Animation Source Forums

As many of the older members might recall, the idea of a rant board was put forth to counteract the increasing number of critics to the site who so explicitly attest their belief that Balto Source is driving itself down to the grave. To them, I say, "When looking for faults, look first at a mirror." It's only naturally assumed that despite the massive extent of the internet, there is not a single website out there that is TOTALLY flawless -- there is simple logic to this: Website are run by people. People are not perfect. Therefore, websites are not run perfectly. All a matter of inductive reasoning, friends.

Hear me when I say that for every considerable downfall to the site, a greater number of improvements have been made: new features and options for members [like the recent add-on "friends list"], improved site navigation [particularly of the Fanart Section], and encouraged member activity and participation. When one complains about art theft, mates, or the incivility of other members' mannerisms, ponder what possible lines of code ever existed that could bring a stop to it forever...

None.

Thus, it is logical to presume that the reason of the site's degration is based solely on its members' ability -- or inability -- to be compatible with the rules as well as to tolerate that which they would think to find morally incorrect.

It is in this fashion [for which I humbly apologize for such a lengthy exposition] that I now turn your attention to the matter at hand. Now that we may all accept the possibility that WE may be the ones at fault, I implore you now to take a look at the rant board and determine how many of those rants may be resolved with a tweak of code. Is it not plain to see that an open mind is a prerequisite to stating one's own opinion -- to be open for argument and ready to accept the chance you may be mistaken instead of insisting that one way is the ONLY way? Is it not plain to see that your heated debates promote not the kind of member participation administration initially had in mind? Is it not plain to see that ranting has turned the members of this site against one another in a futile battle of words, insults, and mockery?

Can you not see?
Not see at all?

In relation to the above contentions, I hereby propose to have the Rant Board wiped from the face of this forum. Throw off the negative connotations involved with pointing out the flaws, and turn that energy towards thinking a little more rationally and constructively. Suggest solutions to your problem instead of simply venting them. For too long have our differences in opinion allowed us to make enemies of one another. My fellow members, I beseech you that now is the time for you to make it stop...

Once
and
for

All.

I half support this, although I do need an outlet, and I do try to stay within the rules. It's just those people who seem to have no sense of regard for the rules or others. But that's not such a large matter.

Unfortunately, I don't think this will be done... people will accuse the whole idea of "silencing their freedom of speech". Heck, it isn't really free anyway. But it's a little sacrifice of that freedom to make this place better, and I have nothing against that.

You have a well thought out suggestion there Suka, however I cannot agree with you, the rant board should stay.

A couple reasons:

1) People are used to the rant board. If you take it away, those topics are going to appear in other forums, most likely.

2) The rant board provides a place form members to vent on various issues of the site, and, it might alert the mods to certain issues.

I have a couple solutions to throw out there, ones that I believe will help solve the problems stated.



Building upon what JerseyCaptain said, the rant board should have one moderator, where their only task is to monitor this board. This person needs to be reliable and impartial. This would not mean other mods could not moderate this board, it would simply mean there is a designated mod for the board.

My second suggestion is to write up a sort of code of conduct for members to read, should they want to create a rant on this forum.

I must say I also agree with Cobalt and JerseyCaptain.

The Ranting Board has, indeed, continued value (maybe a bit of a personal opinion here because I tend to rant a lot ). Everyone have to vent some time. I'd rather it be in a dedicated section, rather than having to deal with rants popping up in the Other, Video Games, RP sections, etc. etc.
Since BS is a community, there will always be personal conflicts that children will try to press onto the rest, but that's just not what the rant board is for.
Of course, the occasional (sp?) rant about a member's behaviour could be fine, but no naming and shaming! Personally, I don't support rants like the aforementioned, but unless the rules become more stricter about it, there isn't much we can really do. Anyway, that's not quite the point.

What I'm trying to say is that frankly, the Rant Boards has too much freedom, and way too little moderation. We need a dedicated, impartial moderator to keep an eye on it. We also need a much stricter ruleset (which I will suggest in another topic in this section).

Well it's fairly easy to correct the problem it seems - a dedicated impartial moderator and stricter rules for the rant board itself. Although of course steet would have to see this.

Agreed. I think there should be one moderator for the Rant section (or maybe they could handle both the Rant and the Suggestion section?). It would definitely help get rid of the "bad" (flame-starting) rants.

Although, I think the Rant section should remain on the site, but with more surveillance.

I see. And I apologize to everyone if I seemed a little hasty about wanting to get rid of it. Although I see now how much it might mean to some of you that you get certain matters off your chests, if I may recall one condition JerseyCaptain stated earlier concerning the manner in which the board should be kept: "with the expressed purpose of working towards resolution of those problems." It's good that were are all well-capable of identifying the source of the problems, but what there needs to be is a greater will to go and do something about it. I suppose it'd be impossible to have everyone do this, taking into account... the special cases... But for now, I can agree with an increased modulation standard, as long as powers are maintained within the Rant Board. The main concerns with the Rant Board in which this new moderator would have to account for are as follows:

1.) Argument without legitimate support
----- [Any rant asserted without any kind of support of the context was, is, and shall be considered spam, as no logic backs up the claim]
2.) Naming and shaming
----- [As Wolflus so wisely pointed out and explained]
3.) Badgering
----- [Pointless comments intended to have an opponent say what you want them to say; eventually evolves into flame wars and locking of the topic]
4.) Priority rants
----- [Only those rants which relate to flaws of the site and its members shall be permitted]

5.) Working progress...

However, I still cannot seem to rid my mind of the feeling that this may end up as a failed attempt to improve upon this very faulty system. As JerseyCaptain has already made you all aware, many current mods -- especially of the forum sector -- are inconveniently unavailable to check over what may need attending to. This, I hang my head to, as I am ashamed to admit I am becoming as well [School, work, homework, sleep, repeat; but this information is irrelevant]. Please understand that I am in no way putting anyone under the magnifying glass to burn, but simply pointing out that appointing more mods HAS proven to be ineffectual in the past. If anyone has any other regulatory recommendations, they are now begged to state them.

In my opinion, I think that the rant board almost causes problems and doesn't fix them. Everytime I go in there there is spamming and complaining about; mates, tlksource, tlksource vrs baltosource, mates, tlksource, more mate complaints (both for stopping them and wanting them brought BACK), tlksource's inactivity, blah blah blah!

It is rather annoying!

Eh, we do need the rant board - as topics of rants will definitely come into the suggestion board. But yes. There needs to be rules. Hmmm. That gives me an idea.

But yeah, an impartial mod (aka a judge XD) would be the best way to go. Because in the nasty rants, everyone who argues looks well, stupid.

I suppose we can all come to that agreement... Perhaps steet should be notified of this, but I would first like to have us all on the agreement that something needs to be done. In the mean time, please tell about anything else regarding the topic that may pertain to better alternatives...

I TOTALLY agree, JerseyCaptain. Some rants are good for the site (which are usually the unique ones that are actually USEFUL) and others, which have been copied over and over (SMS is BAD, spammers on the SB, etc...) shouldn't be posted. They should be checked before they're even posted, so mods don't have the trouble of locking them after flame wars started.

Although I agree that we need frequent moderating, (correct me if I'm wrong) there are only a couple of mods specifically for the forums, and some of them are specified for certain sections of them. Wouldn't this be quite hard for mods to have to check their specified spots of the forums and then check the 20 plus rants sent in?