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Post by copigeon on Apr 5, 2007 22:44:42 GMT
Lately the forum has become a bit of a hollow place, weve lost many favoured members and the atmosphere has become stale. Few posts are made of any true effort and there is a general lack of content.
Im curious as to everyones reasons for this (be you current member or lurking guest).
Have you just lost interest in the hobby?
Does the community not feel close enough?
How could things be improved for you?
What would you like to see?
How could the community feeling be improved?
All suggestions, thoughts and opinions appreciated!
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teresa
Achatina fulica
Posts: 0
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Post by teresa on Apr 5, 2007 23:07:41 GMT
i think for me em i dont post much because there seems to be a lot of insults and nastyness on here lately and it is spoiling it for everyone i tend to back away from arguments as i dont see any point in keep going on when it has nothing to do with what the post started out to be, i think alot of it is the guests that come in and have nothing better to do than be rude and though insults at people, i did leave at one point myself last year because eric was getting it in the neck for the shippment he got, alot were dead and he did not have enough to go round which was not his fault and i think he does very well for this forum as he is only a lad and gets snails for people that you would not otherwise get,i log in every day but i have noticed nothing much is posted anymore , i think when people ask for advice and someone gives it they should either take the advice or if they disagree with the advice given dont start throwing insults and being rude to other members just because you disagree with what has been said
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LisaLQ
Archachatina papyracea
Old friend (emphasis on the "old")
Posts: 2,995
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Post by LisaLQ on Apr 5, 2007 23:31:57 GMT
Have you just lost interest in the hobby?No. Does the community not feel close enough?Yes. Erm. No. It's not close any more. How could things be improved for you?More activity and friendliness. If there is such a word. What would you like to see?The "oldies" come back. More activity from experienced members. Some familiar faces! How could the community feeling be improved?I dont think it can. There's nothing needs improving. It's participation that's the problem. Or the lack of it. I guess those experienced members who used to post frequently have either bored of the site/hobby or found somewhere new to post? Many have busy lives. Some dont go on the internet any more. Some have new jobs. Like I said, I dont think there's anything the site, or it's members, can really do to improve the way things are - it might just be something those remaining have to work through? I do still think guest posting should be halted, if only temporarily, until this animosity is over with. It would also be nice to see some of the other mods about - recently it's only been you (Em) and Brian and Sian, now Brian's gone - that's only two mods - you're extremely busy, Sian's got a new doggie and her life too - it's spread a bit thinly perhaps? It's a shame Paul doesn't post much/at all any more, although like I said - I doubt there's anyone to blame for recent inactivity - some things cant be helped. But it's sad to see member after member going. It used to be thriving on here, posts every second - rather than one or two a day. I miss that fun and excitement. I just dont know if there's anything broken that we can fix? The skeleton of the community is still there. It just needs feeding up I'm not making any sense am I?....
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Post by gastropodgirl on Apr 6, 2007 8:04:29 GMT
I really do like this forum alot,but if possible I think we should have this no posting as guests policy,people having to join. And some people just post random stuff without thinking so you read it and think WTF. I don't personally know people as such on here but I hate to see people slagged off like Eric for instance the other week by spud,and Lisa at one point a while ago by Charlotte,who no disrespect they are both young and their behaviour was somewhat pathetic for example Lisa was slagged off for not working,but there are reasons why and it doesn't mean she's any less than everybody else and the same with Eric,people forget he has a life and is busy it is hard to be patient sometimes but you've just got to wait.Eric can get wonderful snails that you might not otherwise have the chance to own and in my eyes that is worth waiting for,makes it all the more exciting when they do arrive. And this situation with Brian not all people take advice readily I agree but I thought snakelady was way over the top and it was totally blown out of proportion,now Brians gone,who'll be next?
