I have a proposal...

[stealthghost]

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Vern's idea is a great. IMHO, leniency is a must because we are not right all the time.

I think I like the idea of Mods or Admin would give the points, not the users for the increase of user's reputation here in iSTORYA just like in Gang-Zah, posted by sevmlk.

But that'll be another work for our dear moderators.

[pinoy_09]

Moderating with an iron fist, new mods, more mods will never really keep out undesirables. Segregating the two sides doesn't seem to work. We've tried that. The iron fist tactic doesn't work. We've tried that. New and more mods don't work ... there will never be enough people watching all the kids. We've tried that.

The way I see, there really is only one more idea to try. Exclusivity. Perhaps invite only? Perhaps a new rank that requires more posts than CIA? Perhaps both? With those two criteria, people can petition those who already belong to the group to be invited in if they can't even hope to reach this "more hardcore than CIA" rank. If someone who already has attained this rank breaks the rules, he is simply removed from the group, perhaps may be banned? With rules as strict as this ... people really do have something to lose if they break the law of the land. With something on the line, they'd be less likely to just screw around for shits and giggles. If someone who is invited into this group breaks the rules, he is simply removed from this group.

Participating in discussions is exclusive. Reading is free of course.

Thoughts? Please do.

Thanks for your response, sir. Yes, the "invite only" is a very good idea and I wish I had thought of that earlier. I think that's the only way to rid this forum of unwanted characters. Please let us know the progress of this. I would love to have an invite-only board where interesting topics are discussed. Kudos to you sir!

[pinoy_09]

I'm not in favor of a new rank higher than CIA, because that entails members having to post religiously just to reach the said rank (correct me if i'm wrong?) so they can gain permission to access the board--- much like what is happening in Buy and Sell. However, an alternative although a little painful, is when a member requests access, his posts need be composed of sensible comments. I'm pretty sure an admin/mod (or anyone) can detect maturity in one's posts. If he/she spends his "iSTORYA" time posting non-sense in Gen Disc, he/she is simply denied access. A bit biased, but if we talk about EXCLUSIVITY, then only the worthy deserve access.

those are my thoughts.

[pinoy_09]

I'd like to share my experience in another Pinoy forum (mostly for those overseas) that has now been closed, perhaps due to the high number of inactive members and even mods. The forum, gang-zah.com, had a “Philosophy, Religion and the Unexplained” section. An archived version of the site is here -> Gang-Zah, but I can't seem to access the individual forums.

Anyway, that section started ok at first, with all members sharing positive inputs and constructive criticisms. But eventually sore points got touched and the hard core believers, on both sides of the fence, got too personal and subjective. Also, as more and more registered in the forum, we also had to contend with not just trolls but flamers as well. There were a few members, again on both sides, who kept their cool for the sake of the thread. But eventually the thread lost its intellectual air and reduced to a mere mudslinging venue.

So some of the mods got together to try and find a solution. They eventually came up with the same idea of making certain thread topics exclusive to members who were deemed “worthy” to be invited into the thread. The next challenge then became how to make the selection and invitation process transparent so that all members could see that there were no biases in giving out the invitations. The agreed upon solution for that was to establish a “reputation” point system. Basically, every member is given a point by the mods for every positive, helpful, and responsible post. And a point subtracted for every infraction to the forum rules. After getting a certain amount of posts, the member is then subjected to a final review by the mods after which the mods would vote whether they're for or against inviting that particular member into the thread. The point system doesn't stop there. Once invited, a member has to keep their reputation well above the required points so as to keep from getting kicked out. However, the plan wasn't implemented. I think naabtan og kalaay ang mga mods, haha.

This seemed a good idea back then since gang-zah had less than 300 members with a posting rate that would bore you. It was quite easy to monitor new posts and there was not much to do for the mods. But here in Istorya, where there are thousands of members with a posting rate that would make speedy gonzales dizzy, it would be quite hard to establish a similar system. It would mean more work for the mods and some changes, perhaps major (?), to the site structure. Then again, I am not familiar with how things are behind the scenes here in Istorya. Perhaps something like this system could be worked out eh, mods?

This one's a good idea also. Perhaps the only solution to strenghten iSTORYA's resources is to hire new mods solely dedicated to monitoring members' posts who initially requested access to the proposed board.

[sevmik]

that might be one way...

let me clarify sad, the point system I mentioned is not exactly a rank but an indicator of the user's reputation within the community or within certain forums. it could be that "reputation points" could only be earned by those whose rank is senior or elite level. that's why i said the downside would be that it would mean more work for the admin and mods, which sucks, i know.

all in all, I like the idea of an exclusive thread but I could also foresee certain problems caused by members who would question such a system, or why they could not be invited into it.

[pinoy_09]

that might be one way...

let me clarify sad, the point system I mentioned is not exactly a rank but an indicator of the user's reputation within the community or within certain forums. it could be that "reputation points" could only be earned by those whose rank is senior or elite level. that's why i said the downside would be that it would mean more work for the admin and mods, which sucks, i know.

all in all, I like the idea of an exclusive thread but I could also foresee certain problems caused by members who would question such a system, or why they could not be invited into it.

Questions from members will always arise; that's almost a guarantee. But the way I see it, only a minority will care, especially now that almost NOBODY even cared to make a proposal to bring back "SnO". If prospective members are interested, they would have to do the work to gain access, much like members have to be 18 to gain access to Mature Discussions. Wouldn't it be weird to think that no one in this forum cared to talk about an intellectual board and now all they want is access? hehehe... i think that would be last in their minds.

[sevmik]

perhaps some did PM mods about that, but my guess is the mods have too much on their hands right now to bring on more problems to the table.

di sad bitaw lalim ilang trabaho, hehe.

[pinoy_09]

perhaps some did PM mods about that, but my guess is the mods have too much on their hands right now to bring on more problems to the table.

di sad bitaw lalim ilang trabaho, hehe.

maybe... who knows

[treize]

Questions from members will always arise; that's almost a guarantee. But the way I see it, only a minority will care, especially now that almost NOBODY even cared to make a proposal to bring back "SnO". If prospective members are interested, they would have to do the work to gain access, much like members have to be 18 to gain access to Mature Discussions. Wouldn't it be weird to think that no one in this forum cared to talk about an intellectual board and now all they want is access? hehehe... i think that would be last in their minds.

Well you have to dig-in the support section to see those cries..

[cRoSs_eYed_cYcloPs]

Can I have another proposal? Would it be possible to categorize some of the Buy & Sell section? Like ang Vehicles-- could separate Cars, Motobikes, Accessories etc. or sa Real State-- Rooms, Houses, Apartment, Lots etc. It would easier to browse man di ba? thank you kaayo..