New Guidelines

[Greg Bernhardt]

Here:
http://www.usmessageboard.com/showthread.php?p=517706

You can discuss

 

[Dr Grump]

Quite a few rules there Greg...bit anal, but not too bad I guess. As long as they apply to the moderators too, guess that's the way it is...

 

[Mr. P]

Quite a few rules there Greg...bit anal, but not too bad I guess. As long as they apply to the moderators too, guess that's the way it is...

Forget it Grump...

We reserve the right to change the guidelines at any time and will use a date stamp in the title.

Rules? LOLOLOL, only if you don't decent. I may be wrong.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Quite a few rules there Greg...bit anal, but not too bad I guess. As long as they apply to the moderators too, guess that's the way it is...

I don't think it's grossly larger than what Jim had up before. These do apply to mods. This is intended to illustrate and define what is expected. 99% of what goes on fits with these guidelines, so it's not as if you have to radically change. Any action we take will be according to these guidelines, so no mysteries.

 

[Shattered]

My goodness.. Whatever happened to not fixing something that wasn't broken?

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

My goodness.. Whatever happened to not fixing something that wasn't broken?

Are you still using a horse to get around, that worked for thousands of years. It's not as if I'm banning people left and right and locking threads. You'll see very little difference, but now you know what I expect out of this community.

 

[Shattered]

Are you still using a horse to get around, that worked for thousands of years. It's not as if I'm banning people left and right and locking threads. You'll see very little difference, but now you know what I expect out of this community.

Actually, what I see is that you've dropped from an average of 75-95 users a day to not anywhere near that.. And from 1000+ posts in a couple days span to ...again...not anywhere near that. But hey, to each his own.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Actually, what I see is that you've dropped from an average of 75-95 users a day to not anywhere near that.. And from 1000+ posts in a couple days span to ...again...not anywhere near that. But hey, to each his own.

I'm not going to argue over stats. It's true several of USMB's main regulars have decided to leave and that will naturally lower the posts temporarily. Once the new style is in place (a week) I'll advertise and should get a crop of new members.

 

[Shattered]

I'm not going to argue over stats. It's true several of USMB's main regulars have decided to leave and that will naturally lower the posts temporarily. Once the new style is in place (a week) I'll advertise and should get a crop of new members.

Good luck with that.

 

[Stephanie]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shattered
My goodness.. Whatever happened to not fixing something that wasn't broken?

Are you still using a horse to get around, that worked for thousands of years. It's not as if I'm banning people left and right and locking threads. You'll see very little difference, but now you know what I expect out of this community.

The above is the way that the New Owner of this Board speaks to his members.......


What a lovely way to speak to a lady of this board who has been a member for yrs......

Yeah.......... you bet........ we're still welcome here.....
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m268/alaskamomma/horse20sneeze.jpg
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m268/alaskamomma/meancats-vi.gif

My pictures were accepted awhile ago, but now there Not....Just click on the picture ..Url..

See Ya all.....




Scratch me off your list of the NEW VISION.....

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Happy Holidays Stephanie

 

[Stephanie]

Happy Holidays Stephanie

Merry Merry Christmas....

 

[jillian]

Are you still using a horse to get around, that worked for thousands of years. It's not as if I'm banning people left and right and locking threads. You'll see very little difference, but now you know what I expect out of this community.

Funny thing about that.... when horses were replaced by cars for getting around (in most places, anyway), it was an improvement in mobility and efficiency.

Of course, if we were still using horses, there'd be no global warming, OPEC would have no power and in the middle east, they'd still be using camels.

So... sometimes change good... sometimes not.

I would simply point out that when you buy an established community, it would behoove you to listen to what the members have to say. Near as I can tell, you haven't done that yet.

As for your "rules"... my own feel is you aren't a referee and neither are your mods.... there should only be intervention if someone is spamming, violating copyright laws, creating threads to harass another member, or if someone is truly abusive.... not because a thread goes off topic. (although someone trying to make every thread about the *same* topic falls under spamming).

But anyway....

 

[dilloduck]

Funny thing about that.... when horses were replaced by cars for getting around (in most places, anyway), it was an improvement in mobility and efficiency.

Of course, if we were still using horses, there'd be no global warming, OPEC would have no power and in the middle east, they'd still be using camels.

So... sometimes change good... sometimes not.

I would simply point out that when you buy an established community, it would behoove you to listen to what the members have to say. Near as I can tell, you haven't done that yet.

