Forum Improvements Part Two: Iterating to Make a Good Idea Better
It's been an exciting and educational first couple of days with the new forum disemvoweler, and this evening, we've made our first official iteration on it to improve some of the shortcomings of the Disemvoweler V. 1, along with the topic tags in general.
Here are some of the salient updates for today:
Added very detailed help page about our expectations for the forums. This is intended to help clarify our intent with both the post and topic tags.
Much harder to disemvowel or get a topic reclassified without intervention from a moderator (that'd be Mark or I). Our initial idea of letting the community be the sole moderators of the community was beginning to show some shortcomings with the introduction of the post tags. So maybe that is why 99% of other forums in the world use moderators...! Tagging a post or topic will now notify support, and if an overwhelming majority tag it, it can still be moved without intervention (helpful in case Mark ever realized he could get up from his computer).
Added ability to suggest a topic be reclassified (instead of removing post with topic tags).
Added ability to lock a topic when discussion reaches the point of no longer being positive/productive.
Most of the rationale behind these modifications is explained in the detailed forum guidelines page that we added today. Suffice it to say, Bonanzle is trying something relatively unprecedented in creating a site that straddles social and shopping universes. We understand that those who visit for the social aspect will probably find some of the forum guidelines to be more restrictive than they like, but the bottom line is that it is a key that Bonanzle retains the reputation it has earned as the friendliest marketplace online; this drives sales, and has been the backbone of our success to date. This goal explains why we can't allow the "wild west" to transpire on the forums, despite our desire to shun rules at every possible juncture.
We hope that these new provisions will improve the forum experience for all, but surely more iterations will follow in the future as we continue to try to get this perfected. Thanks for growing along with us as we take the steps necessary to propel Bonanzle into the upper echelons of traffic!
Thank you so much for your hard work, Bill!! I think the new “suggest reclassification” option is interesting, though I am wondering how you and Mark will be able to squeeze in the role of Moderators, along with the myriad of other things you do here daily. It may turn out to be fine, but it sounds mind-boggling (to me!), especially since there are still only 24 hours in a day, last I looked. Has the possibility of creating a sort of “Social” discussion board category been considered, one which is not searchable on google? Thank you again…you guys are the greatest!!!
Very fair and balanced-works for me! Maybe the posting categories could be tweeked a little-maybe the one for all new members to go to first, sign in-tell us about yourself-one, direct them to go there somehow.
Good improvments! I do however encourage EVERYONE to remember…everything you post, either here on Bonanzle, or elsewhere on the web can and will be a direct reflection on yourself and on Bonanzle as a whole.
If you sincerely fell that this is the BEST site going, PLEASE think before you type!
And if you get the chance…go to http://brainstormingbonanzle.blogspot.com and listen to last nights show. Auctionwally and Phaedra did and exxcellent job addressing this issue!
Don’t ask me how it’ll get squeezed in! Mark said that he’ll figure out a way to work it into his schedule, so I just believed him and didn’t ask questions!
We’ve heard ideas about creating forums that are sort of “outside” the realm of the normal forums, but at this point our thinking is that no matter where we sequester inappropriate posts, people are still going to be drawn to them (witness the fact that a post I put in “Dramatic” about 5 hours ago already has about 100 responses, though that forum is indexed by nothing). The bottom line is that we want to keep negativity and drama as far as possible from the Ranch. The Drama forum is currently an exception to that intention, but we don’t have plans to make additional exceptions at this point.
I love reading the forums and the great job you do with the site but I am wondering if there is a way to see only unread messages. It would make it a lot easier to keep up with what I read and didn’t read yet.
Thank you Bill. I see you didn’t sleep last night. This sounds like it will work, and I pray it stops all this chaos that came to our happy site recently. Thanks for staying on top of it, and addressing ALL that has been going on.
Kudos, Bill & Mark! With the massive influx of new Bonanzle users, it is only natural that discussions in the forums can sometimes get out of hand. Thus, I believe that it is imperative that some rules must be implemented to maintain the positive image and energy that helped bring Bonanzle where it is today.
First thank you Bill and Mark for your continued improvments.
Renagade is 100% right when she says “that anything you write on line can be seen by the world” it will still be on line for your grand children to read in many years to come. So be careful what you write in forums, no matter where it is on line. Positive thinking and actions are appreciated by all Bonanzle members.
