the trouble with moderating

[brian]

moderating can be an exhausting and thankless task. tom is correct in saying that it has been pretty much left up to his personal judgement how things should be run. i, for one, have really appreciated his willingness to step up and take some heat for trying to keep the inmates from tearing up the funhouse. i am going to be rejoining him in this task, and will try to hammer out a more clearly defined code of conduct for the boards, so we all know what to expect and it is enforced consistently. hopefully that will help make this a nicer place to hang out for all of us.

i have made a few small changes to the boards. there is no longer a "no editing, no deleting" section on the board, and i stuck General Mayhem into the Anything Goes section. i don't see much of a difference between the two. i put all of the assembly-related sections under the Post-Assembly category. i propose that we try to keep assembly related discussions in the Post-Assembly category, religious discussions in the Bible category, and everything else in the General Discussion category. so don't start bible study threads in Tech Support, for instance. note that this gives us a wide open door to talk about things other than religion or the assembly.

i got rid of brent's admin status. this is not a discredit to brent, i just don't see the point of him remaining an admin when he believes that himself and others shouldn't be spending time here.

a bad habit people tend to get into on this board that i think we would all be better off without is accusing people of being assembly-like in some way when you are frustrated or angry with them. its never helpful, and its so very rarely accurate. there are much more constructive ways to communicate. everyone who annoys you may resemble someone in the assembly who annoyed you, but continuing to look at the world through that keyhole is unhealthy. plus it can be particularly hurtful to someone on this board, who went through all of that and is trying to put it behind them. so lets not do that any more, ok?

if you think this board is a waste of your time, and not healthy for you to be on, then please leave. hanging around here and repeating that this is how you feel is a waste of everyone's time and energy. if you feel you need to build some sort of following as you go out the door then you need to let that feeling go. the board is here for those who want it, not for those who don't. maybe it wouldn't be such an unhealthy place if you weren't sitting around here complaining about how unhealthy it is.

on a more positive note, i agree with what elizabeth and others have been saying. this board should be a place where reasonably respectful and occasionally meaningful discourse can take place. thats is actually really difficult to achieve almost anywhere on the internet, but i'd like to give it another shot here.

thoughts?

[tenderhearted]

Brian:

Would you be able to help me move the Topic BIBLE STUDYING
to the appropriate section.

There will be 2 or 3 more studies in the series.


If I try to do it, due to my limited computer skill, I will most likely mess it up, because the only way I would know how is to copy each posting, and delete the original posting, and add a posting to the BIBLE SECTION.
Which would mean all 7 weeks of the Bible Study would be reposted.

The drivers of steam trucks would be out in force to flatten me unmerciful.

Also I dont know how it got split into two separate topics. SO can you also combined them into one Topic. Because when I  posted the 3 parts of Study 7, I left them in one Topic.

So I am asking for help in your computer knowledge area.

Lenore

[brian]

Brian:

Would you be able to help me move the Topic BIBLE STUDYING
to the appropriate section.

i sure can. its all set now.

[brian]

i just made some more adjustments to the board. feel free to weigh in with opinions. the biggest change is that i removed the "view the 10 most recent posts" link. i did this to make it easier for people to enjoy only those parts of the board that they wish to, without having to scroll through a bunch of posts on topics that don't interest them. cool?

as i have been navigating the forums, i realized that drilling down through the topics drops you on the first page of a thread, which shows the oldest posts. you have to click another link to be taken to the last page of a thread in order to see what (if anything) new has been added. to me, it makes more sense to reverse the order of the posts, so that the new ones are at the top. that way, when you click on a thread topic, it shows you the most recent additions to the conversation right away on the first page. therefore i reset the board to operate this way. if it is too counter-intuitive and a pain in the ass let me know and i can switch it back. you can also switch it back just for your own account by going to Profile -> Look and Layout Preferences -> "Show most recent posts at the top" and unchecking the box. clear as mud?

[grown up]

Thanks Brian for the adjustments. I just noticed difference. As for the post you made Sunday AM I agree with you. I think this can be a healthy place. This board should be a place to build up not tear someone down. That's my thought for now.

Thanks

[Mark C.]

Thanks Brian!

  Apparently I can post again, at least for now. 

  My thoughts re. the above titled subject:

   Your comments are right on the mark, imho, and especially when you mention the rarity of respectful conversation on the internet.

    There will be things that we disagree on, and I think that is fine, but we need to try and make our argument without resorting to personal attack, of any kind---- this means not only suggesting someone is the way they are because of being "Assembly like", but also by suggesting that they have some kind of psychological problem.

  For those claiming faith in Christ, and belief in the bible, we are instructed not to judge one another's motives, because only God knows the heart.

 We are told to admonish one another re. behavior: as in false teaching and sinful behavior, but we must remember this is not a church, but a place of public discussion.

