all I got. It’s been a very insightful (and fun) 15 months as your shepherdess, but I’m not the most sentimental girl in the blogosphere, and I’ll just end by saying thanks for sticking with the LAMB.
And a good shepherdess you were, Rach. Hope all is well, and congrats to Joel!
Thanks for all the hard work! I’ve never been as active as I’d have liked to have been but I do read through the blogposts on here and a lot of time and effort must go into this.
Have fun doing other things.
#373 – Chopping Mall
You have to do what you think is best, Rachel. It’s a monumental task to undertake. Thank you for what you have done and will continue to do for this LAMB community.
You deserve more credit than you’ve given yourself, Rachel.
Joel, you have big, possibly high-heeled and dainty shoes to fill.
Rachel, I only joined recently and I’ve enjoyed being a LAMB very much, so I’d say you’ve been doing a great job!
We can all relate to the blogging/”Real life” balance demands. Good luck, and I hope everything is good!
Meanwhile, I’ve gotten to know Joel a little bit these last few months and I think he’ll be a great choice. He has a lot of enthusiasm and is very personable, I think he’ll do a great job!
Thank you so much for all what you’ve done to help developping this amazing place.
I’m delighted to see your pick of successor! A fellow from my own country! And a very nice one! I haven’t only had the pleasure to listen to him on many podcasts; I’ve also met him live and hope to see him many more times at our Swedish monthly blogger meetups.
LAMB will keep growing and flourish and I wouldn’t be surprised if we’ll also see an influx of some more Swedish blogs under the new regime.
🙂
I thought you were an awesome shepherdess, and we’ll miss you, but I wish you the best. Joel’s a cool dude, so you’re leaving the joint in good hands — and by joint, I mean this website, I don’t mean the other kind of joint (besides, that’s your personal business). Take care and be well.
Thanks for being the lady behind it all!
And congrats to Joel!
You did a great job, Rachel!
And congratulations to Joel 😉 You are a sought after movie blogger! Now, don’t want to spoil the party, but… where’s my guest post, Joel? xD
Thanks Rachel for the time and effort you have put into the LAMB and also for helping out so much with the transition period.
Nolahn, Fogs, EFC, iluvcinema: Thanks guys!
Edward: Its never too late to get involved/be active on the LAMB.
Steve: Yes I’m aware of that. =)
Jessica: Thanks for the very kind words.
Amy: I’ll see if I can squeze it in during 2012. You never know. =O
Wow, I’ve only been a LAMB for a little over a year and this is already the second regime change!
Rachel, I also appreciate what you’ve done. Managing a group with over 1000 members can’t be easy, but you did it. Thank you – and best of luck to you, Joel.
Rachel, Thank you for the wonderful job you’ve been doing. I joined the Lamb this year and was so impressed with how you kept everything going with the new Lamb entries and LambScores (and undoubtedly many behind the scenes things that I never knew about because they ran so smoothly).
Welcome Joel! I know you’re going to do a great job!
I didn’t even have to read the post to know it was going to be handed over to Joel. It was just the logical choice, considering all the stuff he’s been doing for the site lately. I’m sure you’ll do great, Joel.
Rachel, you were fantastic and should be proud!
Thanks for all of your hard work. I’m impressed.
I don’t know how she does it, and all this on blogger! Thanks for the work and feel free to drop by me too, soon.
Rich, NTEMP, Nick: Thanks guys!
Sad! Thanks for keeping the site awesome. Looking forward to continued LAMB shenanigans.
I had no doubts about handing over the reins to Rachel – I knew she would be a fantastic shepherdess and she had not let me down one bit. Rachel, you know this, but I’ll say it again – you were the white knight (so to speak) that came along and helped me immensely at a time when I couldn’t/wouldn’t do it myself, and I will always be grateful for that.
By the same token, I have full confidence in Joel. As Nick mentioned, he was the logical choice and the first person that came to mind for me, and I was/am thrilled that he’s taken us up on the challenge. Joel is going to be a great leader for this community (hell, he already is) and will hopefully grow and expand it in ways neither Rachel nor I could.
Echoing everyone eleses sentiments: thanks for all the hard work you put in Rachel! And good luck for the future Joel (not that you’ll need it)
Dylan: Thanks for the encouraging words its an honor to be given this opportunity.
Tom: Thanks anyway. =)
Thanks everybody! I didn’t intend to be self-deprecating in the post, but I wanted to give a better excuse for resignation other than “I’ve gotten too lazy to do it.” But it was a fun 15 months wielding that kind of power and I actually learned a lot. I have no doubt Joel will be amazingly awesome as our new shepherd.
This one is for you Rachel (vouldn’t help myself): http://youtu.be/KIBKbhrniUQ
Thank you Rachel.
Be sure to stick around as much as you can – we need you.