Mod to Member ratio... (Current Discussion: Forum Specific Images)

[Bear]

Hey, I used to spend countless hours in Mt Moon leveling up so I could beat that stupid level 16 Raticate. I resent it being the name of a Spam forum!

Seriously though, by creating a spam forum, aren't we just encouraging PC++ type behavior? I mean, I know that by making rules against spam we're potentially driving away members, but are they the types of members we even want in the first place? I don't think the desire to "break the rules" and post spam warrants creation of an entirely new subforum just for that purpose. Shouldn't we be encouraging people to resist the urge to spam and improve the overall quality of their posts instead? I dunno, maybe I'm just a crabby old fart who can't keep up with these young whippersnappers anymore...

[Jeff]

It isn't postcount++ if posting there doesn't increase your post count. If people are just looking for a way to boost their post count, they won't find it there. So the only reason people would want to post there would be for fun.

[shazza]

If Mt. Moon was postcount+, it would make me still feel a bit self-conscious still of what I could and could not post, therefore constraining what can be posted.

[Bear]

Ah I see. Well if posting there doesn't increase your post count I could concede a little more, but I still am kinda iffy about the idea. Maybe I just don't personally understand how posting spam could be considered "fun" in the first place. That's not reason enough to deny it though, since it's just my opinion. If enough people find it fun then why not? Just don't combine it with this forum -_-

[shazza]

It's not "SPAM", in the sense that it is like "sdfsfsfdgfdg". It should be silliness, a bit more orientated, chat orientated and just no holds barred. I guess we won't know until we try.

[Master Rudy]

I agree with Kurosakura; if there WAS going to be a minimum limit of postcount, it should be something like 100, not 500. There have been an influx of many new members in the past few months, mostly in ASB and RPG, who exhibit quality posts but still are only Junior Trainer's or Beginner Trainer's. TPM isn't very active these days, and to achieve 500 quality posts, let alone 100 posts, could take some time.

Merely an example guys. Just tossed out Cool Trainer as an example. It doesn't HAVE to be that paticular rank. Of course I don't really know how hard or easy it is to program that sort of thing. I know on some boards it's based on post number and on others it's based on rank. If the type of board TPM uses can only do it by rank then at the very least it would need to be set up to allow Jr Trainer or higher.

Besides 250 isn't really that high. On a day where I've really got nothing better to do I can easily put out 10-20 posts a day on a message board. And I'm talking decent posts, not crap ^_~

[RedStarWarrior]

What's the difference?

There's a difference between fun spam and advertising.

If you don't know, then gtfo.

[Heald]

Okay, I've read everyone's responses to ideas and everyone's suggestions, here is what I gather as a proposed consensus:

Name: Mt. Moon
- I propose that this be its starting name. In line with its theme as a silly forum, it could be changed every month or whenever as a joke.

Visibility: Members Only
Non-Members cannot even see the forum. Registered members can see the forum and view its contents.

Posting Privileges: Application
People apply to the Admins to be allowed access to post in the forum, like the Web Contributors Forum. The general minimum requirement will be set with anyone falling underneath the requirement rejected, except in special circumstances. The minimum requirement ought to be that you have to have been a member for at least a month. You must all have accrued 100 posts.

However, while this is a minimum requirement, it is not a guarantee. If the mods in charge of the forum deem the member is not worthy, his application is rejected and he must wait a week to reapply.

These stipulations and how to apply will be put on the 'warning' page.

Warning Page: Yes
If we can, once clicking to enter the forum the warning page will be displayed before going any further, basically stating 'Beware! Adult content! etc' as well as stating how to apply for posting privileges, although whether this is feasible or not depends on the board technology.

Rules: The bare minimum
Basically, rules ought to be the bare minimum, basically to avoid the forums from getting into any legal trouble or gaining a reputation of being particularly vile. So, hardcore porn, illegal porn, full frontal nudity and posting any sort of illegal content (including links to torrents and the like) is strictly forbidden. Without this compromise, I doubt our proposal will be accepted.

