A Request

[milothedog]

As we can all see another post has been moved and closed. Given the situation it was probably the only course of action left if we are going to try and get back to normal (that for me is what it was like when I joined in 2009)

So can I request that a "Sticky, locked thread" for admin use only in the Club section and not in the public gaze is set up. I feel this will address and help with defusing any potential future issues if people have a clear understanding of what has taken place and actions taken. I respect what Steve has done for us (especially as he is on Holiday as well) So thank you Steve, it is appreciated. but I should imagine that I'm not alone in feeling I would have liked to have known a little more, i.e. nature of complaints, maybe even the specific post in question (if appropriate) numbers of reports etc. At least then an individual could raise any issues or questions they have directly via pm to the admin/mod team. Or even use the Report button on the Sticky Thread.

I have posted this on the general forum as I feel will get a wider audience but have no issues with it being moved if others feel that's where it should be.

Happy New Year to all

Ian

[73stagman]

Other Triumph forums have a similar "section" as Ian is proposing.
In that section they explain that they have requests to posters to delete posts that break the rules. If the post isnt removed by the original poster in the required number of hours they remove the thread and / or the post and post the reasons behind the decision. The descision is not up for discussion and is not changed but the posters and forum members can all acquaint themselves with the reasons for the post being edited or moderated if they wish...
There are also clearly defined regulations under which the forum is operated. For example (and only as an example) Absolutely no sales are allowed. This is clearly stated in the rules and any link to ebay, or other websites advertising things for sale are strictly prohibited and removed. If adverts persist warnings are issued and the culprits are named in this "moderators" section..Further posts get the poster banned for a period or even permanently..

[milothedog]

Neil,

126 views and one reply (1 pm and 1 email) suggest that people are not bothered and happy to just carry on as is, shame but so be it. The strange thing is so many keep saying if you want change do something about it, well here's an opportunity Only my views


Ian.

[Goldstar]

I agree with you Ian, transparency would be a good thing, especially after what we have just been through. As Neil says, no discussion on the decision but some background on what the mods are doing would be very helpful and would probably help to set a better tone as forumites get a 'flavour' for what is and what isn't in the spirit of the rules. I do understand that mods have lives as well so the trick is to make it useful without being too onerous.

[Kevin Garrod]

Fwiw, I think that something along the lines of what you're suggesting would be good.
I think you'll have to contact Carl directly rather than wait for a response to this thread.
I had an acknowledgment from him regarding my recent question to admin, but have heard no more since, however he has just moved house and I'm aware of the time of year etc.

I also think that some sort of off-topic area or sub-forum might be needed, at least one mod I've messaged agrees.

Any thoughts on this?

[Steve JP]

I think you are all right in your thinking, in the past Carl has asked for comments on the structure of the forum on more than 1 occasion (i think) and I have been one who has said the same, provide an area for topics not confined to the Stag, but not necessarily a jokes only sub heading. Has it happened? What is the point of these suggestions if they are just ignored? Will there be a new approach for the New Year? We can but hope.

[DJT]

Twice recently, in different threads, I have suggested a section where reasons for moderation are placed for all to see. I have also suggested this directly to Carl. Personally I have no problem with links to sales, the Traders section, etc. as long as it doesn't get abused. So far I've seen very little that worries me in that department and I think it works well.

[stagmuffin]

Neil,

126 views and one reply (1 pm and 1 email) suggest that people are not bothered and happy to just carry on as is, shame but so be it. The strange thing is so many keep saying if you want change do something about it, well here's an opportunity Only my views


Ian.

Hi ian ,in response to this post you have allowed only 6hrs and 39 minutes to pass before making the blanket statement that no one cares ... well i believe people do ,ive been otherwise buisy today but getting told off from my wife for spending so much time looking in while we are away on holiday I guess others have work and more important issues also . I have not commented as yet as i wanted to gauge reaction to your post but doesnt mean i dont care i do very much and think this is a good idea but as i dont make rules and nere do any mods this should be raised with carl i suggest. so maybe you can email the salient points to him directly for his approval .this cant hurt and as you suggest maybe good for transparency and alay any fears of overly zealous moderation .
Cheers
Steve

[milothedog]

Hi ian ,in response to this post you have allowed only 6hrs and 39 minutes to pass before making the blanket statement that no one cares ... well i believe people do ,ive been otherwise buisy today but getting told off from my wife for spending so much time looking in while we are away on holiday I guess others have work and more important issues also . I have not commented as yet as i wanted to gauge reaction to your post but doesnt mean i dont care i do very much and think this is a good idea but as i dont make rules and nere do any mods this should be raised with carl i suggest. so maybe you can email the salient points to him directly for his approval .this cant hurt and as you suggest maybe good for transparency and alay any fears of overly zealous moderation .
Cheers
Steve

Steve, this was in no way aimed at you or any individual and if I have upset / offended you or anyone else I apologize and regret doing so. I simply replied to Neil's thread and added it was only my views. Another classic example of the written word not being put across / taken in the correct way as it would if said in a personal conversion maybe .


Ian

[stagmuffin]

Thats a double then ian as im not offended at all at all, i think this idea is a good one as djt has stated its kinda hard to get heard at present ,so go for it with an email to carl i support you in this.sometimes a thread can have 150 hits but when i look there are only 6members on line that might explain the slow response so dont give up to soon.going out now to excersise my arm at the bar and get some dinner been at the pool all day need to chill now lol
Cheers
Steve

[Guest]

The sole reason why I became a moderator here was because I really disliked the "secretive" way that posts and threads were removed - no feedback, no explanation, nothing. I think that since the four latest moderators have been appointed, that situation has improved and moderators do enagage but I am not sure that is the case with those "higher up" than moderators and I see a very stuffy, old fashioned attitude prevailing higher up along the lines of "this is how we want to do it, so the members can just put up with it". I could be wrong on that and will be happy to be proved so.