Yes I agree it is needed. The forums on a site I left a poster ran rampant thru the forums. Seemed nothing could stop him. I have not seen the posts that prompted this but a good thing to not let it go on here. Some I assume just want to be disruptive whatever their motives.
I sincerely hope it all works Boyz and thank you for trying. Bet everyone else who was getting slugged appreciates any relief. Sure will be nice to post to a thread and not have the dreaded poof screen come up…. and see people disemvoweled who only said good morning. Thanks again.
Thanks Bill and Mark! I too have stayed away, missing all that fun and information the forums presented to us in days past. Hopefully this is all that you will have to do to solve our problems, as you have enough to do and much larger issues to address.
Much-needed changes! It’s really too bad that you guys have to take time to moderate adults in a discussion forums, but it is true that most boards need the “guidance.” Great solution. Maybe the boards will be fun and informative again, and the focus will shift from drama back to helping each other & working together. Thanks, guys.
Excellent, excellent news! This completely addresses the concerns I addressed in a post on the original disemvoweling thread. I want to thank you for being sensitive to the concerns of your users. This allows for the “fun” exercise of marking truly disruptive posts while keeping the vast majority of users from becoming “lurkers” or those who just read the forums without participating because they see others get fried for typing on their keyboards for comment. Moderators are great and, hopefully, there will be little need for moderation. But, human nature being human nature, I am sure that the Usual Suspects will turn up to be “nurtured” into becoming good citizens! Excellent move!
Thanks Guyz! I hope that this quells the types of posts that we all do not need. I offer in my will to you guys, the 24 hours of each day that I am allocated. You must need it!
Thank YOU Bill and Mark for taking control of this situation. YOU are leading by example and I do not want that to be tarnished for the sake of the business venture we (most everyone) have invested in here.
I support you and your actions knowing you are doing what is best for the community which I am a part of.
Marla
This shows, once again, what it takes to be a great leader: Sound judgment.
Re: Your comment:
“This goal explains why we can’t allow the ‘wild west’ to transpire on the forums, despite our desire to shun rules at every possible juncture,” your description, “wild west,” is PERFECT.
We ARE like pioneers, moving into a new town, setting up businesses and a community. And, like any town in the old west, they always ended up with a sheriff and laws to protect the innocent and keep the town a healthy, safe, and vibrant place to grow.
As a former eB Answer Center lurker and poster, and as a former moderator in a discussion board, having seen the Knotty kinds of issues that can come up, I think your perspective, and the way you are handling it, is rational, clear, and as close to perfect as you can get. It shows a balance of respect without allowing things to go too far.
Also, if anyone wants to continue a conversation that is not appropriate here, they can always send each other their MSN or Yahoo IM names, and continue their conversations there.
Thanks, Bill and Mark. You will be constantly in my prayers, and I really thank you for all your thoughts and hard work. I sure hope you guys get enough sleep. We don’t want you to burn out all in one big flame!
Oh, one more thing, Bill and Mark—don’t let anything take those smiles off your faces. Keep having fun. Do what you have to do so that Bonanzle stays FUN FOR YOU, TOO. If you find that moderating takes the fun out of it, find a few like-minded, trustworthy people who would WANT to be moderators (only, BEWARE the bossy kind, LOL).
Beautifully formatted. I have observed some of the problems, and I think you have addressed things adequately while still keeping it as simple as possible. Kudos, I hope this will solve the majority of the issues without having to be tweaked too much. Thank you for invoking the truth with humor as well.
Do you Boyz ever get any sleep?, you can come down to Naples Fl anytime you like and get away from the cold. The mutts will make you more than welcome, our Mom hosted the bay boycott cruise so she knows how to treat guests. The mutts
52 responses to Forum Improvements Part Two: Iterating to Make a Good Idea Better
Thank you Bill. I was getting scared about the disemvoweler and thinking that it might be over-used by some.
Thanks guyz..a very humane set of rules to relieve the angst of posting.
Standing ovation! Thank you for all your hard work!
Mary & Russ
Thank you so much for your hard work, Bill!! I think the new “suggest reclassification” option is interesting, though I am wondering how you and Mark will be able to squeeze in the role of Moderators, along with the myriad of other things you do here daily. It may turn out to be fine, but it sounds mind-boggling (to me!), especially since there are still only 24 hours in a day, last I looked.
