Give shares to moderators

Zaph0d · 10-10-2005 11:34am #1

What if you reserved a proportion of the share owenrship of boards.ie for mods? It would be like the Employee Share Ownership Trust in Eircom. Let's say 15%. It would only be realisable if boards.ie was ever sold or floated or whatever.

This would be a way of giving mods a small sense of ownership of boards.ie. It could reward long term loyalty.

It's a fairly normal thing to do these days.

Beruthiel · 10-10-2005 12:03pm

LOL
If I owned boards, there's not a hope in hell of that happening

seamus · 10-10-2005 12:05pm

Erk.

I don't know the admins' position on this, but IMO this starts to lead down the path of Mods becoming "employees" of boards.ie, which brings in a whole legal headache, not to mention accounting for the admins.

On top of that, you will find moderators starting to push their weight around, using the "I'm an owner of boards.ie" excuse, even if they don't consciously acknowledge themselves doing it.

While I appreciate the spirit it was suggested in, I do think it could be more hassle than it's worth.

My 2c.

magpie · 10-10-2005 12:11pm

sense of ownership

They have that already. Or should that be pwnership?

Baz_ · 10-10-2005 1:43pm

Oooh, thats a bad ass idea.

Fair enough if boards.ie was a profit making organisation, but as far as I know, it barely covers the costs incurred to run the site.

I'm not sure if the lads even carry out accounting and make returns, but that is essentialy the path down which this idea would lead them, and then you would also have all the muppets in the world looking for moderatorship, and there are enough as it is already.

Although very generous of you to offer the ownership of boards to others

Crash · 10-10-2005 1:49pm

I Want My Dividends!

Beruthiel · 10-10-2005 2:02pm

I'll div your end!

GoneShootin · 10-10-2005 2:03pm

Zaph0d wrote:

It's a fairly normal thing to do these days.

For free online forums? Examples!

Zaph0d · 10-10-2005 3:00pm

I wasn't suggesting that shares be reserved out of generosity or even a sense of fairness. This kind of scheme is widely accepted to pay for itself by increasing the motivation and loyalty of the participants, and as a result the overall value of the enterprise increases.

I don't see a slippery slope from promising an allocation of shares in the event of a sell off, to mods becoming employees.

If the day ever comes when boards.ie is sold off I think people like seamus and Beruthiel and Victor should have something to look forward to. It's a way of creating a common interest in the success of boards.ie between the mods and the admins.

Santa Claus · 10-10-2005 3:09pm

Beruthiel wrote:

I'll div your end!

That sounds like reward enough in itself

!

Baz_ · 10-10-2005 3:17pm

Zaph0d wrote:

If the day ever comes when boards.ie is sold off I think people like seamus and Beruthiel and Victor should have something to look forward to. It's a way of creating a common interest in the success of boards.ie between the mods and the admins.

Actually when put like that, it is a very good point, I don't think it should be discussed here however for the simple fact that if they did go and implement this you would get everyone queueing up to be a moderator.

If a big payoff did come boards.ie's way, it would be only fair that those who put an enormous amount of effort into it, in terms of keeping it going, should get some just desserts.

Praetorian · 10-10-2005 3:21pm

I have 2185 shares in Boards.ie and they're worth a fortune. I'll sell them for €1 each. Any takers?

GoneShootin · 10-10-2005 3:41pm

Praetorian wrote:

I have 2185 shares in Boards.ie and they're worth a fortune. I'll sell them for €1 each. Any takers?

Deal - if you take my 5,597 shares at only €0.50 per share!

Talliesin · 10-10-2005 3:46pm

Zaph0d wrote:

I wasn't suggesting that shares be reserved out of generosity or even a sense of fairness. This kind of scheme is widely accepted to pay for itself by increasing the motivation and loyalty of the participants, and as a result the overall value of the enterprise increases.

We have a sizable pool of people who have motivation, interest and loyalty.

The very fact that I said "we" in that above sentence and I'm not the only person who would do so shows that.

These people have that interest and loyalty to what boards is, without the need for rewards external to boards being what it is.

If they lose interest we can replace them and they can go off and do something else with their time.

If they are particularly busy they can take a break from modding duties without losing any share options.

