Refugee Thread Shutdown on Boards.us

Hagar · 10-01-2008 8:51am #1

unkel wrote: »

We were all perfectly unhappy in the refugee thread until buffy (shame on her) shut it down

The refugee thread in AH on Boards.us has been close by Buffybot.

The thrust of the decision to close the refugee thread was to force posters to use the various forums to hold their discussions. This strategy was doomed from the start as half the public forums don't exist and none of the private ones exist.

An attempt to force develop the US site in this manner is wrong. I don't think it worked too well, everyone just went elsewhere. This time they went to fellow Boards.org.uk but next time they may go to a rival. Is that what we want? Do we want to drive people away from the group?

Also I'm not sure that people wanted to interact with Boards.us posters, they just wanted to huddle together with people they know and moan while Boards.ie was down. Is that such a terrible thing? Is it too much to ask that one thread in one forum be left for the use of the posters here in an emergency?

I'll say it again, a bad call, a very bad call.

The Hill Billy · 10-01-2008 8:57am

Go on Hagar - say it! You know you want to. Mods are Nazis, aren't they?!

RoundyMooney · 10-01-2008 9:48am

Well, I wasn't too impressed, nor by the subsequent siteban that issued.

A thread that got more replies in half an hour than the whole site did in a week? And it gets closed? With an exhortation to use the rest of the site? When the discussion that most people wanted to have was on topic for the thread it was in?

Ludicrous.

As an aside.
I'm sorry to say this (given that R3n4ul and Ruu etc. do excellent work), but I think the regional offshoots are a dismal failure, tbh. My mate gets more comments on his personal blog than .uk and .us get combined.

To expect an existing userbase to populate a sister site is a premise that, unfortunately, has failed.

The likes of boards.tv show far more promise in my view, as with a bit of tweaking, they could share some of the traffic with boards...

/rant, my two cents, YMMV etc.

Hagar · 10-01-2008 9:51am

I missed the siteban. Who was it?

/edit

I just noticed that the tagline for AH in the US now reads

After Hours Tired of arguing? Stop by here for some quiet off topic chat. This forum will be moderated more heavily so keep your arguments in the main forums.

smashey · 10-01-2008 10:09am

We have a similar thread on boards.tv which was edited to reflect the downtime the other night. It was started back in October. I also opened a couple of new threads hoping to entice some boardsies back to the site.

I'll keep plugging away.

Hagar · 10-01-2008 10:15am

Yet again you have surpassed my already high estimation of you.

You are gentleman. That's where I'll be going in future.

smashey · 10-01-2008 10:19am

Thank you Hagar.

BuffyBot · 10-01-2008 10:23am

This strategy was doomed from the start as half the public forums don't exist and none of the private ones exist.

This appears to be the problem. boards.us etc aren't designed to be back up mirrors for when boards.ie are down. They aren't meant to be somewhere to "huddle" just because your favourite site is off air. You shouldn't expect the same forums there. It's a sister site, not a clone.

If people want to have a chat with each other, IRC remains open. If people want to participate in forum use - then by all means do make use of the forums by starting threads and contributing to the site in a positive way.

Secondly I'm not sure why this is relevant here, except to get an audience. There is already a discussion on boards.us feedback, in which it seems there is some support for the desicion made: http://www.boards.us/forums/showthread.php?t=2427

BuffyBot · 10-01-2008 10:26am

Hagar wrote: »

I missed the siteban. Who was it?

/edit

I just noticed that the taglone for AH in the US now reads

After Hours Tired of arguing? Stop by here for some quiet off topic chat. This forum will be moderated more heavily so keep your arguments in the main forums.

PS: It's always read that.

faceman · 10-01-2008 11:03am

Boards.us is a better place now that the thread is closed... :rolleyes: Strange how it wasnt closed in 2006?????

Hagar · 10-01-2008 11:36am

BuffyBot wrote: »

This appears to be the problem. boards.us etc aren't designed to be back up mirrors for when boards.ie are down. They aren't meant to be somewhere to "huddle" just because your favourite site is off air.

Are you saying that there is something wrong with registered posters of both sites to have a thread in AH discussing downtime on one of the sites? Is it a forbidden topic? If not what forum would it be better suited to?

BuffyBot wrote: »

You shouldn't expect the same forums there. It's a sister site, not a clone.

If people want to have a chat with each other, IRC remains open. If people want to participate in forum use - then by all means do make use of the forums by starting threads and contributing to the site in a positive way.

