Current forum silliness, an end

[RingOfFlame]

The bad rep hunny.

[FN-GM]

sorry its late, im nackard.

The way things are going i would tend to agree. There was one time where i wouldn't have

[RingOfFlame]

No need to be like that about it, as you can see alot is going on at the moment and a bit of patience is required. just chill out and making statements like that 1) are not going to help if in the future there is an option and you do want to and 2) makes your company look silly in public due to the way the comment reads. just take a breather danielle.. chill out and make a coffee and me too please

 

Way to turn on someone James.

[maniac]

Sorry about this, its my opinion and i bet others wont like it.

 

I have noticed a change in this forum, and its not as good as it used to be....

Its no longer a community site, all they seem to care about now is making money and making the site members grow and grow. The members don't seem to count as much anymore, they are only a number. I liked when the site was a community, i don't see it as that anymore. The members opinions used to count, they don't seem to anymore, its disappointing.

 

That's the nature of the beast, as things get bigger unfortunitely everyones opinion gets diluted and there's so many conflicts of interests and differences of opinion it would be an impossible task to take everyone's opinion on board and act on it. At a certain point when a community reaches a certain size someone has to take control of it and steer it in whatever direction benefits the whole community the most. Because of the diverse range of members on a forum this big there will always be some people who won't like it, and they'll be others who do like it. The only way it works when you're dealing with this many individuals is if the decisions are made by a small number of 'community leaders' as if they ran a vote on every change for instance we'd never get anywhere, as we'd spend all day debating things, and no decisions would get made. You do to a certain extent lose that close community spirit that you get on forums when they only have a few hundred members, that can't be helped - more people = less sense of ownership, but what's the alturnative - you can't suddenly stop accepting new members or the forum stagments and dies. I've been online in many communities for 10yrs plus, and I've seen many a forum go through what Edugeek is going through at the moment - it's not unusual in the least.

 

I wouldn't say that all 'they' (whoever they might be) only care about making money that's simply not true in my opinion. I'm willing to bet Edugeek doesn't turn much of a profit at the moment, and it's not like anyone has to pay anything directly for using it, all the money that keeps the site going is generated from advertising, forum sponsorship and other means. If it were subscription based like some other popular technical forums are, then I could understand this statement. Fair enough Dos_box draws a salery from the proceeds of the site - something he is very open about and I applaud him for that - if he didn't there's no way the site or organisation could carry on in it's current format, there would be far too much work to keep it going part time or by volunteers. As for making the site grow, I think that's just natural progression, and has only recently started to be actively driven and persued as far as I can work out.

 

Its also annoying when threads are locked or removed when someone is complaining or telling us bout a bad experience. Just because the company concerned has moaned about it. .

 

This is unfortunite, but if this didn't happen someone would end up getting a legal case against them and this forum would probaby cease to exist as a result.

 

But i agree very pointless threads need to go. But i think fun should be allowed as well.

 

The site needs some consistency in the way admins and mods do things. For example it would be nice when someone locks a thread or deletes posts to e-mail or PM the people concerned with an explanation. Also it would be nice to be able to give negative rep without the come backs.

 

Something i should highlight is that some members have had in the past inappropriate avatar/display pictures, nobody really did anything about them.

 

I don't think anyone ever said take the fun out of it, but the general bitchyness, open and direct insults and personal critisism of others opinions is no way to be going - if it continued the community would self destruct. Having an opinion is fine, but the way some people have been carrying on recently you'd think that their opinion was a matter of fact insted of an opinion.

 

As for the way the mods handle things, I think they do a damn good job considering they are volunteering to do the job, that's the key word, volunteering - any of them could leave at any time, but they chose not to, and I dred to think of some of the e-mails and situations some of them have to deal with on what is without a doubt one of the busiest forums I'm part of on the internet. We're all only human after all, and naturally mistakes and errors of judgement happen sometimes, no matter what rules the site owners set down to the mods, there would still be differences in the way different people do things - this is un-avoidable.

