About this new Communications policy....

Putting the thread back in order.

About the lockings: anyone have any more questions in the broad sense or are we down to specifics?

 

i think that as long as there is a warning before the threads are locked (say 12-24 hours so that if anyone has something to add they can do so without having to PM a mod) no one really should have a problem with them.

it will cut down on lots of newbie questions that can be answered with a little bit of research, and will bring the focus of communications back to what it should be.

 

There will always be exceptions to any sort of understood rule, where the faith of the Staff in our ability to be fair and use common sense will shine through.

 

I have read this thread and appreciate the efforts the administrative staff are taking to prevent something that has become common as of lately - irrelevant posting.

As of lately there has been quite a few members who make regular posts that have nothing to do with the topic or flow of the conversation regarding the original topic but rather deter the topic at hand to their own sig, humor or smilies. It is apparent in PSA too.

It has always been my understanding, and I could be wrong, that if a member begins disrupting the flow of the conversation, then they are trolling(which is a bannable offence).

I agree with what Preacherboy is trying to achieve but I don't think he is going about it the right way. It it does not seem to garner communication from within the JC community to close threads and implies, though I am sure not intended, arrogance. It would seem more appropriate to place a ban on those who continually disrupt the flow of conversations and leave threads open for those who wish to add appropriate posts.

I think another area that might be considered is to assign a member as a Communications Mod, who can relay the problems and concerns initiated from the Communications Forum to the Administration Forum and back again - kind of a middle man.

One thing I really hate is what is happening now - where several Mods, Admins, etc. all start squabbling outside the Admin Forum. It just confuses the hell out of members and looks totally unprofessional.

If there is a problem and a decision needs to be made by the Administrative Staff they should work out what they want to do and then hand a proposal to the members in a state where THEY can make the decision and/or offer praise or criticism about that proposal. It would look more professional.

Ternian

 

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I agree with what Preacherboy is trying to achieve but I don't think he is going about it the right way. It it does not seem to garner communication from within the JC community to close threads and implies, though I am sure not intended, arrogance. It would seem more appropriate to place a ban on those who continually disrupt the flow of conversations and leave threads open for those who wish to add appropriate posts.

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I don't disagree with you one bit, I just wish there was a more reasonable solution than banning people for doing something they have been allowed to do for a year. I'd rather hurt the pride of a thread, than damage the esteem and reputation of a user.

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I think another area that might be considered is to assign a member as a Communications Mod, who can relay the problems and concerns initiated from the Communications Forum to the Administration Forum and back again - kind of a middle man.

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Completely out of the question. It is every Admin's job, along with the Staff members' job, to follow up with what is happening here. We don't need more Admins, we just need a little bit more daily contribution than what Vertical, Lord Bane, myself and a few others are doing.

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One thing I really hate is what is happening now - where several Mods, Admins, etc. all start squabbling outside the Admin Forum. It just confuses the hell out of members and looks totally unprofessional.

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Yeah, it sucks. I'm about as guilty as sin about this too, but I don't think it will change until we get that sense of unity back. We're almost there... a million times better than what we were at a few months ago. I can't even begin to tell you how misunderstood I was by half of the Administration [back then].

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If there is a problem and a decision needs to be made by the Administrative Staff they should work out what they want to do and then hand a proposal to the members in a state where THEY can make the decision and/or offer praise or criticism about that proposal. It would look more professional.

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No. This is far from anything that the JC community should care about. We're here to do the borning cleanup that no one else wants to do. Stop making this into a bigger thing than it really is. THIS IS AN ONLINE BULLETIN BOARD ABOUT A FICTIONAL SUBJECT.

 

I don't disagree with you one bit, I just wish there was a more reasonable solution than banning people for doing something they have been allowed to do for a year. I'd rather hurt the pride of a thread, than damage the esteem and reputation of a user.

I think you are making it harder than it acutally is. If they have been able to do it for a year or more - fine; outline to them that there is a new rule which is now enforcible and that their behaviour is no longer acceptable and advise them of the consequences. Therefore it doesn't hurt the esteem or reputation of the user and retains the pride of the thread.

Completely out of the question. It is every Admin's job, along with the Staff members' job, to follow up with what is happening here. We don't need more Admins, we just need a little bit more daily contribution than what Vertical, Lord Bane, myself and a few others are doing.

Gotcha. But the idea is not completely out of the question - it can be done effectively.

We're here to do the borning cleanup that no one else wants to do.

I wouldn't agree with this. There are heaps of members who would love to do what you do - I for one would love to help keep this forum clean.

Stop making this into a bigger thing than it really is. THIS IS AN ONLINE BULLETIN BOARD ABOUT A FICTIONAL SUBJECT.