That's the point, it is a sister site, we should be made feel welcome there. The fact that all the forums don't match is possibly why it is not practical for refugees to spread their posts around as they would here. If I want to discuss a topic for which there is no separate forum where do I do it? AH is the catch-all forum isn't it? I don't agree that refugees are not contributing to the forum in a positive way. They are were posting on topic in a civil manner. What more do you want?

Pointing people to IRC is disingenuous. You might as well be straight and tell them to get off "your" site, that their custom is not welcome. Not everyone uses IRC. Personally I tried it and found the cross talk difficult to follow. Not my cup of tea.

BuffyBot wrote: »

Secondly I'm not sure why this is relevant here, except to get an audience. There is already a discussion on boards.us feedback, in which it seems there is some support for the desicion made: http://www.boards.us/forums/showthread.php?t=2427

I resent the "get an audience" crack.

I raised the topic here because this is where the people affected by your decision are.

I think that there is resentment because there's little traffic there except when Boards.ie is down and us appearing highlights that fact.

I don't think I've ever publically questioned a moderation decision to this extent before but it's so unjust that I can't let it go unchallenged.

unkel · 10-01-2008 11:39am

Hagar wrote: »

I missed the siteban. Who was it?

It was the bloke you quoted in your OP

Hagar · 10-01-2008 11:46am

Oops.

But very well said.

Amz · 10-01-2008 11:52am

Ah lads, get over it.

The site was down, boohoo, you had to try and think of ways to entertain yourselves and I feel for you, but why should BuffyBot or any other site admin have to tolerate a thread that really had no need to be there in the first place.

Some of the mods on this site would be very eager to kick up a stink if users from another forum flooded on here, started a thread and contributed little or nothing to the rest of the site.

Boards.us et al are trying to foster and build communities similar to our own here on .ie. If we encourage such refugee threads then the other boards sites are doomed to failure.

Most of the users posting on the sites post here anyway, so why is it such an issue to contribute there in other threads/forums?

I think BuffyBot was fully entitled to lock the thread as he did and I don't see what the problem is.

unkel · 10-01-2008 12:02pm

Amz wrote: »

have to tolerate a thread that really had no need to be there in the first place

The thread had been there for three years. It was used by boardsies during most if not all down times over that period. Why shut it down during one of the worst down times boards.ie has seen?

It would have been better judgement to close it quietly after boards.ie was back up, explaining why such a thread is not wanted

Also what's boards.ie admins policy? Is it not ok on boards.us, but fine on boards.tv or boards.org.uk or is it totally up to the local admins (unlike Buffybot suggested)?

BuffyBot · 10-01-2008 12:08pm

Hagar wrote: »

Are you saying that there is something wrong with registered posters of both sites to have a thread in AH discussing downtime on one of the sites? Is it a forbidden topic? If not what forum would it be better suited to?

I'm saying there are more constructive contributions to be made. I don't see that the thread in question offered anything in terms of longer term value to boards.us

That's the point, it is a sister site, we should be made feel welcome there.

And again I say people are welcome there. They can post away on a variety of topics and subjects to their hearts content, be they pre-existing ones or new ones they want to open.

The fact that all the forums don't match is possibly why it is not practical for refugees to spread their posts around as they would here.
If I want to discuss a topic for which there is no separate forum where do I do it? AH is the catch-all forum isn't it?

I don't see how forums not matching comes into it, really. For the most part the same common themes and subjects are there. A cursory look at AH shows topics there which don't fall into other categories. Why not try starting a few original ones?

I don't agree that refugees are not contributing to the forum in a positive way. They are were posting on topic in a civil manner. What more do you want?

I want them to actually contribute something other than spamming one thread while they wait for boards.ie to return. Personally, I don't think that's a lot to ask.

Pointing people to IRC is disingenuous. You might as well be straight and tell them to get off "your" site, that their custom is not welcome.

I think you're misreading what I said. See my comments above.

I resent the "get an audience" crack.

I raised the topic here because this is where the people affected by your decision are.

I don't see their presence affected on boards.ie at all by my decision on another site. I don't have any decision power on boards.ie outside the forums I moderate. However, Cloud, in his wisdom has given me that decision making power to be an admin on boards.us.

A feedback thread on boards.us feedback forum is the place to give feedback on boards.us, not here. You'll note that it was explained and discussed there, where some people agreed with what I did and some people did not. I can't help but think this is little more than a "I didn't get my way, so I'll start over again" style post. Blunt maybe, but a if I could find another valid reason, I'd probably believe it.

I think that there is resentment because there's little traffic there except when Boards.ie is down and us appearing highlights that fact.

