Always in motion, the future is. The destiny of the JC

1. Intro
Ok, it seems that since I arrived at the JC last summer, things have slowly gone downhill. It seems to me that the JC is slowly turning into a communistic society where rules are too strict, and bannings are either too frequent for some, or not frequent enough for others. With Sapient taking over and KW taking over as admin, I think its a good time to post some of my thoughts. This will be about how to change the future and destiny of the JC and how to make it look appealing to future members for years to come.

2. Rules
The rules are getting way too strict. I know there's been several threads about this, but I'm going to make my point here. The "wtf = wt* rule" is extremely ignorant. You have to be 13 to join the boards. What's the chances that any 13 year old has been so sheltered his whole life that he's never heard "the f word" before? Do none of you realize how obvious it is when one lettered is starred out? It's not like people are going to sit and ponder what that one letter could be, because 1) they already know and 2) it's completely obvious. This would also be true of stuff like "****" and "****", etc. I know that "****" could be a little more vague, but the general idea is the same.

3. The War
Next is about tensions between countries because of the war. It's a given that some countries may become upset with one another because of the situation in the world right now, and residents of those countries may have negative feelings toward other country. This doesn't mean anyone should be banned for expressing opinions. Everyone has their right to opinion, and by expressing an opinion like "Such and such country sucks!" in a war thread could actually lead them to learn more about the country. The people who support said country could provide good examples of that country to the poster and perhaps give him an educated opinion instead of "I hate this country because they're not our allies." I think in the instnace of this, give the person a PM saying they need to return to and explain why they don't like that country, and if they don't do so within 48 hours, THEN do the ban.

4. General Bans
And what about just general bans? I talk to a lot of members of the JC on AIM each day, and lately it seems like there's been a lot more bannings for reasons that are more poorly explained, and unnecesary, when it comes down to it. And I've seen some of the threads, too, and a few have been just discussions taking place where the mod didn't agree with one side or the other, and things of the such. I think that when someone gets banned, the mod who does it should place an edit in the post that got the person banned explaining just exactly why the ban happened, (without changing the origional text unless it needs language edited) and if the person banned feels the ban was unnecessary, they can have another mod or two check it out and get more opinions. The way to do this, of course, is to PM another mod from a sock while you're banned (just don't post) and wait for a reply. I guess it'd be like an appeal in the court system. I have an anonymous friend on the JC who was banned for joking around with another user, and the other user took it as a flame instead of a joke, and the person was banned. I think the person making a joke should have the oppurtunity to explain what his/her intentions were behind the joke, instead of it being automatically taken as a flame.

5. JCC Reform
I now have to talk about the JCC, and this has a large portion to do with what I said about the communistic boards these have become. The first couple reforms had an open thread discussion where anyone could post their thoughts, like a democracy. The most recent reform, however, was held only in the ModSquad forum without any input from us regular users. Why? Do any of you actually care what we have to think, or is it too good for us, or are we too immature to handle something like that in JCC, or what? We're the ones that's going to be posting in the JCC, shouldn't our opinions hold weight i

 

Matt, i agree with exactly everything you said, heck, i wrote it.

Anyway, i agree 100%.

 

EDIT: What the hell? Ooops, i said hell! Bane me!

 

Quit lying Ray. All you did was be a proofreader.

Also quit double posting.

 

That's what you think.

 

Ok, this isn't a social thread. Let's try to get back on topic.

 

Ooops, i forgot, we will be baned! BANED!

 

Do either of you realize how difficult it is to take this seriously when the first several replies are little more than pointless chatter?

I'll have some thoughts on this later when I have time to compose a coherent reply, but for the moment, I suggest you allow people to take whatever seriousness remains and reply with their thoughts.

Keep it on topic, please.

 

Thanks KW. I told SOME on AIM to shut his mouth. Just go ahead and delete the replies...

 

I?ll respond to a few of these, the ones that I think apply most to me.

9. Instant Messages
Moderator Instant Message names. I think if at all possible, mods should have instant messenger names that they can use while they are online. I know a couple that have IM names, but not very many. This would really help since sending a PM takes a while to do and an IM could get there a lot faster and the mod would get it right away. Of course, if the mod cannot get some sort of instant messenger name, it wouldn't be the end of the world, and of course another mod could take care of it.

