G'Day Ray! There's two kinds of delete. One hides the post from view except moderators and the other is a permanent delete. If I delete something it is usually permanent. For example sometimes there are duplicate posts and I see where the poster deleted their duplicate . . . I permanently delete the duplicate. I deleted Clint's post. He can put it back in if he wants to.
A hard delete gets rid of a post for good. Generally speaking, mods should soft delete everything so the owner has the final say.
Tom you're making stuff up again. You know owners posting in the Farriers section was to be on a limited basis. As an admin you could've controlled that. As far as I can tell this forum didn't go downhill until a small group of Farriers were allowed to troll. As far as it not being worth your effort to moderate, there were only 2 horse owners to moderate. I'm not sure you should be one to complain about people hanging out and decompressing. It is very rare you post anything about shoeing horses.
I'm going to identify MY points of contention and the decisions that I think Ray needs to make. Points: This forum is NOT currently a professional forum - not any part of it. If the forum is going to be a forum for professional farriers or have a professional farrier section AND a horse owner section, the the professional farrier section MUST EXCLUDE non farrier participation with very few exceptions. The exceptions need to be clearly spelled out. The moderators need to be professional farriers BECAUSE only a professional farrier will be able to discern the nuance between when a forum participant is posting inappropriately or just kidding around with one of his or her pals. http://farriersforum.com/threads/horse-owners.47/ this thread very clearly identifies where the original intent was going with this forum. Karen says she was supposed to be a moderator for the whole site. That is not true and the proof of that is right in this thread. Karen assumed responsibility to develop the horse owner section including the rules - she had an outline. It is all there in that thread. If you think I am being mean to Karen by pointing this out, then go read the thread and explain to me why I'm the bad guy for telling the truth. Once Karen started moderating the farrier section and neither Eric or Ray had a problem with it, then I knew that the farrier section was not a professional resource and I treated it accordingly. Eric decided that anyone could post anywhere. It is right there in the thread. So despite Eric saying that Ray made this forum a free for all, the truth is that Eric set it up that way. That is why I took a very light hand in the moderators chair. I can't take this forum seriously as a professional resource if it is all inclusive and free for all. I have no problem with it being like that. But don't whine If I play with it like the toy that it is. Right now this forum is a toy. If you want it (or part of it) to be a TOOL, then say so. People whine and complain about foul language, immature behavior, insults, innuendo, potty mouth, etc. Welcome to the pub. The proprietor has the right to refuse to serve anyone he pleases. I'm just the bouncer. If you want a clean and classy, all formal and proper pub, then it darn well can't be an Irish pub or a cowboy pub or some poor sod worked his ass off in the hot sun and just want's to blow off some steam pub BECAUSE those people just don't get along with arrogant pricks with a god complex that think they should have a say in how other people behave. Decisions for Ray: Is this forum or any part of it supposed to be a resource for professional farriers. You decide. If the decision is no, then it doesn't need any changing and we can continue arguing about how to pick up a turd by the clean end till the cows come home. If yes, then the rules for the farrier section should be the exact same or pretty darned close to the same as they are on horseshoes.com. Then David and I will know how to run the forum and everybody will know what to expect and Karen can get back to developing the horse owner section and moderating it according to her sensibilities as a caring compassionate horse owner.
I suggest finding someone who wants to be a super administrator. Let them learn the backend of the software. Set up rules for your moderators. Teach them how to moderate. Start using the warning system. There are threads which go off track and get a little crazy. This is normal on a forum. Then there are trolls who's only purpose is to ruin a thread. Stop the trolls from posting. You can't do that without a superadmin constantly checking the backend. Set up the registration emails to be sent to a super admin. I could go more indepth on how to control trolls but if it was public knowledge they would know how to get around it.
Just because I point out the hypocrisy and double standards as it unfolds here doesn't mean I'm complaining.
LOL, smitty won't even post an aftershot becuase he's waiting for you to put something of actual content up.
Eric, I view auto-focus digital cameras with more disdain than the most prolific hammer head views keg shoes. You and Smitty will just have to wait till I get my stuff setup, shoot a roll of film, get it developed and scanned, and posted here for your enjoyment - or perhaps pain.
Well if you don't have the ability to contribute I don't see why you should be considered professional. I have a hard time differentiating you from an owner without you adding some sort of content.
I got this from an admin forum. The problem with drama There will be drama on your forum sooner or later. Most drama happens between one member and another member and sometimes even between a member and a group and even a staff member and another member or staff member. Drama will happen anywhere you get people involved whether it’s a city or a message forum. Drama usually happens when one person doesn’t agree with another person and wants them to change their mind about something. Unfortunately, drama can create flame wars, trolling, and horrible debates and even make members leave the forum and not come back. The best way to ease drama on a message forum is to stop it in its earlier stages. When you notice members starting to argue, attempt to calm them down and remind them that every responsible and mature human being has a right to their own opinion. Usually, when you are formal with people and remind them to act mature, they will usually realize they need to act mature and the drama will stop for the time being. However, you will need to keep an eye on them because the drama could easily spark again at any time if they get into another disagreement with one and other. I recommend taking a positive approach though! Do not be one who flexes their muscles around and threatens to ban anyone being dramatic on the forum. Be positive, professional and firm when you need to be. If you can help people work a problem out, then you will appear more credible and professional to others which will give your forum a better reputation. If you allow drama to go on, it can seriously harm the reputation of not only your forum but you as well. The problem with staff A message forum needs to have staff members as any community does. Your staff members will help keep the forum active, respond to members who need help and make sure the rules are followed at all times most of the time. However, having staff in any situation or setting will open the door to staff problems, conflicts and ego issues. The best practice is to only seek the best staff members who show professionalism, maturity and a higher want of being a part of your community. Ego of a staff member is a big problem. Sometimes when people get into a position of power, they let it go to their heads and they develop a God-like attitude and appearance and can ruin the forum faster than a blink of an eye. You need to be strict about not allowing ego staff members from being a part of the community. A bad ego can ruin the community and harm your reputation as well since you brought that staff member on the forum to begin with. I create a staff manual on my forums which tells the staff members what I will expect of them on my forum. I explain about how bad egos is not allowed and will result in demotion without warning. I explain that I expect staff to be active members as well because they are leaders now and people tend to follow the leader. I explain what their duties are so that they have plenty to do and won’t be confused on what to do or bored of being a staff member. I explain how they should respond to each violation of each rules we have on our forum. I also explain how to use various staff tools and features in association to the forum software I am using for the community at hand.
I would suggest that a professional farrier is one who applies horseshoes to a horses foot and is paid to do so. Seems pretty cut and dried to me.
