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Boards is becoming a Ghost Town
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I like boards. I've been a member for years and years and have never received an infraction (except for one moderator mistake which saw me get a card that was meant for someone else and which was immediately reversed when I pm'd the mod who had made the mistake).
I'm not a goody two shoes by any stretch, I have an evil sense of humour but I don't let it loose online because well, this is the internet and you never know who's reading/watching.
I've had issues with the place over the years and I've taken breaks from the site because I didn't like a few posters/mods and chose to disengage.
I do report posts that are totally crossing the line but I don't have it in for anyone in particular. I think it helps to keep the place working well.
The DDOS attack and subsequent wtfness that followed was a massive blow to the site. I've no idea about the 'new look' boards because I've been using the same skin for a long time but I agree that the search function sucks so I use Google to search boards.
I usually hang around AH and a few other forums but I have noticed that there is a lot less traffic on the quieter forums and this really detracts from the site.
The closed account function is the worst. There should be an option to disable rather than close outright. Only yesterday I saw a poster get jumped on in one of the mega-threads in AH and they spat the dummy and closed their account in a huff. I just don't see this as helpful in the slightest and I think it would have been better if they had had the option to take a breather rather than jump ship. I also think that there are some posters who are larger than life and who don't realise that their words can really upset others who don't subscribe to the 'only the internet' line.
I'd love to see DeVore come on this thread and give his opinion, he is after all the 'Monster's Daddy'
Seeing as I do post mainly in AH I would like to say that the moderation is good overall but sometimes decisions are made that would really put me off as a new poster. Such as locking a thread saying AH 'isn't a news dump' A large percentage of threads are discussing topical news so when a poster gets that as a reason for their thread being locked I can see why they'd say eff this and leave for another site. Surely it would be easier and friendlier to let a thread die on its own and avoid alienating users? (this hasn't happened to me personally but I've seen it happen a lot)
Also, Prison and Feedback need to be overhauled totally. I get that mods are sick of re-regs etc but sometimes the language and attitudes are so ugly I feel embarrassed for the place! Much better off ignoring banned users rather than do the whole 'holier than thou' spiel.
I'd hate to see boards fade away from Ireland's online society and hopefully this is just a trough before another peak.0 -
Moderators, Category Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 47,251 CMod ✭✭✭✭
Join Date:Posts: 36392
Looking on the bright side...
At 8.72 posts per day, I guess I like boards too, ha! I grew up here, from teens to late 20s, so boards is my virtual home away from my Eire home.I like boards.
Agree. I could not access boards for 2 weeks during/after the DDOS attack. Thanks to Niamh and HQ systems folks, I got access. Now have to CAPTCHA to log-on from across the pond, but that additional layer of security is worth "One more step" to reduce attacks.The DDOS attack and subsequent wtfness that followed was a massive blow to the site.
Change is a B-word, but boards is not the only site that has to change every-now-and-then, so like changes in the past, I will grumble a bit, adapt, and continue to enjoy our site.I've no idea about the 'new look' boards because I've been using the same skin for a long time...
I've been around a few years too, and I can remember when there were roughly 2,000 to 3,000 members and visiters shown when logging on. Today I noted 4,370 on boards, which may not be as many was before the DDOS attack, but certainly better than about 5 years ago.I usually hang around AH and a few other forums but I have noticed that there is a lot less traffic on the quieter forums and this really detracts from the site.
But then some of us could not impulsively do a Thelma and Louise! Then again, you may have a good point here for Admin, Community Managers, and systems folks to consider?The closed account function is the worst. There should be an option to disable rather than close outright.
Yes, I too would like to see DeV more often, and Cloud too!I'd love to see DeVore come on this thread and give his opinion, he is after all the 'Monster's Daddy'
AH mods have a thankless job trying to mod the crazy black hole that sucks in a vast number of site posts each day, and it can get fast-and-furious at times! And pardon me if this sounds a bit cliche, but the AH mods are unpaid volunteers, and once in awhile they might make a mistake. I know I've made mistakes over the years I've modded on forums that were not as difficult as AH, and I am sad for doing so. I admire the AH mods, and hope that Admin will give them a larger coke and hookers bonus than me.Seeing as I do post mainly in AH I would like to say that the moderation is good overall but sometimes decisions are made that would really put me off as a new poster.
Methinks boards will adapt and prevail as time goes on, as will yours truly, and many of the old and new members. Sure, there's always needs for improvement, which will always exist for boards, other sites, our real worlds work, etc., and I'm glad that you and others continue to Feedback how we can improve. I know that HQ, Admins, Cmods, and mods are listening and discussing what you and others have posted here on this thread. Ultimately, we are ALL in this together. Please continue to recommend constructive improvements.I'd hate to see boards fade away from Ireland's online society and hopefully this is just a trough before another peak.