I disagree with this very strongly. Firstly, when I?m online and have time for the JC, I?m checking into this place every few minutes. The difference between the amount of time that it takes to reach me with a PM compared to IM is negligible. Secondly, when I?m online and don?t have time for the JC, I don?t particularly want to get sucked into here. Things like school are more important for me, if you know what I mean. In this respect, IM is the Internet equivalent of a cell-phone, an ungodly invention from the deepest pits of Hell that steals your time. Thirdly, I found that when I did have an IM name in my profile, most people just wanted to chat. I hate chatting over IM. I don?t consider it a moderator duty to chat with people over IM. Fourthly, by keeping all my communication with people onsite, it?s on record, and if need be I can moderate based on conversations that I have with people.

So, I?m here anyways most of the time and when I?m not I wouldn?t be willing to help anyways, I hate using IM, and it creates a record. That?s a pretty good start as to why I think that I?m perfectly justified in not having an IM name in my profile. If you need a moderator, check the users online and fire off a few PM?s. You?ll get about the same result.

10. New Forum
While I'm at it, I might as well make a "new forum proposal" for a 'Sports Forum.' I know its been talked about before, but I really think one is needed. It's hard to keep all discussion about the NFL, for example, in one thread in the JCC. Not everyone wants to discuss the same team, and that's about all you can do in there. A sports forum would allow for many seperate discussions about that sport at once. For example, one thread could be discussing the Packers, one for the Colts, one for the Dolphins, one for who you think is going to end up in the SuperBowl, one for the injury reports each week, etc, and you could discuss any sport in it. It would be a lot simpler that way, and I think a lot better discussions could take place. It could at least by tried out for a while to see how it goes.

My opinion on this is unchanged from the last time it was brought up: this is a Star Wars message board, not your one stop entertainment supersite. Maybe it has potential to be such a site, but that?s not the direction that the site owners currently seem to be going, and I think that having four Community forums (Community for random stuff, Amphitheatre for arts and entertainment, the Senate for heavier issues, and Census for polls) is quite enough. I think that we are now and should continue to be primarily a Star Wars site, and that creating such a forum is a step in the wrong direction.

and the title should have "Updated: _________" in it so users will know there is new information for them to look at.

The titles of sticky threads cannot be edited.

 

Just my quick opinions on some of the stuff you said, ignore them if you'd like :

Ok, it seems that since I arrived at the JC last summer, things have slowly gone downhill.

Everyone says that. When you first visit the JC it's wide-open, new, and exciting. After awhile it's not so new and it only seems to you that it's gone downhill. People from 01 might have held that stance when you joined, and people just joining now may see this place as amazing. It's all a matter of point-of-view. Save that I've been gone for awhile and I think the place is improving.

It seems to me that the JC is slowly turning into a communistic society

I think you're over-reacting.

As far as section number two, I agree that the star-the-whole-thing out/no letter "F" rule seems a bit trivial, but apparently that comes from Josh and questioning his judgement is a waste of time.

"Such and such country sucks!"

Members should be able to express any informed-opinion, wrong or not, that they would like, but an argument like "Such and such country sucks!" is not an example. It's trolling and adds NOTHING to the discussion. It's not that people aren't allowed to express an opinion, it's that "-- sucks!" does nada for discussion.

And what about just general bans? I talk to a lot of members of the JC on AIM each day, and lately it seems like there's been a lot more bannings for reasons that are more poorly explained

I don't know, but as far as I can tell the mods do a great job of explaining bans and answering ANY questions in un-ban requests, but If you have a specific case, read it off.

I thought the JC Reform discussed in Mod Squad, came from the points brought up by the members, and the result was pretty leinient.

I think the keep-it-in-one-thread stuff is to keep organized and stop threads about popular topics such as the war from flodding the JCC.

or maybe have a "back-up mod" from another forum watch the said forum when the regular mod isn't availible

Isn't that basically what happens if a mod is slow getting to a thread? Eventually a mod from another forum sees it and takes care about it?

