board77

The Last Homely Site on the Web

Adult Boardom?

Post Reply   Page 3 of 4  [ 68 posts ]
Jump to page « 1 2 3 4 »
Should we be concerned about having younger (17 and under) people vieweing this board?
Yes
  
33% [ 6 ]
No
  
67% [ 12 ]
Total votes: 18
Author Message
Lidless
Post subject:
Posted: Sun 06 Feb , 2005 5:33 pm
Als u het leven te ernstig neemt, mist u de betekenis.
Offline
 
Posts: 8261
Joined: Wed 27 Oct , 2004 8:21 pm
Location: London
 
An IQ Test to get in!

Oh God please!

_________________

[ img ]


Top
Profile Quote
Sassafras
Post subject:
Posted: Sun 06 Feb , 2005 6:36 pm
through the looking glass
Offline
 
Posts: 2241
Joined: Wed 02 Feb , 2005 2:40 am
 
Look, arn't we getting a little ahead of ourselves here?

Isn't the (tentative) plan to remain a closed, invitation only, board for the next several months?

If each of the current members, all 80? of us, recommend a minimum of, say, five people to this board we will have a thriving, diversified and hopefully intelligent, community of 400+.

How large a membership do you all want? As I see it, one of TORC's problems was it's size which required modding to keep a semblance of order (that, and Jon's vision which I neither agreed with nor understood)

If you want to end up with thousands upon thousands of members I believe that the board will become unweildy without supervision and without some sort of TOS. Otherwise where will draw the line? Because,
sooner or later, with unrestricted membership, it will have to be drawn.

Why not continue as we are for a pre-determined length of time ....
6, 9 months to a year, and then re-assess the situation?


Top
Profile Quote
satch
Post subject:
Posted: Sun 06 Feb , 2005 6:37 pm
User avatar
Offline
 
Posts: 821
Joined: Wed 27 Oct , 2004 10:40 pm
Location: Lost in my own megalopolis
 
An IQ test?? Thank God I'm here already, then :Q.

I really don't see how this place would be a huge attraction for a whole load of people anyway... I mean, it doesn't have a particular "scheme" or whatever, like TORC has Tolkien. It's just a board, and so unless people want to actually join in conversations it's gonna be pretty dull.

And yeah, I don't get the 17 thing. 13 makes more sense, but 17?? I could be sitting in my own home with my husband in another room, and my baby on my knee - all legal of course - and be surfing the net... but then suddenly be hit with a page telling me I can't enter because I'm too young... :suspicious:

_________________

"Oats For World Peace!"

Pics from Madagascar: One, Two, Three..., Four!


Top
Profile Quote
Impenitent
Post subject:
Posted: Mon 07 Feb , 2005 4:32 am
Try to stay perky
User avatar
Offline
 
Posts: 2677
Joined: Wed 29 Dec , 2004 10:54 am
 
If we're talking about possible legal liabilities, then some kind of statement is necessary to cover our respective arses, but we do have to be careful that it's not a double-barrelled message which would get the rubber raincoat brigade in.

A simple statement on the masthead of the site and on the registration form advising that this board does not cater to children (which allows browsers to define the term for themselves), that members are expected to temper humour with intelligent conversation and respect for the English language.

I agree that size is critical; beyond a certain threshold, intimacy is lost and in the effort to create it, the membership breaks up into smaller communities. I've very much enjoyed the fact that I've had exchanges here with people who on a larger board have not 'seen' me. That privilege goes as soon as a critical mass is reached and I will rue the day when, once again, I feel I am no longer a part of it all.

But I have another question: someone suggested that the best 500 of the TORC membership could create a comfortable mass; that we could each invite a handful of TORC friends and leave it at that - not open the Board at all.

Well...doesn't that constitute poaching? That's not what this is all about, I know, but think about it: If we solicit those we like from TORC and coax them over here to create a community with us - is that ethical?

That's quite different from the ad hoc process that has gone before - naturally, people want to post with those they have missed; others feel TORC is no longer for them; but as long as the ultimate ideal is a new entity, run on different criteria, open to all comers, it is all good. As soon as we lower the scope to creating an elitist, closed group drawn only from TORC and replicating or borrowing the forms from that MB (in another thread someone - I think Truehobbit, not sure - suggested a Books forum and a Movies forum and maybe something like Manwe; someone else here has suggested a 'netspeak forum ie Fandom'...) Couple that with the cream of TORCers...

