Selection of Moderators/Advisory Board Members

[LordTrychon]

Tned has done a great job setting up this forum pretty much on the fly. An amazing task that not many could have handled at all. Then a group was formed to moderate and a group to act as a board for administration.

This thread is in no way meant to criticize or ask for replacement of any of these individuals who are doing a great job volunteering their time for the betterment of this forum and to do what they hope is best for the members who post here.

The current set up is that both the moderators and the board members are selected completely by the board members. I feel that this was a great solution for the setup and growth of this community but in the future should either be modified or at least the discussion needs to be had.

The goal of this community was to be more democratic than just about any other forum I know of. Great concept. My hat's constantly off to Tned for it. The current format of the board isn't a democratic one though... although I was always horrible in Social Studies, I believe what is in place here is more of an oligarchy. Feel free to correct me on that. :laugh:

The way I see it, some sort of democracy needs to be added into this process. I'm not sure what the answer is. I know that some love polls and some hate them and it will likely never be a part of an official process on this forum. In any case there has to be some method to allow the members here to have a say in who is running the boards and who is moderating it. Again, I'm not asking for the departure of any of the current members who are in these rolls, but how to replace them when the time comes.

I think that in the least, when the board does choose someone... they should be approved by the board as a whole. Again, I'm not offering specific paramaters... just thoughts in general. Perhaps when the question is a simple yes or no... such as 'Do you approve the appointment of ______' a poll COULD be effective?

I'm not saying that's the answer, but I think the public oversight is important for both moderator positions and board positions.

For the board, obviously the members are supposed to represent the membership as best as possible, I think. As the membership of the board grows and changes, the board should too.

For Moderators, it would be nice to just make sure that there's not a lot of members that already have issues with an appointed moderator. That would lead to trouble down the road and could even make it difficult for the member to be an effective or worthwhile moderator. It's hard to help other people with issues when you're dealing with your own. lol.

Finally, a separate question - Should there be some sort of term lengths involved?

This community is a dynamic place, and those who represent/govern it should be too. Maybe some sort of check is needed? I've thought a lot about that one, and am not sure myself.

I don't think the same applies to moderators though... you find those who are capable and willing to deal with other people's problems and you hang on to them. If they eventually become worn out or no longer fit the community's needs idealy, that a different issue.

I apologize if this is a little disjointed or not well thought out. I promise I've given it previous thought, but kinda had to rush putting it together.

Anyway... thoughts?

[claymore]

Great post LT


Finally, a separate question - Should there be some sort of term lengths involved?

This community is a dynamic place, and those who represent/govern it should be too. Maybe some sort of check is needed? I've thought a lot about that one, and am not sure myself.

I don't think the same applies to moderators though... you find those who are capable and willing to deal with other people's problems and you hang on to them. If they eventually become worn out or no longer fit the community's needs idealy, that a different issue.

Rotating Mods is a possibly a great idea. The one thing I noticed on the other board (Freak) was that the mods stopped having a good time. Maybe you can increase the number of mods, but they have days off?

This place was set up so well, and is young enough that it almost runs itself, but we pulled the best and brightest off of 2 (BM, BF)boards.

[Watchthemiddle]

Great post LT



Rotating Mods is a possibly a great idea. The one thing I noticed on the other board (Freak) was that the mods stopped having a good time. Maybe you can increase the number of mods, but they have days off?

This place was set up so well, and is young enough that it almost runs itself, but we pulled the best and brightest off of 2 (BM, BF)boards.


I like that idea also. To me being a mod would get tiring and old after doing it for a long time. It also seems like Mods can't really let loose like the rest of us can and that to me would be the part that would get old....as well as all the cry babies on the site also.

I also think there should be a number of mods per number of members.

Right now we have 300+ members...and 4 mods. Seems like a reasonable number. But what is reasonable # of mods = to members?

1 per 100?
1 per 200?
1 per 300? etc, etc.

Just thoughts

[Broncospsycho77]

1 to 100 sounds about good... enough members to provoke discussion, but enough mods to enforce it without getting all "big brother" on you.

Of course, this comes from a member, and not a mod. I wouldn't know :D.

[frauschieze]

A lot to think about here. I'll be back later after I've mulled this over.

[claymore]

I think Frau should be a mod.

[Broncospsycho77]

I think Frau should be a mod.

I second that.

Your sig is hypnotizing me.

[LordTrychon]

Great post LT



Rotating Mods is a possibly a great idea. The one thing I noticed on the other board (Freak) was that the mods stopped having a good time. Maybe you can increase the number of mods, but they have days off?

This place was set up so well, and is young enough that it almost runs itself, but we pulled the best and brightest off of 2 (BM, BF)boards.