As far as off-topic threads, I agree with you in some ways, but--

Obviously some threads need to be locked early just for the sole purpose they are 1) redundant

Wait, I thought you were against sending redundant stuff to official/already existing threads? : Also in the JCC, it seems like there's too much "keep it only in this thread please" going on.

As far as instant messages, I know atleast one mod whom has been extremely helpful to me in the past over AIM. It would be nice if the mods all listed their AIM names, but some people, including myself, use that stuff to talk to real life friends and people from other sites, I don't think being a JC Mod should completely take over their lives.

Sports forum -- there are plenty of boards on the net about sports. Use this one to talk to people who like Star Wars.

edit//smuggler - Why in the blue heavens is my username in your sig?

 

Okay allow me to present my feelings on these below topics.

1. Intro/2.Rules
Ok, it seems that since I arrived at the JC last summer, things have slowly gone downhill. It seems to me that the JC is slowly turning into a communistic society where rules are too strict, and bannings are either too frequent for some, or not frequent enough for others. With Sapient taking over and KW taking over as admin, I think its a good time to post some of my thoughts. This will be about how to change the future and destiny of the JC and how to make it look appealing to future members for years to come.

I personally see no immediate problem. I mean other then some JC drama that appears here and there admist a few forums. Yet alot of what you have pointed out may be true a true change must be made by the members. And I doubt lesser rules would be good. as it is these rules provide a way to lessen the problems that were complained about earlier. Take those away and you'll see what may come of this place as the members slowly take over and ultimately shut this place down.

7. Back-up Mods
Some mods do not have the time to be online much, and therefore when a problem arises, it may take a while to find a mod run take care of the situation. I know its always nice for mods to have AIM, so you can IM one about a problem if you see it, but that's not always possible, since not many mods have an AIM address. So, I think that either a "buddy system" should be instated, where an extra mod is added to the forum to increase the chance of one being around, or maybe have a "back-up mod" from another forum watch the said forum when the regular mod isn't availible, but that could interfere with the first mods duties in his/her own forum. I know inactivity is a big problem especially at night and on weekends in some of the slower moving forums. Either or neither choice can be taken, but I think something should be done to help a little from time to time.

Now this is true ,yet there are other Moderators that may be on during the time to which you may need help. I do know though that sometimes some Moderators can't help becase it is not there area to make certian decesions. But most of the time they are helpful.

10. New Forum
While I'm at it, I might as well make a "new forum proposal" for a 'Sports Forum.' I know its been talked about before, but I really think one is needed. It's hard to keep all discussion about the NFL, for example, in one thread in the JCC. Not everyone wants to discuss the same team, and that's about all you can do in there. A sports forum would allow for many seperate discussions about that sport at once. For example, one thread could be discussing the Packers, one for the Colts, one for the Dolphins, one for who you think is going to end up in the SuperBowl, one for the injury reports each week, etc, and you could discuss any sport in it. It would be a lot simpler that way, and I think a lot better discussions could take place. It could at least by tried out for a while to see how it goes.

Isn't the reason that, that was never approved was for the reason that it has nothing to do with Star Wars? I know though that the FF has threads for those topics, depending to the FF you live in and what they decide to post.

11. Sticky Threads
Now on to sticky threads. I really like the idea of sticky threads, but they need to be updated more often. Maybe once every two weeks or so. Also, I think any forum news (games, contests, new rules, announcements of other varieties, etc) should be put somewhere in the thread, and the title should have "Updated: _________" in it so users will know there is new information for them to look at. This would make it a lot easier for members to find out news other than it being in some random thread that something is announced, or in the ModSquad update, since not very many people go to Comms to read stuff.

Sounds like a cool idea to me , altho

 

I dont have much time, but I'll quickly address a few points you made:

2. Rules
The rules are getting way too strict

Well, thats your opinion. Some think they arent strict enough.

As for the starring out thing, thats in keeping with the notion of being family friendly. Making the JC a place that parents would be happy to have their children visit.

Its quite easy to avoid any form of swearing, so I dont see why these comments are even an issue.