As for your "rules"... my own feel is you aren't a referee and neither are your mods.... there should only be intervention if someone is spamming, violating copyright laws, creating threads to harass another member, or if someone is truly abusive.... not because a thread goes off topic. (although someone trying to make every thread about the *same* topic falls under spamming).

But anyway....

Harassing and abusive have become quite subjective. Someone has to draw the line.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I would simply point out that when you buy an established community, it would behoove you to listen to what the members have to say. Near as I can tell, you haven't done that yet.

Trust me I have read all the opinions here and at Jim's other board. But understand this, what fun is making a huge commitment with buying a community and then not being able to do anything with it. It's like buying a house and then leaving all the past owners things in it. I'm the new captain of this ship and I have new ideas on where I want to take us. Unlike the old days you can jump ship without me trying to kill you! But I've done this before with many other communities and they've all turned out for the better so I have a little cocky faith in myself. My only goal is to increase quality and increase production. Meaning if in a few months the discussion is of higher quality and we have more active members then I consider myself successful.

As for your "rules"... my own feel is you aren't a referee and neither are your mods.... there should only be intervention if someone is spamming, violating copyright laws, creating threads to harass another member, or if someone is truly abusive.... not because a thread goes off topic. (although someone trying to make every thread about the *same* topic falls under spamming).

Natural thread progression and thread hijacking are two different things. You'll find I know how to tell the difference. The rules seem vast, but most of them should be common sense and in reality I've had to use them very little so the impact is not great. Aside from a few members who already have been handled most everyone followed such guidelines anyway.

 

[jillian]

Trust me I have read all the opinions here and at Jim's other board. But understand this, what fun is making a huge commitment with buying a community and then not being able to do anything with it. It's like buying a house and then leaving all the past owners things in it.

Actually, that's not a good analogy. A better one is someone buying an apartment building with tenants in it and deciding to change the level of services without consultation. It's certainly the landlord's right, but it doesn't make for very good landlord/tenant relations.

I'm the new captain of this ship and I have new ideas on where I want to take us.

Perhaps, but from what I can see it's more like someone trying to throw his weight around without giving reasons for it. Again, it's certainly the captain's right, but it can lead to mutiny.

Unlike the old days you can jump ship without me trying to kill you!

Yes. But to go back to my landlord/tenant analogy, If your goal is to constructively evict the tenants, and replace them with new ones, I suppose that's true.

But I've done this before with many other communities and they've all turned out for the better so I have a little cocky faith in myself. My only goal is to increase quality and increase production. Meaning if in a few months the discussion is of higher quality and we have more active members then I consider myself successful.

You keep the same mod staff (with exceptions who are just fine) and you'll find the same problems that existed before. I think the problem is that you've refused to say what your "vision" is. It might be a good one. I have no way of knowing. So perhaps you'll be more specific?

Natural thread progression and thread hijacking are two different things. You'll find I know how to tell the difference. The rules seem vast, but most of them should be common sense and in reality I've had to use them very little so the impact is not great. Aside from a few members who already have been handled most everyone followed such guidelines anyway.

I agree there's a difference. What RWA was doing was "thread hijacking". He likes doing that. It's kind of a "look at me" thing. But the threads giving input on the board, IMO, were

When I was a mod for one of SONY's sites, they insisted we be pretty hands off because the members are supposed to guide their own conversation... not the mods and not the board admins. I think they had the right idea for the most part, though I think a little more hands on in certain instances would have been a good thing.

 

[Said1]

but now you know what I expect out of this community.

 

[The ClayTaurus]

I think the problem is that you've refused to say what your "vision" is. It might be a good one. I have no way of knowing. So perhaps you'll be more specific?

He's welcome to correct me, but I'd imagine his main vision is return on his investment.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

He's welcome to correct me, but I'd imagine his main vision is return on his investment.

It's one vision of course, I need to eat just like anyone else. But if all I cared about was money, I'd be an idiot to take over a politics community rather than technology, investing or travel. There is very little advertising money here.

btw, if you want me to think of you Jillian, as a Tenant, rent is due by the first

 

[Jimmyeatworld]

Well, I have to agree that Greg paid for it, he can do as he pleases. Just like any other business venture, it's a good idea to listen to the customers that are already there, but ultimately it's the owners choice of what to do with it. If enough changes are made that the old customers leave, maybe new ones will come, maybe they won't. That's just the chance that is taken.

That said... If it ain't broke, don't fix it.