 

As someone said before, we need to find a place in between the fun and professionalism to keep members happy. At the end of the day this site would be nothing without the members.

 

But i will stress the site is good if you have a tech problem

 

Absolutely.

 

I try and stay out of these controversial threads, but I'm very much in support of the people who run this site and having been involved in the running of websites, forums etc. in the past I know how difficult it is to strike a balance, and also how easy it is for people not to realise the immense task that it is to manage a community this big.

 

(that's not a critisism by the way FN_GM, just my opinions against what you've put.)

 

Mike.

Edited January 27, 2010 by maniac
Edited first paragraph.

[EduTech]

Would not matter. They would get it removed anyway.

 

Just for the record, no rep is deleted/added to any member weather they be members/mods/admins etc the playing feild is fair and that is always how it is done... i am sure any of the admin's who are actually the only ones who have the power to do this would confirm it.

 

------

 

One thing that we MUST do if we edit a thread in anyway is PM the member in question, yes it does state who it has been edited by and we do state a reason but a PM is always sent okay i will admit in front of everyone there has been the odd occassion where i have edited a thread and not actually PM'd the owner of that post until later on in the afternoon but normally this is down to the work load i have on or i get dragged away.

 

Everything that any one does on the site is logged, and ZeroHour can find any information he wants out of this and if we as mod's do anything wrong we do get a smack on the wrists and pointed in the right direction, again if i am honest when i first became a mod i did get the odd thing wrong but i was told where i was wrong and pointed in the right direction as was every moderator on here.

 

With regards to the comment about edugeek not caring about it's members and just using them as numbers and getting money this is not the case and i am sure Dos_Box would state this, the members of this site are extremly important to the community as that is how it is formed it does not matter how many members we have or how much funds edugeek takes in through-out each year this just happens as edugeek grows and is something everyone should be proud off, the fund dont let us go and have a mod holiday! it allows edugeek to offer loads of services to it's members as well as conferences, events etc

 

Members are Number 1 and i am pretty sure that is how the admin's would put it

 

Just my 2pence worth.

 

James.

[Ric_]

@maniac: Thank you for your views.

 

I was intending to stay out of this thread but feel that some points need clarification. Official statements will be made soon, along with the rules and etiquette that should be followed.

 

EduGeek.net is currently the 37,656th most visited site on the Internet. This includes sites like Gmail (number 1) and all the pr0n! It takes a lot to keep it running!!! Dos_Box, is a real person who requires food to stay alive and also has to house his family... is it unfair for him to draw a wage for running the site full time? I don't begrudge him that and I receive nothing in return for my help as an admin.

 

First and foremost, EduGeek.net is a technical community, created as a place for those lonely people in schools that often struggle to find solutions to problems that are only found in schools... it just so happens that some of those problems are akin to those found in large enterprise and, as such, these large enterprises also use the site.

 

As a community, we also like the informal chat that happens. We encourage this by organising events throughout the year. Events that are funded by the revenue brought in by the website... events that we will NEVER charge our membership for.

 

All we ask in return is a little decorum. Would you turn up to a conference with a picture of a scantily clad young lady then proceed to make lude comments? Probably not... so don't do it on the site. Would you feel uneasy watching, shall we say, dody YouTube clips in work? Well just don't post them.

 

Use common sense when you post and try not to abuse people or get into a slanging match and everything should work quite nicely.

 

@FN-GM: I just want everyone to get along. EduGeek.net was set up by and for people who just want to be nice and help each other. Anybody that has seen my Facebok status updates lately will know that I want it to get back to that. The nicer people are, the less moderation will happen.

 

For FN-GM, and anybody else, if your post have been removed without explanation you can contact me and I will find out why. This should not have happened and I can only apologise.

 

for any further clarification of anything I have said, either wait for the official statement(s), PM me or email me. I will be happy to respond personally to any communications.

[Domino]

FN-GM, what makes you think mods can see who negative repped them?

 

I certainly can't, neither would I want to.