4. General Bans
I think the person making a joke should have the oppurtunity to explain what his/her intentions were behind the joke, instead of it being automatically taken as a flame.


Better yet, the person should watch what they say a little more, so as to not be so borderline as to have the comment be a matter of interpretation as to whether they are allowed to post it or not.

5. JCC Reform
The most recent reform, however, was held only in the ModSquad forum without any input from us regular users. Why? Do any of you actually care what we have to think, or is it too good for us, or are we too immature to handle something like that in JCC, or what? We're the ones that's going to be posting in the JCC, shouldn't our opinions hold weight in the final decision?

Uhhh, actually Dark_Lord_Erik started the JCC Reform evaluation thread. In that thread, people discussed what they thought of the last Reform, and what they wanted changed. The mods then took that and discussed it in the ModSquad and Advisory Council.

There was member input in this process. Perhaps you should have checked this out a little more before posting this section.

7. Backup mods

You know, if a serious issue arises, then you can just contact any mod thats online. They'll handle it. If it isnt so serious, just PM the forum mod, and they'll deal with it when they can.

9. Instant Messages
I think if at all possible, mods should have instant messenger names that they can use while they are online

I had one listed in my profile. Until I got members taking advantage of that. Members anonymously abusing me. I dont need to put up with that. As I now say in my profile, PM me if you want my IM details. That way I can know who is trying to talk to me, and members cant act so cowardly as to abuse me anonymously.

EDIT: Markups

 

I disagree with this very strongly. Firstly, when I?m online and have time for the JC, I?m checking into this place every few minutes. The difference between the amount of time that it takes to reach me with a PM compared to IM is negligible. Secondly, when I?m online and don?t have time for the JC, I don?t particularly want to get sucked into here. Things like school are more important for me, if you know what I mean. In this respect, IM is the Internet equivalent of a cell-phone, an ungodly invention from the deepest pits of Hell that steals your time. Thirdly, I found that when I did have an IM name in my profile, most people just wanted to chat. I hate chatting over IM. I don?t consider it a moderator duty to chat with people over IM. Fourthly, by keeping all my communication with people onsite, it?s on record, and if need be I can moderate based on conversations that I have with people.

If that helps you, that's fine. I do think that it's a little unrealistic to expect every single mod to have AIM or any other instant messanger. But still, i think it's cool to have an instant messanger for a few reasons.

1.) You can interact with some of the other board members, get to know them, and know the meaning of their posts, if that will be useful to you.

2.) If someone wants, they can IM you right away if they want a member cheked out or a topic to possibly be closed.

3.) If you want to keep an archive of your messages, it's not that hard on AIM, just make an extra folder and save all your chats/IMs if you like.

And you're right, it's not the moderator's duty, if you don't want to have an IM, that's all up to you, but i'm just saying it could help you out a little.

 

1.) You can interact with some of the other board members, get to know them, and know the meaning of their posts, if that will be useful to you.

That why I read peoples posts.


2.) If someone wants, they can IM you right away if they want a member cheked out or a topic to possibly be closed.

They can do that with PM?s.



3.) If you want to keep an archive of your messages, it's not that hard on AIM, just make an extra folder and save all your chats/IMs if you like.

Not the same thing. As things stand now, we cannot ban for things said and done off-site. If someone wants to curse me out in a private e-mail, there?s nothing I can do. But if you do it via PM, there?s a lot that I can do. Doing everything JC related on-site creates a record, which can be useful.

 

Dagsy, I'm not sure if you meant to say "Don't post anythign that can be misinterperated" however that is what it seems you're saying.

Also,PM's are not always available to a user while IM's are, furthermore IMs are often more effective in establishing a rapport. Besides, it's a much more effective way to see if a mod is online.

I cna't remember how many times I've PM'd a mod to discover they went offline at just that minute.

 

Also,PM's are not always available to a user while IM's are, furthermore IMs are often more effective in establishing a rapport. Besides, it's a much more effective way to see if a mod is online.


Not if the person in question you might want to establish a rapport with thinks that IM is like Chinese Water Torture, except worse.

EDIT: sorry, farrie.

