Jump to content

Home

How can we improve The Harbor? An open invitation for an informal chat....


RoyTordesLegend

Recommended Posts

since this isn't *my* board, there really isn't much i can do unless the owners give me permission.

 

As RSNers will attest, i'm not real big on crap topics, but as they also can attest, i haven't locked a thread in ages, nor do i complain about the lack of substance in the threads. i never have to deal with flaming and other negative stuff like that. the posters on RSN are having a lot of fun, even if it seems asinine at times. I've come to the realization that that is what is most important. They are at least doing it within the sub-forum that allows for any and all topics.

 

i've found that in administering a message board, less is more. it pays to take a "wind it up and let it go" approach to moderating.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As I have been saying all along, the mods only have themselves to blame for the way the Harbor turned out. While I'll admit, sure the Harbor has always been spammy, that's just how the forum worked, it was spam but not rediculous spam. The mods didn't do anything, progerssivly (is that the right spelling? Oh well you know what I mean) the spam got worse and worse and worse until in the end it was out of control. Now the mods are complaining about the amount of spam in the harbor. Maybe if they did their job to begin with then there wouldn't be this problem. Maybe if they pointed out "the unnecesarry" spam to begin with people wouldn't be in such a bad mood.

 

While I'm the first to admit, there have been a few times I've spammed, it's been no different to what I used to do, but suddenly there was a problem with it. Maybe if the mods had pointed it out from the start, instead of allowing me and others to post spam, then suddenly decide it was spam and close it, I wouldn't have had a problem.

 

Besides, I thought the harbor was "off topic" And while some people might see some topics as spam, others might actually see it as something worthwhile.

 

In conclusion, Neil, NiKo and GB122 for mods.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Frenchy- thank you, the first person to say that. Because frankly guys, I've tried as hard as possible to to see things from you're point of view and have tried to side with you as well as with the mods, but sometimes, you guys have to looks outside the box and realise that moderating is not all closing topics and shouting at people. It's not easy, far from it, and it's things like this that make it hard.

 

@Ikhnaton- You're right, this isn't your forum. We don't do things the way you do, we don't like meaningless spam in our community, and we do moderate. If we didn't, we get an excess of spam followed by nothing, people would judt leave, and then people would complain to us. So we start moderating and you complain again, there's no winning.

 

@Natty- I'm trying as hard as possible to side with you on this, but the level of spam in the harbor back then was fine, if we started moderating then, you wouldn't have had any fun. so now we're try as hard as possible to keep that spam at a level where it's fun, but not excessive or stupid and sometimes that hard when some people see thing differently others. If it's all down to that 'I'm Back' topic, i'm used to that, I've seen it before, but new people from the merge aren't and therefore may close it if they don't think it fits. We can't have the old Harbor when we suddenly get a whole load of people from the scumm bar and BSBC who aren't used to that sort of thing.

and then new people come along, see this spam is okay and take it further. it's hard to keep a balance without hurting someone, and yet when we hurt one person, you all leap at us. we're doing a job, you may not like it, but it has to be done. Fun levels are trying to be kept, but then spam levels are also trying to be lowered to make way for it, it's not that easy.

 

@eveyone else- so tell me, what are you really complaining about?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Perhaps a detailed description of what is to be defined as "Meaningless Spam" here is in order then.

 

We know that "Goodbye" and "Welcome Back!" threads are now on the list,.. but what else? I assume various forum games, "What ___ type are you?" quizzes, and "Post your Winamp playlists!" type threads are right out as well. But other than that it seems a bit vague at the moment to me,.. the only way anybody here knows if they've crossed the line is after the thread gets closed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

as long as no one is getting flamed or anything like that, i see no reason to close threads in an "anything and everything" forum.

 

if you're going to close threads of "meaningless spam", you need to define in clear terms exactly what that is. it can't just be on the whim of each mod.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Originally posted by Ikhnaton

as long as no one is getting flamed or anything like that, i see no reason to close threads in an "anything and everything" forum.

 

if you're going to close threads of "meaningless spam", you need to define in clear terms exactly what that is. it can't just be on the whim of each mod.