Interesting. Not really what I meant, but a good idea none the less.

Rotating mods in and out would definately be a good idea... IF you have enough members that make good mods.

Thanks to everyone who's added input. Hoping for a good discussion. :salute:

[Broncospsycho77]

I would probably get too stressed being a mod... or even on the board thingy... I'd stop having fun.

[frauschieze]

I think Frau should be a mod.

You forgot to add http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2396/2170345958_7925b235c8_o.gif

[claymore]

You forgot to add http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2396/2170345958_7925b235c8_o.gif

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t34/cemoowxx/glitterlove.gif

[Broncospsycho77]

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t34/cemoowxx/glitterlove.gif

I thought you said you quit drinking Clay? :snicker:.... nvm.

[SR]

I would probably get too stressed being a mod... or even on the board thingy... I'd stop having fun.

That's why I stopped being a mod here...



I think rotating mods is a bad idea. Not everyone is fit to be a moderator, and as the site grows moderating will be come more of a chore than it is now. I was a moderator on a site with over 26,000 people for about a year and the way the moderation staff was set up there made it so much easier and enjoyable to moderate, but that's a different discussion for a different day.

[dogfish]

good post trych, you raise some interesting questions that i have thought about myself. . . it does seem that the membership at large should have some way of having input into the selection process-- for me, the question is how? i'm open to suggestions. . .



Finally, a separate question - Should there be some sort of term lengths involved?


personally, i believe that there should be-- for the advisory board, at the very least. . . mods, i am not so sure-- in theory i like the idea, but on the other hand i'm sure that you of all people know that it's a job that not just anybody can do well, or would even want to do given the voluntary and potentially time-consuming nature of the position. . . my gut instinct says that if you find good mods, it's probably a good idea to stick with them. . .

just so you know, i did start a thread on this very question the day after i was added to the advisory board. . . to be honest though, the discussion didn't go very far, as there were a lot more pressing issues that needed to be dealt with first-- and anyone who is following some of the current town hall discussions can see that that is still the case. . . our general feeling was that we wanted to hammer down some of the basic rules and procedures first, and that changing advisory board membership before that process was completed would be kinda self-defeating, as new people would have to be brought up to speed before they could contribute, and many of our discussion threads are many pages long. . .

it's my opinion that we don't want to put TOO many things on our plate all at once, because you tend to get bogged down and then nothing gets accomplished. . . i would really like to get some issues like the mile high salute/high five system, the rules regarding profanity, banning, etc taken care of before we move on to some of this other stuff. . . however, i certainly do intend to pursue this topic once the things governing the day-to-day functioning of the board are ironed out, and if it seems to be something that is favored by a large percentage of members, i'm sure you'll find the rest advisory board receptive. . .

[LordTrychon]

good post trych, you raise some interesting questions that i have thought about myself. . . it does seem that the membership at large should have some way of having input into the selection process-- for me, the question is how? i'm open to suggestions. . .





personally, i believe that there should be-- for the advisory board, at the very least. . . mods, i am not so sure-- in theory i like the idea, but on the other hand i'm sure that you of all people know that it's a job that not just anybody can do well, or would even want to do given the voluntary and potentially time-consuming nature of the position. . . my gut instinct says that if you find good mods, it's probably a good idea to stick with them. . .

just so you know, i did start a thread on this very question the day after i was added to the advisory board. . . to be honest though, the discussion didn't go very far, as there were a lot more pressing issues that needed to be dealt with first-- and anyone who is following some of the current town hall discussions can see that that is still the case. . . our general feeling was that we wanted to hammer down some of the basic rules and procedures first, and that changing advisory board membership before that process was completed would be kinda self-defeating, as new people would have to be brought up to speed before they could contribute, and many of our discussion threads are many pages long. . .

it's my opinion that we don't want to put TOO many things on our plate all at once, because you tend to get bogged down and then nothing gets accomplished. . . i would really like to get some issues like the mile high salute/high five system, the rules regarding profanity, banning, etc taken care of before we move on to some of this other stuff. . . however, i certainly do intend to pursue this topic once the things governing the day-to-day functioning of the board are ironed out, and if it seems to be something that is favored by a large percentage of members, i'm sure you'll find the rest advisory board receptive. . .


Great post, Dogfish... thank you. :salute:

It's good that you guys had already thought about term lengths, IMO... it wasn't really my first concern when making this thread, but it was relevant, so I figured rather than make a bunch of threads, I'd just put all of my stupid rants into as few as possible.

If you (board) guys feel that this is a discussion that's best suited for later, that's fine too. I'm not trying to overwhelm you... just figured that while you were having an 'open session'... lol.