There has been some discussion about if certain language should be banned, such as overtly racist language (e.g. the 'n-word'). Although I don't condone it, I think at least to begin with, apart from obviously illegal stuff as noted above, everything is fair game. If people start being idiots and just spamming certain racial slurs over and over, then they can be shunned (see Moderation below). If there is a consensus that certain language ought to be banned after the board's creation, then we can implement it later. I'm not saying this to defend certain language, but it cannot truly be no holds barred if there are certain banned words.

Furthermore, apart from posting illegal content, it should be that you cannot get infracted on this board.

Moderation: 2-3 Mods
I think 3 Mods should be picked to moderate it. Since there seems to be an attitude over there being too many mods, and since there ought to be experienced members handing this forum, they ought to be picked from the existing staff force. If need be, some can step down from their current positions if they feel they would only want to mod a single forum, especially one to be as likely as volatile as this one. At a later date, if a member shows himself/herself to be capable, he or she could be modded as well. Perhaps even democratically!

Mods have a few duties: 1, they decide whose applications get approved (say like America's Got Talent, a majority of 2 to 1 means they are approved). 2, they delete illegal content, shit posts and choose what approved members get banned from the forum. 3, they decide if any threads are particularly funny and deserve to be archived. For this duty, obviously people can request a thread to be archived.

Other things:

Post Count Disabled: basically posts in Mt. Moon don't contribute to forum post count. This discourages shit posts, PC++ behaviour and other useless junk.

No Anonymity: People seem to overwhelmingly disagree with Anonymity, and so do I, so I guess that is no longer an issue.

1 Hour between Thread Creation: Just to stop people spamming crap threads and to encourage fresh, varied content. Works on other boards. Can be extended or removed after the board is created.

Max 30 threads: I say a maximum of 30 threads at once, at least to begin with. We can either increase or decrease this limit after the forum's creation if we need to, but I say 30 is a pretty good benchmark.

Place on the Forum: This is undecided. I am firmly against it being a subforum of Misc, but I say to begin with it goes in between Interactive and Archives. It can be moved later if we need to.
_____________

That's basically my proposal.

I think the sooner we get it up and running, the better it will be. It's going to end up we're going to sit here arguing over minor details that can be edited very easily after it is created, so unless you have a very real pressing concern, I say we just go for it with this proposal. Too much time spent tinkering is time wasted.

If you're against the spam forum, which I see a few people are, then don't participate. Easy enough. I don't like Anime but that doesn't mean I am against a forum being there.

If you're worried about member behaviour becoming worse due to this, I say that this will actually improve attitudes as all the flaming and spam happens in one concentrated area, rather than people trying to derail decent threads in Misc and other forums.

[RedStarWarrior]

I'm willing to temporarily mod it for the first month (after which I think elections should be in order).

[shazza]

Name: Mt. Moon
- I propose that this be its starting name. In line with its theme as a silly forum, it could be changed every month or whenever as a joke.

Yeah, that sounds like an alright idea. It will always be Mt. Moon to my heart though.

Moderation: 2-3 Mods
I think 3 Mods should be picked to moderate it. Since there seems to be an attitude over there being too many mods, and since there ought to be experienced members handing this forum, they ought to be picked from the existing staff force. If need be, some can step down from their current positions if they feel they would only want to mod a single forum, especially one to be as likely as volatile as this one. At a later date, if a member shows himself/herself to be capable, he or she could be modded as well. Perhaps even democratically!

If it was from the existing staff force, then obviously it needs to be both moderators that approve of the forum and contribute in a humorous fashion.

1 Hour between Thread Creation: Just to stop people spamming crap threads and to encourage fresh, varied content. Works on other boards. Can be extended or removed after the board is created.

This is one hour between thread creation per individual, right?

I think the sooner we get it up and running, the better it will be. It's going to end up we're going to sit here arguing over minor details that can be edited very easily after it is created, so unless you have a very real pressing concern, I say we just go for it with this proposal. Too much time spent tinkering is time wasted.

