We want Forum Feedback!

[~!~]

I also think the image for a locked thread should be different. The burned scroll implies, I think, that someone has misbehaved.

[TPishek]

Yes, but I am one of the people who tries to advertise the mentoring Project as much as possible. It is still the best way to lead new members through Forums and DC.

 

And I don't see why new members need warm individual welcome (I won't need it, for example). A lot of members register just to trade and read news, they don't need friendship, or warm relationship with people here, and they don't want to be a part of Forum community. So, I think you're trying to make formal procedure non-formal. When you attend to school, college or university, do you receive personal greetings from staff? Even if you do, it's cool, but unnecessary.

I'm not saying that everyone needs a totally unique warm welcome. I'm just saying that many times, I've seen someone who's been playing for a while but just now joining the forum post a specific question or two with their introduction, and then all the copypasta completely ignores their questions. I wouldn't mind it so much if it was "<copypasted message> Oh, and to answer your question, that dragon is a Split and it can only breed with other Splits, so that's why nothing shows up on its breeding list." But as it is, it gives the impression that people aren't even reading your (the OP's) post.

 

To compare it to your college example, I might not expect a personal greeting from staff, but if I went to a professor and said "Hello Dr. Frye, what is the difference between a chylomicron and a low-density lipoprotein?" I would expect him to answer the question, not just give me a phone number for the tutoring center.

 

When you want to see a single post, the link would take you TO THAT POST, not to the page it was supposed to be on. (And post numbers showing, so when someone asks where x is, you could say “post ### in this thread”)

I've never had a problem with that... for instance, the link to your post is http://forums.dragcave.net/index.php?showt...dpost&p=4653249. You just have to click the "Posted" link at the top of the post (or from a search, the "Post Preview" link) rather than copying the url for the entire page.

[superguy16]

I think we should be allowed to argue about warns, as in, why we believe we shouldn't have gotten them. I was recently warned for "Making a post that did not contribute to the discussion" when I (In my mind at least) was making an implication without actually typing it. I pmed the mod and she claimed that she understood, but could not take away the warn because too many people reported it. I do NOT believe the mods should work like that, if too many reports = a warn no matter what, TJ could have a bot do it. I believe that if I had explained myself to the people who had reported me, they wouldn't have done so.

[dragon_mando]

While being able to have the possibility of having a warn removed would be nice, being able to contest it seems to me like it's a major breeding ground for strife between the warned person, the mods, and the people who hit the button (unless they still remain anon through the process)

[crazywargod]

I don't mind warns really. They are there to give you a reminder of wrongdoing. Though I think unless it is for things like rudeness if you convince the mod of your innocence the warn should be removed, or the percentage it comes with at least.

[Walker]

Actually, anyone and everyone has the right to discuss/contest a warn with the mod that gave it (preferably through private means like PM), and if they refuse to take it away and the member still believes it is unfair, you have every right to approach TJ about the situation. If you believe a warn is unfair, you aren't stuck having to 'live with it'. There are channels you can go through. So, if you are still unhappy about your warn, feel free to approach TJ on the matter. If TJ agrees with the warn too, well then, it's probably going to stay. If he doesn't, it'll be removed. There are instances where a mod will remove their own warns though; we aren't heartless stuck-in-the-muds that refuse to look at things from a different angle. We can be reasoned with.

 

As for people who report, they are not brought into the discussion at all. Reports are meant to remain anonymous except for between the mods. We will not bring someone into a conversation just because they reported it nor would we tell the person that earned a warn who reported them. Reports are completely confidential.

 

I'm not saying all of you should be tripping over your own feet to contest warns. This is only a procedure for ones that are truly unfair.

[iarsma]

When you want to see a single post, the link would take you TO THAT POST, not to the page it was supposed to be on. (And post numbers showing, so when someone asks where x is, you could say “post ### in this thread”)

When you have your posts-per-page amount set to a different number than the person who posted that link, it wonks up the URL and you just get sent to the page. Also when posts get deleted, moved, etc it messes it up. So we do have this, it's just lacking a bit of finesse in regards to some things.

[~!~]

I hate thanks boxes, incidentally (saw them suggested) as they tend to lead to popularity contests. We have enough drarmar here ! Karma would be EVEN WORSE.

How about a Facebook-esque "Like?" Might help cut down on "quote + This./QFT" posts and random instances of "I agree." Also, a like-counter would be a much better way to measure how much a member contributes than just a post count.

 

Also, I don't think karma would cause that much trouble, if it were just positive and everybody started out at 0. In fact, I think most people would be pretty low because they would never do anything particularly spectacular. I used to use an RP forum that had a system like that, and I never saw any bawwing over it.

[Fuzzbucket]

When you have your posts-per-page amount set to a different number than the person who posted that link, it wonks up the URL and you just get sent to the page. Also when posts get deleted, moved, etc it messes it up. So we do have this, it's just lacking a bit of finesse in regards to some things.

Exactly - so if it said in POST 483 in this thread, rather than page 27, that would get around it - OR if you could have a link which brought up a SINGLE POST (works in VBB) that would who JUST the post required. Not the rest of the thread at all.