 

Perfectly spoken.....:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Neil, I understand where you're coming from, but I think the merged forums ended up doing more harm than good, the Harbor is a classic example of it. People have different opinions on what's considered spam or innapropriate. Besides, I personally thought it hypocritical not to close down Frenchy, NiKo and Storken's "hi I'm back look at me" type thread, but someone elses got closed down. This is the sort of behaviour I'm talking about . The mods aren't consistent. Either all welcome back/goodbye topics get closed down or none of them do. You can't close some and not the other. Basically you all need to work out some sort of agreement with the other mods, but I think it's also fair to include the forum members and let them have an input with ideas as well. Perhaps a few points that might need to be considered in this are:

 

**Welcome back topics. Should they be closed or not? Personally I don't care either way.

 

**What's considered spam? Well I know everyone has different ideas. Although I'd consider something like this to be spam. I know many people claimed the test things that I posted as spam, but people were doing them and no one complained about it being spam, so I didn't see the problem. Like I said, maybe a polls and voting forum could be considered? It's just an idea?

 

**The mods. Are we all happy with the mods? Well the answer is obvious and we're not. I think the mods need to lighten up somewhat. I know they have to do a job, but at the same time, the over modding can give the forum a bad name. The Harbor is supposed to be a fun place where people are supposed to feel welcome, not a place where some people get bullied around, made fun of, singled out, victimized, picked on and honestly, they're made to feel so unwelcome they don't post here anymore. That's not what a mod is supposed to do, and some of the mods are doing that (they should know who they are, if they don't they're more brain dead than I thought) If the mods can't lighten up a bit and let people have fun, then honestly I think some of them need to be replaced. Not so much the mods of the Mi Discussion board (although I know I gave that impression, I got mixed up, so I do apologize to those people) but those so called "Super Mods" who think just because they can wander from forum to forum and have the power to close anything or ban anyone (I'm under the impression they can ban as well) that they should be treated like some sort of God or something. Sorry I give and show respect to those who respect me. If I'm not getting respected then I don't show it in return. It's a 2-way street.

 

 

I know there's plenty more things that need to be considered, and obviously it's going to take sometime to sort this out, I honestly did come here to say hello, but since I've said my side on this, I should probably stick around to defend my points. Hmmmmm, oh well. Doesn't matter. I just think the longer this debate goes on, the more people could be inclined to be pushed away or made to feel unwelcome.

 

 

Roy- hehehe ;) Well it's true, Carl's just a troll anyway. I don't think I've ever seen him say something important or nice, he always seems to be slagging people off and has the whole "I am so much better than everyone else" type approach. My dog's **** has more personality than he does.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Originally posted by Natty

**Welcome back topics. Should they be closed or not? Personally I don't care either way.

 

STRICTLY MY PERSONAL OPINION ON THIS MATTER:

 

I like to think of the "Off-Topic" forums as akin to a friendly neighborhood bar, where old friends like to get together and shoot-the-**** and pass the time.

Well, I personally find it unbelivable that if you were sitting in a tavern in your home town, and someone you were once very close to and whom you haven't seen for years suddenly and unexpectedly walked in, that anyone would really have a problem with you acknowledging him or her.

Same thing if one of your group of friends then announced that they had just signed up for a 5-year stint in the Marines and was shipping out in the morning. Who would have a problem with everyone saying "goodbye" to that person?

 

Granted, you don't want to start a new thread every time somebody didn't post for 48 hours, or is going upstate for the long weekend,.. but for people who have been gone (or are leaving) for several months or longer deserve to be recognized.

 

It's only human.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I never had any problem with welcome back threads. I don't mind all leaving threads either. I just hate ones like this:

 

"I'm leaving the forums because of all the Nazi Mods, and stupid lamerz that didn't agree with my opinion on abortion. This place used to be cool but now it sucks.....so FU! Blah, blah, blah, yada, yada, yada."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, it's that kind of stuff we're trying to prevent here, eh?

 

I think the KEY to solving all of these problems is a sticky thread. Again, as Edlib has said, there is too much fuzziness on the matter of which topics are considered spam. Once forum members have that reference, they will know what spam is, they won't post topics that won't get closed, and no one will be angry enough to make those kinds of posts.

 

Cause and effect, my friend. ;) Let's get rid of the cause.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Neil .. you spoke about that decision you (all) had come to.. not us.. and of course .. if you start to talk about a BIIIG decision you've come to .. we all wanna know what this is.. and then you tell us soon soon soon ..

:dozey:

dont try to keep the discussion (us) down with talking about things that doesnt exist (yet).. :rolleyes:

 

zoom..

:D:D:D

*nods*

;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Paitience Ray... I'm willing to give Neil the benefit of the doubt here and see what they have in store.

 

Listen, I'm sure EVERYBODY has figured out that things around here are headed for a total meltdown if they continue the way they are. The mods don't wish that any more than the users do.

 

They just might have come up with the perfect solution. At least it seems they are willing to listen and work with the community towards a comprimise anyway, which was all that I ever wanted to come out of this.

 

Let's wait and see...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...