If you're against the spam forum, which I see a few people are, then don't participate. Easy enough. I don't like Anime but that doesn't mean I am against a forum being there.

If you're worried about member behaviour becoming worse due to this, I say that this will actually improve attitudes as all the flaming and spam happens in one concentrated area, rather than people trying to derail decent threads in Misc and other forums.

Yeah bruz.

vB has capabilities of having individual layouts for different forums, right? Wait, what am I saying? The 2004 SPAM forum had a completely different layout.

But yeah, a different layout would be good.

[RedStarWarrior]

I give you our forum's colors.

[Houndoom_Lover]

Our forums colour is delicious :0 But I don't know how I feel about it being visible by members only. I don't know why I feel off by that. I kinda think it should be viable. Nonmembers can't post anyway........

[RedStarWarrior]

Our forums colour is delicious :0 But I don't know how I feel about it being visible by members only. I don't know why I feel off by that. I kinda think it should be viable. Nonmembers can't post anyway........

We don't want trolls reading it and joining just for Mt. Moon. Let's have it be a perk of membership.

[Houndoom_Lover]

Okay! I know that's why it'll be hidden, we don't want trolls eating our goats and all...But...Could we like have somewhere on the forum that more is avalaible with membership? We wish to entice them, no?

[Zak]

How about aside from postcount seniority to be able to post in it, it also only becomes visible after a certain postcount?

[RedStarWarrior]

How about aside from postcount seniority to be able to post in it, it also only becomes visible after a certain postcount?

That is what I was hoping would be implemented.

[Clark]

It probably should be locked for anyone under like 2500 posts.

[Houndoom_Lover]

That's too many!!

[abunaidesu]

More like 666 posts.

[Heald]

over 9000? lol funnie jokez

[Bear]

More like 666 posts.

win

[woz]

I'm willing to temporarily mod it for the first month (after which I think elections should be in order).

lol

[Master Rudy]

Okay, I've read everyone's responses to ideas and everyone's suggestions, here is what I gather as a proposed consensus:

Name: Mt. Moon
- I propose that this be its starting name. In line with its theme as a silly forum, it could be changed every month or whenever as a joke.

I think this is the one thing we can all agree on right now.

Visibility: Members Only
Non-Members cannot even see the forum. Registered members can see the forum and view its contents.

Some people disagree on this front but I say keep it. It'll keep out people looking to join TPM for the purpose of starting trouble.

Posting Privileges: Application
People apply to the Admins to be allowed access to post in the forum, like the Web Contributors Forum. The general minimum requirement will be set with anyone falling underneath the requirement rejected, except in special circumstances. The minimum requirement ought to be that you have to have been a member for at least a month. You must all have accrued 100 posts.

However, while this is a minimum requirement, it is not a guarantee. If the mods in charge of the forum deem the member is not worthy, his application is rejected and he must wait a week to reapply.

These stipulations and how to apply will be put on the 'warning' page.

An app works in place of a rank lockout. And while I know the forum will be more laid back I do have to say this method will help keep certain controversial/problem members out. The application process could also keep the younger members (under 16?) out as well.

Warning Page: Yes
If we can, once clicking to enter the forum the warning page will be displayed before going any further, basically stating 'Beware! Adult content! etc' as well as stating how to apply for posting privileges, although whether this is feasible or not depends on the board technology.

Yeah this'll be an absolute must. A warning page shouldn't be too hard to add in.

Rules: The bare minimum
Basically, rules ought to be the bare minimum, basically to avoid the forums from getting into any legal trouble or gaining a reputation of being particularly vile. So, hardcore porn, illegal porn, full frontal nudity and posting any sort of illegal content (including links to torrents and the like) is strictly forbidden. Without this compromise, I doubt our proposal will be accepted.

