Why is Boards so quiet?

Alf Stewart.

darced wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Don't post in the MMA forums, so am not familiar with its mods, or its moderation reputation.

However, that's a clear breach of the golden rule of the site, and your man there clearly broke the "don't be a dick" rule, and posted like they have clear disdain for regular posters.

Real bang of Cartman of them posts.

gimmick

There are too many mods who feel there is a strict way to use the forum and fall outside those parameters and they threaten with bans. The soccer forum is a beaut. You cannot talk about matches in a teams general thread. You need access to get in for some reason. Say some disparaging about a player and its demed personal abuse.

Beasty

gimmick wrote: »

The soccer forum is a beaut. You cannot talk about matches in a teams general thread. You need access to get in for some reason. Say some disparaging about a player and its demed personal abuse.

The extensive set of rules in that forum arose over an extended period predominantly based on feedback from regulars in the forum. Likewise I personally would be all for doing away with the access system, but whenever it's mentioned there is a lot of negative feedback from those who frequent the forum.

On the specifics of allowing match discussion in team threads, the mods have been incredibly lenient certainly over the past couple of years, but then we get posters complaining about not enforcing the rule. And yes we get numerous reports any time anyone mentions "Chelski", "Maureen" "Whiskey Nose", "the bitters" etc. as resorting to petty nicknames was one of the issues outlawed based on user feedback.

Yes Soccer is a beaut....

....for the mods being in a no win situation - damned whatever they do or don't do

Mr E

Lara Flat Tricycle wrote: »

blame it on the sunshine, moonlight or good times;

Just as long as nobody is blaming it on the boogie.

Jobs OXO

Mr E wrote: »

Just as long as nobody is blaming it on the boogie.

Oh Dave you're a squeal a minute !

ancapailldorcha

Lara Flat Tricycle wrote: »

Not that it particularly matters, because even if every mod here was willing to implement the changes being suggested we know from experience that nobody actually drawing a salary from boards gives one **** about feedback from the user base.

I've been a fairly active user for a few years now and I have no idea what direction this site is heading in or what it's owners want it to be.

When the responsive site was trotted out, I had no idea what I was supposed to be seeing. Still don't. At least with Facebook, there's your chat window, feeds, apps on the side and so on. Here, you just saw less of what was happening. The old layout from years ago had a list of about 50 of the most recent posts across the site's various fora. It was great.

Steve

darced wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

I'm sorry you felt like that, can't discuss individual actions here but I'll take that feedback on board. Thanks

iguot wrote: »

That's 'em, I mentioned that carry on earlier, cleaned out aviation with his steading hand and smiley faces, has been at that for a long time so.....the picking of mods is a problem on here.

You seem to know a lot about what happened before you signed up here.

KERSPLAT!

Steve wrote: »

I'm sorry you felt like that, can't discuss individual actions here but I'll take that feedback on board. Thanks



You seem to know a lot about what happened before you signed up here.

The site is full of users that have reregistered. Needless hostility and doing yourself, nor other mods, any favours. The smiley faces don't help either.

I do wonder at times why we bother.

Tom Mann Centuria

Beasty wrote: »

The extensive set of rules in that forum arose over an extended period predominantly based on feedback from regulars in the forum. Likewise I personally would be all for doing away with the access system, but whenever it's mentioned there is a lot of negative feedback from those who frequent the forum.

Opening the soccer forum during Euro 2016 just had a floods and floods of trolls and made the forum generally crap for the duration of the tournament. About as bad as I'd ever seen imo.

Steve

KERSPLAT! wrote: »

The site is full of users that have reregistered. Needless hostility and doing yourself, nor other mods, any favours. The smiley faces don't help either.

I do wonder at times why we bother.

I've no issue with users who close accounts and register again, catching those doing so to evade a ban is still something we are still tasked with last time I looked.

KERSPLAT!

Oh, is that what you're doing?

Christ.

D0NNELLY

A mod once said 'enforce the spirit of the rule, not the letter of the rule'.

Makes for a pleasant and fair place to be.

D0NNELLY

Steve wrote: »

catching those doing so to evade a ban is still something we are still tasked with last time I looked

Commenting on a user's sign up date on thread is how you go about that?

Steve

D0NNELLY wrote: »

A mod once said 'enforce the spirit of the rule, not the letter of the rule'.

Makes for a pleasant and fair place to be.

100% agree with this.

Rules are enforced at mod discretion, mods are appointed for their ability to do this.

Some forums need stricter enforcement than others.

D0NNELLY wrote: »

Commenting on a user's sign up date on thread is how you go about that?

Sorry, that's the old school in me. If it quacks like a duck etc..

JCX BXC

To be honest, it seemed like an attempt to discount the post more than an old school duck quack. Ask yourself, if that user hadn't flagged the issues, would have make the same comment? I don't think so

Never had a personal issue with you Steve, but I have to agree it does highlight issues on here further, you're also not the first mod to put the blaim on a user when they face the limelight. It's upsetting.

The_Valeyard

I like how the Forum Games forum is run.

Easygoing modding, active in games and just good fun.

darced

This post has been deleted.

pjohnson

Steve wrote: »

I'm sorry you felt like that, can't discuss individual actions here but I'll take that feedback on board. Thanks



You seem to know a lot about what happened before you signed up here.

