I think we can now see that, if properly and consistently moderated, the shoutboxes, or at least one COMMON shoutbox rather than ten or something, is something the majority of members want.
But steet, Grey and the shoutbox moderators they choose need to approach shoutbox management from the following (and eliminate the gross errors of the distant and recent past):
1. We cannot,
cannot,
CANNOT have moderators or individual admins creating rules as they go. Evidence has clearly shown that new and strange (and sometimes ridiculously-draconian) rules would pop up from time to time in one shoutbox of one source, but not another. Many of these shoutbox rules were never published for the members to see, so that they could
know whether or not they were in violation of said rules. And when shoutbox or global moderators were asked as to why those rules were never published for the members to see, I have seen at least one case where one global moderator (who is no longer a staff member of Animation Source, and has since become one of the recent trolls) said that he did not see the point in publishing every rule, and that there was no stated or implied obligation to. Oh really?
2. I know it seems difficult, and I say this while totally understanding that this is JUST a fan site, and NO ONE is being paid to do shoutbox moderation (much less any other kind of moderation), but it is quite evident that, if we are going to have a shoutbox (or more than one), we need to staff them in such a way that there is coverage most of the time during a twenty four-hour period. Maybe not in the wee hours of the early morning, but otherwise there really
ought to be. We have enough members who span the globe, and can cover the box(es) at various times during that twenty four-hour period. And clearly it is needed. If we can get past the flawed method of choosing staffers based upon who's friends with whom, rather than who would do WELL (and without one-sided favoritism), then we would be on the right track for a change. And I think this so-called "point system" for selecting moderators, as has apparently been pitched by steet in a recent TSS conversation, would be a grave mistake. Not meaning to rain on steet's parade, but points alone do not a good staffer make. (And do we really believe that people simply won't go nuts with posting and other activities just to raise their point count, so they can then become moderators?)
3. steet and Grey Wolf
MUST come up with, or bring on board, some method which (or someone who) can generate whatever coding is needed to provide at least SOME better protections against trolls and hackers. Certainly no method is full-proof, and the little freaks will find a way around it if they actually have so little in the way of real lives that they get their jollies from trolling a fan site. And if it is to be a person, then that person must NOT be someone who has connections with recent staffers who have been terminated, who are now engaged in trolling the shoutboxes and trying to instigate arguments and mini flame wars with existing temporary moderators and other members. To allow that would be a recipe for failure. It needs to be someone ELSE. Preferably someone with NO connections to the existing membership. That would make a much better choice.
Enough foot-dragging. It's time to move on this. How much more flame-baiting do we need to put up with from disgruntled former staffers in the shoutboxes (who are p.o.'ed with steet and Grey Wolf for ending their grandiose god-modding, "aren't-we-so-
totally-cool" mutual-admiration club thing by which they held sway over AS, and specifically the shoutboxes and the forum, for so long), and from their friends who seem to enjoy it?
This is a legitimate question, because it IS happening! And too little is being done to fix the problem! Too much more delay, and I really believe this site is going to suffer from it.