 

Okay Just my thoughts on this:

1. Intro
Ok, it seems that since I arrived at the JC last summer, things have slowly gone downhill. It seems to me that the JC is slowly turning into a communistic society where rules are too strict, and bannings are either too frequent for some, or not frequent enough for others. With Sapient taking over and KW taking over as admin, I think its a good time to post some of my thoughts. This will be about how to change the future and destiny of the JC and how to make it look appealing to future members for years to come.

I believe that is due to where you post in the jc. Communications has often been labeled as drama most times. If you post in other forums no trace of communism can be found. Not that i think there is a communistic board occurring.

2. Rules
The rules are getting way too strict. I know there's been several threads about this, but I'm going to make my point here. The "wtf = wt* rule" is extremely ignorant. You have to be 13 to join the boards. What's the chances that any 13 year old has been so sheltered his whole life that he's never heard "the f word" before? Do none of you realize how obvious it is when one lettered is starred out? It's not like people are going to sit and ponder what that one letter could be, because 1) they already know and 2) it's completely obvious. This would also be true of stuff like "****" and "****", etc. I know that "****" could be a little more vague, but the general idea is the same.

I am willing to bet ten year olds to 12 year olds post in this board. I agree with the language rule. Though I think a swear blocker my be good of course that will require a code change I bet.

3. The War
Next is about tensions between countries because of the war. It's a given that some countries may become upset with one another because of the situation in the world right now, and residents of those countries may have negative feelings toward other country. This doesn't mean anyone should be banned for expressing opinions. Everyone has their right to opinion, and by expressing an opinion like "Such and such country sucks!" in a war thread could actually lead them to learn more about the country. The people who support said country could provide good examples of that country to the poster and perhaps give him an educated opinion instead of "I hate this country because they're not our allies." I think in the instnace of this, give the person a PM saying they need to return to and explain why they don't like that country, and if they don't do so within 48 hours, THEN do the ban.

And what if a person doesn't log in to the boards in 48 hours? Seems pretty unfair to me.

4. General Bans
And what about just general bans? I talk to a lot of members of the JC on AIM each day, and lately it seems like there's been a lot more bannings for reasons that are more poorly explained, and unnecesary, when it comes down to it. And I've seen some of the threads, too, and a few have been just discussions taking place where the mod didn't agree with one side or the other, and things of the such. I think that when someone gets banned, the mod who does it should place an edit in the post that got the person banned explaining just exactly why the ban happened, (without changing the origional text unless it needs language edited) and if the person banned feels the ban was unnecessary, they can have another mod or two check it out and get more opinions. The way to do this, of course, is to PM another mod from a sock while you're banned (just don't post) and wait for a reply. I guess it'd be like an appeal in the court system. I have an anonymous friend on the JC who was banned for joking around with another user, and the other user took it as a flame instead of a joke, and the person was banned. I think the person making a joke should have the oppurtunity to explain what his/her intentions were behind the joke, instead of it being automatically taken as a flame.

No comment

5. JCC Reform
I now have to talk about the JCC, and t

 

It's 'rapport' Gandy.

And I would find it odd if any user net-izen enough to become a mod here would find an IM system torture... unless it's ICQ which is just plain psychotic.

 

1. Intro
Ok, it seems that since I arrived at the JC last summer, things have slowly gone downhill. It seems to me that the JC is slowly turning into a communistic society where rules are too strict, and bannings are either too frequent for some, or not frequent enough for others. With Sapient taking over and KW taking over as admin, I think its a good time to post some of my thoughts. This will be about how to change the future and destiny of the JC and how to make it look appealing to future members for years to come.

OK as others have mentioned, many people say this after a time here at the JC. Once the novelty and the newness wears off, you begin to see the JC as it really is. A bunch of people online interacting on a forum. Fun? Yes I still think so. Perfect? Of course not. The JC has not been going downhill for 4+ years now. It's just a perception that many people go through. They either stick with it through that phase or they dwindle away to post elsewhere.


