Moderation of site

[Ryan Wunsch]

As mentioned near the bottom of this thread hisscanada.proboards98.com/index.cgi?board=fieldherping&action=display&thread=1148532857&page=1
I said I would start a thread to discuss moderation of the site.

Should "fights" be stopped? Who decides if it is a fight, a disagreement, or a debate? What is the definition of a fight?

Do we need to have a team of moderators now, rather than just having me? I think it is probably a good idea, how many should we have on this forum. I'd think 2-4 for the size and activity level the forum is currently at.

How do you think the first incident, linke above, should have been handled?

Any other ideas or things you would like to bring up regarding these issues, feel free to.

Ryan

[Ryan Wunsch]

I would like to point out, that had I put together a moderation team before the thread in question, it likely would have been Kaley, Tim and Ryan Wilker had I picked it myself.

If things were handled the same way (and I don't doubt they would have been, even after a discussion about the thread and if it should be pulled or stopped) it might have looked worse. I've seen a lot of forums where the mods are accused of ganging up on someone who doesn't agree, and similar things.

I gave the "now from Ryan Wunsch, not mod of site or president of HISS" speal before I got into that discussion, but a person can't always do that.

Often times a forum's fun is wrecked by becoming a mod, because you feel that you aren't able to disagree or debate in any threads - and usually the mods are made up of the most active members, so the end result is that the whole forum suffers for it.

I think a conflict between the general members and the mod base, is one of the biggest problems a lot of forums have. I'd say that was ssnakess.com largest problem while I was still on the mod team over there.

Just some more food for thought I guess.

Ryan

[Shawn(snakebite)]

In short , I think you are doing a fine job Ryan and it was good to see you and the others in the debate handle yourselves with dignity and not let your true words come out.You all stood up for yourselves and stayed cool and kept it smooth.Good to see the thread locke down, we need to move on and it just keeps the hostility vibe rollin by having it accesible.I feel you are doing well and I personally have no complaints with the way you handle things, but if you feel you need help , well thats your descision.If I can assist , feel free to call on me.

[kaley]

Hey Everyone,

I don't think that we need mods here. This forum has been up for a while now, and this is the first "incident" that I can recall that got out of hand. For the most part, everyone has been really good about behaving themselves.

Maybe in the future, if we start seeing "fights" on a regular basis, I would think that mods might be called for, but I agree that mods can kill a forum...

Also, I'm not so sure I'd be a good person to be a mod if it comes to that - On other lists/forums I tend to be in on a lot of these incidents - I don't tend to keep my opinion to myself very well...

As for what constitutes a fight - I think that once people start name calling or making statements solely for the purpose of angering others, then its out of hand. But I enjoy a good logical debate, and would really hate to see such things stifled so that people don't get bent out of shape...so it's a slippery slope.

Kaley

[joeysgreen]

I think alls good and no major action needs to be taken... something I noticed while my wife was playing online games though...
Perhaps anyone could post a quick "please close this thread" vote. 4 votes and it's Ryan closes, moves, or locks it... No moderators, no blame.

Just an idea... again, I don't think we'd miss it if nothing was done.

Ian

[Ryan]

At this point I'm not sure mods are required either, as already stated the other thread was the first real questionable thread we've had so far. I believe things are running along very smoothly and I've enjoyed the forum a lot since it started up. Now if the forum continues to gain new members and the discussions pick up Ryan may not have the time required to go over each new thread and more people may need to take some of the load, I know the hours we put in out in this neck of the woods and sometimes there isn't time for much else.

Anyway, keep up the good work Ryan but if you get to the point where it may be too much don't hesitate to ask me if you need a hand.

[Ryan Wunsch]

joeysgreen said:

I think alls good and no major action needs to be taken... something I noticed while my wife was playing online games though...
Perhaps anyone could post a quick "please close this thread" vote. 4 votes and it's Ryan closes, moves, or locks it... No moderators, no blame.

Just an idea... again, I don't think we'd miss it if nothing was done.

Ian

I like that idea a lot. Being a "moderator" changes the way people post, and I realized if Kaley was a moderator, she'd be less inclined to get into debates, and a lot of learning can come from those debates, especially when people like Kaley are in them.

I now also tend to agree that the forum is not active enough to need moderators. My new short list in my mind would be Ryan, Shawn and Tim based on activity, willingness to step up, and the responsible attitudes I know they all have.

But I like the idea of me not having to pussy foot around certain topics because I am the decider. I am the decider, and i will decide things, because I am the decider

I'm not sure how we could impliment a vote like that. Also, a lot of the heated discussion takes place in hours, and we might not have 4 people to make that vote.

If I am fired up while involved in something ifffy, and someone posts "maybe we should close this thread", no matter what the best intentions are, it might not be accepted as well as it should be.

But that idea is the best I've heard of so far, if anyone has any ideas how to make something along those lines work for things that are sure to pop up i the future - my ears are definitely open to that.

Thanks for all of the input everyone, one of the best things about this list in my mind is how we can all share our ideas thoughts openly and maturely and brainstorm something that works for the majority.

But if there has to be a dictator, I'm glad it is me (anyone catch the second reference there?)

This list might not be very active right now with summer aproaching, but forums are only as good as their members are, and based on that, I'd say we have one of the best forums on the internet!!!

Ryan

[jadkins]

Although I have not been contributing much lately (workin to much) how ever I lurk all the time... I for one cant really comment on everyones personalty outside of these forums. But I do think Ryan is doing a great job so all I can really say is keep it up

Jamie