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Post by mickysnail on Apr 6, 2007 8:38:54 GMT
There does seem to be alot of tittle tattle at moment. I don't feel it has been as friendly as it has been. It was great when I joined. I am starting to spend more time on the snail trail. mickysnail
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Post by kab on Apr 6, 2007 9:01:18 GMT
hope its ok as someone relatively new to put an opinion , i too voted against guest posters , while its nice to be able to take a look around and see if you wish to be part of it after doing that it took only 5 mins to sign up properly and know i was part of such an informative and fascinating forum , but also as someone new i find i worry a little before i post thinking "will it make anyone cross if i ask this question" , or "will they find what im sharing boring" ,, i have now discovered the search button ;D and speak with some nice people via pm so i can also ask them anything im unsure of , i also had an issue with eric , it should have been off the boards but i honestly did try , we have both said sorry , he promised to sort it , and did point me in the direction of what i wanted ,i thank him for that and hope he bears no grudges ,,i certainly dont and im sorrry to anyone my posts have peed off what im trying to say is not all "newbies" are just out to make problems , maybe 2 or 3 out of 10 will be sincere it takes awhile to settle in and navigate the forum,so i hope no genuine ones get scared off , its hard to come across correctly in a post you often get the wrong opinion of people , im guilty of this too but im nice and honest even if i am new and a pest sometimes i hope the forum goes from strength to strength i love it ramble over karen
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sam
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 302
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Post by sam on Apr 6, 2007 9:16:03 GMT
em, Im glad you posted this as persnally I think things have gone stale. I havent posted for a while over the past few months as I have had a lot going on and to be honest every time I have popped on its just been snide comments and I couldnt be bothered with it. Its very difficult as there is so much info on here and I know people are asked to look for info rather than posting so maybe thats why noone asks questions anymore as the info is already there?
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Post by gastropodgirl on Apr 6, 2007 9:53:28 GMT
The thing is Karen I find when you're looking on info for something in particular you can never find it,so sometimes you do end up asking.If you don't ask you don't find out and at the end of the day not everybody on here knows everything. As for guest posters like Brian said it is best to ignore them when they want to come on here being nasty but it is so hard to sit back and not say anything especially when they start getting personal about people not knowing the full story.
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goose
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 311
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Post by goose on Apr 6, 2007 11:15:19 GMT
Still visit here often but often don't log on - there isn't much activity - I try and respond to posts when I can but there aren't a lot any more. I think the forum has become if I can say this too information based - I know the mods wanted this forum to be very info based and to a certain extent that is great but if that is the case then you can't expect as much activity - it will be a little dry. I personally feel a little discouraged from putting my tuppence worth in because so many threads seem to become aggro or you get a quick put down if what you intepret someone as saying isn't what someone else interprets it as. Sometimes the tone of responses on here (often from more experienced members) to what others think are 'stupid questions' is frankly uncessessary and personally I would like to see a lot more tolerance of the varying opinions on here and varying levels of experience. There are ways of putting your point across politely and I think that often isn't done and I include the mods in that as well. Yes it would be nice to see 'old faces' back but I agree with Karen that we need new members as well - they can be just as valuable in keeping this place alive and I think sometimes they are being put off by the somewhat overly serious attitude that sometimes prevails on here. However I do really value the information found on this forum. I would like to see it become more chatty and light hearted again - I visit Bugnation more often now to be honest - partly because I am interested in a wide range of inverts and also because the whole place feels a lot more like a community and seems to be more 'fun'. And yes I am very much still interested in the hobby. I agree with Lisa that more participation is needed and I will do my best to do that.
