(Site is a graveyard - How can boards save itself?) Any update?

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122507406#Comment_122507406

I wasn't trying to 'catch' any moderator out. I don't know where you got that idea from, or if you even intended that to be directed towards me.
I was coming from a place of trying to boards to a situation where moderation could be applied more efficiently and effectively, not demanding more efforts or implying any bad faith action on the part of moderators, or an "us and them".
If you think any discussion of moderation is posters trying to "catch moderators" out, I don't see the point of this thread.

It's just picking at open wounds with zero prospect of actually treating the disease.
Bearing in mind it is leading to posters picking up warnings.

You are speaking as if you aren't an admin on the site with the power to do something about this behaviour... but as a passive observer.
In the same post, you've complained about posters disrupting threads, and yet also, complained about posters who complain about posters disrupting threads.

It is a textbook example of an "us and them" attitude.
Do you accept that posters can make valid points on this thread about site problems, or is moderation entirely exempt from that?
Because the sentiments in your post suggests not.

I don't see anything in your post that gives the slightest indication of any tangible action resulting from the feedback here.
And if that's the case, again I really don't see the point of this thread.

So I think a reasonable question at this point is, what's the point of this thread right now, why should posters continue to engage with it, and how do you justify the time you are spending on it?

Overheal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122507406#Comment_122507406

I've given far too much time to this today.

Kudos. Certainly far more time than the owners have, and ultimately that is the problem IMHO, not the admins; the entire premise of the thread being that boards/the admins have to save the site by pulling up from the bootstraps because the owners have effectively left it maintenance mode is well, ah, missing the root problem I feel.

TheRepentent

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122497021#Comment_122497021

or the 17 year old who was asking to have the porn ban lifted on his phone when he turned 18 in the 3 mobile forum😀

Big Bag of Chips

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122507531#Comment_122507531

OK, I'm back before going out for the evening.

I don't know what the purpose of this thread is.

The original question was answered in Post #4 and Post #25. There are no other updates to bring to you at the moment. When there are updates they will be announced - if they are updates that the office feel need to be announced.

It's a discussion forum - join in or don't.

TheRepentent

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122500019#Comment_122500019

and the "orc" moniker came originally from radio clips of the UAF tracking those rapists on go pro cams attached to their helmuts.

_____________________________________________________

Warned: There have been multiple warnings to stick to offering feedback

OscarMIlde

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122507720#Comment_122507720

May I ask a question. Apologies, I'm obviously a much newer poster than pretty much everyone else on this thread, but I read boards for years before I joined. There was mention of tidying up alerts to mods, to prevent mods getting alerts not meant for them. Is it possible for that to be fixed or is that too challenging with Vanilla.

I know I keep mentioning more active moderation, and I know that's not a runner at the moment. In the meantime could alerts from reports from current affairs go to mods in other forums on a on call basis. e.g some mods volunteer to cover for Saturday night. They wouldn't have to act on judgement calls which require knowledge of the threads but obvious things like using slurs, being abusive to other posters that are not allowed on any fora which are reported by posters.

Spear

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122507774#Comment_122507774

Alerts are definitely just sent to the appropriate mods for each given forum, it's same on Vanilla as it was on vbulletin in that regard. Everything is also collated in a reported posts forum to provide a record of them too. Again this is as it was before in vbulletin too.

OscarMIlde

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122507788#Comment_122507788

Thanks, sorry I must have up something wrong.

Flaneur OBrien

So, no news is good news, eh?

Ok, so I can take it that any pretense that the "community" of boards is the most important reason that boards exists can be put to bed, thanks to the present owners.

For someone who got way more from boards than it being "a discussion site", I get to feel feel sad about that.

But what really seems evident from admin input in this conversation (admins are still volunteers, yeah?) is there's no willingness to change, or involve the userbase in any decisions going forward. We'll just be "updated" in due course.

Hmmm sure we will.

Tell me how

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122508075#Comment_122508075

I don't necessarily feel the Userbase has to be directly involved so to speak. You can't have management by committee.

But, the userbase should definitely be central to the decision making. If it disappears, Boards disappears, so trying to have a large user base that is engaged and can help with the content and tone of the place should be a focus in my view.

One thing I've picked up on both of these deep dive feedback threads, and I'm not saying this to have a direct swipe at anyone in particular, but I am seeing a pretty ingrained sense of the moderation/admin side of the site thinking nothing really has to change their side. They mentioned once or twice that they're volunteers and both directly and indirectly that they should be appreciated for the effort they do put in and not questioned on the decisions they make in doing so.

That's not necessarily unnatural or an unreasonable position per se, but it is a position from which it is hard to see a positive mindset with respect to considering feedback emerge. I have said for the last couple of years that I do feel that some mods morphed in to a situation where they did a lot, so were left to do a lot and over time this resulted in their personal subjectivity influencing their moderation quite a bit. And that influenced the experience of the userbase more than maybe it should have I feel. I mean, here we are.

