Adapting the boards for a broader audience Options

[Psykopath]

This has been brought up a lot recently with the revived push for new members.

Too many random BS posts (be it crude, sexual, etc.) are flooding the boards in random places. Certain threads are understandable (like in LR&AR), but to post about "tit hats" in a "Letters of Recommendation" thread is getting annoying.

I understand that this is the internet, yadda yadda, and I don't necessarily mind random crude humor...but we will not attract new members by continuing such childish e-behavior.


BUT!!!... we mods have been chastised in the past for doing such things as controlling excessive language.

SO, what's it going to be? Free for all and no new members?
or
Mods keeping things as the rules say & have a more friendly messageboard to attract newer members?

This post has been edited by Psykopath: Sep 29 2007, 12:09 AM

[kcroxyoursox]

What if everyone got the option to close the threads that they've started? That way, if they had a question and got an answer, they could close the thread to new responses. This would help avoid lots of derailing.

And if there's concern that people would close threads just because they didn't like the answers they were getting, maybe we could require the OP to give a 24 hour warning, like "We're starting to get off topic; this thread will be closed in 24 hours so if you have something constructive to say, you have until this time tomorrow to chime in." Then, the thread could be split into whatever the new topic has become and go back to being within guidelines...

[Spectatrix]

What if everyone got the option to close the threads that they've started? That way, if they had a question and got an answer, they could close the thread to new responses. This would help avoid lots of derailing.

I don't think that's possible within the administrative options that the forum software has. However, we have in the past honored requests by the thread creator to close/delete the thread if it's for a good reason.