[Denver Native (Carol)]

Great post, Dogfish... thank you. :salute:

It's good that you guys had already thought about term lengths, IMO... it wasn't really my first concern when making this thread, but it was relevant, so I figured rather than make a bunch of threads, I'd just put all of my stupid rants into as few as possible.

If you (board) guys feel that this is a discussion that's best suited for later, that's fine too. I'm not trying to overwhelm you... just figured that while you were having an 'open session'... lol.

LT, do the mods on BC have term limits?

[LordTrychon]

LT, do the mods on BC have term limits?

No.... although some get worn out, and there are times I wish there were. :laugh:

I don't think mods should be limited to an amount of time here either.



I don't think the same applies to moderators though... you find those who are capable and willing to deal with other people's problems and you hang on to them. If they eventually become worn out or no longer fit the community's needs idealy, that a different issue.

[NightTrainLayne]

I think that the advisory board should have at the very least "terms" to serve. I don't know if a "term limit" is necessary, but if the board selects it's own members, and then just replaces them with another member of the board's choosing when someone "retires" then eventually the board is going to become an "echo chamber".

There needs to be some mechanism for the advisory board to get new blood into it based on the members' input. Without it, the inevitable result will be member's who feel disenfranchised, and without representation on the board.

[CoachChaz]

I have no problem with having a few moderators that stay in that position as long as they wish, but if an advisory committe is to be had, I think those people should serve term limits. Vote on the process and if they get re=elected, then so be it, but don't etch them in stone.

[OB]

I have no problem with having a few moderators that stay in that position as long as they wish, but if an advisory committe is to be had, I think those people should serve term limits. Vote on the process and if they get re=elected, then so be it, but don't etch them in stone.

Exactly - I know the "board" was made up of a bunch of members that generally ran along the same lines of thinking or those that were at least conforming to those ideas - and at the time they worked but things change - the type of people coming here changes - like the influx of freaks for example - and IMO there needs to be someone on the board who will represent their opinions because they now make a large part of this community and post more than most - although I know their posting made others not post - etc etc but seriously - tneds idea was to have a place where everyone would be as happy as they can be - and I know there is a common ground - some members may have to pull in the reins a bit - some will have to loosen - but we are all mature enough to do so - I think :ahhhhh:

[Ricky]

... - although I know their posting made others not post - etc etc but seriously - ...

I would hate to think that a few freaks has caused anyone to stop posting here. WHY CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?:Cry:

[Bronco9798]

I would hate to think that a few freaks has caused anyone to stop posting here. WHY CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?:Cry:

If you can't run with the pack, stay on the porch. That's their loss. We're not evil creatures looking to run anybody off.

[CoachChaz]

I would hate to think that a few freaks has caused anyone to stop posting here. WHY CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?:Cry:

You seriously have to ask that question?

[Ricky]

You seriously have to ask that question?

I am trying to not be serious anymore. It hurt too much on the Freak. Now where the heck is Zam?

[MileHighWrath]

I am trying to not be serious anymore. It hurt too much on the Freak. Now where the heck is Zam?

I thought I would miss him ......

[DallasChief]

I nominate beefstew25 for the advisory board.

tia

[MileHighWrath]

If beefstew then someone to counter balance .... NTL perhaps.

[OB]

I think a member from the freak would be a good addition - someone who gets along with the really freaky ones but isnt as far out there as say coach (still love ya babe ;) - and dont be mad - they've all known me for years and I aint on nothin - but i digress) someone a tad bit more conservative perhaps, I mean they are the biggest influx of members at one time since we all came when it started up - i really feel if we really want to make this their home then one additional spot shouldnt hurt -

[DallasChief]

I think a member from the freak would be a good addition - someone who gets along with the really freaky ones but isnt as far out there as say coach (still love ya babe ;) - and dont be mad - they've all known me for years and I aint on nothin - but i digress) someone a tad bit more conservative perhaps, I mean they are the biggest influx of members at one time since we all came when it started up - i really feel if we really want to make this their home then one additional spot shouldnt hurt -

I accept your nomination. Thank you.

[Broncospsycho77]

I accept your nomination. Thank you.

I'm gonna go ahead and veto that one. :rolleyes:

[MileHighWrath]

I think a member from the freak would be a good addition - someone who gets along with the really freaky ones but isnt as far out there as say coach (still love ya babe ;) - and dont be mad - they've all known me for years and I aint on nothin - but i digress) someone a tad bit more conservative perhaps, I mean they are the biggest influx of members at one time since we all came when it started up - i really feel if we really want to make this their home then one additional spot shouldnt hurt -

How about Ricky?





... and yes I am being facetious.