So, once again, for those who didn't read it from me before; I want to see a welcoming and engaged site, with a place for more contentious conversations still, but that they dominate involvement or appearance on trending pages wayyy less than is the case. I hope we can get to a more community supported form of moderation which could lead to the community setting a more positive tone than in recent years which would ultimately help moderation. I feel there could be improved funding from within the userbase if the site showed it wanted to engage positively. I hope any day now to see engagement on this thread from the site.

Flaneur OBrien

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122508267#Comment_122508267

I don't necessarily feel the Userbase has to be directly involved so to speak. You can't have management by committee

That's fair, I just don't particularly enjoy being told to wait for an update, "if there's news".

A message saying "thanks, we'll take this feedback on board and discuss it amongst ourselves. In the meantime, we can do x"

I mean, the site seems to be in a really, really bad place, not just technically, it seems to have lost its way and I don't get the feeling that what boards is, is important to the owners/management.

What is the point of boards? Is it a discussion site, a community site, what? What's the mission statement? Do the owners/management just see it as a place to talk amongst ourselves?

When are the rules going to be streamlined? Are they going to be streamlined? So many people have agreed this is a big issue.

I dunno, I just feel there is so much good stuff that a platform like boards could do, but it's not doing, and that just seems like such an utter waste.

Leg End Reject

I think the days of Boards, or any online forum, being a community are over. The internet is no longer a niche space used by a minority of people. Everyone has access, there are scammers, doxxers, trolls, shills and people who would hold a grudge that they would carry over into real life.

How many here would be comfortable posting a photo? Attending a meet up where the details were posted publicly? I'd say very few compared to the past.

It's a discussion site. Yes, rules and charters should be updated and clarified and moderation applied accordingly. The problem is that some will only accept the application of these rules when other posters are sanctioned, but think they have been unfairly sanctioned when it applies to them. That has been demonstrated on this thread.

The owner has left the building, if the owner has no interest the writing is on the wall. All the exciting plans that were to be revealed remain as yet unrevealed, apart from the disastrous move to Vanilla and the crowd funding initiative that failed to reach a very modest target for the Boards.ie Ukraine Appeal. In fact, it was so poorly handled that it appeared that a portion of donations would go the owner, not 100% to the cause. It was clarified that all money raised would go directly to the Red Cross, but by that that stage it was too late and trust was eroded. Any further fundraising would have seen a percentage of donations used to fund Boards, but I don't think there was any other attempt made. I

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122509405#Comment_122509405

Oh, that's stone dead.

Like, I went to a meetup in 2019 and was going to go to another in 2020. In both cases, I booked flights from London and was going to stay with someone I met through this site. I even had photos of myself in at least one form.

No f*cking way would I do anything like now. Closest would be meeting a poster I knew well/well enough if they happened to be in London but yeah… Community feeling died some time ago.

Leg End Reject

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122509436#Comment_122509436

I forgot catfishing, you'd have to be fairly sure the person was genuine. Some get a kick out of humiliating and deceiving others.

Flaneur OBrien

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122509405#Comment_122509405

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122509436#Comment_122509436

Do you not feel that there should be a discussion as to why this was allowed happen?

I really valued the community of boards.ie, so I still don't want to write it off just yet.

I don't accept "the internet's changed" as a reason. I'm part of a community elsewhere of people with chronic illnesses who just met up at a festival to see one of our heroes. It was the first meet up, 60 odd people, most on their own.

If the "internets changed" on boards.ie it's because we've been sh*te at guarding the gate and keeping the rules, letting in too many people that wanted to destroy boards and it's very precious and delicate sense of community.

But like it was noted above, if the owners don't care, why should anyone else?

Tell me how

There was a time when there was a thread on here where posters posted selfie pics of themselves.

I was never brave enough to do it, but a sign of how the world has changed in the 7-8 years since that was.

Edited to comment on Flaneur's point.

I don't think it is necessarily Boards fault per se that people would be more hesitant to meet but rather that doxxing is a real thing.

Look at how prominent activists in the US put pressure on Corporations to not hire people who were involved in Pro-Palestine marches. People are being jailed right now in the UK (rightly) for inciting violence.

It would take a long time of very strong community spirit on here I'd say before people would expose themselves to the potential impact of others knowing their true identity.

Flaneur OBrien

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122509505#Comment_122509505

I did. Many times.

Yet people still don't lock down their Instagram/Facebook etc.

Leg End Reject

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122509499#Comment_122509499

You can't really compare a community set up for chronic illnesses with Boards. Boards isn't niche, it's a catch-all forum for general discussion of any and all topics.