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Val
Archachatina dimidiata
Posts: 2,498
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Post by Val on Apr 6, 2007 17:51:10 GMT
OK well here are my feelings for what they are worth, first of all I personally have not lost any interest in the hobby of snailkeeping, I love it now as much as I did in the beginning, probably even more but I agree with the others that it has all got a bit too serious and information based, to search for information is fine but it isn't as friendly as saying "Hi can someone help" sure the same questions will keep coming up but it also gives you a chance to get to know the person who is asking them! I think that guest posters should still be allowed, if we don't like what they are saying then ignore them!! The Brian & Snakelady episode just got out of hand, Brian called her "ludicrous" and she obviously responded to that, but why oh why can't they just agree to disagree. I HATE the way posts are constantly locked!! Mostly I don't get on line until the evening only to find that I cannot put my opinion to something because it is locked, we are not children who need looking after or protecting and if folk are having a good old argument about something or other then let them! only intervene if it REALLY gets out of hand otherwise we all end up feeling we have been "gagged" by the moderators. Bugnation is more user friendly, the posts are not "tidied up" so much as they are here, people are allowed to be more outspoken, I think that here on Petsnails we should all loosen up a bit, stop getting so offended all the time if someone doesn't agree with you or has an opinion totally different to yours. Last but not least I know I have said it before but I really do feel that the classifieds section is boring, boring, boring!!!! no pictures often not even the name of the person who is advertising, I have to click the forum link to find out who it is that is selling/wanting. The classifieds is SUCH an integral part of the hobby with folk breeding their snails and therefore wanting to sell the youngsters, or wanting to rehome a snail, but we cannot see any pics. OK that's my rant over with, I do think though that unless something changes this forum will dry up. Val
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Post by Tigs on Apr 6, 2007 18:31:47 GMT
I cant help noticing that the "heart" of the forum did shrink when it became more authoritarian a few months ago. Personally i didnt really change the way i post but have noticed its a lot more clinical here now.
A large part of this hobby is sharing your experiences and feeling part of a community. If we are purely information based then the heart and soul wont grow.
Im really glad i come here and have learnt an immense amount since i first arrived. I wont be leaving but do find im going to other forums more often
Tigs
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Arno
Archachatina puylaerti
Posts: 1,493
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Post by Arno on Apr 6, 2007 19:16:32 GMT
The thing with Petsnails is that we have basically have two types of snailkeepers:they who see their snails as pets/companions and they who keep and study snails as a species.Both the groups have to find a place on the forum and with the two sections(general and info+research)I think things are working ok in general. If I compare the posts on BN with the posts on here,there's really not much difference. As long as we respect other members and value their opinions,there's no reason why this wouldn't be a thriving community.
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Val
Archachatina dimidiata
Posts: 2,498
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Post by Val on Apr 6, 2007 21:04:17 GMT
Fact is, it isn't thriving though!!
Val
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Post by felix93 on Apr 6, 2007 21:07:23 GMT
I have not lost interested in keeping snails, in fact my amount of snails have grown a lot. I honestly have to say, when I was just a newbie here, more than a year ago. Regulars are pretty friendly and even PM'd me privately to make sure I make myself home on board. Some regulars and I have disgreement in the past, and we might not be the bestest friends, we still talk to each other, and put the disagreement behind us.
I remembered Paul told me in the beginning that get rid of the "guest" posting is not on, because someone might just want to ask an emergency question or just look on the board. Fair enough, but with the guest thing, I personally think it makes things worse. I run a few boards myself too, and if those who really want an answer, take a couple of minutes to register is a lot easier than posting as guest each time. But it's down to how the admins / mods run the board, I am not here to judge, I only point this out.
I noticed since we have "rules" set up again, lots of members scare of posting wrong things. The threads are either pulled or locked within a short time if the subject's gone a bit heated. It's like going back to school. Chat board is still a chat board. On BN, if threads get heated, people respect each other and agree to disagree and within a few posts everything's just calm down straight away. Admins / Mods do not just step in and lock, pull or move the thread within a very short time. It honestly feels like being watched on PS and who wants to be watched all the time.
I personally choose not to log on often anymore. It's whenever I log on, it's someone who's bashing the other members. It's depressing and I think we all have ups and downs in RL, do not need that on the net too. I think "lack of respect" is the main cause on the board. I cannot say I won't leave PS in the near future if the board is like how it is now, not that I expect anyone will miss me, but tbh, I don't feel like logging on the board often now. I had good days and laugh with lots of regulars one here, but those time's long gone.
I am sorry if I posted something that you don't want to hear. Just ignore it.
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sam
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 302
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Post by sam on Apr 6, 2007 21:14:36 GMT
you would be missed Felix xx
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Post by copigeon on Apr 6, 2007 21:24:48 GMT
Ok,
So how do we improve things, weve heard the good the bad and the ugly. How do we make the forum feel more welcoming? How do we build motivation to participate? How do we make the forum community feel closer?
I think a bit of a problem for me, as the longer standing members leave, is that I dont know any of the new faces very well... So how do we get to know each other better so we can feel more at home with each other?