[FN-GM]

Well domino, I gave a some bad rep ages ago before ge was a mod. He was joking about someones death. When he was made a mod he saw that I put them and started to have a pop. I then reported it as he abused the position. I then got some unkind text messages.

 

I hope this post doesn't get sensored, it will prove points on my previous posts.

[Domino]

Excuse me if I take that as opinion rather than proof.

 

We've no way of viewing neg rep, maybe there was another issue between you? PM me if you need to

 

Back on topic:

 

to echo Ric's sentiment, it'd be great if we could get back to everyone getting along, and leave all this behind

[FN-GM]

Excuse me if I take that as opinion rather than proof.

 

We've no way of viewing neg rep, maybe there was another issue between you? PM me if you need to

 

Back on topic:

 

to echo Ric's sentiment, it'd be great if we could get back to everyone getting along, and leave all this behind

 

I have proof, plenty of screenshots of text messages and an apology from the admins. They also admited that mods can view who gives them bad rep.

 

EDIT: i have e-mailed you something if you dont believe me....

Edited January 27, 2010 by FN-GM

[alan-d]

Personally I don't care who sees that I've given bad rep to. If they don't like it then 'tough' - get over it!

 

(Btw - I've never had a cause to give bad rep to anyone yet )

[witch]

I put my hands up - I have been guilty of not pming when editing a post - I must admit that I always put a reason (eg profanity) and thought that was enough. I will mend my ways in future, promise!

 

I am very unhappy with comments like the one from ringofflame - it brings me back to the division between being a member with opinions and being a mod...

No mod on this site would ever remove something like neg rep (which I didnt think we could see either) and I really resent that sort of remark. It is unnecessary, particularly when you have no facts to back it up. That is just trolling, and the sort of thing that we want to get away from. Why do you immmediately presume that we are not trying to do our best for the site and the members?

Any editing/deleting or whatever has been done because we believe it to be in the best interests of edugeek - a site we all love and want to see go from strength to strength.

We are not always right - we are human after all - and we look forward to the clarification Ric_ spoke of so that everyone is clear what is what

 

As a lone tech, I certainly couldnt do my job very well without edugeek (well, not without badgering people I know like adams-dad, bossman or netman with silly questions all day long!).

[GrumbleDook]

@FN-GM Out of interest are you happy that the admins dealt with it and have you considered that Domino can't see stuff like that now because the Admins have probably changed things and dealt with those involved directly, rather than a public flogging?

 

To be honest I am personally happy for anyone to see who I have given both positive and negative rep to. The thanks button is pretty convenient when you want to shout it out, but you can't do that with negative rep. It is also worth pointing out that a heck of a lot of negative and positive rep is given for the non-technical, non-policy part of the site IMHO. Personally I wouldn't have that ... yep, have the thanks on those other places so that you can say "Thanks for cheering me up with the vids / piccies / websites" or "wow, that was a really good point you made in that heated discussion about ice cream flavours" but I think rep should be associated directly with the help and support side of the site. Likewise, why should someone give negative rep just because they don't like the opinion of others on a life choice perhaps? Ok, I'll be the first to hold my hand up and say I have given negative rep when I thought they were out of order in threads, but usually about their approach to things ... and yes, I have given negative rep to mods when doing their non-mod posts ... and that lot would be the first to get back to me to say I am being unfair. That is what PM or email is for.

 

Anyway, DB and the admins have said a new code of conduct is coming, he has asked us to be a tad more restrained and professional ... I think it might be a good idea to wait a bit and then see how it goes.

[Guest richard_s]

To be honest I don't care who lurks on this site and I will continue to stand up for what I beblieve in and will not bow to any pressure to curb this, for example my political views or the posts I have made regarding Axe's unemployment.

 

I will not moderate my posts to keep the chairman of RM happy as these are my views and are nothing to do with my employer. If any Mod or Admin has a problem with this you know how to get hold of me...........

[alan-d]

FREEDOM!!!!