2. Rules
The rules are getting way too strict. I know there's been several threads about this, but I'm going to make my point here. The "wtf = wt* rule" is extremely ignorant. You have to be 13 to join the boards. What's the chances that any 13 year old has been so sheltered his whole life that he's never heard "the f word" before? Do none of you realize how obvious it is when one lettered is starred out? It's not like people are going to sit and ponder what that one letter could be, because 1) they already know and 2) it's completely obvious. This would also be true of stuff like "****" and "****", etc. I know that "****" could be a little more vague, but the general idea is the same.

This is entirely your opinion. This is a family board and as such it will probably always remain devoid of anything really profane. As the F-bomb is about as profane as one word can get, I would say references to it such as those you mentioned should not be allowed. Whether or not kids have HEARD the words is not the issue. Many people do not feel they have any place in civilized adult conversation. Out of respect for those people, or perhaps merely because Josh wants it that way, such language is not allowed. Personally I think you can find a more creative and interesting way to express yourself. Try harder. Work at being creative.


#3 I am not going to touch. The war is pretty much over. Let's move forward shall we?

#4 I think would be best addressed by Mods.

#5 and #6 I do not really post in the YJCC so I cannot add anything.

#7 I also think is best addressed by the Mods

8. Off-topic threads
And what about the fact that some threads are locked too soon because of "going off topic"? If a topic is closed too soon, no one knows the future (always in motion, the future is) and it might get back on topic. Give it some more time, you never know what could happen. Obviously some threads need to be locked early just for the sole purpose they are 1) redundant or 2) there is no purpose whatsoever to them. But give some time to see if things straiten out, and post something saying to get back on track if you must. This has been a little better in the last week or two, and some mods do this anyway, but its a general suggestion.

Is this pertaining to YJCC as well?


9. Instant Messages
Moderator Instant Message names. I think if at all possible, mods should have instant messenger names that they can use while they are online. I know a couple that have IM names, but not very many. This would really help since sending a PM takes a while to do and an IM could get there a lot faster and the mod would get it right away. Of course, if the mod cannot get some sort of instant messenger name, it wouldn't be the end of the world, and of course another mod could take care of it.

I think this is a terrible idea. I cannot think of an issue SO urgent that an IM right off is needed. If something is so bad that a PM to the forum's mod takes too long, then PM any mod you s

 

And I would find it odd if any user net-izen enough to become a mod here would find an IM system torture... unless it's ICQ which is just plain psychotic.

I make strong distinctions between real world socializing and Internet socializing. If I want to talk to someone, that?s what the real world is for. If I want to discuss something, that?s where the Internet becomes useful. I post on a message board because a message board is very different from a chat. There?s no obligation to reply to anything. I?m not ever trying to carry on two or five or fifteen conversations at once. I talk about what I want to talk about, and the kind of talking about things that I like doing doesn?t translate well at all into IM.

With Internet chats, you?re typically limiting yourself to one or two sentences. Sometimes more, sometimes less. Can?t stand that. Hardly anything can be said well in one or two sentence. Take this thread as an example. Could the information conveyed in the opening post have been conveyed very well through IM? I highly doubt it. Message board posting is generally very different from IM chatting.

So, I think that I?m perfectly entitled to enjoy one and despise the other.

 

Gandolf, if it's such a hassle, don't use AIM. Simple as that. But it would still be a friendly and helpful thing for some mods to do.

 

Privacy for the mods?

They're people, not celebrities. I always had my IM listed and I do not recall being flooded with antagonistic PMs.

I do recal several time talking to people off the JC because it was faster and in most cases more relaxed.

Then again, I always had this strange things when even when someone disagreeded with me prefering to deal with them ratehr then isolating myself. That and the wanting to be able to tlak with banned members as effectively as possible on the offchance I had maken a mistake. Yes they are mods, and that means responsibility more then privledge.

Gandolf, IM's are as useful as the person using them makes them, any non technical failure is more on your head then the systems.

Speed>Over done verbiage

 

And if people harass you too much, block 'em. Seems like certain mods are trying to stir up drama as much as certain users.

 

Thank-you though for bringing this before me, and all here at Communications. I am sure that as I have posted many more will post their different opions and please do not feel discouraged by my post as this is my personal sight on these issues. Thanks agian!
Your Pal,
Stridarious

is this kid for real?? jeez.