Okay, this is where your attitude sucks. I have a concern and offered a remedy as I saw it. There is absolutely no need for you to belittle my thoughts. If you don't agree - fine, state that.

I also hate the way you belittle the idea of Star Wars. I came here to discuss Star Wars, and my interest in Star Wars - I know it is ficitional but it is something I like to indulge in. You stand for the idea of Star Wars as an admin at the JC. If you feel that the idea of a space soap-opera is getting too surreal for you, leave - don't bother me with you idea of it being fictional and irrelevant.

 

I don't belittle the idea of Star Wars, I belittle and laugh at the enthusiasm that some people have for putting their effort into talking about JC Politics [which shouldn't even exist!]. Give me a break, don't believe the hype, and I'll finish this tomorrow when I'm in the mood to rant some more.

 

I agree with Preach. The internet drama around these parts is huuuge. We all add to it a little by listening to the gossip, adding our own spin and continuing the flow.

Sometimes, we even take part in it...that may be the royal we...

We need to, as a board, focus on having fun and promoting fun. There are some who may consider themselves disenfranchised, but really, the majority bring it on themselves.

As a group, we all need to help steer this place back on track in the coming months. The next newbie wave will be slower, but just as brutal to the boards. We can start streamlining in here, but careful attention needs to be paid to the thread content and if it is truly a finished conversation before we lock it.

Spiderdevil is working on an index of useful threads that are still unlocked (and a few locked ones that are helpful and may be reopened if they're approved). Communications will get straightened out eventually, but it must be a joint effort.

 

Some of the most enjoyable times I've had here at the JC have involved this whole concept of "JC politics". Heh.

 

Like Lord Bane said, I'm working on putting together an index of the pertinent threads/discussions here in Communications. I don't know when it will be up though, as I have finals this week. Look for it sometime after Dec. 15.

 

Great! Thanks for helping out, Spider!

 

PBoy, can we have one centralized gossip thread here in Communications, so there won't be so many new threads about so-and-so, and "why did XXXX get banned" and "whatever happened to what's-his-name" threads. One centralized gossip thread would solve this. Everyone could just click onto this thread daily, hourly, minutely, to see what's going on with anyone and everyone. All they would have to do is pose the question there. That would get all of us members communicating within one thread, and not spread all over the place. Just a thought. Don't beat up the messenger. Inquiring minds want to know.

 

Spider: Do you think that those threads which you are compliling should be included in Info threads? If so, please tell me, coz I'm updating the Comm FAQ.

 

I'm sure some of them will be. As I've said before, I haven't had much of a chance to work on it yet. When I get started, I'll PM you and we can figure out what all needs done.

 

keokiswahine- You think promoting it in one form instead of another is going to fix the underlying problem?

 

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I think another area that might be considered is to assign a member as a Communications Mod, who can relay the problems and concerns initiated from the Communications Forum to the Administration Forum and back again - kind of a middle man.

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Not a bad idea, in theory, but in practice, it wouldn't work. Why not? Because the instant we assigned a mod here, none of the other mods would visit. Ever. They'd just be like "Oh, so-and-so takes care of that. I don't have to bother", and I don't want to promote that kind of attitude. Not only that, but sometimes, you need lots of moderator input on any one subject. It's important to hear from several mods, not just one.

Vertical

 

Because the instant we assigned a mod here, none of the other mods would visit. Ever. They'd just be like "Oh, so-and-so takes care of that. I don't have to bother", and I don't want to promote that kind of attitude.

That's a pretty negative viewpoint, and I really doubt that that's the sort of result you'd see. I know of quite a few mods who venture into forums outside of their assigned area.

 

Well, it's entirely possible I could be wrong. But why risk it? The way it is now is the way it should be: it should be *every* mod's responsibility, and that's the problem: only a small percentage of them actually check in here.

Vertical

 

Good point, but maybe in addition to that small percentage that do check in, there should be one official mod for the forum. I'm just playing Devil's Advocate here.

 

Oh, I realize that. And I can appreciate the idea, but I'm speaking from experience here, and knowing how this team functions. I think there's a high likelihood that if we assigned one specific mod, the others would feel less obligated and less inclined to checking in here.

Sure, you'd see more of that one new mod, but you'd also see much less of the other mods. In my opinion.

Vertical

 

Suggestion then: Bring this up (if it hasn't been already) in the ModSquad forum. Conduct a poll and see how many Mods frequent Communications, and how many would continue to do so if an official Mod was assigned.

 

You wouldn't believe the amount of *****ing I've done about this.

 

Are you for or against an official Comm Mod, PB?

 

Against. As I said before, it is the duty of every Admin and Staff member to come in here on a regular basis and contribute. The fact that such a small percentage actually are, really ticks me off.

 

I agree. I probably see you and Lord Bane here the most. Why don't other Mods check in here from time to time?