Moderators and admins can't be expected to just know who is and isn't genuine, all they can do it try to curtail trolling and disruptive posters.

The world and the Internet have changed, whether we like it or not. We're all here because we're used to the linear format of Boards where you have to post your opinion.

Remember the days of all the ridiculous threads on AH during the summer where lots of replies would be "When do the schools go back?" We don't have that now because those posters are now posting selfies and uploading videos on Instagram or Tiktok, or looking at the content uploaded by others. We're dinosaurs to them, and some dinosaurs are unpleasant. As nice as it would be we'll never return to the "good old days", and people complained as much then as now.

Leg End Reject

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122509505#Comment_122509505

Or the one where people posted a pic and other posters would suggest a lookalike? It was hilarious when posters got offended, but I suspect there would be much more of that now, whereas then most had a sense of humour about it.

Flaneur OBrien

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122509552#Comment_122509552

But we have a forum here, for chronic health conditions.

The group I'm on about was on Facebook. Not a niche website.

That was (and is still potential) the beauty of boards.

There was a community based on drama, another for playing football, another for cycling, another for photography etc, etc.

Boards has niche forums within the labyrinthine network of fora. I can only tell you the communities within are far less visible than they used to be, if they even exist anymore.

Caustic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122509499#Comment_122509499

The balance was lost in the change over a lot of what came back were the hardcore users. That change over fucked things irrevocably it's was handled absolutely shockingly and will absolutely never recover from it as younger people don't use forums.

Essentially all the more casual people left and it turned into a battle ground, and even if you came here as a casual now there isn't much to attract one to stay

Leg End Reject

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122509511#Comment_122509511

Some people don't lock their social media accounts because they alone curate the content and can present a vision of a perfect life.

They post pictures of fancy meals, cocktails, of themselves all dressed up and out for the night. They don't show the mundane parts of their lives.

We're just usernames here and that allows some frankness. I don't just mean for contentious views or hate speech. For example, I could post about a colleague with a cold snorting and snuffling snot to the back of their throat and ask why they can't blow their nose in the TA thread in AH. There's no malice, just the noise annoys me. If that was linked to me my colleague would be offended and would be snotty with me in more ways than one.

Flaneur OBrien

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122509585#Comment_122509585

I don't disagree.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122509499#Comment_122509499

If you want to discuss that, please go ahead.

I think you're comparing apples and oranges though. Your example is a very niche by design forum compared to this place. Sure, the Photography forum is probably rancour-free compared to CA but CA is probably the busiest forum on the site and that's where much, if not most of the traffic goes.

"The Internet's changed" explains most of it in fairness. Probably all. If we had proper support from salaried employees and real investment, things would almost certainly be better but we don't and we probably never will.

Leg End Reject

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122509581#Comment_122509581

Does that Facebook group attract and accept anyone? How likely is it that trolls would try to join and disrupt it?

The communities have died here because people are more wary of revealing their identities because of how the internet is used by some for nefarious reasons, not because of Boards itself, or the posters, mods, cmods and admins. It's just how the internet has evolved unfortunately.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122509627#Comment_122509627

I've been doxxed. Someone I met IRL was happy to badmouth me on Reddit as well and that's before we get to the concerns about physical and mental safety.

I'm part of a group about Irish people in the UK and I've had to block a lot of people who just sign up to post hate about refugees, one of whom threatened to call my employer.

Flaneur OBrien

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122509627#Comment_122509627

No. The rules are black and white, and what you get out from the community, means that you want to stay in the group. It's a lovely place, and people value it. There's messing, some slagging, but nothing said with malice. If someone was to be malicious, they're shown the door.

There's also fresh mods every 3 months, so that doesn't get stale. People step down, other people step up. You don't have to be afraid of any bias because the rules are crystal clear.

Flaneur OBrien

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122509610#Comment_122509610

If I ever win the euro millions, I'll buy boards. (Wife won't be happy, but she'll come around)

😂

Tell me how

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122509585#Comment_122509585

You're right, young people don't use forums, but adults, middle aged and older still do.

And the human spirit still craves connection. Boards could be a place that attracts people in their 30's and beyond rather than trying to get people to join when they're younger and being frustrated when it didn't happen.

Part of the trick is for the site to be attractive, welcoming and interesting to potential users when they come to ask about one thing or another.

I said before that one of the thing Boards could have done to attract new users was to give a summary to the likes of Sean Moncrieff or Ray Darcy of hot threads or fun conversations that they could refer to once a week for 3-5 minutes. Can't see that working right now where a lot of the dominant threads are pretty negative in focus and/or tone and there isn't enough to balance that.

Leg End Reject

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122509655#Comment_122509655

That's appalling and it must have really knocked you for six.

It's bizarre that someone gets so worked up about another person that they resort to that. How or why does anyone think that is rational behaviour?