Not at all. No one would claim boards.us is a highly trafficked site. However people randomly turning up once in a blue moon, contributing to one single thread and disappearing again a few hours later is hardly conductive to it's longer term development, is it? Again, it's not a backup for boards.ie and it shouldn't be treated that way.

I don't think I've ever publically questioned a moderation decision to this extent before but it's so unjust that I can't let it go unchallenged.

It hasn't been unchallenged, but I feel it is far from "unjust". It appears more so to me that some people seem to feel hard done by because they didn't get their way and their playpen was shut off. People have been openly invited over and over to contribute to the site. The invitation stands and remains open and usable to all. One locked thread is not an impingement on people's ability to make use of it. The debate thread on feedback over there remains open if anyone wants to contribute to it.

Amz · 10-01-2008 12:08pm

unkel wrote: »

The thread had been there for three years. It was used by boardsies during most if not all down times over that period. Why shut it down during one of the worst down times boards.ie has seen?

Honestly, have you nothing better to worry about?

BuffyBot · 10-01-2008 12:09pm

Also what's boards.ie admins policy? Is it not ok on boards.us, but fine on boards.tv or boards.org.uk or is it totally up to the local admins (unlike Buffybot suggested)?

AFAIK, the local admins have been given autonomy to run the sites as they generally see fit, within reason of course.

Crash · 10-01-2008 12:18pm

Hagar wrote: »

I don't think I've ever publically questioned a moderation decision to this extent before but it's so unjust that I can't let it go unchallenged.

Help! Help! I'm being repressed! Come see the violence inherent in the system! Violence inherent in the system!

cornbb · 10-01-2008 12:23pm

I'd have to agree with BuffyBot. Its not good for the regional sites to be run over with the boards.ie clique whenever this place is down and to never come back again. Its not conducive to the development of new communities on these sites and must be frustrating for their admins.

Anyway what is this feedback thread doing here? Surely it is a matter for the boards.us Feedback forum?

Whenever boards.ie is down i find myself discovering new things on the intertubes and getting stuff that I've put off for months done, surely its not a big deal to give the forums a miss for half a day.

Hagar · 10-01-2008 12:24pm

BuffyBot wrote: »

I can't help but think this is little more than a "I didn't get my way, so I'll start over again" style post. Blunt maybe, but a if I could find another valid reason, I'd probably believe it
...
It appears more so to me that some people seem to feel hard done by because they didn't get their way and their playpen was shut off.

It has nothing to do with me not getting my way. My way as you call it is totally irrelevant. What is relevant is closing an innocuous thread that has been running for three years during an outage here thereby causing the most disruption. I think what you did goes against the whole spirit of this community.

The "playpen" thing is a bit school teacherish isn't it, as is the "some people" thing.

Let's not mince words, I think you did what you did out of frustration. I don't think it was a balanced, well thought out decision.
At best it was poor judgement at worst it was spiteful.

Just because you are the Admin there doesn't make every decision you make right, it just makes it law.

I know you have a feedback thread over there, but I don't want to go there, it's not a nice place any more. I'll stick with this thread and see how it goes.

Amz · 10-01-2008 12:27pm

For a moderator to be so anti-community on another forum is quite funny. Particularly when their role here and on the forums they mod is to encourage the development of the community.

To go to another forum. post on one solitary thread and complain when it's locked and claim its no longer a nice place is laughable. Particularly when you only use the site when this one is not available for your community interactions.

The admins here obviously trust BuffyBot to oversee the boards.us site and take reasonable actions to develop the community there on their behalf.

I seriously doubt you would so vehemently question a similar action taken on this site by Regi, Cloud. or Vexorg. What makes BuffyBot's actions so intolerable? Is it simply that he closed your playground in an effort to fulfill his role as an admin?

r3nu4l · 10-01-2008 12:31pm

BuffyBot wrote: »

AFAIK, the local admins have been given autonomy to run the sites as they generally see fit, within reason of course.

This would be how I see it and unless the boards.ie Admins overrule the decision the thread should remain locked for as long as BuffyBot sees fit.

However on boards.org.uk I will leave the boards.ie refugee thread open.

Why?

1) It keeps all non-regular posters in one place
2) It prevents 'chit-chat' rubbishy posting being spewed all over the other forums

3) Boards.org.uk has a small but regular contingent of posters and is (very) slowly developing it's own identity and we don't need riff-raff spoiling it for us

.