Is there anything the forum needs to keep it interesting?
There arnt a huge number of places where snails are the main focus, especially not with the petsnails resource attached. So what can we do to make sure it remains a good place to check in?
Just suggestions from now on, no more negatives, just positive suggestions. From this post onward anything posted I want to see positive suggestions on what we can do to make things better.
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sam
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 302
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Post by sam on Apr 6, 2007 22:07:10 GMT
the only thing I can think of is welcome questions. Instead of telling people to search just for us to take time to go through it again and again if need be. Then new members feel like they can ask anything they like and we can get to know them in that way.
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Post by kab on Apr 6, 2007 22:27:52 GMT
i have to totally agree with sam ,, im almost "scared " to post here , in case its a "silly question" or its in the wrong place ,, the more someone posts the more comfy they would feel , encourage it maybe ? and maybe something such as a snail of the week or of the day concentrating on a certain type of snail each time , theres nothing i like more than to show off my snailys im sure others do too , i know i love to take pics , sorry if that sounds daft but maybe something along those lines , see im saying sorry for posting again now karen
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teresa
Achatina fulica
Posts: 0
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Post by teresa on Apr 6, 2007 23:02:10 GMT
like sam said welcome questions may be good, motivation to participate i think members need to be able to ask questions freely instead of being told to search, making the community feel closer i think may happen again in time if there is aloud more chat amoung members, i also think guests should be able to look though the forum to see if they like it if they do then join to be able to post, also some questions that seem silly to some are not to the member posting it and i cant see why old treads cant be bought back to life sometimes as new members could have some good information to add to it , but even if they dont it will get members talking again,which should start motivating members to post again,i dont know if that helps any and i know some members may not agree but i have posted now
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Post by alexc1981 on Apr 6, 2007 23:31:34 GMT
Hi everyone!
This is the first time I have been back here for months and if I'm honest it is because I was bored!
I suppose I have lost interest in the hobby a little. Ive had my snails for just over 18 months now. I still look after them, but I don't really enjoy watching them or handling them as much as I used to.
I used the site and forum mostly just before I bought them and for the first few months afterwards for information on how to look after them properly.
I would imagine that the forum has become quiet because the website has so much information on it that any snail owner can get all the info he needs from there. Also old hands must get tired of answering the same old simple questions from newbies.
Looking at the people who have posted here there are a lot of familier names, but not many new ones.
I would warn against making the forum too regulated. I used to go on a car forum that was like that and eventually someone set up a new one and everybody migrated to that.
There probably isnt many adults that keep snails seriously. Most are just kids and kids lose interest in things quickly and move on. I think the forum will always be small I'm afraid.
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Post by slimeaddict on Apr 7, 2007 0:02:16 GMT
I have to agree with what's been said, in order for the pet snails community to thrive it really needs to become that... a community! Questions should be welcomed along with differing answers... it's only through sharing views and opinions that methods of animal care can evolve. I'm in no way saying that the information pages are out dated... just that people discover new methods/interesting pieces of info all the time. I'm still 100% into my snails and like everyone here I hope we all have lots to share and equally lots to learn.
Ads
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LisaLQ
Archachatina papyracea
Old friend (emphasis on the "old")
Posts: 2,995
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Post by LisaLQ on Apr 7, 2007 0:26:59 GMT
Cant say I've ever noticed that questions aren't welcomed, I think people just got tired of posting and not getting any/many replies? I think the only way forward is for people to use the forum. Really use it. But we cant force folks to post So how do we do that? I remember when the snail photo/art competitions were running - things were a lot more active then. Also the classifieds board drew in lots of folks, as did the less strict posting rules. But to be honest, I dont think it's because the board has changed - I think it's because peoples' perception of it has. There's nothing wrong with the forum itself - it's how people view it and use it - it seems more like no-one can be bothered replying to peoples' threads any more, or dont see the point in sharing pics, or are just more...well...nonchalant (sp? and questionable choice in word lol) about it all now, like "Pfft - cant be arsed" or "What's the point?". The point is we all used to be friends and care about each others views and snails, and problems, and successes. Now it's just gone a bit "Pah, been there done that". I'm not meaning me. I love reading folks threads, I do read most new posts, I just dont often get a chance to reply or post as much myself - because of my life. I know that's the problem with other folks too. But I do think there is some degree of....well...not laziness as no-one should feel they have to post...but you know what I mean. As I've said on the guest posters issue - the main reason why it's still available is because it's good back up for when people cant log in for some reason. I dont think it should be used as a trial run for those who cant be bothered registering though - as it only takes two minutes, and it makes it easier for folks to abuse (knowing they cant be banned, pm-ed or ignored). I think setting up an email address for site problems and pasting that at the top of the forum near the title/welcome message would solve that issue. That way the people who currently would need to use the guest poster status to get help could do that via email, and then those abusing the guest poster status couldn't hide behind that any more. Make sense?
