New forum for member feedback

[Cookie Monster]

This is my nomination that I originally made in staff:

I like Brooke simply because she reminds me of MOG is some ways. She in good standing with most of the regular members here, and I've never seen her act out of line. In fact she's never received a warning or an infraction. And she's been with us since '08.

We should think of a few people we'd like to have on staff and let the members vote from that group. It's about time they have a say in who joins the team. Last time they had the opportunity to do so, they selected Dacon. Not a bad choice, imho.

 

[looneymoon]

I support Brooke, Kat, Splintered and Null as candidates.

 

[Joker]

I suggested Omega

...what.

is this for real or am I in Bizarro World

 

[Octo]

I nominate Kat, Brooke, GLD, and Octo.

I am oddly touched also....in my special place

I dunno if I truly have the 'eye of the tiger' though

Anyways, I like this idea (the new forum for member feedback) its not mandatory by any means, but if people want to use it hopefully it can contain drama.

Cos we know what its like, someone has a beef with a mod or another member and then it manages to spill out into 9000+ pages of TLDR where everyone else wades in with their baggage and we all get stomach ulcers and hemorrhoids and PTSD as a result. Anything that can minimise the potential for that happening can only be a good thing if you ask me.

And if people find that their concerns are not addressed properly in the private forum, then they can always go public with it right?

 

[Joker]

That hasn't worked well in the past.

 

[Tennyo]

It's really not going to be like that. AT ALL.

Also, you other punk ass motherfucking staff members need to get in here. FFS, we're finally having the discussion everyone has wanted, and none of you bitches are on.

I was at work, let me read through the thread.

 

[Gym Leader Devil]

Alright, gonna feel a little foolish saying this but...

I been thinking about this thread for a bit now, especially since seeing that Fangu thinks I'm an obvious choice. Gotta admit, its a little awkward in my head, I've said many a time during staff reviews and similar talks that I don't envy the mod types the responsibility they take on to keep this place working. At the same time, I've always believed that if someone doesn't really want authority, that increases the chances that they can be trusted with it. So (though I'd certainly never have asked for it) I suppose if it were actually offered to me I'd take it? Idk, this place has been good for me. I got good friends here, and you guys have given me tons of entertainment and good times. Helped me keep my head sort of straight during the bad times too. And I certainly have the free time for it right now (even when I find a job/baby is born I can't imagine not getting on most every day). So yeah, it still seems rather unlikely to me that enough folks would WANT me on staff... but if they do yeah, I'd feel bad not doing anything I can to help around here.

 

[Octo]

That hasn't worked well in the past.

Perhaps so, but as this new fourm isn't going to replace the other routes of feedback I don't see the harm.

Personally it's an option I'd want to have, because the PM system takes ages and I'd want other mods to be able to see it, but not the entire memberbase (for the reasons I said above). I doubt I'm the only person who feels that way.

 

[Tennyo]

I'm not entirely sure I'm comfortable with the idea of a forum equivalent of taking a prisoner out into the showers in the middle of the night so all the guards can beat him half to death before going back to laugh about it in their club house with a pack of smokes.

Dude, you make it sound like we are just waiting in the shadows holding paddles all just waiting for the first pledge to come along. lol

I don't think that is going to happen, though. If I'm there, you better believe I fucking won't let it.

 

[Cat Rage Room]

And regarding that - don't worry guys, the Staff subforum is a very dull place. There are occasional random discussions not started by a report, like Road mentioned (larger spambot issues) but also discussions regarding the whole of TLS, as in "the registering email system isn't working", which are Admin topics really. IMO there should still be a subforum for discrete details like that. Why should Yop have to reveal technical (= vulnerable) details about the technicalities of the site/forum to the entire public? And/or why should he have to email everyone related when he has a discussion engine right here to do it? Not all topics in that section is about member conflicts - not at all. And like MOG says, when discussing TLS content, it's good to have a place to discuss stuff that's not even in 'Beta' yet, whether it be an article or a different type of content. The Front Page stuff is right now happening over PM's, Skype, IRC and in documentation now, just to have that mentioned.

I'm all for sharing as much as possible, but you'd still need some sort of section for stuff that just isn't interesting (or safety compromising) to the rest of the forum. (The forum/site is not just 'a space in the Internet', there are random stuff that needs to be handled.) Another thing is that it's easier to lose track of stuff going on if everything has to be done by PM or emails.

Fangu nailed it. Trust me, I've been here since literally the beginning (I'm the 8th member here!) and the Staff forum has never been about that. If anything the issues with Staff have usually been due to inactivity, lack of communication, and incompetence, not the lack of transparency.

 

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Okay, what 25 members?

Who demanded he be banned?

Yo!


EDIT:

Also

Dude, you make it sound like we are just waiting in the shadows holding paddles all just waiting for the first pledge to come along. lol

I don't think that is going to happen, though. If I'm there, you better believe I fucking won't let it.

 

[Madame Mayor]

I want to start off by saying thank you for the kind words and nominations everyone. I would be interested in discussing the possibility of being on staff. It sounds like there will be voting and I highly approve of that too. I recall I've said I'd be for voting in staff in the past. At least to see visually how many people would be comfortable with certain members being elected to staff.


but here's the super serious important question








can i still be the mayor

i also just realized this would ruin my 'only non-mod to win most helpful' claim
DECISIONS

okay all of that is for lulz but seriously being the mayor feels important and i tell people irl "i'm the mayor of a bunch of final fantasy nerds" because im proud of you guys <3

 

[Octo]

can i still be the mayor

off course ma'am!

Actually in my befuddled brain I thought you are/were a mod already Brooke. God I'm an eejit

 

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Im sure yop could just make a new member classification that mimics the mods but is named Mayor

 

[Alex]

Why did you have to have such an extreme knee-jerk reaction to this? I know the shit some mods have done lately hasn't inspired much confidence at all, but immediately jumping to the conclusion that the staff is going to abuse this new system isn't helping things.

Like I said before, I have no objection to the idea in theory. But in practice, here on this forum, its just a idea. With so many people in the dark and confused about how and why staff makes decisions the way it does, it hardly seems like a good idea to throw up more barriers between members and the actual forum where the decision-making process takes place. Providing yet another opportunity for staff to say one thing to people's faces whilst properly discussing (or ignoring, as is par for the course due to staff inactivity) it behind people's backs is just a really meh way of avoiding the bee in the many people's bonnets.

I can understand wanting to get the members more involved in the problem-solving process but past experience with the current staff team tells me that isn't what this will turn out to be.

It was also a joke. But hey, whatever. Lets roll with it and see what happens.

Also new moderators: Brooke is the obvious choice. GLD is also a pretty nifty nomination. Both could offer a very fresh perspective and are extremely approachable.

 

[Alessa Gillespie]

Why did you have to have such an extreme knee-jerk reaction to this? I know the shit some mods have done lately hasn't inspired much confidence at all, but immediately jumping to the conclusion that the staff is going to abuse this new system isn't helping things.

the implication that mods can and have told regular members about the content of reports so that they could get personal feedback as to whether or not they feel the complaint is legitimate/so they can bully the other member behind their back does not inspire confidence. heck, a lot of staff interactions with members has not inspired my confidence as of late.

 

[Ryushikaze]

I want to start off by saying thank you for the kind words and nominations everyone. I would be interested in discussing the possibility of being on staff. It sounds like there will be voting and I highly approve of that too. I recall I've said I'd be for voting in staff in the past. At least to see visually how many people would be comfortable with certain members being elected to staff.


but here's the super serious important question








can i still be the mayor

i also just realized this would ruin my 'only non-mod to win most helpful' claim
DECISIONS

okay all of that is for lulz but seriously being the mayor feels important and i tell people irl "i'm the mayor of a bunch of final fantasy nerds" because im proud of you guys <3

There is nothing from keeping Yop from changing the Mayor group into a Super Mod with a different name.

Like I said before, I have no objection to the idea in theory. But in practice, here on this forum, its just a idea. With so many people in the dark and confused about how and why staff makes decisions the way it does, it hardly seems like a good idea to throw up more barriers between members and the actual forum where the decision-making process takes place. Providing yet another opportunity for staff to say one thing to people's faces whilst properly discussing (or ignoring, as is par for the course due to staff inactivity) it behind people's backs is just a really meh way of avoiding the bee in the many people's bonnets.

Except the entire idea here is for people to be able to have all of staff's ear and talk to and with all of staff without HAVING- key word HAVING- to reveal what their issue was or the feedback they got.
Nothing stops them from doing that.
The whole point is to make it easier to contact all of staff directly without HAVING to air your greivances for the whole world to see, but there's nothing mandatory about it.

