Skittles: Yeah, would be like a game of antigammon with a last minute player :o(

Stevie: A slow game of it seems like it WOULD take forever.

Eriisa: Its good game :o)
Buuuut, dont think I could play slow games of it

WatfordFC: LOL, just put on the shades!

Fencer any chance of having the ludo board reduced in size, or at least an option to reduce it in size if its required. It en half make ya eyes go funny after a while

harley: It's been five days harley. The Big Boss was surprised by my request. She also was surprised by my mentioning for her to check with you and also read this board so she could be familiar with why I was asking to join her fellowship. Apparently she doesn't read this board at all. I find it amazing that any moderator would not read one of the more important boards on this site let alone the Big Boss of a moderator's fellowship, but maybe we all have other priorities, eh? Just what do you guys talk about in this fellowship? I assume all the discussion boards are covered by the various members of this particular fellowship. It would seem to me that since there's too many boards for each of you to read all of them that one of you would alert the fellowship to when something is noteworthy enough to warrant attention or discussion. And if inviting someone to join the fellowship to discuss ways to change how the site is moderated isn't important enough to the Big Boss of a moderator discussion board to even think it's necessary to read the posts that brought it up or ask the global moderator what's up, then I think I've positively shown what is wrong with the private nature of the fellowship discussion boards. And also what is wrong with how moderators are choosen and stay in their positions. Awhile back in this very board, almost a year ago, I posted a lot of things about this and related subjects as did a lot of other people. I warned that things would be fine until the next problem came up and then it'd another disaster but worse. Little did I dream it would be what happened just three weeks ago. What I didn't take into consideration is how effective deleting everything is as strategy to silence questions and dissent. It really works! It's like it ever happened. I've learned from this.

I'll stick to games for now on. Perhaps the previous poster can fight the status quo in my stead.

Challenge authority.

Skyking: In principle a good idea, though it would impose a burden on the moderators. At the very least, it would create a cooling-off period between posts.

alanback:I was reminding folks about that option.

There is an option mods can use which is "all posts must be approved", it comes in handy if a board is getting out of hand. Its not often its applied on most boards but this could be what you experienced, Skyking.

Skyking: Have you ever had to wait to see a message that you posted show up in the forums?

malynemo:

Brainking.com is super.

What I'm asking is..Don't the monitors have a thing to click on to let them see the post before lettting it in there? I thought so

Thanks :-)

Foxy Lady: WEll done

Rose and rod03801 for being chosen Globs.

rod03801:I agree there are several children that can and will see this issue,which is not needed for this great site.

Mike.:o)

Babygirlle: I think specifics of this arguement should be kept to PM or fellowships. It has been more of a general conversation here.

Walter Montego:As too your question,there is no pawns that can read or write on any fellowship boards.
Therefore that shows you are, NOT the big boss,which are fencers decisions.

Any other question regarding this should be directly sent to Fencer.

Czuch Chuckers:The site was down for 2 hours.

ScarletRose:I finally agree with you,i can't speak for him but still the issue at hand,i agree.

harley: OK, I'll try it your way. I sent a request for membership to the Big Boss saying you recommended me.
I'll see you there when she gets around to letting me in.

And in Iran too :-)

Czuch Chuckers: Yep, site was inaccessible to me during that time. Oddly, I don't even get an internet error message, but simply nothing happens when I click on a link to the site.

Czuch Chuckers: Yes, it went down for about an hour and a half here too in the UK

Just had a mess of a time getting onsite, anyone else?

I had to come on in guest mode after trying normal chanels for over an hour!

Jason: I don't think that idea would work because then people who are mad at other people WOULD start saying crap and getting things all riled up...whats the point in that,isn't that what the flame pit (or whatever the fellowship is called ) is for.Unfortanatly,like Tuesday said..our converstaion just happen to fall in the same time line as something else and someone I suppose thought it was personal,which it was not...sorry,girls just having fun here and the timing was bad,not our fault on that one,also,like Tuesday said..mod was NOT rude to me about it AT ALL,I understand she was doing her job and wasn't upset at her AT ALL.I think,all and all,the mods are doing a very good job!!

agree that since pawns cannot participate in fellowships, there are some subjects which they may be excluded from participating in, ie the "Bumble situation". In that instance they were asked to discuss it on another website. That topic was not allowed here, on public boards, because some found it offensive. The problem is that everything can be offensive to someone, even something as benign as talking about a particular song can offend some. So where does it end? Do we really want these boards to be as pure as the most sensative member among us? Maybe so. But if we do, then we have to be ready to remove a post about a particular song, if it offends someone. If we get to that point, then there will be nothing suitable for the public boards.

I think we all agree it needs to lie somewhere in the middle.... That is where the real problem lies, where is this middle ground? When this decision is left up to the moderators, we have another set of problems. Some boards ie gen chat have many moderators, all with the ability to delete any post they think will offend or that they are personally offended by. Do we really really want posts deleted only because the moderator is offended by a topic? Or only because one reader is offended and comnplains? hat doesnt make any sense either, but thats what it has come down to!
What happens if a moderator is a personal friend of someone being discussed? So they dont allow any posts about that person. hen someone else is being discussed who is not a personal friend of that moderator, so the topic is allowed. This does happen on these boards. Is that how we want our moderators to act?


have plenty more, but it seems like most people probably havent even read this far, so I will end it here......

maybe fencer would put up a few more general chat type boards where there is no mods and anyone can post ........im sure this must have been asked for before though , and turned down because of problems that would arise from it and maybe spill onto other boards , but just an idea

BIG BAD WOLF: true

Walter Montego: It isn't my fellowship but it is open to all moderators. If you're serious about wanting to make a difference in how things are done maybe you should join and give us your input.