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Post by Paul on Apr 7, 2007 1:06:04 GMT
Hi all,
I apologise in advance about the length of this post but hey....
I've not had any time to spend on this forum the past week or so and I've come back to all these developments. I'd like to address a few issues and explain my feelings about this forum.
Firstly, about guest posting...
I'm surprised how popular the idea to remove this feature is. The facts as I see them are that signing up doesn't offer an effective way of stopping abuse. It seems to me that some of the more lengthy disputes are between logged in members, a guest post is not considered as important. Some of you may believe that signing up provides some sort of accountability but that simply isn't the case. You can easily obtain as many email addresses as you need and I don't believe IP banning is the way forward. It simply isn't accurate enough and many people share the same IP because they use a proxy server. Entire schools and libraries could effectively be banned because of the actions of one person. We get a number of people who do post acceptable guest posts, people who otherwise wouldn't bother but who inform us about something relevant. And of course people having problems logging in can still participate. Lisa, I take your point about a trouble logging in email address, but more often than not it's likely to be a personal computer issue. If it's the site, there isn't a great deal we can do, we have to wait for proboards. We have also obtained many new members who dipped their toes in the water by guest posting. We get a few posts from trolls and some spam posts but they get deleted fairly quickly.
But completely aside from the benefits, the real issue is would it solve the problems this forum has? And I simply don't believe it would. The only forums that don't have this kind of problem to some degree are extremely small ones. The larger a forum gets the more unmanageable it becomes because the viewpoints of the visitors become more disparate. Added to that, the actions moderators choose to take or not to take, satiate some and annoy others.
If a post annoys you in some way it is hard not to respond, to set the record straight and you end up with a public dissection of each others points and wordplay that drags on and on. That's how feuds start and continue for so long, each party wants to even the score or set the record straight as they see it.
What exactly can we do about it. Some people think locking and/or removing threads is bad, some good. Is it something we can democratically decide? I don't believe it is. One of the things our systems of government have which is fairer than the old classical Greek democracies is that the few are protected from the many. Using a classical democratic vote, if 51% of the users decide something, the other 49% lose out. We are then saying that this forum isn't to be used by people with a certain view point. We don't operate that way, we have unelected moderators who try to keep the forum fit for purpose. Now that does mean that we want feedback, of course it does because we want to help run it in a way that is considerate to its members. But that consideration extends to all members, not just those who shout the loudest, though I do particularly appreciate the people who do choose to speak up and suggest things. But the point for me is allowing things to take place or changes to be made, if they don't impede on what I believe are the rights of others.
We often hear how annoyed and put off everyone is by lengthy disputes. So we tend to allow people their viewpoints and then stop it continuing forever by locking/deleting it when it becomes stale, because we know from experience that no-one will concede. And I'm not saying they should. Do we get it right all the time? Of course not, but we do try to balance the needs of all sides. It is weary to read these kind of things sometimes, but I truly believe the only way you stop it is deciding a very strict policy on what opinions the forum affiliates with, and then stopping non-believers coming on to the site. The result would be ten splinter forums with members jumping from site to site as these forums struggle with similar problems.
Come on, we're bigger than that. If we want this forum to survive we have to accept this kind of thing will go on, accept it and for the most part ignore it. And try not to take certain posts too seriously. I have a few suggestions that may ease this problem anyway...
