Auto-SummaryThe author of this post offers a thoughtful and multi-faceted critique of the website's current state, specifically focusing on the Pub forum, where discussions often devolve into chaos and harassment. They agree with other posters that splitting the Pub into smaller, more focused forums could be beneficial, and suggest that the website's administrators should be more proactive in removing users who consistently engage in toxic behavior. The author also suggests implementing a mandatory introductory post or post quota for new users, and improving the registration process to prevent spam and troll accounts. Additionally, they propose that the website could benefit from grooming younger users to become future moderators and administrators, and that the "Getting Started" forum could use some additional attention to return to its original purpose. The author offers to provide more suggestions and ideas through private messages, and expresses appreciation for the website's administrators and moderators who work to maintain a positive and welcoming community.
My apologies for the delay, Ythan. I've had some large fruitful  endeavors to take care of.
I agree very much with #2 and #12. Indeed, I found myself nodding my head in agreement with both.
Some suggestions off the top of my head would be:
1) I'm in agreement that UCF's are a golden idea, and we saw this when Music/Art, Sexuality & Relationships and other forums split. The Pub slowed down and micro communities formed. It took awhile for those to take and become their own communities. Maybe UCF's just need longer, or some reworking.
2) Splitting up cultivation would be nice. A main forum for things mushroom related, and subforums for cakes/bulk/etc would keep threads on the main page for longer than a few hours.
3) On hate magnets and trolls - seriously, I hate to say it let alone think it - but there are people who just need to be removed from the site. I am all for free speech and the values which you hold to stand by it. That is both admirable and speaks loudly of your character as a person and administrator. It is a fundamental right for you Americans, and I believe a fundamental right for all humans in my eyes. I can't think of anyone in particular now, but after Bassfreak and this 336 puppeteer fiasco, these kind of people harsh the mellow, man. The other side of the coin is people who contribute and aim for the betterment of the site, not people "dose raping" or threats of violence, or inquiries how to commit violent crimes. We don't need that here. But you folks seem to be pretty solid on that front in removing it, so keep up the good work. Things will always fall through the cracks.
I do agree tightening the grip on users will cause some problems, and you folks are doing a good job, as MI&C is a lot more quiet. I suppose you folks could pull the ban trigger either quicker or more often in some cases and let support tickets sort it out. Do some of these people truly reflect what you envisioned the user base to be like when you created this place?
4) Political pub threads belong in Political Discussion. There should be a mod or two on active duty there. Perhaps a "current events" subforum for things like mass shootings and wars and the like. I don't know. It's an idea.
5) Off-topic Discussion: it's working fine, and is a niche community of regular veterans. The last flush came out of that cake a long time ago. Perhaps moving off-topic Pub posts to OTD would bring in some new blood and "invite" them to a forum in which there are fewer restrictions and rules. The brats and problem users might eventually find a better home there.
It might save your entire staff a lot of trouble.
6) Dumping threads. This used to work really well. I actually miss moderators dumping them. You can hide threads all you want, but there comes a point in which - for me at least - I'm hiding more than I'm even reading. No butthurt, no problems, just absolute shit threads. Rule 4 used to reign king and now the place is like a free-for-all chatroom. We know from past experience that setting one up isn't going to work.
I hid a few once I started seeing them begin to devolve into troll threads. Some weren't even a dozen posts in. Lo and behold, 36 hours later some of the threads were 20 pages long of just the same people bickering and fighting and flaming. Those are the threads that need lock/dump, and earlier, as it's been a continuing trend that's only becoming worse as it seems "normal" or your "average Pub thread".
It's not impossible to fix this place. Sometimes you just gotta shake your grain jars, ya know?
× × ×
I've some other thoughts swimming in my head. Asante is your PR/HR go-to guy, right?
If such is the case, I worked in both those fields in a state's university system from pre-fresh up through graduate studies. Managing people as they grow is not hard if they are the *right people*.
One thing I can see helping is starting to groom the younger crowds to become successors to your volunteer staff, or maybe your administration. It may not be this year or five or ten years from now, but do you see all of your admins being here in 20 years? I hope so, but it may not end up being the case and you should prepare for that.
I know and understand that some moderators were approved that shouldn't have been; but it couldn't hurt to have a yearly staff thread discussing people's potentials. People joining the site don't know the dynamic, and that's cool, I understand and know what it's like coming into a group of strangers and not knowing what to say or how to say it right.
When we would go to student body groups for press releases or media coverage, we would combine our notes and discuss what future that particular department or club had. We looked for the right people, passed info along to their professors, and let them grow organically with nudges in the right direction. The oversight of us as administration working in tandem with faculty was amazing. The cream of the crop took that ambition and we had a constant rotating cycle of non-shitbags taking the reigns. In this analogy, you and other admins are the face of the site, and your "professors" are your moderators.
× × ×
There are a few other things I can help with, but don't want to post publicly. I know they will help. I moderated a gaming forum for longer than I've been posting here, and we saw the downfall of what I believe people to be fearing here. It eventually came down to users kicking in a few bucks to just keep the thing running.
As for the things I don't want to put on the public table, they are nothing negative, and nothing that singles any person or any group out. I believe I have some seeds that you folks can plant. I'd be more than happy to privately discuss these, and after spending time reflecting on it, I can't see how it could hurt.
Concerning your essay idea, which I know you've been kicking around for years, I think a reasonable solution would be a mandatory introductory post, or certain number of posts / registration time, before joining the melting pot Pub. I've seen a lot fewer intro posts. I think people can be more welcoming in those.
I'd see a reasonable manner of proceeding by making a template like your hunting forum has. I poked my head in the other day when I wasn't busy in cult, and was surprised to see that ID request posts auto-fill. An auto-filled introductory post template for the Pub isn't unreasonable and you have the functionality.
You can always come to me with questions or additional feedback. You know this from past experience, and I do appreciate that you value my input.
I'm going to re-read this thread and browse more of the UCF's and other subforums. Maybe I'll find something else. I'll be eyeing the Pub, too, I guess.
And as far as you fellow veterans go, I'm happy to see more of you getting back into growing. I did, quite literally, dust off my old notes not long ago and am back into the swing of things.
Incoming message to you and Asante once I mull all this over again.
Also thank you for clarifying the business part. I perhaps worded that wrong; I know you folks do a ton and MM LLC isn't in it for the cash, but for perpetuating and cultivating the world of mycology and psychedelia.
Please let me know what issues you have with streamlining registration. It wouldn't be my first rodeo, both on the state university system server side and for that gaming forum.
I'm going to try and make a temporary account (please don't ban for puppetry) and abandon it. I'll let you two know in the message I'll be sending which one it is so it can be locked shortly thereafter.
I do also think that the "Getting Started" forum could use a few spare hands if any of your staff has time for it. It's an amazing place, but I do think has strayed a bit from its original intentions but is otherwise fine.
Looks like your mushroom hunting people and new cultivators are having problems with image uploads. Perhaps the messaging at the bottom of a post in mushroom related forums can link to "how to upload images" directions.
Keep me posted and stay "shroomy", as they say, and apologies for the slight language in this post.
I don't have time right now to copy edit this, so it's a little scattered, so thank you in advance for understanding.
Edited by Anonymous (12/14/15 04:59 PM)
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