There has been some discussion about if certain language should be banned, such as overtly racist language (e.g. the 'n-word'). Although I don't condone it, I think at least to begin with, apart from obviously illegal stuff as noted above, everything is fair game. If people start being idiots and just spamming certain racial slurs over and over, then they can be shunned (see Moderation below). If there is a consensus that certain language ought to be banned after the board's creation, then we can implement it later. I'm not saying this to defend certain language, but it cannot truly be no holds barred if there are certain banned words.

Furthermore, apart from posting illegal content, it should be that you cannot get infracted on this board.

I think I got you Heald. No full frontal nudity........HOWEVER YOU DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING AGAINST TOPLESS FEMALE NUDITY!
lol j/k
In all seriousness however this works out well. Language should not become an issue unless someone makes it an issue. Punishment could be a severe warning and a ban from that forum.

Moderation: 2-3 Mods
I think 3 Mods should be picked to moderate it. Since there seems to be an attitude over there being too many mods, and since there ought to be experienced members handing this forum, they ought to be picked from the existing staff force. If need be, some can step down from their current positions if they feel they would only want to mod a single forum, especially one to be as likely as volatile as this one. At a later date, if a member shows himself/herself to be capable, he or she could be modded as well. Perhaps even democratically!

Mods have a few duties: 1, they decide whose applications get approved (say like America's Got Talent, a majority of 2 to 1 means they are approved). 2, they delete illegal content, shit posts and choose what approved members get banned from the forum. 3, they decide if any threads are particularly funny and deserve to be archived. For this duty, obviously people can request a thread to be archived.

This works and goes hand in hand with the application process (see above).
As another possibility what about starting it with one existing mod and then electing the other two out of a group of responsible members who:
A-Are not currently mods
B-Have been approved for access to Mt. Moon
C-Are intrested in said job?

Other things:

Post Count Disabled: basically posts in Mt. Moon don't contribute to forum post count. This discourages shit posts, PC++ behaviour and other useless junk.

While I don't think post count is an issue overly much anymore I guess this could work out. Personally the more I think about it with the current proposed guidelines, the more I think leaving it on wouldn't hurt. However given the spammy nature of the proposed forum.....
Meh......I can see both sides of it. Can't really comment either way *shrug*

No Anonymity: People seem to overwhelmingly disagree with Anonymity, and so do I, so I guess that is no longer an issue.

Goes without saying.

1 Hour between Thread Creation: Just to stop people spamming crap threads and to encourage fresh, varied content. Works on other boards. Can be extended or removed after the board is created.

Good idea on that one. I assume this would not have any kind of effect on posting normally across TPM?

Max 30 threads: I say a maximum of 30 threads at once, at least to begin with. We can either increase or decrease this limit after the forum's creation if we need to, but I say 30 is a pretty good benchmark.

How would this be implemented? Would the board instantly lock out the ability to make new threads upon reaching 30, or would it fall on the mods of the forum to delete the oldest threads that are #31 and up?

Place on the Forum: This is undecided. I am firmly against it being a subforum of Misc, but I say to begin with it goes in between Interactive and Archives. It can be moved later if we need to.

Doesn't overly matter to me either way.
_____________

That's basically my proposal.

I think the sooner we get it up and running, the better it will be. It's going to end up we're going to sit here arguing over minor details that can be edited very easily after it is created, so unless you have a very real pressing concern, I say we just go for it with this proposal. Too much time spent tinkering is time wasted.

If you're against the spam forum, which I see a few people are, then don't participate. Easy enough. I don't like Anime but that doesn't mean I am against a forum being there.

If you're worried about member behaviour becoming worse due to this, I say that this will actually improve attitudes as all the flaming and spam happens in one concentrated area, rather than people trying to derail decent threads in Misc and other forums.

over 9000? lol funnie jokez

How original.......

All in all I think I hit all the points and proposals pretty well.

[shazza]

So if the majority of us are in accordance with both Mt. Moon and condensing the forums, what more is to be said? When will action occur?

[mr_pikachu]

I've only scanned the full proposal, but I would like to pose one caveat....

Furthermore, apart from posting illegal content, it should be that you cannot get infracted on this board.

