Proposed Forum Restructuring
- Thread starter Water Pokémon Master
- Start date
Gliscor said:
Technically, you obtain the usertitle "PokeBeach Veteran" if you have a certain number of posts, but just because you make a lot of posts does NOT mean you're a veteran. A 'veteran' would be someone who has been around for a long time, and has contributed to discussion and posts smart. Not if you post 2000 times an hour with one line posts that don't help at all. A veteran is someone who has basically always just been around and who is part of the 'PokeBeach gang', not someone who just joined but spams up the place. Veterans in this case (or, mediators) would be chosen based on the quality of their posts, not quantity.
Galefail said:
So although we get the title as "Veteran", we aren't considered as a Veteran if our posts are spammy, weak, and just down-right bad. A good Veteran is someone who contributes to discussion, makes good posts, and has been around for awhile is an example of a real Veteran. If that's the case, then gotcha.
So, back to the mediator thing and with this Veteran thing, how about a Veteran like the ones Gale pointed out just have a badge for that, so it will be shown that they can have some of those powers? Because if they are good, helpful, and contribute to the forurms those members should at least have a badge to represent that.
One more thing on this:
Not only can that be abused, but it's really, really, unnecessary. Most of the threads that need to be moved are not made by Veteran members at all, so what's the point of giving good members unnecessary powers? It's most of the new members that post threads in the wrong Forums, and it's not a massive job for a Moderator to handle moving the thread lol. Just wanted to clear up that idea that it's basically useless.
dmaster out.
xxashxx said:I just had a thought. Don't know if it is a good idea but. Would it be a good idea if member had a move button in case they or we put the thread we are making in the wrong forum. Say we make a thread in Gaming discussion but should be in D/P/PL discussion? If we had a button that would say "Move Thread and then a drop down window of the active forums to move the thread to it will give the mods a better chance on a more serious problem rather than them doing it all the time. I just think we should be allowed to move our threads. If it gets out of hand then we can add a limit to how many times it can be moved. Per thread.
Not only can that be abused, but it's really, really, unnecessary. Most of the threads that need to be moved are not made by Veteran members at all, so what's the point of giving good members unnecessary powers? It's most of the new members that post threads in the wrong Forums, and it's not a massive job for a Moderator to handle moving the thread lol. Just wanted to clear up that idea that it's basically useless.
dmaster out.
J
Juliacoolo
I do not mean veteran as being the veteran default usertitle. I mean as galefail said, dedicated, and experienced members who have contributed, and proven value.Gliscor said:
Juliacoolo said:
Yeah, I got it. I guess it actually helps to reduce spam and increase the quality of posts if we let real Veterans do the mediator thing.
xxashxx said:I just had a thought. Don't know if it is a good idea but. Would it be a good idea if member had a move button in case they or we put the thread we are making in the wrong forum. Say we make a thread in Gaming discussion but should be in D/P/PL discussion? If we had a button that would say "Move Thread and then a drop down window of the active forums to move the thread to it will give the mods a better chance on a more serious problem rather than them doing it all the time. I just think we should be allowed to move our threads. If it gets out of hand then we can add a limit to how many times it can be moved. Per thread.
I do believe someone already stated this, but if you do post something in the wrong area you can copy everything you wrote, post int into the correct thread, and then delete the old thread. Although I don't really see how moving around your own threads can be abusive (once it gets to the right place, it gets to the right place, right?) I don't think putting members in control of where threads go isn't a good idea.
One way a member could abuse it is by constantly moving their thread around the forum. It won't just automatically stay put if it is in the correct forum. This would be a general annoyance, and could cause confusion among our new members. If you can easily avoid a potential problem, then you should do so.
As for a definition of Veteran, here are some attributes that most our current Veterans possess:
- Have been an ACTIVE part of PokeBeach forums for at least 1 year.
- Very rarely or never receive warnings.
- Helps our newer members
- Contribute to the PokeBeach website
- Make intelligent, meaningful posts
Most our Veterans have most, if not all, of those qualities. The time one isn't as big as the other four, but that year lets you gain actual experience on these forums.
To throw something else out there, here is what forums, in my opinion, would need a Mediator:
- Fix My Deck! (easily the most popular outside the Game Forum. I also personally feel as if this forum receives little attention.)
- Game Corner! (being our most popular, (and also the most spammiest) I believe this forum could use a Mediator. Things could easily get out of control here...)
- Clans and Clubs (another popular forum that was a terrible mess before moderators began to take control. If this does end up becoming an MIRC deal, though, a Mediator will not be necessary.)
- The remainder of the TCG Forums
- The VG Forums
- The Fan Creation Forums
As for other areas, they are nearly always in line, or they simply don't have enough activity to require a Mediator.
As for a definition of Veteran, here are some attributes that most our current Veterans possess:
- Have been an ACTIVE part of PokeBeach forums for at least 1 year.