Think this through carefully. I don't believe the intention is to poach, weaken them to strengthen us and recreate TORC in our own image, using their ideas, their roots - but we have to look honestly at what we are doing, at the process, and be clear that we are acting ethically. And as has been stated many times in many places - perception is also important.

EDIT: 2 hours later.

BTW, I'd appreciate it if someone told me...anything, really. Tell me I'm an eedjit, tell me I'm looking too hard, tell me where to get off, tell me anything! My posts of this type rarely get any kind of response, which leaves me wondering whether people are nodding their heads in sage agreement (not bloody likely!); not reading them at all (if so, I'd like to know so I can stop posting them); or pissing you off so royally that you're resisting the urge to thwack me and therefore simply not responding in fear that you will commit virtual homicide.


Top
Profile Quote
*Alandriel*
Post subject:
Posted: Mon 07 Feb , 2005 7:44 am
*Ex-Admin of record*
Offline
 
Posts: 2372
Joined: Wed 27 Oct , 2004 10:15 am
 
I don't know what an eedjit is... so I can't call you one :P
Impenitent wrote:
If we're talking about possible legal liabilities, then some kind of statement is necessary to cover our respective arses, but we do have to be careful that it's not a double-barrelled message which would get the rubber raincoat brigade in.
nods head
Impenitent wrote:
A simple statement on the masthead of the site and on the registration form advising that this board does not cater to children (which allows browsers to define the term for themselves), that members are expected to temper humour with intelligent conversation and respect for the English language.
some more nodding... and pondering. Mental note: 'children' needs to be defined ;)
Impenitent wrote:
I agree that size is critical; beyond a certain threshold, intimacy is lost and in the effort to create it, the membership breaks up into smaller communities. I've very much enjoyed the fact that I've had exchanges here with people who on a larger board have not 'seen' me. That privilege goes as soon as a critical mass is reached and I will rue the day when, once again, I feel I am no longer a part of it all.
nods furiously :mrgreen:
Impenitent wrote:
But I have another question: someone suggested that the best 500 of the TORC membership could create a comfortable mass; that we could each invite a handful of TORC friends and leave it at that - not open the Board at all.

Well...doesn't that constitute poaching? That's not what this is all about, I know, but think about it: If we solicit those we like from TORC and coax them over here to create a community with us - is that ethical?
:scratch certainly not ethical... more like wishful thinking :halo:
Impenitent wrote:
That's quite different from the ad hoc process that has gone before - naturally, people want to post with those they have missed; others feel TORC is no longer for them; but as long as the ultimate ideal is a new entity, run on different criteria, open to all comers, it is all good. As soon as we lower the scope to creating an elitist, closed group drawn only from TORC and replicating or borrowing the forms from that MB (in another thread someone - I think Truehobbit, not sure - suggested a Books forum and a Movies forum and maybe something like Manwe; someone else here has suggested a 'netspeak forum ie Fandom'...) Couple that with the cream of TORCers...
*sigh*... finding the balance. Which is the right way... if I only knew...
Impenitent wrote:
Think this through carefully.
oh I am.. trouble is, I'm only on my first cup o'tea. This will run around in my head for a few hours though ;)
Impenitent wrote:
I don't believe the intention is to poach, weaken them to strengthen us and recreate TORC in our own image, using their ideas, their roots - but we have to look honestly at what we are doing, at the process, and be clear that we are acting ethically. And as has been stated many times in many places - perception is also important.
Not the intention. Nope. Certainly not (but it does happen!) ;) Perception - that one is the biggest pitfall of all. We cannot possibly anticipate all perceptions. Besides 'some' perceptions are already in place and somehow I'm quite disillusioned on the fact that those might never change. Not that it bothers me all that much ;)


Does that help Impenitent? :halo:

Know that I always read your posts and I'm certain many others do the same. Discussion posts like this one do trigger things... then thoughts go awandering and when getting back to replying it ususally comes out as a compendium of what has gone before plus my own brain waves (but that does not happen at 7.43am :Q and certainly not before at least 3 cups of tea :halo: )

Will be back when those buzzes that have been instigated formulate themselves into something more coherent.

