It WAS funny - thread headings were a scream.
BUT, I do think it was over the top. Most websites that do an April Fools event, either change the main banner or do a single post. What we had here was the appearance of a new and hilarious elite subforum. We see elite in the title, then we cannot see any of the posts. Geez, thanks for the tease Antrocles. I would really have liked to see those posts.
You see, it was clear that Mods were posting like MAD in those threads. They DOMINATED the non-Nursery section. The only way to stay on top is if replies are made. Again, would have been nice to see. But, maybe worth the price of admission just for the thread titles.
Here's where it went just slightly wrong IMO: 1.) In order to maintain it some posts had to be deleted. This pissed at least one member off to the point of threatening to leave. Perhaps in hindsight, it would have made sense to immediately email a member and "bring them into the joke" if a post of theirs had to be deleted to maintain the sham. Perhaps not. Easy to armchair quarterback.
2.) Part of the joke was to suggest that all of this had happened due to a hack at the Nexus. Sorry Mods, but whoever came up with THIS idea - it was a really bad one. And then it was maintained and even pushed. This concurrent at a time when many of us knew The Traveler was out of town AND congruent with a recent announcement of "Maintenance" to the Nexus. Overreaction? Paranoid? For those who have faced the reality of what our society has to offer? I honestly don't think so. I talked to Nemo Amicus about my fears. I raised my fears briefly in chat. Basically saying, hilarious, over the top joke that some are misinterpreting, but now I cannot help but wonder if a real hack has taken place? This level of ambiguity and maintenance of this particular aspect of the "joke" really could have been left behind I feel.
Maybe this IS a wakeup call. I am intrigued by the idea of being able to access Nexus through an extra "onion" layer of security. Maybe some good can come of this and we can all become more secure. I have absolutely no idea.
One final thought. The Nexus is mainly a European and American community BUT it is in fact representative of people from all over the world, at least six continents. The History of April Fool's Day goes back to British paganism I believe, during the time when the CHURCH was starting to take over, . . . that is, during the transition to the Dark Ages. You see, the pagans celebrated their New Year on April 1. Well, the CHURCH declared it was to be January 1st. So, any pagan, whose traditions go back thousands of years, who says otherwise is clearly, a FOOL. The delightful folks in Britain who were SO uptight and rigid during the reformation, the Puritans (American "Pilgrams" ) brought this delightful holiday over to America.
Eventually, it evolved into what we have today. Just some food for thought.