[TJ09]

http://forums.dragcave.net/index.php?showt...dpost&p=4654856

 

These links automatically calculate which page to take you to. I just set the forum to 5 posts per page and it still took me to the right place. (oh god this topic has 67 pages.)

[Fuzzbucket]

http://forums.dragcave.net/index.php?showt...dpost&p=4654856

 

These links automatically calculate which page to take you to. I just set the forum to 5 posts per page and it still took me to the right place. (oh god this topic has 67 pages.)

But it would be great if it went to the actual POST... some people who are asking for help don't seem to be able to look through a page of posts before giving up.... Is it actually not possible with invisionzone ?

[TJ09]

It does scroll right to the specific post.

[Aviatus]

Karma? No.....

 

I've seen it done on other forums and it turned into a heckload of drama, some people took it too seriously and it led to a bunch of warns, flame wars, and hurt feelings all around. It's just not worth it

[Amur_Rama]

One thing that might help newbies feel more welcome is less copy/paste posts in their introduction thread, and more actually reading what they said and responding to it. I've been reading some of those threads lately, and have been somewhat appalled by the string of identical posts copied and pasted in reply, by people who haven't actually even read the first post and seem what the op was looking for.

I really do agree with this one. There is a lot of copy/pasting there, and if it's a standard form a bot could do it. To be truthful, up until about a week ago I didn't even realize that Z wasn't a bot.

 

It would probably also help if mods did post more as "regular" users. The only mod who seems somewhat human to me is SockPuppetStrangler, and that's only because they occasionally chime in during threads in a non-modlike fashion.

 

 

Also, there's nothing wrong with karma if there's a limit on it. However, I suspect an interface to handle it would require both PHP and MySQL and a lot more CSS action than the forum currently uses. It would have to be moved to make it work.

[superguy16]

The general discussion mods often post in things like to CPA and participate in threads, just the global moderators and a few of the older mods seem detached.

[~!~]

I've got an idea concerning the mods. Maybe instead of individual members being promoted to moderators, there could be a few special moderator accounts. For instance, all the S&R mods would know the password to an account named "S&R Mod," and when they need to do some modding they could log in as it instead of their usual accounts, which would just have regular user status.

[crazywargod]

I actually knew nix and kif before they became mods so I know they are very much human. Maybe I just post in the same threads they do but I see a non-mod-like post from them every now and then. Not as much as before they were mods but then they're mods now. Mods are users with the task of keeping these forums as friendly as possible. So I think it is safe to assume that whether they want to post more often or not they are busy people. But they will post when they can.

[Eruru]

I think we should have a CAPS LOCK section of the forums. There's this other forums I'm part of that has a CAPS LOCK section, and the nice thing about it is it's completely insane. It's a good way for people to vent, joke around, and release some of their pent up silliness. People who don't like that level of absurdity don't have to go anywhere near it, whereas people who DO get to have a blast "screaming" their heads off about anything from what they ate for breakfast to what they wanted to say that day but didn't. It's incredibly fun and allows people to have a place for all that craziness so they can behave themselves better on the rest of the forums.

[skinst]

Why not just a Capslock thread instead?

[TJ09]

Isn't that the rant thread?

[Eruru]

Isn't that the rant thread?

Nope. D8 I'm not talking about just ranting, I'm talking about anything from rambling on about why you love caps lock to what kinds of cheeses lactose intolerant people can eat. Stuff that would basically be considered spam anywhere else.

[wonton55912]

The rant thread is pretty much the caps thread.

Admin 'd me

 

Er... I thought this board wasn't supposed to have spam...

I would like a caps section but I just don't think it'll work out.

Edited December 31, 2010 by wonton55912

[crocodile100]

Well yeah. I more meant by what's allowed and what's not. So that means nothing overly violent and/or ****ographic, but the discussion of ****ography (nonspecific) would be ok.

 

I think we need what this guy says ^^^^

[Vhale]

I'm a little confused by the copypasta discussion. It's giving me the impression that there is a chunk of people that read the welcomes and think they are lacking... but don't post what they think would help it. It being the thread they think is lacking at the time they are reading it. Why? To me, Z's form posts DO provide a valuable function for links and info and the more personalized feel. Would it be more appropriate to form a welcoming committee group of users that enjoy going into that forum and adding a personal touch?

Edited December 31, 2010 by Vhale

[crazywargod]

I'm a little confused by the copypasta discussion. It's giving me the impression that there is a chunk of people that read the welcomes and think they are lacking... but don't post what they think would help it. It being the thread they think is lacking at the time they are reading it. Why? To me, Z's form posts DO provide a valuable function for links and info and the more personalized feel. Would it be more appropriate to form a welcoming committee group of users that enjoy going into that forum and adding a personal touch?

That wasn't the point. The point was that while Z's copy/paste is helpful and isn't a problem it is the OTHER users copy/paste instead of just answering the OP's question. So while all the links are helpful, if the OP has a question in the OP it should be answered instead of the 4 or 5 copy/paste link posts.

Edited December 31, 2010 by crazywargod