;)
_________________
Resident witch
[ img ]


Top
Profile Quote
Leoba
Post subject:
Posted: Mon 07 Feb , 2005 8:19 am
Troubadour of Ithilien
User avatar
Offline
 
Posts: 3539
Joined: Wed 27 Oct , 2004 11:04 am
Location: Bree, Buckinghamshire
 
Impenitent. I am nodding furiously in agreement with your post. :smile:

_________________

Also found on Facebook - hunt me down via the MetaTORC group.

[ img ]

I just adore the concept of washing Dirty Horseboys!


Top
Profile Quote
Dindraug
Post subject:
Posted: Mon 07 Feb , 2005 8:53 am
Tricksy Elf!
User avatar
Offline
 
Posts: 2306
Joined: Wed 27 Oct , 2004 6:20 pm
Location: Tanelorn
 
Impy, poaching implies that TORC has a right to keep people. Its not the case, it's a message board like this one. People come, people go, people move with their friends to other message boards. You watch the mass move to Stone Table when the cool pictures of Aslan start to appear.

I do agree with the rest of what you said, I think.

We do need a masthead, I like the 'Last Homely site on the Web'. It has the Tolkien reference, it says what we are, its cute too ;)

_________________

'When one person suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity. When many people suffer from delusion, it is called Religion'.

~Robert M. Pirsig


Top
Profile Quote
Holbytla
Post subject:
Posted: Mon 07 Feb , 2005 4:29 pm
Grumpy cuz I can be
User avatar
Offline
 
Posts: 6642
Joined: Thu 09 Dec , 2004 3:07 am
 
Impenitent wrote:
If we're talking about possible legal liabilities, then some kind of statement is necessary to cover our respective arses, but we do have to be careful that it's not a double-barrelled message which would get the rubber raincoat brigade in.
Totally agree.
Impenitent wrote:
A simple statement on the masthead of the site and on the registration form advising that this board does not cater to children (which allows browsers to define the term for themselves), that members are expected to temper humour with intelligent conversation and respect for the English language.
Coupled with a 13 or over statement, and I think that would be fine.
Impenitent wrote:
I agree that size is critical; beyond a certain threshold, intimacy is lost and in the effort to create it, the membership breaks up into smaller communities. I've very much enjoyed the fact that I've had exchanges here with people who on a larger board have not 'seen' me. That privilege goes as soon as a critical mass is reached and I will rue the day when, once again, I feel I am no longer a part of it all.
This is where the true decision lies. This is where you say you can't have your cake and eat it too.
I posted at TORC for nearly 5 years, with some breaks in between.
Since coming here a few months ago, I have met people for the first time that also posted on TORC for years. I love that aspect of this board right now. I like the intimacy, but that will lessen as time goes on. The board will have to become compartmentalized again as we grow. People will stick to their forums, and we will separate again. I don't see any way around this.
On the other hand, there may be people here in the future that I don't particularly want to post with, so it would be good to spread out. Kind of damned either way.
Impenitent wrote:
But I have another question: someone suggested that the best 500 of the TORC membership could create a comfortable mass; that we could each invite a handful of TORC friends and leave it at that - not open the Board at all.

Well...doesn't that constitute poaching? That's not what this is all about, I know, but think about it: If we solicit those we like from TORC and coax them over here to create a community with us - is that ethical?
Nobody is forced to post here, and nobody is forced not to post at TORC.

Impenitent wrote:
BTW, I'd appreciate it if someone told me...anything, really.
I have this fantasy.
This 6' tall blond goddess named Inga..... :mrgreen:

_________________

[ img ]


Top
Profile Quote
Holbytla
Post subject:
Posted: Mon 07 Feb , 2005 8:07 pm
Grumpy cuz I can be
User avatar
Offline
 
Posts: 6642
Joined: Thu 09 Dec , 2004 3:07 am
 
While registering for the b77 experiment board, this is what I had to sign to register. I am sure you have all seen it before, but just in case. I think it germane to this discussion......



While the administrators and moderators of this forum will attempt to remove or edit any generally objectionable material as quickly as possible, it is impossible to review every message. Therefore you acknowledge that all posts made to these forums express the views and opinions of the author and not the administrators, moderators or webmaster (except for posts by these people) and hence will not be held liable.