Has the possibility of creating a sort of “Social” discussion board category been considered, one which is not searchable on google? Thank you again…you guys are the greatest!!!
Very fair and balanced-works for me! Maybe the posting categories could be tweeked a little-maybe the one for all new members to go to first, sign in-tell us about yourself-one, direct them to go there somehow.
Good improvments! I do however encourage EVERYONE to remember…everything you post, either here on Bonanzle, or elsewhere on the web can and will be a direct reflection on yourself and on Bonanzle as a whole.
If you sincerely fell that this is the BEST site going, PLEASE think before you type!
And if you get the chance…go to http://brainstormingbonanzle.blogspot.com and listen to last nights show. Auctionwally and Phaedra did and exxcellent job addressing this issue!
Hey Zander,
Don’t ask me how it’ll get squeezed in! Mark said that he’ll figure out a way to work it into his schedule, so I just believed him and didn’t ask questions!
We’ve heard ideas about creating forums that are sort of “outside” the realm of the normal forums, but at this point our thinking is that no matter where we sequester inappropriate posts, people are still going to be drawn to them (witness the fact that a post I put in “Dramatic” about 5 hours ago already has about 100 responses, though that forum is indexed by nothing). The bottom line is that we want to keep negativity and drama as far as possible from the Ranch. The Drama forum is currently an exception to that intention, but we don’t have plans to make additional exceptions at this point.
Thank you Boyz! Hope this will put an end to what was going on the forums lately! It used to be so fun! Hope those good old days will be back!
I love reading the forums and the great job you do with the site but I am wondering if there is a way to see only unread messages. It would make it a lot easier to keep up with what I read and didn’t read yet.
This is one of the best features offered to date.
It means more work on the admin. but I think they will soon see the fruits of their efforts in this arena. It will be time well spent.
It is greatly appreciated that Bonanzle listens to their users.
Thank you so much for making this the best community on the net!
I would like to add a link to this information in my INFORMATION BOOTH.
Do I have permission to do this ?
Information booth is:
http://www.bonanzle.com/booths/Chatting
Sher
Thank you Bill. I see you didn’t sleep last night. This sounds like it will work, and I pray it stops all this chaos that came to our happy site recently. Thanks for staying on top of it, and addressing ALL that has been going on.
Thank you, hopefully all goes well with the newest new improvements. One question though—what is iterating?
That’s like reiterating. but only one time
Kudos, Bill & Mark! With the massive influx of new Bonanzle users, it is only natural that discussions in the forums can sometimes get out of hand. Thus, I believe that it is imperative that some rules must be implemented to maintain the positive image and energy that helped bring Bonanzle where it is today.
Noted
All looks good! Great jobs guys! Thanks for all your efforts in making this place a positive one!
The locked topic concept is excellent. Still viewable but no additional postings allowed.
Just read the very detailed help page concerning forums.
The guidelines are clear, simple and fair, thank you.
Thanks so much for all your hard work. I appreciate your efforts to make this a great marketplace. Keep up the good work, guys.
Mary
First thank you Bill and Mark for your continued improvments.
Renagade is 100% right when she says “that anything you write on line can be seen by the world” it will still be on line for your grand children to read in many years to come. So be careful what you write in forums, no matter where it is on line. Positive thinking and actions are appreciated by all Bonanzle members.
Steve
Yes I agree it is needed. The forums on a site I left a poster ran rampant thru the forums. Seemed nothing could stop him. I have not seen the posts that prompted this but a good thing to not let it go on here. Some I assume just want to be disruptive whatever their motives.
Thanks boyz, it must be exhausting to keep us with all of us Bonanzlers! Appreciate all you do to make Bonanzle a better place!
Bravo!
Amen to Renagade, and of course the boys. I have shied away from the forums, and will be looking forward to being more visible again. Thank you guys~
I sincerely hope it all works Boyz and thank you for trying. Bet everyone else who was getting slugged appreciates any relief. Sure will be nice to post to a thread and not have the dreaded poof screen come up…. and see people disemvoweled who only said good morning. Thanks again.
It’s all good, Thanks guys!