They are motivated to help boards continue to be a great place, rather than a popular place. Quick-buck ideas don't have much value to moderators, because we don't get any of the bucks.

The question of what would happen if boards suddenly became very cash-rich is moot until it happens. If it did happen then my primary concern would be that the introduction of commercial concerns on the pressures affecting admin and moderator decisions shouldn't damage the community (this has happened before on sites, I recall a popular bulletin board site becoming a giant coke ad overnight and then promptly disappearing up its own arsehole during the dot-com years) rather than whether I was going to get a slice or not.

Lump · 10-10-2005 4:19pm

HA HA, I doubt that'd happen.

John

Rabies · 10-10-2005 6:00pm

Is Malcom Glazer a mod here?

Imposter · 10-10-2005 6:17pm

Rabies wrote:

Is Malcom Glazer a mod here?

He's trying to be but he can't get anyone to sell their shares.

Victor · 11-10-2005 11:15am

Zaph0d wrote:

If the day ever comes when boards.ie is sold off I think people like seamus and Beruthiel and Victor should have something to look forward to.

You mean I'd get my life back?

I'm not sure if I'm in favour of your proposal. I already own a share in boards - as a member of the community. The difference between stockholder and stakeholder.

Victor · 11-10-2005 11:20am

PS on the banal counting method of post count, I have 0.7% of boards already. Please don't dilute my holding!

GoneShootin · 11-10-2005 12:17pm

Victor wrote:

PS on the banal counting method of post count, I have 0.7% of boards already. Please don't dilute my holding!

Jasus, 20000 posts. That's, just, mindboggling....

seamus · 11-10-2005 12:32pm

Victor wrote:

PS on the banal counting method of post count, I have 0.7% of boards already. Please don't dilute my holding!

Together we can control just over 1%. We must rise up!

Beruthiel · 11-10-2005 1:35pm

how do I help with the percentage????

WhiteWashMan · 11-10-2005 2:35pm

it woudl appear that together, we culd have quite a sizeable holding in the business.

of course, ia ctually do have a stake in boards.ie, and my time is billable.

theres another .004 of a pint earned!

Zaph0d · 11-10-2005 4:00pm

Well I'm glad none of the admins have rejected this suggestion out of hand. I hope you'll give it serious consideration, despite Victor's noble protest that he'd prefer to be a stakeholder than a stockholder, as if the two were incompatible.

And of course there's no legal or accounting nightmare; a simple statement of intent in the event of a sell-off would suffice.

WhiteWashMan · 11-10-2005 4:30pm

no seriously, to have shares you actually need to be floated on the stock exchange. considering boards.ie itself as a going concern is worth little more than a few grand (the servers, if we actually have them in), the intellectual property belongs to all the posters (unless i signed up that said anything on these boards is automatically belongs to the admins - in which case, they are lible for everything we say), id say boards.ie is not likely to float anytime soon.

on the other hand, i can see ways of making boards.ie a business that would be very successful.

so, even if you did have stock, it would be worth less than the pints i get paid to mod this feckin thing!

oscarBravo · 11-10-2005 6:16pm

WhiteWashMan wrote:

no seriously, to have shares you actually need to be floated on the stock exchange.

Nope. I'm a 14% shareholder in a private limited company.

azezil · 11-10-2005 6:22pm

oscarBravo wrote:

Nope. I'm a 14% shareholder in a private limited company.

As am I, director and sole shareholder heh

WhiteWashMan · 11-10-2005 6:39pm

oscarBravo wrote:

Nope. I'm a 14% shareholder in a private limited company.

sorry, you are absolutely right. now, what was i thinking off?
hummm, brain not functioning anymore..

/brain implodes...

GoneShootin · 11-10-2005 11:59pm

azezil wrote:

sole shareholder heh

you are a fishmonger azezil ?

dahamsta · 12-10-2005 12:37am

Victor wrote:

PS on the banal counting method of post count, I have 0.7% of boards already.

I have 0.4%, but I'm hiding them.

Is search disabled?

heh

sceptre · 12-10-2005 1:41pm

Ken Shabby wrote:

I have 0.4%, but I'm hiding them.

Oh I don't think it's ever been hidden that well

Give shares to moderators

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