I want to talk about the big picture and my personal involvement.
I have a dream....
When I started keeping snails, not all that long ago, I read and read and tried to soak up all the information. At the time there were various websites and cybersnail was very helpful, but I felt the need for a site that had real ambition in the way of bringing together all the information we could find, and provide a platform to learn, cross-reference and present every aspect and facet of snails and snail-keeping. The site started as a real success, and 500,000 page impressions on the site in 2 years, 500+ members on the forum, with 1000s of posts is testament to that. But I have to admit I am a little disappointed.
You see, I envisioned my role in all this as a web developer because it's what I do and I have some resources I can draw upon to make it possible. Plus, at the time, my knowledge was very limited. I have a list of website developments that I intended to do that is probably 5 or 6 times the length of what has been achieved so far. But the stuff I could create requires time. During the first 6 months of the site, I was putting silly hours in and risking my employment to be honest because I wanted to get something knocked up to inspire everyone, to convince people that something exciting was emerging. I spent a lot of time researching, experimenting and I also spent a lot of time concentrating on search rankings, because what's the use of a site and meeting place without visitors?
My moderators stepped up to the helm and have contributed an awful lot of their time keeping this forum going. These are people who are thoroughly engaged in this hobby and/or people who have a lot of experience and knowledge to share. But the truth is, petsnails needs more involvement from people with time to spare. Not for moderating the forum, but to contribute to the website and the community at large. I visit the forum less these days because of time, but I still try to answer every email I get which is hard sometimes to keep on top of. I wish I had more pages explaining stuff on the website, so I can paste a link in to my reply rather than collating and writing stuff over and over. I also try to compile knowledge to put pages together but it is a painstaking business when you want to do a thorough job. One of the knock-on effects of publishing info and directing people to forum threads, is that it negates the need to go over and over the same ground. A lot of the activity on this forum has always been people new to the hobby coming on with questions. As a result, older members who have seen this and responded many times are gonna lose interest or at least be less active, waiting perhaps for something new to come up. I don't believe there is any harm in this but imagine a different scenario.
Imagine if these people spent their time getting involved in other ways. So you perhaps get together with friends you have on this board, and write something, design something, collect information. People have ideas all the time. What we need is people who really want to make it happen. The site takes off again, and we have real things to use the forum for. Take for example a children's section. If a few of you decided to take this project on, I would help you place it in the website, do any code you need. But I need people making the decisions, emailing people and chatting with other volunteers to make it happen. People who give me the confidence to know my involvement wouldn't be wasted. We need information on so many things. You regulars can see this, you know what the site lacks. Some of it can be found in the forum, but it requires compiling and rewriting, backing up with pictures and personal accounts.
We have so many species pages missing. Please, please, please help with these. If you have any interest in a species go and research, get together with other members and start a thread, decide who's looking for what and compile information, pictures, write stuff about your experiences with care etc. When I'm writing a page, I often have to email various people for information, clarification or permission. All of this takes time but anyone can do it.
Imagine a site that is encyclopaedic on our hobby, that could be turned into a e-book at various junctures perhaps. It could provide an amazing care guide for all the species we keep, have informative and varying accounts of husbandry with pictures, people making proper guides etc. for all aspects of the hobby. It could be a source of formal education, with directory of further studies, personal diaries, breeding accounts. You name it, it can be on here. Many people like to have social networking pages and blogs, why not become an journalist so-to-speak for petsnails. Anyone contributing will be credited and if you can get really involved I'll set you up with a petsnails email. I've said it so many times, but I want this to be everyone's website with me playing a technical and editorial role, for the purposes of quality and integration with the site.
That's what we need, the more people take their involvement beyond the chatting stage the more there will be to chat about, in a truly constructive way. I've always wanted us to network somehow with other websites, particularly those in other countries. Language will always be a barrier but I believe we can build a closer relationship with them through our members.
And don't underestimate your ability and worth to the community. This hobby is one of the few with undiscovered terrain, where amateurs can truly take the stage. Your time alone is priceless, even if you need help and direction from someone more experienced or knowledgable. Again, small groups of particular interest need to emerge. If your a natural leader or organiser, you can help other people who are involved by giving people direction without the need to be an expert.