Ian's suggestion to use the model used on another Triumph forum has lots of merit but, as Paul (Goldstar) says, we can't make things too onerous on people who volunteer their time to moderate. I just don't see that I would want to have an obligation to write down on thread the whole in's and out's of every reported post and / or moderated decision as I have more things in my life than that and you wouldn't beleive the number of really petty things that get serially reported by a few members.

Like most of us I frequent a number of forums and I just don't see people arguing about moderation as happens here. For anyone who reads the forum's rules and has a fairly balanced sense of what is right and wrong to say, it should be fairly clear why a lot of the problem posts / threads are moderated and why actions are as they are and I don't see too much need to have that explained in a post by a moderator. For example, and using a rule I don't agree with at all, the forum rules say "it would normally be inappropriate to use this forum to expound your political views, seek guidance on your investments, share your favourite receipes, replay last night's match, set the world in order, tell jokes or post inappropriate images which you may find amusing. Joke threads are therefore specifically not allowed and jokes within threads will normally be delete", so if / when a moderator does just that why does it need an explanation?

I would love to see this forum back on track with everyone enjoying themselves and, as I keep saying, if people are unhappy then they need to band together and get the issues raised at National Committee level and, perhaps, put themsleves up for election in some of the roles that would have influence on the way the forum operates. As Ian pointed out, a lot of people seem to have read his post but not posted, which seems to indicate that the unhappiness is restricted to a smallish number of people - again I could be wrong but it's not what I am seeing and is certainly the view I have had expressed to me by those higher up.

In a nutshell, the SOC should be run the way it's members want and not necessarily to suit elected officials, but it's up to everyone who is unhappy to do something about it rather than just complain on thread.

[GDPR]

Good reply Ian - everyone here knows you have more pressing demands on your time so I appreciate the time you have taken both with your reply and the time you give to moderating.

I fear that even if some efforts were made to become appointed to the commitee there may well be opposition from the old guard to change. It would seem then more equitable for some relaxation in the rules, and/or somewhere to take a thread if it is going off topic.

I further appreciate you are now a moderator short - I know it would be looked upon dimly by some, and probably Carl too, but I am willing to go public and put myself forward, in a poacher turned gamekeeper sort of way, as the replacement for the missing one.

What do you reckon? As an employer of 250 people I am not undiplomatic and used to settling disputes without resorting to giving them P45s or writing hitlists.

Anyone (apart from the few I guess will automatically against me even holding membership) object to that idea?

Russ

[Guest]

Thanks for the kind comments Russ.

I for one would be more than happy to have you as a moderator, as I think have all the skills needed. It will be interesting to see what others think.

[milothedog]

The sole reason why I became a moderator here was because I really disliked the "secretive" way that posts and threads were removed - no feedback, no explanation, nothing. I think that since the four latest moderators have been appointed, that situation has improved and moderators do enagage but I am not sure that is the case with those "higher up" than moderators and I see a very stuffy, old fashioned attitude prevailing higher up along the lines of "this is how we want to do it, so the members can just put up with it". I could be wrong on that and will be happy to be proved so.

Ian's suggestion to use the model used on another Triumph forum has lots of merit but, as Paul (Goldstar) says, we can't make things too onerous on people who volunteer their time to moderate. I just don't see that I would want to have an obligation to write down on thread the whole in's and out's of every reported post and / or moderated decision as I have more things in my life than that and you wouldn't beleive the number of really petty things that get serially reported by a few members.

Like most of us I frequent a number of forums and I just don't see people arguing about moderation as happens here. For anyone who reads the forum's rules and has a fairly balanced sense of what is right and wrong to say, it should be fairly clear why a lot of the problem posts / threads are moderated and why actions are as they are and I don't see too much need to have that explained in a post by a moderator. For example, and using a rule I don't agree with at all, the forum rules say "it would normally be inappropriate to use this forum to expound your political views, seek guidance on your investments, share your favourite receipes, replay last night's match, set the world in order, tell jokes or post inappropriate images which you may find amusing. Joke threads are therefore specifically not allowed and jokes within threads will normally be delete", so if / when a moderator does just that why does it need an explanation?

I would love to see this forum back on track with everyone enjoying themselves and, as I keep saying, if people are unhappy then they need to band together and get the issues raised at National Committee level and, perhaps, put themsleves up for election in some of the roles that would have influence on the way the forum operates. As Ian pointed out, a lot of people seem to have read his post but not posted, which seems to indicate that the unhappiness is restricted to a smallish number of people - again I could be wrong but it's not what I am seeing and is certainly the view I have had expressed to me by those higher up.

In a nutshell, the SOC should be run the way it's members want and not necessarily to suit elected officials, but it's up to everyone who is unhappy to do something about it rather than just complain on thread.

Thanks Ian, good informative post as usual. Just to clarify, I'm not suggesting a blow by blow account. just something brief like CT have.

Re getting involved, that's a difficult one.

I like to think I do a lot for the Club if I can, for the last 3 years I have organised most of the events for my Area, Something like the Bromley Pageant for instance can take lot of my time. And given the number of Stags that went to Brooklands in the Summer I was surprised that only myself and one other forum member volunteered to help Carl set up and stay behind to take down the club stand. I understand that people have busy lives and time is precious, but if we are to continue and grow as you say there has got to be input from others.

Food for thought folks.

HNY to you all.

Ian.

[robbo]

I have been following this with interest and to have Russ as a moderator is an excellent idea. I for one miss his knowledge on the forum and having him as a mod would defiantly balance things up.
Rob.