Again, I think the best thing for all would be to build out the "Questions? Bugs? Comments?" forum (and perhaps rename it "About the NANFA Forum: Policies, Questions, Bugs, Comments") with more information about how this all works and more explicit policies as sticky topics:
- How does one become a moderator?
- How do new forums / subforums get added? What's the process to request one? How does the decision get made?
- More policy information -- what you can and cannot post. (Especially discussions about fish that aren't completely legal to collect/keep -- it happens here, whether we acknowledge it publicly or not).
- Who to contact and how if you feel you're being treated unfairly.
- Privacy policy, ownership of posts, etc.
- etc., etc.
Jase,
Honestly so much has been discussed in this topic that I find it difficult to to reply. We're jumping from issue to issue which makes discussion difficult.
I am
one of the staff members here and
one person cannot speak for the mod/staff team in it's entirety without prior deliberations. I will try and explain a little about my thoughts on your most recent post. Again I am an just an individual with ideas independent from others.
How does one become a moderator?
Personally I look for the personality of moderator over all else. I look for a person that is quick to uphold the code of ethics/objectives while not alienating the membership. I also look for people that are able to diffuse potential flames without wielding a heavy hammer. I do not overlook the ability of well rounded expression either. Moderators are requested by either mods or staff when the post volume becomes a time issue for mods/staff.
How do new forums / subforums get added? What's the process to request one? How does the decision get made?
The forum has not really changed much since inception and we don't have great plans of changing it in the near future. Part of our job is to make the forum useful to the members. I'm sure many people here that regularly visit other forums can tell you that changes are the most troublesome to regular through infrequent users. This often causes irritation among frequent users as well. We don't take lightly the introduction of new forums or splitting of other forums. Anyone is able to request anything they want either via PM or here in the Questions? Bugs? Comments? section here. When requests are made, the staff has in the past deliberated in an attempt to weigh the benefits versus the risks. Most of the time, all staff have expressed both sides of the issue (this can be said for any changes that are discussed) which really helps the staff learn and form a conclusion. As staunch as I often am in my opinion, I have been swayed many times by the thoughts provided by the staff. I have a tremendous amount of respect for the mod/staff team and rely heavily on their thoughts while staying true to my own convictions.
More policy information -- what you can and cannot post. (Especially discussions about fish that aren't completely legal to collect/keep -- it happens here, whether we acknowledge it publicly or not).
I believe this is spelled out pretty clearly in the
Forum Guidelines located at the forum header which is visible on every single page view. We ask that all members who participate here follow both the guidelines
AND the NANFA code of ethics. Deviation from this simple set of rules will result in appropriate action by the mods/staff. Each questionable action is discussed in private to allow free discussion while protecting the good name of member with the questionable topic/post. We certainly understand when new members make a goof and requires a little help versus a long time member that constantly requires a great deal of attention by the mods/staff. It's important to remember that we are all volunteers with regular jobs. We care deeply about NANFA and the forum, but we only have so much time to manage members. When we require regular sit downs with members, we must ask ourselves if we can just do something about the member so we get back to making dinner/washing dishes
I don't believe there are discussions about illegal fish (and collections) on this forum. If we felt there was illegal behavior, we would have addressed it immediately. I would encourage all members to click the "report" button with a brief explanation of the concern when you see any illegal activity on the forum (as well as any type of action that personally attacks you or violates the forum guidelines/code of ethics). Jase, please click the report button on these topics/posts with a brief explanation. We will be sure and address your concerns.
Who to contact and how if you feel you're being treated unfairly.
Please click the report button on the post of concern. If you feel a member of the staff/mods has treated you unfairly, you can contact any/all staff/mod members of your choosing. Your concerns will be addressed.
Privacy policy, ownership of posts, etc.
The forum does not sell or offer email addresses or any other personal information. When actions of a member are of concern, we go to great lengths to keep discussions private and not allow them to bleed into public discussion. We prefer the public stuff public and private stuff private. Airing dirty laundry in public is considered in incredibly poor taste. Private messages are indeed private and are expected to remain that way. If a private message in any way makes one feel harassed, forum staff/mods should be contacted at once in private. This forum is owned and operated by NANFA and serves at the request of the duly elected BoD.
Matt, I agree that this forum is much better run than most any other I have seen, and I appreciate the Forum staff's efforts in making it so. I was one of those who argued against the Forum back in 2006, because I was familiar with how many/most wind up going. You get people focusing more on their avatars, animated signature images, smilies, and clever comebacks than actual quality *content*. I would say that the average level of conversation is lower here than it used to be on the email list (many more newbies), but the greater volume, subdivision into subforums, and fact that the same thread can run for months more than makes up for it.
Indeed the forum has greater participation and audience than the list. It therefore has much more "stuff" to wade through. I would however take great issue with suggesting the new members (or newbies as you singled our valued new members as), take down the level of conversation. I consider myself a new member in many aspects. I still have much to learn about so many things, I guess I just don't feel comfortable calling my self an expert of anything. We want the atmosphere to be welcoming to new members and I hope we can all remember when we first started. It's hard to join a forum like this with a background. We must never forget our
mission. This forum will always try to accommodate professionals, hobbyists, conservationists etc. of
all experience levels simultaneously.
Again, I can only express a few of my thoughts here as I cannot possibly speak for the great volunteers that spend their time making this forum operate.