While I agree that things like spamming, flaming, etc. shouldn't be infraction-worthy on the new board, I would argue that limiting infractions solely to illegal content might make the ability to deal with spambots a bit... unclear.

Since Miscellaneous already seems to be targeted by bots more than other forums, I'd like to propose that the only infractions to be dealt on the new forum be for illegal content and/or bot accounts. Just a minor tweak, but worth noting.

As for when it will happen... as soon as you ask the admins for permission, I suppose.

[Master Rudy]

As for when it will happen... as soon as you ask the admins for permission, I suppose.

Would I be right in assuming it's up and running then, only hidden? Last I looked I still didn't see it.

[mr_pikachu]

If it's up and running, it's news to me. I haven't noticed any changes to the forum layout. That would likely have to be done by the admins... hence the necessity of a request.

[shazza]

Oi, Kevin, Little_Pikachu, Chris or Lady Vulpix, get the fuckin fuck in here cuntz

[Gavin Luper]

There's a difference between fun spam and advertising.

If you don't know, then gtfo.

Chill, dude. You're a mod, remember. Although I don't see that difference either really, but that's actually not what I meant. I meant, how is it more important to protect Mt. Moon from spambots than the rest of the actual forum?

Either way, it's open now. I guess this thread has served its purpose?

[Lady Vulpix]

I've been checking this thread (as well as the other), but I was waiting for people to come to an agreement. The forum is up now. I've done as much as I could to customize it as required.

Forum features:
-Must be logged in to view it.
-Must be an approved Mt. Moon poster to post (mods, supermods and admins are automatically approved).
-Postcounts are disabled.
-An announcement is in place, and so is a sticky topic by Heald.
-20 members have already been approved. Others may apply to the mods for approval (which is not really hard to get).

I would like a non-mod to test it and see if s/he can post. That's the only thing I haven't been able to test yet.

[abunaidesu]

"the first 20 or so members that came to mind"

lol.

and you idiots wonder why the last "spam" forum died.

e; judging by the quality of the current posts, i can see mt. moon is going to last.

[Heald]

In all fairness, yours was the second one that came to mind.

[kainashi]

e; judging by the quality of the current posts, i can see mt. moon is going to last.

post there then.

[Houndoom_Lover]

On this note, someone approve me, darnit. Not like I started the thread that help gave birth to it or anything, why should I be one of the twenty? :0

Edit: After just wasting ten mins in Fight Club, the private Mod forum, I have to say that this was my idea and...the negitivity with my named used in the same sentence. I'll remember that. No part of me ever wants to be a Mod...It's nice to see what you guys say about us with our backs turned.

[Blademaster]

Welcome to my world!

[kainashi]

On this note, someone approve me, darnit. Not like I started the thread that help gave birth to it or anything, why should I be one of the twenty? :0

Edit: After just wasting ten mins in Fight Club, the private Mod forum, I have to say that this was my idea and...the negitivity with my named used in the same sentence. I'll remember that. No part of me ever wants to be a Mod...It's nice to see what you guys say about us with our backs turned.

it's private for a reason.

[Houndoom_Lover]

Yeah, but I think I'm still allowed to be mildly upset. I didn't swear or rage or anything. I just felt bad. If at any moment you guys thought this was a mod hating flame thread, you could have just locked it down.

I thought....I don't know. I thought my friends had higher opionons of me. That I was well liked. Oh, I guess I'm not allowed in Mt. Moon anymore because I was upset?

I'm sorry. I just considered a few of those people my friends, is all. That's all...I'm sorry.

[Blademaster]

What the fuck I got booted out of the Mods' private asshole forum. OK, THAT I can understand. It is the Mods' private asshole forum, after all, but how the fuck did I get banned from MT. MOON? I've barely even posted there yet!

[kainashi]

i assume you guys will be allowed back in. suzie is probably messing around with forum settings because something caused the mod forum to be made public.

[Roy Karrde]

Hold on guys that was clearly a mistake I'll talk with who ever is incontrol of Mt Moon and get both of you back in.