Thanks for keeping us all posted ! Bonanzle just keeps getting better all the time. And Bill, get some sleep !
thank you guys
let us know how you all fit so mush into 24 hours will ya, the rest of us sure would like to know
Thanks Bill and Mark! I too have stayed away, missing all that fun and information the forums presented to us in days past. Hopefully this is all that you will have to do to solve our problems, as you have enough to do and much larger issues to address.
Sanity has returned…I’m sure some of us can loan you a FEW hours a day from our schedules to yours
Thank you so much for all your hard work, long hours and brain-storming. Not an easy task to find the solution I’m sure.
Big Thanks to Bill & Mark for all the hard work you doing.
Hopefully now we can have the forums back the way the was with out all the hassle.
Thanks, Bill & Mark – looks like a big step in the right direction.
Much-needed changes! It’s really too bad that you guys have to take time to moderate adults in a discussion forums, but it is true that most boards need the “guidance.” Great solution. Maybe the boards will be fun and informative again, and the focus will shift from drama back to helping each other & working together. Thanks, guys.
Thank you.
Excellent, excellent news! This completely addresses the concerns I addressed in a post on the original disemvoweling thread. I want to thank you for being sensitive to the concerns of your users. This allows for the “fun” exercise of marking truly disruptive posts while keeping the vast majority of users from becoming “lurkers” or those who just read the forums without participating because they see others get fried for typing on their keyboards for comment. Moderators are great and, hopefully, there will be little need for moderation. But, human nature being human nature, I am sure that the Usual Suspects will turn up to be “nurtured” into becoming good citizens! Excellent move!
Thanks Guyz! I hope that this quells the types of posts that we all do not need. I offer in my will to you guys, the 24 hours of each day that I am allocated. You must need it!
Thanks for the heads up Mark and Bill.
Sorry Hit the enter button twice.
FANTASTIC!!! Yay for the BOYZ! Cyber Ninja’s strike again! Thank you!
Thank YOU Bill and Mark for taking control of this situation. YOU are leading by example and I do not want that to be tarnished for the sake of the business venture we (most everyone) have invested in here.
I support you and your actions knowing you are doing what is best for the community which I am a part of.
Marla
Thank you!
This shows, once again, what it takes to be a great leader: Sound judgment.
Re: Your comment:
“This goal explains why we can’t allow the ‘wild west’ to transpire on the forums, despite our desire to shun rules at every possible juncture,” your description, “wild west,” is PERFECT.
We ARE like pioneers, moving into a new town, setting up businesses and a community. And, like any town in the old west, they always ended up with a sheriff and laws to protect the innocent and keep the town a healthy, safe, and vibrant place to grow.
As a former eB Answer Center lurker and poster, and as a former moderator in a discussion board, having seen the Knotty kinds of issues that can come up, I think your perspective, and the way you are handling it, is rational, clear, and as close to perfect as you can get. It shows a balance of respect without allowing things to go too far.
Also, if anyone wants to continue a conversation that is not appropriate here, they can always send each other their MSN or Yahoo IM names, and continue their conversations there.
Thanks, Bill and Mark. You will be constantly in my prayers, and I really thank you for all your thoughts and hard work. I sure hope you guys get enough sleep. We don’t want you to burn out all in one big flame!
Oh, one more thing, Bill and Mark—don’t let anything take those smiles off your faces. Keep having fun. Do what you have to do so that Bonanzle stays FUN FOR YOU, TOO. If you find that moderating takes the fun out of it, find a few like-minded, trustworthy people who would WANT to be moderators (only, BEWARE the bossy kind, LOL).
Beautifully formatted. I have observed some of the problems, and I think you have addressed things adequately while still keeping it as simple as possible. Kudos, I hope this will solve the majority of the issues without having to be tweaked too much. Thank you for invoking the truth with humor as well.
Well done Boyz! Thanks for all your hard work
Looking for a PETS Catagory?
smiles, Cyndi
Why not delete say 160 of the posts in Drama?
Also 1/2 of the posts in General as they are just a rehash. This would free up just a little space.
The lock feature is a great idea.
Do you Boyz ever get any sleep?, you can come down to Naples Fl anytime you like and get away from the cold. The mutts will make you more than welcome, our Mom hosted the bay boycott cruise so she knows how to treat guests. The mutts
You two are amazing. I still wonder if either of you ever get a chance for a social life. Bonanzle will be #1 in no time.
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