You agree not to post any abusive, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening, sexually-oriented or any other material that may violate any applicable laws. Doing so may lead to you being immediately and permanently banned (and your service provider being informed). The IP address of all posts is recorded to aid in enforcing these conditions. You agree that the webmaster, administrator and moderators of this forum have the right to remove, edit, move or close any topic at any time should they see fit. As a user you agree to any information you have entered above being stored in a database. While this information will not be disclosed to any third party without your consent the webmaster, administrator and moderators cannot be held responsible for any hacking attempt that may lead to the data being compromised.

This forum system uses cookies to store information on your local computer. These cookies do not contain any of the information you have entered above; they serve only to improve your viewing pleasure. The e-mail address is used only for confirming your registration details and password (and for sending new passwords should you forget your current one).

By clicking Register below you agree to be bound by these conditions.



I Agree to these terms and am over or exactly 13 years of age

I Agree to these terms and am under 13 years of age

I do not agree to these terms

_________________

[ img ]


Top
Profile Quote
Sunsilver
Post subject:
Posted: Mon 07 Feb , 2005 8:42 pm
User avatar
Offline
 
Posts: 2666
Joined: Mon 24 Jan , 2005 12:43 pm
Location: Gone to the dogs!
 
re: the poaching of TORC posters....

There's a famous old joke that's very popular amongst certain Christian groups. Here it is:

Pastor Bob was the pastor of a very new, lively, evangelical church. Since most of the other churches in town were very traditional and very staid, he was attracting a lot of their younger people, or those who were just plain tired of the status quo and needed a change.

Needless to say, some of the other pastors began to accuse him of 'sheep stealing,' and one day, he had a confrontation in the local grocery store with another man of the cloth who wasn't afraid to accuse him face to face.

"Me, sheep-stealing, Brother Domenic!" he responded. "Heavens, no! I wouldn't do a thing like that. But I do confess that we grow some very nice grass!" :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:


Top
Profile Quote
Sassafras
Post subject:
Posted: Mon 07 Feb , 2005 10:11 pm
through the looking glass
Offline
 
Posts: 2241
Joined: Wed 02 Feb , 2005 2:40 am
 
Impenitent wrote:
But I have another question: someone suggested that the best 500 of the TORC membership could create a comfortable mass; that we could each invite a handful of TORC friends and leave it at that - not open the Board at all.
That someone was me, Impenitent. What I further suggested was this:
Quote:
If each of the current members, all 80? of us, recommend a minimum of, say, five people to this board we will have a thriving, diversified and hopefully intelligent, community of 400+.
And your response was
Quote:
Well...doesn't that constitute poaching? That's not what this is all about, I know, but think about it: If we solicit those we like from TORC and coax them over here to create a community with us - is that ethical?

That's quite different from the ad hoc process that has gone before
No. It isn't. It does not constitute poaching. Unless you believe that I and all others who have received invitations to join this board since its inception have been poached, stolen away, from TORC. And if you do, why then, the growth of b77 has been unethical from the beginning. I don't think you can abitrarily enter a time line and say that all subsequent TORC invitations are now unethical.


First of all, many of us still post on both boards. Second, I did not say that we must cull only from TORC and only then with the caveat that
they must abandon that messageboard. I merely stated that without
some checks and balances in place this board could grow as unweildy as TORC and therefore some sort of policing would become a necessity.

Now I will admit to a certain amount of elitism insofar as I personally do not want to have to navigate any large amount of juvenility,
whether it be in netspeak or no, in order to participate in a conversation which includes adults ideas and is intellectually stimulating .... such posts as you yourself have written on TORc both in this persona and as Novice.
I do not want to see posts such as those become a minority. I'm not
saying that this is a forgone conclusion, all I am saying is, it's possible.

After all, in RL I choose not to frequent loud bars or hiphop concerts.
Those sorts of events no longer hold any appeal for me.

All I am doing is telling my truth. I believed that when I came here I would be able to do so without fear of censure. You well may disagree with me. That's okay, but I'm a little uncomfortable with you suggesting that my concepts are unethical.

My suggestion was that we remain as we are for a period of time and then re-asess the situation.

I apologise in advance if I sound overly prickly. I don't intend it. Really I don't.