Now I do however have a problem with the creation of the thread by unkel on boards.org.uk...because one already existed as a sticky in the very forum he posted in!! Unkel, you wally (personal abuse, personal abuse), it seems like you didn't even read the forum properly. That's the problem I have. If you are going to come to another site and post there at least have the respect to check out the forums properly first to see if the topic you are going to create already exists

Solution: I'll merge the two.

Regional fora and boards.tv
I don't think the regional offshoots have been a failure at all, do you guys think boards.ie became what it is overnight? I hope not because if you do you need your heads examined.

Boards.org.uk is less than one year old, it already has one or two posters that are not boards.ie registered and it will continue to grow. Boards.tv does have a huge amount of potential but is not going to get a huge number of boards.ie users moving over until the Admins decide to stop creating new fora in the boards.ie Television category. Right now there is a lot of duplication between the boards.ie Television category and boards.tv for the most popular TV shows.

Just my €0.02

EDIT: I also agree with some of what Amz is saying. If Vex, Cloud, regi, DeV or ecksor were online on boards.us and locked that thread I don't think this thread would be here!

Also, while I welcome boards.ie users to boars.org.uk I would appreciate it if you guys would actually contribute a bit more when you visit, just to give some more opinion to existing threads. Unkel is a Motors mod...we have a motors forum on boards.org.uk, it would be great if he would post there when he visits. Same with the rest of you, it may be a UK site but many threads can be answered by people who don't live in the UK!

MarkR · 10-01-2008 12:36pm

I went through all of the categories to see was there anything relevant I could post. Most have the forums hadn't had a post in months (culture not for two years!), television category for six months, computers, nothing in months. Same for games. I didn't want to talk about space, I had nothing for sale, wasn't in nor wanted to talk about any of the regions available. I briefly browsed rants but nothing for ages either.

If you want us, great. When we come if we'd like to discuss boards.ie, where should we post?

BuffyBot · 10-01-2008 12:37pm

on boards.ie about boards.ie

If no one starts a thread, no one can contribute..so it's a bit of a catch 22 if you don't start any

r3nu4l · 10-01-2008 12:45pm

I have to agree, start some new threads.

Do any of you use AVForums? I do (and other fora) and when boards.ie is down I sometimes go there but I wouldn't dream of starting a thread about boards.ie

I know the other sites are 'sister sites' and I know that they are part of the same community but really, it wouldn't take much to contribute a bit more would it? Even if you aren't going to return at least add some opinion or provide some answers or start a new thread...preferably not about boards.ie or something similar to "Does anyone know where I can get a cheap DVD player in Carrick-on-Suir?"

Kur4mA · 10-01-2008 12:49pm

Good luck with the forcing people to discuss X and post in X forum on your site. I think it's ridiculous that you're trying to build up the site and expand the community but want people to do what you want them to do.

cornbb · 10-01-2008 12:56pm

kyub wrote: »

Good luck with the forcing people to discuss X and post in X forum on your site. I think it's ridiculous that you're trying to build up the site and expand the community but want people to do what you want them to do.

BuffyBot is trying to build up the site and expand the community by not allowing it to become a temporary backup of boards.ie, with the same boards.ie crew, every time boards.ie is down. It seems to me we are free to discuss pretty much anything within reason beyond that, would it kill boardsies to start a new thread somewhere instead of sticking to one thread bitching about how boards.ie is down? Do you not see the inherent rudeness in that?

faceman · 10-01-2008 12:58pm

BuffyBot wrote: »

I'm saying there are more constructive contributions to be made. I don't see that the thread in question offered anything in terms of longer term value to boards.us

thats very true. All these threads do however offer long term value to boards.us

Hungus gets haircut (and looks like a gurrier)
http://www.boards.us/forums/showthread.php?t=2434

Time Travel
http://www.boards.us/forums/showthread.php?t=2174

Dont know what this is about
http://www.boards.us/forums/showthread.php?t=2180

Amz · 10-01-2008 1:01pm

kyub wrote: »

Good luck with the forcing people to discuss X and post in X forum on your site. I think it's ridiculous that you're trying to build up the site and expand the community but want people to do what you want them to do.

Are you deliberately missing the point?

Kur4mA · 10-01-2008 1:08pm

Amz wrote: »

Are you deliberately missing the point?

No, are you? What if I go and register on boards.us just to go into their AH forum and talk absolute ****e. Just "shoot the breeze" as it were. If the topic of discussion happens to amount to "hai guys omg boards.ie is down and now I have nothing to do... but wait I am doing something because I'm posting here OMGZ LOWLZ!"

Then so what? How is that detrimental to the developement and expansion of a discussion board?

Refugee Thread Shutdown on Boards.us

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