Vikings: Well the mods that choose to be part of the mod fellowship, some never joined or left.

Walter Montego: "everyone is aware" means that the mods are aware and thats what this is really about

BIG BAD WOLF: I have to leave, but I will check into this fellowship thing. Can Pawn members join them?

harley: The mess I'm refering to is the Bumble affair. I'm also was talking about Tuesday's deal. And check you out, "everyone is aware" What is it that we're aware of? You mean the people in your fellowship, right? I'm not a member, so I don't know. And that is what I mean about the public boards, we are all members of these.

Walter Montego: Could things be changes for the beter? The answer to that is probable always.

But for how things are now, a solution already in place is the fellowship boards. There are many fellowships which are open to just about any knight or rook to join, and have warnings placed right in the description that it is for more non-family talk. There are at least a couple that are for any type of discussion, and I believe a couple that are around just for non-family type jokes which some may be offended by on the public boards.

As far as I know, those fellowship will accept just about anyone as long as they do not get offended easly.

harley: "Nothing can be perfect, but it can become better...."

Walter Montego: I think 'mess' is a bit strong. Tuesday pointed out a way people can abuse the system and it was discussed in the mod squad so everyone is aware, and it shouldn't happen again. The rest of the time the system we have in place works well. Its not perfect, but nothing ever is.

Walter Montego: .
.
"Your actions lead me to believe that this discussion board stuff is just a sideline. The thing is, it has become one of the defining features of your site."

I was ready to comment about these exact 2 things, but you did it first. And you said what i really wanted to say! You have saved me from some typing. Nice, thanks.....:-)

I second all your other statements also.....!

BIG BAD WOLF: After three years as a member I finally joined a fellowship. I see a big problem with your idea about it. A fellowship is a closed group. The public discussion boards are just that, public. The have a broad and general audience, not the narrow one of a fellowship. Plus the Big Boss chooses who to let in. In the discussion boards, we are all members from the moment we sign up and join BrainKing.

Pythagoras: A very easy solution I like it.

One easy way to create that system is:
Keep the current system as it is with an extra option available to choose from. That is to see the posts removed. As an option. So when a moderator deletes a post, the post would not actually been deleted but only stay hidden from people that haven't enabled that option. Others that have it enabled, can see every post and these that have been "deleted/hidden".

Fencer: And no Fencer you are wrong. This is a very important subject. You might be right about people complaining, but there's no reason to believe that just because this is so that a better way to do it can't be devised and put in place. Just look at what we have now and tell me you think it's perfect. Yeah, uh-huh. Maybe it's because you think it's not important, and that's exactly how this mess happened. Sweeping it under the carpet will work for awhlie. You're a game player, not a conversationalist. Your actions lead me to believe that this discussion board stuff is just a sideline. The thing is, it has become one of the defining features of your site. You really should devote more energy to making it better for more people and getting rid of the potential for abuse and pettiness of the moderators. They are some good moderators on this site. Unfortunately they only have a few boards and can't be everywhere. And then there's trouble makers, which as alanback pointed out will always find a way to get around whatever rules are put in place. Deal with them as it comes up. The rest of us can take of ourselves.

Pythagoras' simple solution will work for me very well. Let me decide what to view. I'm an adult, I don't need some nanny telling me what to read. And give me the abilty to hide individual posts. How about numbering the posts so I can see that some have been deleted when there's a gap in the sequence? This system now just has them vanish into thin air and the moderators can get away with anything. The moderators need policing too. You can't let them set up little dictatorships and run roughshod over the rest of us.

There are already boards set up where a person can post offending & non-family type stuff, they are called fellowship boards. On those boards, the BIG BOSS can decide what stays and goes, with a few boards already set up for just about anything to be on-topic.

Fencer: Correct for the first part!
But the: "There are more important things to do and always will be." should not mean in any way that because there are other things to do, we should not correct some others.....

Walter Montego: Oh, you are going too far, i wasn't thinking actually of a change to the whole system but only of the philosophy of it.
But if we talk about changing the whole system then yes i agree with you. Freedom of speech without ANY restriction is what i prefer too!

Also a correction on the "I disagree with you. This is the system we have now." This is not what we have now, since now every moderator obeys to his own charter.


So suppose we allow 2 options: The sensitive one-> "with moderators" and the other that allows complete freedom of voice.
Well this is a bit odd since it would split the people into 2 categories. That's not the best but it's doable and worth looking at it as an option.....Actually this is the best option i can think of....

One easy way to create that system is:
Keep the current system as it is with an extra option available to choose from. That is to see the posts removed. As an option. So when a moderator deletes a post, the post would not actually been deleted but only stay hidden from people that haven't enabled that option. Others that have it enabled, can see every post and these that have been "deleted/hidden".

Walter Montego: I said it many times but I'll say it again. No matter what system you choose, there will be always someone who would complain "the system is not working for me and a lot of others". There are more important things to do and always will be.

Pythagoras: And I certainly don't want some moderator to force me as to what to post or believe. We can turn the tables and make them conform to how I believe if I was the moderator. I let eveyone post as long as it doesn't contain profanity or racial epitats. The topic isn't even that important in most of the cases, though it can be steered towards if it demands it. This is what I want to get away from, having it NOT matter who the actual moderator is. The system as is now is not working for me and a lot of others. It needs changing. It is too personality driven.