- Very rarely or never receive warnings.
- Helps our newer members
- Contribute to the PokeBeach website
- Make intelligent, meaningful posts
Most our Veterans have most, if not all, of those qualities. The time one isn't as big as the other four, but that year lets you gain actual experience on these forums.
To throw something else out there, here is what forums, in my opinion, would need a Mediator:
- Fix My Deck! (easily the most popular outside the Game Forum. I also personally feel as if this forum receives little attention.)
- Game Corner! (being our most popular, (and also the most spammiest) I believe this forum could use a Mediator. Things could easily get out of control here...)
- Clans and Clubs (another popular forum that was a terrible mess before moderators began to take control. If this does end up becoming an MIRC deal, though, a Mediator will not be necessary.)
- The remainder of the TCG Forums
- The VG Forums
- The Fan Creation Forums
As for other areas, they are nearly always in line, or they simply don't have enough activity to require a Mediator.
Blue Thunder said:
I'd disagree about how long a member has been part of the forums. As long as they stay active when they're here, constantly contributes to the forums, and stay active when they're here, they'll be fine. Veteran would be those here for a long time, so IMO, the term 'Veteran' shouldn't be used. The concept is great, but the guidelines really doubt the capabilities of short-term members whom contribute a lot.
I guess from now on, we'll have to wait on what the staff have thought up and (hopefully) we'll see the changes soon enough.
I think the strategists could act as mediators for the TCG/Video Game forums. They're already staff, why choose a whole other group of members to do something another already existing group could do?
As for the 'being on for a certain amount of time', I know a few people who are exceptional members and have joined only this year. But that's beside the subject.
Route 24 is redundant, I just want to say. It'll just cause problems really. If the mediators (if there are mediators) need a place to converse, they can just talk to the moderators in PMs. That's what they're there for really - to talk to the moderators. They don't need a whole other forum that's visible to other members. It really doesn't show others how to become a better member, because I don't envision a lot of discussion going on there. What's there to talk about if the mediators aren't staff?
The more I think about it, the less I really think the mediators are necessarily NEEDED. I mean, there's always the report button. As Kevin as repeatedly said, you don't need to be fluent in the TCG to lock a thread. It would help strengthen the relationship between the members and the moderators, so that's a plus. I don't know, I'm quite wishy-washy on this subject. It's sort of like the Clan Council, whose purpose was even admitted to be to get veteran members staff positions. Although it was a successful group apart from the drama it brought, I don't know how successful this group would be. I mean, their moderator powers would be GREATLY diminished as mediators (by diminished I mean non-existent), so it wouldn't get out of hand. My fear is that it evolves like the Clan Council did. It would have to be kept under controlled supervision, which would be done, because the mediator would be in contact with the moderators, informing them of what's going on in the respective forum their were 'assigned' to, if that's the correct term for this situation.
But yeah, it's all opinions, speculation, and suggestions at this point.
As for the 'being on for a certain amount of time', I know a few people who are exceptional members and have joined only this year. But that's beside the subject.
Route 24 is redundant, I just want to say. It'll just cause problems really. If the mediators (if there are mediators) need a place to converse, they can just talk to the moderators in PMs. That's what they're there for really - to talk to the moderators. They don't need a whole other forum that's visible to other members. It really doesn't show others how to become a better member, because I don't envision a lot of discussion going on there. What's there to talk about if the mediators aren't staff?
The more I think about it, the less I really think the mediators are necessarily NEEDED. I mean, there's always the report button. As Kevin as repeatedly said, you don't need to be fluent in the TCG to lock a thread. It would help strengthen the relationship between the members and the moderators, so that's a plus. I don't know, I'm quite wishy-washy on this subject. It's sort of like the Clan Council, whose purpose was even admitted to be to get veteran members staff positions. Although it was a successful group apart from the drama it brought, I don't know how successful this group would be. I mean, their moderator powers would be GREATLY diminished as mediators (by diminished I mean non-existent), so it wouldn't get out of hand. My fear is that it evolves like the Clan Council did. It would have to be kept under controlled supervision, which would be done, because the mediator would be in contact with the moderators, informing them of what's going on in the respective forum their were 'assigned' to, if that's the correct term for this situation.
But yeah, it's all opinions, speculation, and suggestions at this point.
While we are talking about improving a forums, I have an idea. Now, before I say this, I might be flamed. But a specific thread for Favorite Threads. In the rules, it says that favorite threads aren't allowed. And yet, we still see people make favorite threads. I think if we have a specific forum that allows favorite threads, this stuff may stop. Sure, that forum might become very spammy, which is why we could have a mod/mediator patrol that area. Perhaps things here don't count towards the post count and stuff.
Besides, people could be interested in what other people think.
Besides, people could be interested in what other people think.
We see people making flaming threads - maybe we could have a specific forum dedicated to bashing people?