Top
Profile Quote
*Alandriel*
Post subject:
Posted: Mon 07 Feb , 2005 10:11 pm
*Ex-Admin of record*
Offline
 
Posts: 2372
Joined: Wed 27 Oct , 2004 10:15 am
 
Thanks for posting that Holby .. that's what I was on about earlier :mrgreen: .. and thanks to Sunsilver :mrgreen:

.... we'll be tending your grass very nicely ;)

______________
Resident witch
[ img ]


Top
Profile Quote
Eruname
Post subject:
Posted: Mon 07 Feb , 2005 10:25 pm
Islanded in a Stream of Stars
User avatar
Offline
 
Posts: 8748
Joined: Wed 27 Oct , 2004 6:24 pm
Location: UK
Contact: Website
 
Just to let everyone know,

We can't change that agreement that people have to say yes to. That's a phpbber thing and not something b77 can change.

I voted that yes we should be concerned about younger members, but only so much that we protect ourselves. I think in the welcome section (maybe Farawen's thread...which could have a subtitle "Please read before posting") should have some kind of disclaimer at the beginning saying that adults post on this board therefore you will find adult content and language.

I don't think we should exclude anyone of a certain age, but just so we don't get any nasty emails from prudish parents threatening to report us to the phpbber admin, we need to clearly state this so we can refer back to it and say "See here? We warn people about this. We did our job. Monitor your child more closely in the future".

The admin at the other board I moderate has gotten upleasant emails from parents and I don't think anyone wants to deal with that sort of thing here.

I don't think putting a disclaimer in the welcome thread would in any way attract the wrong kind of people either.

_________________

Abandon this fleeting world
abandon yourself.
Then the moon and flowers
will guide you along the way.

-Ryokan

http://wanderingthroughmiddleearth.blogspot.com/


Top
Profile Quote
Sunsilver
Post subject:
Posted: Mon 07 Feb , 2005 10:26 pm
User avatar
Offline
 
Posts: 2666
Joined: Mon 24 Jan , 2005 12:43 pm
Location: Gone to the dogs!
 
OUR grass, Alandriel! Our grass....

hehehe, it's OURS, the precious, alll ours!!!


And Jon got a nasty e-mail from a parent...well, no, I think it was more upset than nasty...and he cited that as one of his reasons for tightening the standards at TORC.


Top
Profile Quote
Jnyusa
Post subject:
Posted: Mon 07 Feb , 2005 10:30 pm
One of the Bronte Sisters
User avatar
Offline
 
Posts: 5107
Joined: Tue 04 Jan , 2005 8:54 am
Location: In Situ
 
As long as we don't insinuate that people should stop posting on Torc when they come here, there's nothing unethical about inviting all the Torcers we know to come here.

I wouldn't be able to invite posters from anywhere else because Torc is the only place I go, besides (now) B77.

It's up to Jonathan to maintain a site that people want to keep coming back to. He has more competetition for posters' time than he had before our existence, but that's the way of the world. He's also created his own competition by creating the Stone Table ... so, I don't think that our invitations have anything at all to do with what happens on Torc.

Jn

_________________

"All things considered, I'd rather be in Philadelphia."
Epigraph on the tombstone of W.C. Fields.


Top
Profile Quote
Impenitent
Post subject:
Posted: Mon 07 Feb , 2005 11:57 pm
Try to stay perky
User avatar
Offline
 
Posts: 2677
Joined: Wed 29 Dec , 2004 10:54 am
 
Sassafrass, I don't have time to respond fully right now as work is the devil, but quickly - I was not characterising your suggestion as being unethical; all MB grow via that method - you invite likely people you've met somewhere else.

I am suggesting, though, that if one steps back, there is a de-facto pattern that I see right now:

- The posters are indeed, at this time, the cream of TORC
(yes, that may change if we either invite or attract posters from elsewhere, but that's not the case now)

- The skeleton is still amorphous but the yearnings people have expressed with regards to what they'd like to see this MB become - Tolkien inspired; Books, Movies, Manwe-like, Turf/Talk, intelligence with humour...

Isn't this a little like The Best of TORC?

I'm just saying, is all.

Maybe it's because that is where everyone here came from, what everyone is used to and like most people leaving home, one tries to take those things one loves.