[CoachChaz]

I think a member from the freak would be a good addition - someone who gets along with the really freaky ones but isnt as far out there as say coach (still love ya babe ;) - and dont be mad - they've all known me for years and I aint on nothin - but i digress) someone a tad bit more conservative perhaps, I mean they are the biggest influx of members at one time since we all came when it started up - i really feel if we really want to make this their home then one additional spot shouldnt hurt -

I have no desire to be on a committee for the simple fact that I would most likely argue in those discussions more than regular forum threads.

Love you too.

[broncogirl7]

I think to take a previous member from the Freak and put them on an advisory board or as a mod would take alot of work by the current Advisory Board members and mods to ensure fairness and equality. :listen:
It's not a bad idea, but please give pause and research to ensure fairness and the ability to follow rules you have already established. You all have done a wonderful job of following the rules that you have established in black and white for all to read. Hopefully making your job easier, since we have read your rules and are aware of how we should be treating this forum and it's members. :elefant:

[Broncospsycho77]

I think to take a previous member from the Freak and put them on an advisory board or as a mod would take alot of work by the current Advisory Board members and mods to ensure fairness and equality. :listen:
It's not a bad idea, but please give pause and research to ensure fairness and the ability to follow rules you have already established. You all have done a wonderful job of following the rules that you have established in black and white for all to read. Hopefully making your job easier, since we have read your rules and are aware of how we should be treating this forum and it's members. :elefant:

Thank you for changing your avatar :elefant:

[broncogirl7]

Thank you for changing your avatar :elefant:

You are very welcome! I like the picture I have now and will start going out and adding to my photo portfolio. Photography is alot more fun than I thought.

[MileHighWrath]

I prefer your sunset pic to the banana hammock, I hope you know my one off handed comment on the roided out avatar was in jest.

[Broncolingus]

You are very welcome! I like the picture I have now and will start going out and adding to my photo portfolio. Photography is alot more fun than I thought.

This one still stands if you want the whole waterfall thing.

http://images.jupiterimages.com/common/detail/42/18/23401842.jpg

[MileHighWrath]

This one still stands if you want the whole waterfall thing.

http://images.jupiterimages.com/common/detail/42/18/23401842.jpg

Looks less like a waterfall and more like a .... garden hose ... or ... something.

[Broncolingus]

Looks less like a waterfall and more like a .... garden hose ... or ... something.

Savvy?

http://images.jupiterimages.com/common/detail/78/19/22861978.jpg

[MileHighWrath]

Savvy?

http://images.jupiterimages.com/common/detail/78/19/22861978.jpg

Much better, have we successfully highjacked this thread yet?

[Broncolingus]

Much better, have we successfully highjacked this thread yet?

We're there, man!

http://www.broncosforums.com/forums/images/buttons/reputation.gif

[Ricky]

How about Ricky?





... and yes I am being facetious.

I decline and hope that you never say that again, even in jest.

I nominate Turftoad.

[Tned]

tneds idea was to have a place where everyone would be as happy as they can be - and I know there is a common ground - some members may have to pull in the reins a bit - some will have to loosen - but we are all mature enough to do so - I think :ahhhhh:

Ok, this is a little off topic, Ok, a LOT off topic, but I think OB brought up a good enough point that I need to add to it.

A phrase I have used, that hopefully nobody will take offense to, is that the advisory board needs to look at the message board members like a bell curve and hopefully hit a middle ground that is in line with the 'wants' of the majority of the message board, even if that means not pleasing the crudest or prudest (not sure if this is a word) amongst us. Hopefully, we please, or at least accommodate, that 80%+ that reside in the middle of the curve.

Essentially, we can't cater to either extreme.

[OB]

Ok, this is a little off topic, Ok, a LOT off topic, but I think OB brought up a good enough point that I need to add to it..

Yet i have yet 2 b asked 2 help - but i digress - again n again :laugh: - :coffee:

[NightTrainLayne]

I don't think it's necessary to "drop everything" and install a Freak on the advisory board ASAP. However, I do think that such an advisory board should have some sort of term to allow for other nominations and/or votes in order to infuse new blood into the mix.

[CoachChaz]

I don't think it's necessary to "drop everything" and install a Freak on the advisory board ASAP. However, I do think that such an advisory board should have some sort of term to allow for other nominations and/or votes in order to infuse new blood into the mix.

I agre with this. No sense in shaking things up right now, but...if this committee is going to make decisions based on the wants of the members, doesn't it make sense that they should at least ask us what we want? I don't think assuming things based on what they read is a fair assessment.

In addition, I think I can prove that this system doesn't work. I'm betting that if you put a poll out there and asked who would be offended by mild vulgarity being allowed...the majority would say that it wouldn't bother them. Yet...the rule stands that it isn't allowed. Sorry, but you didn't get an accurate assessment.

[BOSSHOGG30]

I think Bosshogg would make a good mod!