This seems like a genuine non sarcastic response

pjohnson

Steve wrote: »

mods are appointed for their ability to do this.

This seems questionable. Given the general feedback of overmodding being a major issue clearly the selected mods do not all necessarily have said ability.

Sleeper12

I think a lot of people are put off by the ugliness of some of the comments and posts. Then you get people starting threads and attacking anyone who doesn't give the answers they need want or doesn't agree with them. There was a time when it was more pleasant.

Also you'd be amazed at the amount of people who aren't members browse the site. People like to read reviews of something that they may plan to buy without ever joining

iguot

Oh oh, looks like steve has brought his pettiness in here, I hope they don't need a steadying hand in here aswell if his past stewardship is anything to go by.

Beasty

Steve wrote: »

Sorry, that's the old school in me. If it quacks like a duck etc..

And maybe this is one of the issues

We get long-term users harping back to the "good old days". Posters commenting on how things used to be and showing a desire to adopt styles that were around when the site was much smaller.

Then we get posters who want everything to be PC - at least when they have an issue with what they see.

Sometimes posters can be very choosy what they complain about as in many cases they can be as guilty themselves (and Soccer is a good example of tit for tat reporting being used to try and get fans of certain clubs into trouble)

Personally I would disagree with posting any smiley when issuing a mod instruction/warning though, as it can be interpreted as sending out mixed messages (and I'm sure that's never been Steve's intent, but equally other users are not in any position to read his mind)

Beasty

The_Valeyard wrote: »

I like how the Forum Games forum is run.

Easygoing modding, active in games and just good fun.

I never spend any time in the Games forums, and am delighted there are corners of Boards where posters can simply get on. There are many sports forums the same, but equally there are contentious ones, as well as the likes of AH, Politics and PC where you are unlikely to see a consensus resulting in more modding in an attempt to avoid issues escalating

The point I'm getting at is it simply should never be a case of "one size fits all" for modding different forums, which is where mod discretion comes in. Alas whenever discretion is applied there will sometimes be people thinking it should have been done in a different fashion

Thargor

Steve wrote: »

I'm sorry you felt like that, can't discuss individual actions here but I'll take that feedback on board. Thanks



You seem to know a lot about what happened before you signed up here.

This lad needs his own thread, what a perfect illustration of what was being discussed.

D0NNELLY

Thargor wrote: »

This lad needs his own thread, what a perfect illustration of what was being discussed.

Unfair to single one lad out. It's more a culture that needs to move on.

mikeecho

Over zealous mods, have destroyed boards.
Some of them are pure keyboard warriors, living out their personal deficiencies in an online world.

Giving users excessive bans for offending the mods point of view.

Tbh, I'm getting a bit pīssed off with boards..

I'm finding myself using other chat forums that specialize on certain topics, that allow much more free conversation.

Boards was great... was..

But in today's world websites come and go.. No popular how they are. Just look at bebo, excite, ask jeeves etc, as an example

LuckyLloyd

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

I've been a fairly active user for a few years now and I have no idea what direction this site is heading in or what it's owners want it to be.

When the responsive site was trotted out, I had no idea what I was supposed to be seeing. Still don't. At least with Facebook, there's your chat window, feeds, apps on the side and so on. Here, you just saw less of what was happening. The old layout from years ago had a list of about 50 of the most recent posts across the site's various fora. It was great.

When I joined the owners of the site used it regularly (not all, I guess a couple of them had moved on to varying extents even then) and were active posters. Even after the sale in 2008, Dev was the visible driver for a few years and an important single focal point - though it seems clear to me now that his objective during that period was to transition it over to a different type of structure. Dav loved the place and, even if he made mistakes, it was always clear that he was passionate about it. I'd wonder what influence the Admin team have at all anymore if I'm being honest, they strike me as slightly weary - and the odd post from official company accounts seem disconnected (being charitable).

Which would lead a man to say - what's the point of this thread really? There have been numerous threads of this ilk over the past 18 months, things have not changed to any noticeable degree, and the trend is negative. The people who built it and made it what it was are gone; many of the best and brightest posters have disappeared over the years; and there is obviously a dearth of passionate younger users - the kind who would have the drive and ideas to effect meaningful change and bring a valuable perspective to the fore.

It's over a year since this thread was started:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057592798

Over a year. Meh.

D0NNELLY

I thought that when the Stanford Prison Project type goading of posters in the Prison forum was done away with, a trickle down effect would have followed.

Maybe have a look at the training new mod receive? They're picked by existing mods, so no real opportunity for deviating from the norm.

Maybe change the process to having a mod chosen in the traditional way, along with a mod voted in from the most active users in the forum?
I dunno, no magic bullet.

Steve

darced wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

I've been doing it for the guts of 10 years and it's never been pointed out as a problem.

It's hard to see 10 years of no problem vs 1 post in those 10 years as a pressing and immediate issue. I am taking it on board however. </:)>

Steve

D0NNELLY wrote: »

Maybe have a look at the training new mod receive? They're picked by existing mods, so no real opportunity for deviating from the norm.

Maybe change the process to having a mod chosen in the traditional way, along with a mod voted in from the most active users in the forum?
I dunno, no magic bullet.

You may have a point about new mod training but I can assure you that's not how new mods are chosen.