But, uh, having an ENTIRE FORUM dedicated to a topic as trivial as "favorites" is... completely unnecessary. I mean, even a topic on its own is unnecessary, but to actually create an entire forum devoted to this kind of thing is beyond unnecessary. The forum would probably have like 4 topics in it at the most because most of the others would be one-lined spam topics like, "What's your favorite drink? Mine's Mountain Dew because it's fizzy", they're going to be locked even if they're created in a forum that's meant for this kind of thing, because no matter what way you look at it, it's spam, and it has no discussion value.
Sorry if I sounded a bit harsh there, but some of these suggestions are just a bit... out there, I guess? I don't know, I really think the goal for the restructuring is to have as few forums and subforums as possible, while still covering the necessary subjects.
But, uh, having an ENTIRE FORUM dedicated to a topic as trivial as "favorites" is... completely unnecessary. I mean, even a topic on its own is unnecessary, but to actually create an entire forum devoted to this kind of thing is beyond unnecessary. The forum would probably have like 4 topics in it at the most because most of the others would be one-lined spam topics like, "What's your favorite drink? Mine's Mountain Dew because it's fizzy", they're going to be locked even if they're created in a forum that's meant for this kind of thing, because no matter what way you look at it, it's spam, and it has no discussion value.
Sorry if I sounded a bit harsh there, but some of these suggestions are just a bit... out there, I guess? I don't know, I really think the goal for the restructuring is to have as few forums and subforums as possible, while still covering the necessary subjects.
Yes, I did point out that the time one is far less important than the rest of them. Still, how many people would you consider "veterans" as people who have been here less than a year? However, if a member follows the rest of the 4, I would consider them a veteran...hence why I said most. ;]
As for Mediators, I say we give the group a testing period, to see if the group brings positive changes, or just causes unnecessary problems. The only way we can know for sure how this group will turn out is if we test it.
As for Mediators, I say we give the group a testing period, to see if the group brings positive changes, or just causes unnecessary problems. The only way we can know for sure how this group will turn out is if we test it.
I don't really see the need for mediators. If anything, the reason for mediators would just lead me to assume that the moderators for that specific section are out of touch with the board. Obviously if that is the case, then either we need more moderators for that section or replacements should be made. In no way do I think we need mediators.
Limitless makes a good point. Moderators need to be in touch with the members and forum they mod, and we can't just close our ears or look past something. (Not saying anyone is.) If you think that an area of the forums is being neglected or mishandled, then let us know. If you have an idea on how to fix something, lets hear it. This is why if you have concerns you should PM them to a mod or make it known here in Site Discussion that you have one. Anyone can start a thread here and bring up an idea they have or a problem with the forum.
Mediators may sound like a good idea, but I really think what we need to see more of is more good members that show concern bringing forward actual ideas/reporting problems for the forum and site. Believe it or not the feedback and comments we get here do really influence our decisions.
Mediators may sound like a good idea, but I really think what we need to see more of is more good members that show concern bringing forward actual ideas/reporting problems for the forum and site. Believe it or not the feedback and comments we get here do really influence our decisions.
Mediators sounds like a good idea, but would they be considered a part of the staff?
I think the restructuring would help the forum. It would make it run smoother.
I think the restructuring would help the forum. It would make it run smoother.
Although I am against the idea of mediators, we do need to accept that there is a gap in communication between members and moderators, and this is an issue that needs to be resolved. It's a particular problem for areas such as Deck Garage, and possibly the TCG section as a whole.
One way for members to effectively communicate their ideas would be to have a stickied suggestion thread in each forum, perhaps. This way everyone has a voice, unlike the idea of the single mediator (while in theory the mediator should represent the voice of the public, there is always the concern of biased opinions). While it is true that Site Discussion already acts as something of a suggestion box, it's cluttered with countless dumb threads that make the whole thing look unorganised and unproffesional.
Alternatively, use Site Discussion purely as a suggestion bucket. Many of the "how do I do X" threads we see in here are answered by a quick visit to the newbie guide. Anything else can surely be asked in this thread: http://pokebeach.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=63917
One way for members to effectively communicate their ideas would be to have a stickied suggestion thread in each forum, perhaps. This way everyone has a voice, unlike the idea of the single mediator (while in theory the mediator should represent the voice of the public, there is always the concern of biased opinions). While it is true that Site Discussion already acts as something of a suggestion box, it's cluttered with countless dumb threads that make the whole thing look unorganised and unproffesional.
Alternatively, use Site Discussion purely as a suggestion bucket. Many of the "how do I do X" threads we see in here are answered by a quick visit to the newbie guide. Anything else can surely be asked in this thread: http://pokebeach.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=63917
There was an official suggestion thread stickied here in the Site Discussion concerning the Forum as a whole, although it was fairly ineffective. To that I blame the members at the time having no reasonable suggestions so the thread died. Maybe it could work now.
dmaster out.
dmaster out.