   Thanks for getting involved on the BB Brian and I want to thank you for providing this forum for us to use.

                                                    God bless,  Mark C.

[moonflower2]

i just made some more adjustments to the board. feel free to weigh in with opinions. the biggest change is that i removed the "view the 10 most recent posts" link. i did this to make it easier for people to enjoy only those parts of the board that they wish to, without having to scroll through a bunch of posts on topics that don't interest them. cool?

I liked the old way better. Here's why:

I find it much easier to quickly read down the row of last 10  posts  the way we had it previously than to have to move back and forth just to read all the last 10 posts. I would rather read them all quickly and then decide whether or not to read more on that thread.

It is rather a nuisance to have to login to read the last 10  posts.

Please don't slap me. 

P.S. Some of the humor loses it effect when you can't view the last 10 in a row.

P.P.S. If you want to get rid of the less computer savy posters, by all means keep it this way. Where is Joe's last post. I wanted to have a good laugh again. What was the name of the thread again? what was the poster's name again? I don't know. Where am I? Hey! Isn't that a clingon? Cool. Look at those ears! Scotty beam me to the last 10 posts! i don't have this kind of time.

What a punch in the gut for us oldtimers. If I want to work a maze, i'll get the book at NewEngland Pharmacy.   

Blessings abound, but not for the violent changes,
Moonflower

[GDG]

Brian,

I like having the most recent post showing first.  I think it makes more sense doing it this way.  As far as losing the "view the 10 most recent posts" link....maybe I'm just techno challenged   , but I don't understand the benefit.  Could you please explain?     Truly, my computer savvy is almost nonexistant.  I'm doing good just to figure out how to post  So, I really do need to be enlightened.  Otherwise, I miss the link.

Gay

[Elizabeth H]

to me, it makes more sense to reverse the order of the posts, so that the new ones are at the top. that way, when you click on a thread topic, it shows you the most recent additions to the conversation right away on the first page. therefore i reset the board to operate this way.

yeah, i like this change.

but i do miss the "10 most recent posts" link because it is, as moon says, a time-saver. plus it sort of gives you a quick shot of "What's Happening Now." i liked that link!

thanks, brian.

[moonflower2]

"10 most recent posts" ..........................gives you a quick shot of "What's Happening Now."
thanks, brian.

Yes, that's it.   

[al Hartman]

Nobody is more computer-disadvantaged than I am. 

I have never used the "10 most recent" method, because when I sign on, just a couple of lines below my name is a line entitled

                               Show unread posts since last visit.

 

I just click on that & I can see exactly where I want to go.

Thanks for all your work, Brian!

al

[moonflower2]

Nobody is more computer-disadvantaged than I am. 

I have never used the "10 most recent" method, because when I sign on, just a couple of lines below my name is a line entitled
 

I just click on that & I can see exactly where I want to go.

Thanks for all your work, Brian!

al

YES AL, WE KNOW THAT. (I'M ASSUMING THAT THE SUPERGIANT CAPS WERE FOR THOSE OF US WHO POSTED JUST BEFORE YOU DID.)

1) WE FIND IT TO BE RATHER A DIFFCULTY TO HAVE TO LOGON TO READ THE LAST UNREAD WHEN WE JUST WANT TO TAKE A QUICK GLANCE BEFORE THE SUPERVISOR PEAKS OUT OF HER DOOR OR AT ANY OTHER CLANDESTINE MOMENT. IT SIMPLY TAKES MORE TIME.

2) ONCE WE READ THE LAST UNREAD, THEY ARE NOT THE LAST UNREAD ANYMORE, SO UNLESS WE MEMORIZE THE TITLE THREAD OR WRITE IT DOWN, WHAT WAS IT?? AND WHERE IS IT??

I AM GLAD BRIAN IS BACK TOO, BUT I WANT THE VIEW THE LAST 10 BACK.

MOST OF US ARE NOT RETIRED GRANDPA'S    WHO HAVE THE TIME TO NAVIGATE AROUND A BB TO FIND THE LAST POST THAT WE READ THAT WE WANT RESPOND TO BUT DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO THE LAST TIME WE READ IT.

[GDG]

Thanks Al, for pointing out the "show unread posts..." link and indeed, it is my primary link for checking the bb, however, there are times when the cares of life will beckon and I am unable to read everything on the "unread posts" link in one sitting.  When I log back on, my link is then empty, and I have to scan the board for anything with TODAY written next to it.  Although this can be done, it is time consuming.  Using the "last 10 posts" link" is a convenient tool.  

Brian,
I forgot to say THANK YOU for working on the board.  I appreciate your willingness to try new things.  Like I said earlier, I think putting the most recent posts first is a great idea.  

Blessings,
Gay

[brian]

the people have spoken, the 10 most recent link is back.

[grown up]

Ahh Thanks for putting the link back Just used it