I can understand wanting to get the members more involved in the problem-solving process but past experience with the current staff team tells me that isn't what this will turn out to be.

It was also a joke. But hey, whatever. Lets roll with it and see what happens.

Please do. The only way it will even start to work is if people decide to use it.

the implication that mods can and have told regular members about the content of reports so that they could get personal feedback as to whether or not they feel the complaint is legitimate/so they can bully the other member behind their back does not inspire confidence. heck, a lot of staff interactions with members has not inspired my confidence as of late.

Sometimes, reports we receive have almost no explanation or context. Not everything is automatically a violation of the rules. Sometimes, we have to look into things, to figure out what, exactly, the complaint IS. So we have to ask questions.

Beleive it or not, the staff doesn't want to dismiss your complaints out of hand. But sometimes, people make it very hard for us to deal with them, either because of too little information, contradictory information, and sometimes their general attitude with the person involved or on the forum as a whole.
You get frustrated with us, and as it turns out, we get frustrated with all of you at times and sometimes it seems BY all of you.

It just.... it feels like the verdict has been handed in before the trial has begun. That's extremely disheartening, folks.

 

[Alessa Gillespie]

Sometimes, reports we receive have almost no explanation or context. Not everything is automatically a violation of the rules. Sometimes, we have to look into things, to figure out what, exactly, the complaint IS. So we have to ask questions.

Beleive it or not, the staff doesn't want to dismiss your complaints out of hand. But sometimes, people make it very hard for us to deal with them, either because of too little information, contradictory information, and sometimes their general attitude with the person involved or on the forum as a whole.
You get frustrated with us, and as it turns out, we get frustrated with all of you at times and sometimes it seems BY all of you.

It just.... it feels like the verdict has been handed in before the trial has begun. That's extremely disheartening, folks.

which doesn't even touch on the idea of the fact they are supposed to be confidential and it has been openly discussed with regular members. PRIVACY. DO WE HAVE IT.

 

[Zee]

if a member wants the comfort of anonymity: pm/messaging

if the member feels like the complaint is worth discussing with the community: they use the forum

idk maybe it's just me but if i'm going to post a complaint on the forum where all the mods/staff can see and respond then privacy is not exactly my number one concern

the implication that mods can and have told regular members about the content of reports so that they could get personal feedback as to whether or not they feel the complaint is legitimate/so they can bully the other member behind their back does not inspire confidence. heck, a lot of staff interactions with members has not inspired my confidence as of late.

thiiiiis

 

[Sheva Alomar]

Let's see here: Brooke, Kat, Splintered, GLD, Brent, Null, Keeno are my picks of people who should potentially be added to staff(I may have forgotten someone due to shit memory).

We need to make a voting thread for these folks and other nominated, I reckon.

 

[Octo]

if a member wants the comfort of anonymity: pm/messaging

if the member feels like the complaint is worth discussing with the community: they use the forum

idk maybe it's just me but if i'm going to post a complaint on the forum where all the mods/staff can see and respond then privacy is not exactly my number one concern

But for those of us who would want that, then this forum idea is ideal. PM/Messaging is a massive pain in the arse if you want to involve more than 2 people.

Nobody is obliged to use the new forum if they don't want to.

 

[Zee]

Nobody is obliged to use the new forum if they don't want to.

except i'd like to use it but not as it is now??????

 

[Carlie]

I nominate Brooke (like Octo I thought she was a mod already), Octo, GLD, Masa and Kat.

 

[Octo]

except i'd like to use it but not as it is now??????

I have to confess I'm confused now, so sorry if this is a stupid question, but what would you change about it?

The reason I think its a good idea is because lets say I decided that Tenny (for example! ) was the devil or something, that I could bring that up without having everyone else on the forum wading in with their 2cents and clouding the issue. I'd want the other mods who I trust to be able to see it too, which would afford me a level of transparency I wouldn't have if I tried to get Tenny to change her devil worshipping ways via PM.

 

[Lex]

This new forum is a great idea. I really think it'll work well because it's a place we can go to post feedback and get a faster response from staff without worry of expressing something that might piss off another member. I'm not understanding the aggro here, it's not like anything has changed, it's just a new feature.

If someone doesn't want to use it the report function is still there for posts and we can still directly PM staff. Well done for starting this up guys, it's a great idea.

Also, if we're nominating people i'll go with Octo, GLD and Fangu. They're incredibly fair, patient and nice to everyone.