Oh - is that my head on the floor?

[FN-GM]

I was happy ish. The admin apologised. It didn’t get an apology from the mod. For the text messages i received or for anything else. That was disappointing. It would also be nice to have been told if anything had changed regarding the situation.

 

I think people should have the right to leave negative rep without any comebacks

 

I will not moderate my posts to keep the chairman of RM happy as these are my views and are nothing to do with my employer. If any Mod or Admin has a problem with this you know how to get hold of me...........

 

I agree!

[laserblazer]

It is also worth pointing out that a heck of a lot of negative and positive rep is given for the non-technical, non-policy part of the site IMHO.

 

Sometimes, I get into work feeling down and a post makes me laugh out loud. IMHO, that deserves a thanks. To be honest, I don't know how to give a -rep and I don't intend to find out. I have only twice given neg feedback on Ebay and both times I regretted it afterwards.

[witch]

I will not moderate my posts to keep the chairman of RM happy as these are my views and are nothing to do with my employer. If any Mod or Admin has a problem with this you know how to get hold of me...........

 

 

No one said you had to moderate your views - where is that coming from? The point is that we want to be seen as a professional resource, a place where RM can come and get REAL opinions from people in the front line - they might even change things as a result, you never know!

 

However, we do ask that if you have something to say, then back it up with examples, for instances and facts. General abuse is not the way to go.

[maniac]

I will not moderate my posts to keep the chairman of RM happy as these are my views and are nothing to do with my employer. If any Mod or Admin has a problem with this you know how to get hold of me...........

 

While I agree with that in principle, never under estimate the power of expensive lawyers in large groups. I'm not saying I agree with the approach firms take on issues like this, but that's the way of business 'My lawyers are bigger than your lawyers' and Edugeeks lawyers are probably bottom of the pile - it's probably not the mods or admins personally having a problem with controversial posts surrounding companies, but they have to protect the site from legal challeneges like this. Anyone remember the Sophos incident a couple of years ago when the forum was a lot smaller?

[GrumbleDook]

It is catch 22 ... people want to rant and rave and discuss BSF, those who are going across to MSPs want the companies to listen to them. When hardware or software is not up to scratch (ranging from no MSIs or naff coding through to repeated issues with performance) then these issues can get a higher profile here.

 

And yet when these companies come along they half-expected to see a bunch of professionals acting ... well ... professionally.

 

Views backed up with experience and fact are good. Random "I hate ...." are bad. Personal opinions will always be challenged one way or another but a certain amount of pragmatism and agreeing to disagree is important. That doesn't mean people have the right to stomp over opinions ... and *personally* I think provoking discussion is good, but there are going to be times when it is detrimental to the site and the community trying to do things to improve the use of technology in the workplace. I suppose that what it boils down to.

[powdarrmonkey]

Anyone remember the Sophos incident a couple of years ago when the forum was a lot smaller?

 

No - enlighten me? It's probably a helpful tale at this juncture anyway.

[maniac]

No - enlighten me? It's probably a helpful tale at this juncture anyway.

 

Might be more for one of the admins to state the details, I probably shouldn't have brought it up.

[ahuxham]

I was happy ish. The admin apologised. It didn’t get an apology from the mod. For the text messages i received or for anything else. That was disappointing. It would also be nice to have been told if anything had changed regarding the situation.

 

Never mind, the MOD in question isn't viewed as professional anyway. Just bite your lip and move on, you have all our support as members.

[mattx]

Can I just say [ again ] - it's a tad chilly today...........thanks.

And on the other side of then news there has been a terrible terrible disaster is Haiti with thousands killed and even more homeless & children with no parents - and on Edugeek people are getting upset & waving a power of judgement over a few harmless postings.

Tut Tut Tut - I'm off to a Haiti Assembly now and then on to fix a few more keyboards which I won't be able to concentrate on because of what I have just seen and heard.

Oh well - get with the plan people !!

[ICT_GUY]

Anything you do during work time belongs to your employer.