PS: Whoa, I've drank a bit too much java this morn, so sorry for the long eye-bleeding post! 0 -
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It depends on how you come at the "role". My take - and god knows I've failed more times than I like to admit - is that if you're a mod on any forum your job is to moderate. To help where needed and dial things back where you can and clean up spillage when it happens and most of all add content to the forum you've been given extra buttons to press over.
For me the Mod title is a service role. In short I am a servant to the community. It isn't, nor should be some step up hierarchy role. And if the extra buttons rev you up to the notion of ban hammers and being a "Goderator" then at the very least you need to step back and look at what we're actually trying to do here as a community. .
This is a great post. And something that should be explained to all moderators on taking up the post , especially the minority in AH and the SF who see the position as a way for some payback if their values/team they support have been insulted. Also Goderators is such a brilliantly apt term.
The closed account function is the worst. There should be an option to disable rather than close outright.
Does the close account option really make that big of a difference other than the appearance of a lot of closed accounts? I'd say most of those who close their account are back under another guise fairly quickly (especially if they go the route of drawing attention to the fact they're about to close it). However something should be done about it being used as a loophole for posters to avoid bans.Also, Prison and Feedback need to be overhauled totally. I get that mods are sick of re-regs etc but sometimes the language and attitudes are so ugly I feel embarrassed for the place! Much better off ignoring banned users rather than do the whole 'holier than thou' spiel.
Agree with this, comes across as fairly pathetic especially since posts are screened/edited etc before appearing on the forum. Would also add the DRP Forum to the list of forums that need an overhaul. If a two week ban can expire before it's addressed there's obviously an issue. Would also be better if the C-Mods had to follow the same rule as the posters and only address the post in question rather than rather than talking about posting history or increasing the ban because they feel like doing so. Stuff like this has put posters off availing of the process.0 -
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Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,159 Mod ✭✭✭✭
Join Date:Posts: 59087
Steady on Sir!This is a great post.Your paypal retainer is secure.
Shamelessly pilfered, I am bound to admit TT, from another site I also spout longwinded shíte in.Also Goderators is such a brilliantly apt term.
Agreed TT, but if you are a newbie just browsing it looks bad, it looks like people are leaving. We locals know they're not, but… It's basically a perception thing. A good while back I was reading a forum where I'd certainly not be a fit as an acolyte, but I did read just enough intelligent discourse to think it might be a forum worth signing up for and having a conversation, even if I was at odds with many locals. I wasn't going to be a "down with this sorta thing" wanker or anything like it. I just dig robust and reasoned debate. Upon further perusal I noted in older and not so older threads, the amount of closed and banned accounts and immediately thought sod this for a laugh, all they want is an echo chamber and one along very narrow lines. I never bothered to click the Register button. I strongly suspect that the "Closed Account" option has a similar if lesser effect on passersby and along with the category rejig has hit this community pretty badly.Does the close account option really make that big of a difference other than the appearance of a lot of closed accounts? I'd say most of those who close their account are back under another guise fairly quickly (especially if they go the route of drawing attention to the fact they're about to close it).
From what I've seen that is picked up pretty quickly TT. That is if their new handle attracts undue attention. Quite the number of "banned troublemakers" have gone on to be pretty cool members of the community. Again back to my point that the vast majority of folks you deal with in any capacity or "title" are generally sound. Some may have off days, but the actual **** are a teeny tiny percentage of the people here.However something should be done about it being used as a loophole for posters to avoid bans.
Yeah TBH I'm quite the bit of the way with you there DM. I can most certainly see the need for a forum for those who have been sitebanned to plead their case and quite the number do and lest it's forgotten quite the number get heard and brought back into the fold too, but I could well do without the celebration of the "hur hur, aren't we soooo clever" childishness aimed at many of those who don't. Yes I again fully understand how some denizens of the Prison forum have been real timesinks, headaches and TBH plain **** to the community and the moderators who had to deal with them, but going equally schoolyard "you smell" about it is just a little juvenile.droidman123 wrote: »If a poster breaks the rules,fair enough ban him/her,but to openly ridicule them is bullying no matter how its painted.Rejoice in the awareness of feeling stupid, for that’s how you end up learning new things. If you’re not aware you’re stupid, you probably are.
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droidman123 wrote: »The prison forum is one of the reasons i rarely post on boards anymore.its disgusting the way some of the admins gang up and bully some of the people there,all for cheap laughs.there has been times when 3 or 4 admins got on the bandwagon in belittling posters on that forum,hiding behind their pc,s.i.doubt very much if they would say some of the things to the person face to face.anyone who says its banter,i will call baloney to that.why have the prison forum made public at all? The answer is for cheap laughs at another persons expense,we have all seen it time and time again. If a poster breaks the rules,fair enough ban him/her,but to openly ridicule them is bullying no matter how its painted.
tbh I always assumed that was the logic in feedback, mods don't like the idea of their whole forum piling in and agreeing with a poster when they raise an issue so the issues get shunted off to a forum where most of the traffic is mods
Call me a cynic 0 -
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