The forum can used to research, compile, show and redraft the information. And I guarantee when we reach a certain tipping point, the forum will flourish with renewed interest. I believe that it's this kind of involvement that will bring the members together more closely, by building constructive relationships with each other and interaction on and away from the site, and with it a deeper respect and admiration for each other.
So, one last time. If you wish to help please step forward with positive ideas of what you'd like to do, and what time you have to offer and most importantly backed up with a "will do" attitude. If you are keen and have the time, I will do whatever I can to assist you.
Warm regards paul
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coyote
Archachatina papyracea
Cochleas ego amo
Posts: 2,955
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Post by coyote on Apr 7, 2007 4:45:35 GMT
Thanks, Paul, for sharing in detail what your vision is for this website and forum, and what kind of multi-faceted resource you hope it could be. As you said, there is little out there on the web on pet snails, and besides here, what is available is scattered in bits and pieces among many other websites. That's why your website and this forum are so valuable, and I really appreciate all the work that has gone into making it what it is and keeping it running. But yours is a tough post to follow, because I myself can't really respond directly to your specific invitation to help out in any fashion. But I do have 2 small technical suggestions and a small personal suggestion to offer: First, regarding troublesome guest posters, is there a way to put guests on moderation, so that their post has to be approved by a mod before it actually shows up in the thread? That worked on a political forum I belong to, it kept the trolls out and the rest of us could have rational discussions without being distracted by troublemakers. Of course, it also meant a mod had to be available almost all the time to review new posts. Once someone registered and made a certain number of posts (and the mods got to know them a bit better), they came off moderation and were able to post directly. Perhaps that would work here. Second, I help to mod another (non-snail) forum, and on that one unregistered guests can post only in one subforum. That way they are contained all in one place and all the mods have global powers in that subforum, so if there's trouble, any one of us can intervene as soon as we see it. Once they register they have access to the entire board. That may be another solution for this forum. I don't believe IP banning is the way forward. It simply isn't accurate enough and many people share the same IP because they use a proxy server. Entire schools and libraries could effectively be banned because of the actions of one person. That happened on the political forum I belong to. One nutcase troublemaking troll using his town library's computer (because he couldn't afford his own internet access) caused the whole public library to be banned from the board. Because of him, no one else in the library could access the site. Anyway, lastly, sometimes I feel like a bit of an outsider here, because I'm in California and can't have a GALS. I have a Helix aspersa. I'm not complaining by any means, because I'm aware that the main focus of this board is GALS, but I know there are a few others on this board with aspersa as well. Would it be worth it to create a subforum for aspersa, or maybe for all "small snails" instead of just aspersa? I don't know how much of a demand there'd be for that narrow a focus, but that would be useful to me, and perhaps others as well. Kudos to you and to the mods for the great job you do here.
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LisaLQ
Archachatina papyracea
Old friend (emphasis on the "old")
Posts: 2,995
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Post by LisaLQ on Apr 7, 2007 8:21:38 GMT
Sorry dont have long to reply, triplets round my ankles. But just wanted to say while I love your dream for your site Paul, and am looking forward to seeing it happen, I think that perhaps your dream and the wishes of some of the more "relaxed" members might be very different.
While I love reading information now and again, I have absolutely no desire or talent for writing it or researching it - my idea of a chat forum is for chat. And advice. I much preferred it when the research was on the back burner, stuck to by those who knew what they were talking about. It's very daunting reading that what you want from your site is everyone researching their pets - as some of us just dont have the aptitude for that kind of thing - and just want to share pics and get help when we need it or have a chatter. It's sad to think that that's not what you want for your site, you want even the thickest of us to start measuring, researching, making web pages....when a lot of us just dont have the time or the inclination. Does that make us bad members?
This is maybe one of the reasons why folks aren't posting as much. Since the new rules came into effect, it does come across as "if you dont have anything of importance to share - dont bother posting".
When I joined, it was chatty and fun. No offense to anyone here, but there's no fun here any more.
As for Bugnation being better - I love it for different reasons, but tbh, the snail section there is pretty dead. Much the same as this place is heading.
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