Please consider adding an Isle of Misfit Threads

[Innovan]

Polite complaint is fine. Childish behavior and continuous acting out is not.

TM games appeal to an older audience, and this older audience is most definately not going to put up with a board full of rude 17 year olds flooding the boards with immaturity. In fact, I guarantee if these boards are allowed to be flooded by "I'm only playing the free demo" bored teens with nothing other to do than act out and complain, the adults who actually buy these games will stampede for the door and never come back again.

I for one found the Impressions and Sierra boards completely unreadable. They don't have this problem at heavengames. Because heavengames moderates and removes offensive posts.

I am suggesting that Tilted Mill add a self-moderating option to its forums.

I like the way http://www.craigslist.org has a hidden board called "The Isle of Misfit Threads". (http://forums.craigslist.org/login/?forumID=1047) Rude? Acting like a jerk? Flooding the board with immature and stupid behavior? Your post is moved there. And no, any thread there has all images turned off, is read only and unable to have further comments added.

It's not censored exactly. It's not deleted exactly. It is moved out of the way to where mature people don't have to bother reading it and no further comment is necessary.

Moderators can move threads there. But so can the reader community by flagging posts. CL changes the number of flags it takes to move a thread there. Sometimes only two other readers flagging a post is enough to move it to the Isle. Othertimes it seems to take 20 or more. But this way both moderators and the user community can remove the immaturity and rudeness that some people use to waste everyone else's time.

It's something to consider adding when you get a breather. Because I believe we can all agree the rudeness was just out of control in the past. This is a fresh slate, a new chance.

[Son of Moose]

Innovan:

TM games appeal to an older audience, and this older audience is most definately not going to put up with a board full of rude 17 year olds flooding the boards with immaturity. In fact, I guarantee if these boards are allowed to be flooded by "I'm only playing the free demo" bored teens with nothing other to do than act out and complain, the adults who actually buy these games will stampede for the door and never come back again..

WELL SAID!! :D :D

The end result you describe (which is entirely possible) would be extremely sad and should at all costs be prevented!! :eek: After all, our current members have expended a great deal of time and effort to make this forum what it currently is --- a friendly, articulate and informative site. :) Sure there might be the occassional light-hearted banter but I feel that the senior members have possibly earned this as a "Rite of Passage". :p

I really like your idea of self-moderating. :D Perhaps all senior members of the community should be entitled to "flag" offensive posts as a way of highlighting them and, thereby, easing the moderator's task. After all s/he would be the ultimate arbitrator wrt standards and taste. :)

[NanaBanana]

I know there were posts like that on the old Sierra CB boards, but I think Keith and the others did a commendalble job moderating those boards.

The offenders would get a warning or two, then if they continued, their posts were removed, and they were banned from the forum. Yeah, I know there are ways around a ban, but Keith was pretty sharp in recognizing syntax bouncing them again.

Moddies are cool! :cool:

[Son of Moose]

NanaBanana:

Moddies are cool!

Perhaps we should nominate you as a moderator? :D

[Innovan]

The work of the previous moderators is still appreciated. It was a task akin to cleaning out the Aegean stables.

I'm just suggesting a method used by other boards to allow the community to self-moderate and remove some of the workload off the moderators.

[Keith]

Polite complaint is fine. Childish behavior and continuous acting out is not.

TM games appeal to an older audience, and this older audience is most definately not going to put up with a board full of rude 17 year olds flooding the boards with immaturity. In fact, I guarantee if these boards are allowed to be flooded by "I'm only playing the free demo" bored teens with nothing other to do than act out and complain, the adults who actually buy these games will stampede for the door and never come back again.

I for one found the Impressions and Sierra boards completely unreadable. They don't have this problem at heavengames. Because heavengames moderates and removes offensive posts.

I am suggesting that Tilted Mill add a self-moderating option to its forums.

I like the way http://www.craigslist.org (http://www.craigslist.org/) has a hidden board called "The Isle of Misfit Threads". (http://forums.craigslist.org/login/?forumID=1047) Rude? Acting like a jerk? Flooding the board with immature and stupid behavior? Your post is moved there. And no, any thread there has all images turned off, is read only and unable to have further comments added.

It's not censored exactly. It's not deleted exactly. It is moved out of the way to where mature people don't have to bother reading it and no further comment is necessary.

Moderators can move threads there. But so can the reader community by flagging posts. CL changes the number of flags it takes to move a thread there. Sometimes only two other readers flagging a post is enough to move it to the Isle. Othertimes it seems to take 20 or more. But this way both moderators and the user community can remove the immaturity and rudeness that some people use to waste everyone else's time.

It's something to consider adding when you get a breather. Because I believe we can all agree the rudeness was just out of control in the past. This is a fresh slate, a new chance.If posts are truly offensive they are removed at the VUG Community forums. (They aren't called Sierra Community forums any longer.)

What offends one person may just be in his interpretation. You should see all the posts that get deleted there on a daily basis.

Some of this depends on the moderator's style, but anything that bad gets yanked ASAP.

You won't find any such posting going on on the games that I moderate. For the best example I could give you the Lords III board after the game disappointed so many people. Control was maintained despite a lot of upset people.

The problem is that some games seem to attract the worst offenders and its a running game to keep ahead of them and to ban them as soon as they manage to reappear with a new account.

