I posted this as a reply to another thread, but since that thread really didn't have to do with the original topic, I though I'd start a new thread regarding this.
This forum has exploded with activity since the APV specific forums up in the e-cigarette section was archived.
This has turned this place from a ghost town to a metropolis, but has caused some concern and even has prompted ProVape to ask for a forum helper to keep up.
So the question is, how can we maintain an open and loving atmosphere while making it easier to moderate and maintain.....
In my experience, trying keep people organized in a forum is kind of like herding cats.... It's impossible and you simply end up with a bunch of meowing kitties.
Sticky the important stuff. Announcements from the company, Contests, helpful threads (such as cleaning instructions or an online manual). Then lock the stickied thread. For example sticky a contest, then lock it 24 hours after it's over. Those who didn't say congrats, tough.
Then you let the regular part of the forum kind of take care of itself. Threads that are of interest will prosper and take a life of their own (like the saloon) and some threads will die a natural death. You can have an "unpublished" policy of locking and archiving any non-stickied thread that has no activity for 4 weeks. The reason I say unpublished, is because if people know their stuff will be deleted, they usually "bump" the thread and we don't want to have a bunch of bumping just to stay active.
Trying, however, to regulate people to use existing threads (like here is my new ProVari thread, or what do you want to see in V3 thread, or what's your favorite kayfun build thread. ) is an exercise in futility.
1. It makes people look and feel like idiots. When you get that post from someone who says.....please post here...or it's deleted by an over zealous mod with a curt .....thread already exists....Then you just alienate people. No body likes to feel like a noob, even if they are. When I first got my ProVari, if you all had sent me to the corner without dinner because I didn't search two pages for the active 'unboxing' thread, I would have assumed you were the bunch of jerks people made the Provarinati out to be. Especially in my case since my ProVari purchase ended up in a lot of mea culpa and eating of crow as it was.....To have someone go....."you should have posted it here" would have sent me screaming out of here.
2. It clutters up the thread..... Nothing destroys a thread flow more than some nag from walking in an saying....hey...you should discuss this here....or hey, theres already an open thread on this. It's like when you get shushed in a movie theatre. The shusher is often louder than you are. Same thing applies. We post to tell people where to post and we compound the problem.
So... In a nutshell here's my suggestions:
1. The first sticky is a list of rules, and guidelines. These should not be overly complex or long, but should contain the following: What behavior is not allowed, expectation of company involvement, etc.
2. There should be NO expectation of vendor involvement of a normal thread unless it's absolutely required. MasterKenny has a job to do, he is not our buddy, nor our secret source of inside information. He is here to pass official company correspondence to us and to alert his superiors to customer concerns that originate from the website.
3. Any requests for help or assistance should be tackled by the general population first. If the community is unable to provide the answer or if the thread involves a specific concern that ABSOLUTELY REQUIRES official vendor involvement, then one of our "elder statespersons" like Occy, Baditude, PoM, etc. should be able to PM MasterKenny or whoever the "official rep" is and bring the thread to their attention.
4. All "official" company originated correspondence gets stickied. This includes current contests, and stock notifications. Those announcements not requiring comment from the gallery are immediately locked.
5. Contest stickies are locked 24 to 48 hours after expiration. You have time to congrats, but then we lock it....
6. inactive and dead posts are locked and or archived after 4 or so weeks of inactivity (this is not announced anywhere to prevent intentional bumping of dead threads, but we simply remove the dead bodies and bury them in the desert.) Posts that contain specifically good information (like all of mine
get stickied)
7. Stickies are regularly reviewed and removed after they become irrelevant. (we really don't need to read about a contest from 2 years ago, nor do we need to read about polished models being discontinued when they have been re-continued).
8. Stickies are reviewed and removed when they provide inaccurate information. (such as upcoming announcements about retired colors).
Feel free to add your
This forum has exploded with activity since the APV specific forums up in the e-cigarette section was archived.
This has turned this place from a ghost town to a metropolis, but has caused some concern and even has prompted ProVape to ask for a forum helper to keep up.
So the question is, how can we maintain an open and loving atmosphere while making it easier to moderate and maintain.....
In my experience, trying keep people organized in a forum is kind of like herding cats.... It's impossible and you simply end up with a bunch of meowing kitties.
Sticky the important stuff. Announcements from the company, Contests, helpful threads (such as cleaning instructions or an online manual). Then lock the stickied thread. For example sticky a contest, then lock it 24 hours after it's over. Those who didn't say congrats, tough.
Then you let the regular part of the forum kind of take care of itself. Threads that are of interest will prosper and take a life of their own (like the saloon) and some threads will die a natural death. You can have an "unpublished" policy of locking and archiving any non-stickied thread that has no activity for 4 weeks. The reason I say unpublished, is because if people know their stuff will be deleted, they usually "bump" the thread and we don't want to have a bunch of bumping just to stay active.
Trying, however, to regulate people to use existing threads (like here is my new ProVari thread, or what do you want to see in V3 thread, or what's your favorite kayfun build thread. ) is an exercise in futility.
1. It makes people look and feel like idiots. When you get that post from someone who says.....please post here...or it's deleted by an over zealous mod with a curt .....thread already exists....Then you just alienate people. No body likes to feel like a noob, even if they are. When I first got my ProVari, if you all had sent me to the corner without dinner because I didn't search two pages for the active 'unboxing' thread, I would have assumed you were the bunch of jerks people made the Provarinati out to be. Especially in my case since my ProVari purchase ended up in a lot of mea culpa and eating of crow as it was.....To have someone go....."you should have posted it here" would have sent me screaming out of here.
2. It clutters up the thread..... Nothing destroys a thread flow more than some nag from walking in an saying....hey...you should discuss this here....or hey, theres already an open thread on this. It's like when you get shushed in a movie theatre. The shusher is often louder than you are. Same thing applies. We post to tell people where to post and we compound the problem.
So... In a nutshell here's my suggestions:
1. The first sticky is a list of rules, and guidelines. These should not be overly complex or long, but should contain the following: What behavior is not allowed, expectation of company involvement, etc.
2. There should be NO expectation of vendor involvement of a normal thread unless it's absolutely required. MasterKenny has a job to do, he is not our buddy, nor our secret source of inside information. He is here to pass official company correspondence to us and to alert his superiors to customer concerns that originate from the website.
3. Any requests for help or assistance should be tackled by the general population first. If the community is unable to provide the answer or if the thread involves a specific concern that ABSOLUTELY REQUIRES official vendor involvement, then one of our "elder statespersons" like Occy, Baditude, PoM, etc. should be able to PM MasterKenny or whoever the "official rep" is and bring the thread to their attention.
4. All "official" company originated correspondence gets stickied. This includes current contests, and stock notifications. Those announcements not requiring comment from the gallery are immediately locked.
5. Contest stickies are locked 24 to 48 hours after expiration. You have time to congrats, but then we lock it....
6. inactive and dead posts are locked and or archived after 4 or so weeks of inactivity (this is not announced anywhere to prevent intentional bumping of dead threads, but we simply remove the dead bodies and bury them in the desert.) Posts that contain specifically good information (like all of mine
get stickied)7. Stickies are regularly reviewed and removed after they become irrelevant. (we really don't need to read about a contest from 2 years ago, nor do we need to read about polished models being discontinued when they have been re-continued).
8. Stickies are reviewed and removed when they provide inaccurate information. (such as upcoming announcements about retired colors).
Feel free to add your
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