But I think there should be some acknowledgement of it. I don't think it's entirely honest to say - no, this is entirely different because we're being independent and democratic over here. Jn is working hard on the governance issues; but governance is not all. When it works, it will all be in the background and what will define this place is the content and the posters - and is it entirely true to say that this is not a rather exclusive TORC forum?

I'm not suggesting that it is WRONG. I'm just suggesting that it should be viewed with eyes wide open.


Top
Profile Quote
Rodia
Post subject:
Posted: Tue 08 Feb , 2005 10:38 am
User avatar
Offline
 
Posts: 5061
Joined: Wed 27 Oct , 2004 7:48 pm
 
Good point, Imp. Very good point...it does make one think. I know I've seen this pattern before- I've seen two or three light boards made by TORCers and the beginnings always look similar- the same arrangement as TORC, with similarly themed forums, waiting for people to fill them. Now, it may not be plagiarism, but just because we're most familiar with it doesn't mean that's what will suit us best.

I think that instead of making forums and waiting for people to fill them, we must let the need for forums become evident. This already happened with RP, and the two book and movie ones we have. :)

As soon as we figure out what our core is and what our core forums must be, things can be left to grow on their own....

_________________

[ img ]
Help me go to the North Pole! by Magic Madzik, on Flickr

TRYING TO GET TO THE NORTH POLE! You can help by voting: http://www.blogyourwaytothenorthpole.com/entries/244


Top
Profile Quote
Jnyusa
Post subject:
Posted: Tue 08 Feb , 2005 2:26 pm
One of the Bronte Sisters
User avatar
Offline
 
Posts: 5107
Joined: Tue 04 Jan , 2005 8:54 am
Location: In Situ
 
Rodia, I agree completely with you.

At Torc I was a M00bie denizen, and the conversations there became quite serious; it was almost a mini-philosophy forum at times. Other boards that discuss the movies were less distinguishable from Torc's fandom. So the fact that we needed two forums for discussing RotK was really a function of the posters.

We won't know exactly what we are until we know who we are, and the creation of forums will follow the nature of the posters.

But I also agree with Lidless that we can think now in terms of broad categories, so that when we advertise we know what to say, we know what kind of attraction we're trying to create. Then beyond that, the board is organic, it grows from within because of what people bring to it.

I see it as a kind of push-and-pull process, we envision the board in outline form, the posters make it bloom in one direction or another, and we let specific structure follow whatever blooms. So we're always thinking about possibilities but not forcing those possibilities on people but letting them develop naturally.

Jn

_________________

"All things considered, I'd rather be in Philadelphia."
Epigraph on the tombstone of W.C. Fields.


Top
Profile Quote
Berhael
Post subject:
Posted: Tue 08 Feb , 2005 2:35 pm
Milk and kisses
User avatar
Offline
 
Posts: 4417
Joined: Wed 27 Oct , 2004 11:03 am
Location: lost in translation
 
Exactly. We ought to make "flexibility" and "poster power" (OMG I made a buzzword :Q ) features of our board; the fact that what we do and say isn't set on stone. Leoba pointed out to me last night that we seem to be rare in having temporary admins; that could be one of our characteristics.

People who are interested in Tolkien, intelligent discussions with adult and frank wordplay, serious role-playing, and an interest in self-governance.

Hmm.

I say we dub ourselves "Playful Intelligentsia". ;)

_________________


"The most terrifying day of your life is the day the first one is born [...] Your life, as you know it... is gone. Never to return. But they learn how to walk, and they learn how to talk... and you want to be with them. And they turn out to be the most delightful people you will ever meet in your life."


Top
Profile Quote
Jnyusa
Post subject:
Posted: Tue 08 Feb , 2005 2:47 pm
One of the Bronte Sisters
User avatar
Offline
 
Posts: 5107
Joined: Tue 04 Jan , 2005 8:54 am
Location: In Situ
 
Cool name! :cheers

_________________

"All things considered, I'd rather be in Philadelphia."
Epigraph on the tombstone of W.C. Fields.


Top
Profile Quote
Display: Sort by: Direction:
Post Reply   Page 3 of 4  [ 68 posts ]
Return to “Business Room” | Jump to page « 1 2 3 4 »
Jump to: