Apologies for the late replies - life called, and you kind of have to answer, so you're stuck on the phone and can't really do the computer thing.
oh boy MORROWIND QUESTIONS
someone has stolen your sweetrolla member approaches you, telling you that the things one of your friends has said makes them feel uncomfortable. how do you respond to this member?
Well, I'm not a psychic, so I can't really speak on my friend's behalf or anything, so I'd get with the member who PM'd me and find out what I can about how it made them uncomfortable (and why, if possible) so that it can be avoided in the future, and then contact my friend and explain to them that thing they said X made someone feel uncomfortable and ask that they keep that in mind when they post in the future. I'm not big on censorship - "Don't do this again OR ELSE", so I would give them the chance to curtail the behavior, because that's what I HOPE someone would do in that situation. If it continued, well...that's covered in another question.
I'm gonna ask all the nominees this one:
A member who you consider a close friend is being a dick/is violating the rules/being a naughty little piglet - their post/s have been reported, and you are the only mod available to deal with it.
What do?
Just because they're my friend, it doesn't mean that they get any kind of diplomatic immunity. As mentioned above, I'd start with telling them to knock it off, and then, if their response is rather 'slag off' or they continue this (and one more time is continuing), then it's time to start either warning or infracting said friend, as well as possibly tempbanning them from the thread if that seems necessary as well.
DRUNK POSTERS EVERYWHERE SPAMMING UP THE BOARDS, WHAT WILL YOU DO
Depends; if they're not bothering anyone, then there's not really any harm. If they're drunktrolling threads (LTD, serious debate, etc), then that's a different story, especially if posts are being reported. Being drunk is no excuse for unacceptable behavior, and would be dealt with the same as if they were sober.
This, ofc, assumes that I am not one of the drunkards in question.
...it happens.
Omega, I am going to ask a question here that isn't directly about your ability or suitability to become a staff member, but I feel like an answer would help me form a judgement on you. The reason I ask is because I don't know you well at all, but most of what I've seen of you so far makes me think you would do a good job. Hopefully you won't mind answering, but as Ryu said in the first post, you're free not to.
Could you briefly summarise the drama that you have been involved in on TLS in the past? I see you mention it every now and then in a way which makes me think that it either hasn't fully been resolved or that there are some lingering tensions surrounding it, but I have no idea what it was about.
I don't mind at all. I haven't been here since the board itself started, but I did join about six months or so after, so I've been around for a little over three years. I'm sure that, if there's one thing that sticks out in people's minds about me, it's that I tend to be very outspoken and will involve myself in situations that either affect me or are relevant to me. I also have a bit of a problem with backing down from an argument
In short, the post Tennyo made a while back about me being involved in a "good chunk of drama" is indeed correct.
I was involved in the big dustup over MOG, back when he wasn't so mellow; I was one of the members who had an objection to Tres being added to staff (although really the issue here was that about half the board had never so much as talked to the guy ON THE BOARD); I foolishly lit the fire under the end of 2010 drama (and while, looking back on this, I know that it was a bad idea and have apologized, the fact is that you can't take things back); I have had some very bad blood with Aaron over a simple joke that I made (I admit that I simply did not think that, as my friend, he would take such offense to it, though that doesn't excuse it), and that has led to quite a lot of board drama pretty much anytime I have voiced a disagreement with him (aka field, awards voting, the list goes on). And, of course, this most recent bout as well. I don't offer any excuse for anything I've said or done, and fully accept whatever consequences have or will come from all of that.
However, I have apparently been credited with some things that I was not in any way involved in, simply due to being associated with those that were - "Omega shit-stirring", as it were.
And you are absolutely correct, I don't really feel as though any of it has been resolved, and while I am more than capable of interacting with people that I don't get on with and not taking things personally, those tensions do exist. I mentioned in another post that I have been here for a long while and have seen a lot of things, and I think that, in some cases, too much has happened to simply sweep it under the rug and start fresh; it's less that there are 'prejudices' or 'bias', but more that I think I have reached a point where I don't see things being truly resolved, and am okay with simply accepting that, moving on, and staying to my own little corner of the internet. If you have issues with someone, talking them out is great, don't get me wrong; but if you don't see them being worked out, sometimes the best thing to do is just leave the other person alone.
And I do apologize here, because you did ask me to be brief, but I think that your question would not have been answered (and maybe it still hasn't
) were I not more thorough.
Like Octo I'm going to ask everyone the same question and see who answers it best, IMO: if you were made mod what's the first thing you'd do?
Mmm, good question. As arrogant as this might sound, I think that it might be best, IF THAT HAPPENED (God only knows why I was even nominated), for me to make a thread in the staff section where I talk to the existing staff and kind of address any misconceptions or issues they might have with my being on staff; sort of like a mission statement, I guess? You know, make it clear what my aims are and so on so that we can work together.
A question for all nominees:
You discover that a member has been talking shit about TLS outside the forum, but continues to visit/post here like nothing happened. Nobody else in TLS seem to be aware about it. How will you deal with it?
Well, there's really nothing to do about it. Things that people do offsite are their concern, and while that behavior might be worrying, it is only the behavior of a person here at TLS that can be dealt with - I think that's been the case before in the past when there have been issues between members as well, although I could be mistaken here. At best, I would take a flyer on this person and keep an eye out for any of that kind of thing to appear here onsite.
Another question for all the nominees:
What would you do to promote inclusion/encourage participation from shyer/quieter/less active members? (Not just new members)
I like that you ask this, simply because I have a good response
I wold do the same thing I have been doing
I have made a few friends here on the forum, and, as things happen between people, a lot of them didn't necessarily get on with each other, or were too shy to really interact with the others, etc. And for years - literally, YEARS - I have been working to integrate these groups of friends into one big happy. The work is never done, but it makes me happy (as happy as I get
) to see my friends from Destrillians finally getting along with "The Tumblers" and integrating "The Canadians" in and so on; now there's no tension and strife and so on and just aaaaaaah.
To more directly answer the question, though, I feel like a lot of it is just persistence. Get to know the members, and, over time, invite them to partake in your activites, be it streaming, msn/skype chatting, whatever. From there, you can encourage them to speak up more, once they get more comfortable around everyone, or to come around more, especially once they start making friends - and they will. It works, trust me!
I'd like to reverse Unlucky's question, kind of: TLS members have beef with each other that started outside of TLS but has now spilled out onto the forum. How would you deal with the situation? Bearing in mind that as much of the trouble occured off site and you have no frame of reference/are unable to take that into consideration?
Once it has spilled onto TLS, it would be time to PM the members in question and piece together what's going on from their accounts, and either get them both to knock it off here and take it offsite, or to try and help them resolve the issue in any way possible. Just because you have problems with each other, it doesn't mean that you get a free pass to be disruptive or flame each other or anything else like that. Either act like adults and sort it out, or act like adults and knock it off (here, at the very least).
And obviously, if they aren't receptive, well...sadly, then it's time to take action, against everyone involved, if need be.
