Everyones Thoughts Please

[Owners' Account]

Hi everyone,

Just been finalizing some rules and guidelines for the forum. Just basic stuff, like stay on topic in threads, don't insult people etc...

But before I post them, just thought I would ask everyone if they had any thoughts, ideas they would like to see implemented to make the forum better, changes they would like to see, rules they would like to make.

If you come up with some ideas I will discuss with other staff before posting my guidelines, so please either reply here or send me a personal message.

See you all tomorrow

Glenn,

I enjoy the forums very much. I enjoy having fun with the other users. If I had one suggestion, it would be to not make the rules too tight. One of the best things, for me, is that it is fun.

I hope you bear that in mind.

Many thanks,

Lorin

[fazza]

I am totally in agreement with this re-reformedcharacter above.

Being allowed to have fun is vital for me.
Being allowed to be serious is also vital.

[Chris_Sav]

fazza said:

Being allowed to have fun is vital for me.
Being allowed to be serious is also vital.

Fully agree with Fazza ::), provided the serious discussion threads are kept on topic. A bit of banter, yes, but not whole pages that have no relevance to the topic under discussion.

The serious discussion forums on this board are our window to the world.


Sav.

[Herr von Puebik]

Glenn the existing rules pretty much cover everything and I think if anyone is offended by any remarks they should simply post and say so without being offensive themselves. I am sure that most remarks are made lightheartedly not intending to cause any offence but obviously this can happen with or without the use of smileys.

In the past in the Northants section we have had posts deleted, and rightly so, when a member of the forum complained about the content and perhaps this is the best way to deal with any situation.

In the case of thread subject changing I suppose we are the worst culprits for that but usually it is when the thread has ran for some time and probably dealt with the subject matter that it was started for. Again it probably just needs a post from a moderator or any member of the forum if it is felt to be OTT.

This forum is invaluable for its discussions as well as the fun side of it and I do feel it brings together the teams and players from all over the country and surely helps to increase the attendances of all the Opens as it gives people a chance to put names to faces.

Keep up the good work Glenn but hold fire with the whip.

[fazza]

sav said:

The serious discussion forums on this board are our window to the world.

I actually thought that the whole forum was our window to the world and I considered that it was important to show that not all bar billiards players are boring, although most probably are. ;)

All I have said is that, when you want to pop in a comment, even though it may be considered flippant (like the last few words of my last paragraph), you cannot always remember whether you are in "General Discussion" or "Members Chit-Chat" etc.

Perhaps there ought to be some sort of colour coding, or have we been there before?

Granted once someone makes a joke within a topic, it is very easy for the whole debate to be lost in the amusement, but someone will usually get it back on track, so I do not personally see it as a problem.

[fazza]

thedriver said:

I think if anyone is offended by any remarks they should simply post and say so without being offensive themselves. I am sure that most remarks are made lightheartedly not intending to cause any offence but obviously this can happen with or without the use of smileys.

Keep up the good work Glenn but hold fire with the whip.

Sorry I did not see this post before posting my last reply, but I totally agree, and just had to say so.

Oh, and Glenn, I hope your holiday was good and I was not TOO naughty while you were away.

Are you coming on Sunday? If not, why not.
Whoops, please answer on another thread.

[Chris_Sav]

fazza said:

thedriver said:

Are you coming on Sunday? If not, why not.
Whoops, please answer on another thread.

/Sav prints out the instructions on how to PM people for Fazza on Sunday ;D

I agree wholeheartedly with what has been said already, and would add that this site is an excellent bridge-builder and also a great news medium.
It is great to be able to ask a loaded question and get a variety of responses - not always predictable reactions.

I feel that moderation is set at the right level, we are allowed to get away with a lot - but once it starts getting too personal the censorship kicks in, and correctly. Sometimes "dirty linen is washed in public" - embarrassing to read, correctly nipped in the bud and sorted out privately at committee level as it should be.

It is important not to lose sight of the fact that we technofiles are privileged - not every player in the bar billiards world has computer access, and other means of communication should still be used rather than relying on this forum as a sole mechanism of short-notice notification of match arrangements or cancellations.

I get an awful lot of fun from my own often manic inputs (- and great pleasure from being serious too -) and it's good also to get the global picture if only to compare how differently each league or county is run.

All of us here probably live and breathe bar billiards, but I would like to see more people included in our little community, there are so many other personalities out there who could make a valued contribution, and a concerted effort should be made to advertise our existence and get them to have their say.
When I'm out at a game I take every possible opportunity to do exactly that, but I'm sorry to say with minimal results so far, at any rate.

Perhaps someone should start a thread entitled "who would you like to see join our Forum ?". We could then get a list of names and canvass the most likely candidates.

[barbelman]

Hi Glenn

In the main the forum works exceedingly well and people don't get too offensive. It is irritating when a thread goes totally frivolous but joky asides are OK as long as the main point is addressed too. I am against TOO much censorship/moderation but the problem is that postings are very one dimensional and are very easy to be taken the wrong way by more sensitive souls. Smilies help but barbed comments can be hidden behind them too if you understand what I mean.

It's important that other peoples opinions are respected - sometimes personal opinions are taken as covert criticism of an individual or a group of people (as has happened to me in the past) but at the end of the day it is just one person's opinion whether you are a country bumpkin from a small league (like me) or secretary of the World Bar Billiards Organisation ;0)

New members are important and it is critical that any new members are not slapped down by the cognoscenti for their views, which are often dismissed as naive. We also have far too many people signed up who don't use the forum - imagine what a useful platform it could be for local leagues if used to the full. It would save me a fortune in postage for a start...

I would say basically "is it ain't broke then don't fix it" and simply come down hard on anyone who abuses the current freedom, whoever they are.

I enjoy it and I thank you for making it possible

Tony

[Owners' Account]

thanks for the replys guys. Was very interesting....

Speak to you all soon

[fazza]

fazza said:

Perhaps there ought to be some sort of colour coding, or have we been there before?

Thinking about this again, I see this as quite a good idea. If someone starts a thread and wishes only serious posts on the topic, why could there not be some sort of visual note of this, something like a golden strip down the edge of the thread. You know something like my wallpaper ;D

Probably not possible, but you know what I am getting at!

[davejones]

I would like to see a button at the bottom of the screen to direct you to the next post on the same subject.

Also to be able to change the settings to allow the message board to be transposed.

So that the last post on the subject is at the top instead of scrolling through millions of posts that you have already read just to read the lastest post.