The boards here haven't been infested with this problems. Jeremy is always around. I don't think such a section such as you suggest is warranted.

[Son of Moose]

Innovan:

It was a task akin to cleaning out the Aegean stables.

It certainly must have been a Herculanean task as a busy forum can have potentially have several hundred posts a day that need to be moderated. :eek:

I certainly feel that you must be congratulated for raising this most important issue which does potentially threaten the long-term welfare of this forum. :) I also think that you are totally correct insofar as it will be "game on" once CotN has been released --- as there is every chance that our fairly quiet and subdued forum will become innundated with a myriad of new members. Several of these (as you warn) may not necessarily be all that desirable. :(

Therefore (as previously stated), I feel that some degree of censorship may indeed become necessary in order to preserve and protect the current high standards that are being upheld in this forum. :)

I suppose that the issue is how to enforce some form of self (or other) regulation. I know (for a fact) that there are a couple of members who do not believe in ANY form of censorship as a matter of principle. They believe in the implicit right to free speech. However, they themselves certainly do not abuse this privilege. :)

As this forum is the property of TM, I suppose it is for them (and Webmaster Jeremiah in particular) to decide upon what measures (if any) they may wish to institute in order to maintain some level of decorum here. ;)

Nevertheless, I must again thank you for raising this matter. :D I hope that our responses have not been too disappointing. In addition, I would definitely urge "The Powers-that-Be" at TM to think about this issue NOW rather than LATER when it does possibly become a critical issue. :eek:

[NeilV]

I don’t like censorship but a report post button would be nice and if a post got say 10 (amount can be decided) complaints it deleted or moved in to a sin bin this would allow self moderation without it being one or two people having to remove post

[NanaBanana]

NanaBanana:

Perhaps we should nominate you as a moderator? :D

OH NO! Please not that! I really don't have the time to dedicate to that between my job and family. I just enjoy being part of the forums as time permits.

[Son of Moose]

NanaBanana:

Yes --- available free time would most definitely seem to be an important consideration when a moderator is sought. :o Probably very few of our members have the amount of free time required in order to police the forum adequately. :(

Maybe a full-time paid position should be created for this post --- but maybe this would run counter to the spirit of community-based volunteerism that marks these great forums. :D

[Keith]

NanaBanana:

Yes --- available free time would most definitely seem to be an important consideration when a moderator is sought. :o Probably very few of our members have the amount of free time required in order to police the forum adequately. :(

Maybe a full-time paid position should be created for this post --- but maybe this would run counter to the spirit of community-based volunteerism that marks these great forums. :D
Going by past experiences on the old Impressions boards, the team will be hanging out here for sometime after the release gauging our reactions and responses, and Jeremy is normally always around keeping tabs on the boards.

In short, I don't believe that they'll go for an outside moderator....not that they'd even have a need for one. Besides there's enough adults here and board regulars to smack down any troublemakers, if not report them.

I don't enjoy it when boards and threads get out of control and that will happen occasionally, but this entire thread supposes something that I doubt will even happen. "Tempest in a teapot."

[NeilV]

Going by past experiences on the old Impressions boards, the team will be hanging out here for sometime after the release gauging our reactions and responses, and Jeremy is normally always around keeping tabs on the boards.

In short, I don't believe that they'll go for an outside moderator....not that they'd even have a need for one. Besides there's enough adults here and board regulars to smack down any troublemakers, if not report them.

I don't enjoy it when boards and threads get out of control and that will happen occasionally, but this entire thread supposes something that I doubt will even happen. "Tempest in a teapot."

I Think we are just preparing for the influks of new members and want a plan to make sure the forum stays nice and frendley :)

[Son of Moose]

Keith:

Going by past experiences on the old Impressions boards, the team will be hanging out here for sometime after the release gauging our reactions and responses,

That would be great --- especially if they could possibly provide yet further more detailed feedback for some of the better community-based queries. :D I am sure that there will be many genuine questions --- and I really look forward to reading about how various gameplay issues can be optimally resolved. :D

[Son of Moose]

NeilV:

I Think we are just preparing for the influks of new members and want a plan to make sure the forum stays nice and frendley

Indeed --- control (as Keith urges) and friendliness (as you urge). :D These are imho the two pedestals on which a good forum is built!! :D

[NeilV]

and thats all we want :D oh and the game of course :D

[Son of Moose]

NeilV:

oh and the game of course

Yes indeed --- what would the forum be without the game!! :( :p

[Keith]

I'm not worred, and I don't think we'll get invaded by hordes of immature people bent on raising havoc. These types of games do not generally attract that type of crowd.

The best way to deal with any troublemaker is to not repsond to them at all. I also realize that this is probably not going to happen because many people can't resist taking the bait. Jeremy will probably nail them when he checks the boards.

Besides, you'll all be too busy playing the game at first to care.

[Son of Moose]

Keith:

Besides, you'll all be too busy playing the game at first to care.

Very true ... :D

Indeed, our demographic survey does support the notion that we should not be plagued by the type of attention-seeking youngsters who frequent the FPS-type forums. :eek:

[Ineti]

I don’t like censorship but a report post button would be nice and if a post got say 10 (amount can be decided) complaints it deleted or moved in to a sin bin this would allow self moderation without it being one or two people having to remove post

We already have a report post button. It's the little exclamation point inside a triangle over to the right of the screen on every post header. :)

[NeilV]

opps is that what that is for :o