Does anything need to change here on MormonDiscussions.com?

[_John Larsen]

My vote is that Shades doesn't need to change anything about the way the board fundamentally works. Maybe a couple more moderators to help split threads when they start veering way off course. Also, maybe we as members need to be better at self policing. When a couple posters descend into a slug fest, call them out for it.

I personally don't think posters should be banned or that moderators should be in the editing business.

Just my .02.

John

[_the road to hana]

I personally don't think posters should be banned or that moderators should be in the editing business.

Just my .02.

John

Agreed, with the exception of pornspambottrolls, who clearly need to be banned. And I think some of the moderating can take place in PM's to the offending poster.

[_Ren]

I personally don't think posters should be banned or that moderators should be in the editing business.

I agree that no posters should be banned (not even temp banned) from the forums as a whole - ever.
They should also not get their posts edited. (One exception - to **** out foul language in 'higher' forums).

[_Inconceivable]

If you've reached that level, then you have already demonstrated your commitment to the success of MormonDiscussions.com. This leaves the following eligible people:

Runtu
harmony
beastie
Jersey Girl
The Nehor
Gazelam
Mercury
Mister Scratch
Jason Bourne
Coggins7
moksha
Ray A
Blixa
asbestosman
Who Knows
wenglund
charity
truth dancer
Sethbag
Some Schmo
KimberlyAnn
Imwashingmypirate
Doctor Steuss
Moniker
GIMR
dartagnan
rcrocket
Scottie
Trevor
thestyleguy

Maybe I'm wrong, Shades, but I think you just named at least 70%+ of those that post on the board.

I've lost quite a bit of interest over the past several months. I'm finding that most comments from posters are quite predictable and rehashed. Not much in the Celestial anymore as well. Many threads are about what others say on another board that I have no interest in. Many threads seems to be posted on because of the sheer boredom of the participants.

There is very little new blood that stays. I think it has a lot to do with the clich'ish nature among the participants.

I would suggest a daily or even weekly limit to the amount of posts. Perhaps it might encourage more thought provoking threads/comments. 1000 post "godhood" crap means nothing to me either. What is the point if most of the posts are an over-abundance of dribble and hijacks?

This board was a good fit for me when I first joined. I enjoyed the discussions in the Celestial because I was transitioning from LDS to non-LDS and have had great interest in holding to what is good that is not theirs. I've said it several times before but I've been here to try to sift the good from the clay and iron that is Mormonism.

I just don't see that anymore. It seems that threads have less to do with such things.

If it has not been noticed, I am slowly making a transistion from MD to, well, non-MD.

Just not sure where to go yet.

[_Moniker]

Inconceivable, I agree with you. I am probably one of the worst about posting from sheer boredom. I've actually attained Godhood twice in a relatively short span of time. I've tried lately to keep off-topic in the off-topic forum. My problem really is that I think it's time for me to leave the board and I just linger for some reason....

I do like many of the personalities on the board and see it as an interesting community. I just wish more LDS would participate. I was actually sorry to see Wenglund leave as well as Crockett. Nehor has scooted again too. It's disappointing that the LDS are made to feel not welcome here. I don't really think it's so much that they need protection from the mods -- it is that they are attacked and ridiculed on a fairly regular basis. There is a way in which religion can be discussed without waving garmies at someone.

It's also interesting to me that Charity has stuck it out. She's had some terrible things said to her. Really, really vile and she kept on going. That's ballsy! She's been called an idiot, had a sockpuppet created to ridicule her, a douche, etc.... And these were all from men that left the chauvinistic world of LDS, I suppose, and took the indoctrination with them that it's okay to demean someone because of their gender (or sexuality) in a debate. I think if more participants would point out poor behavior as it occurs (even in PM -- which I do!) that this may help. The ones that can not control themselves and are repeat offenders should just be ignored. We can't control the behavior of other posters but if we speak up when we see something it may remind people that their actions are noticed and not appreciated.

~Edited to add~
I've said crappy things to Charity too. She spews it out as well -- yet what she's taken is probably far worse than what she gives.

[_Imwashingmypirate]

It appears that some suggestions are leading to digression of the original purpose of MormonDiscussions.com. If it were good enough at the start then nothing needs changing. It is the people that need to change. That is like the view of, God needs to change the universe because clearly he got it wrong. But really God didn't get it wrong at all. It is us humans that make things go wrong by our actions.

All forums have peaks and flows or crests and troughs! If you want good discussion then post something interesting. If you want the celestrial forum to pick up then introduce more in there. I now avoid the celestrial forum religiously because I know there is nothing in there I can seriously discuss at this moment in my life. I still post now and then but I know the majority of things are for else where. So if one is looking for serious LDS dialogue they ought to look in the celestrial forum. Or at least that is what I though.

It is normal for people to run out of things to say and come to a point of fatigue every so often, but within a few months or when refreshed one can start again and things begin to pick up. We are all at different stages in life and we need to work with that. The reason it turns in to talking about what other people are saying is because after dialoguing over a longish period of time one gets to know whom they are talking to and we have shared mostly what we have to share. Also like in real life our online personalities will also clash at times as we get to know what people are like.

Pirate

[_Moniker]

Yah -- what 19 year old Pirate said. :)

[_Imwashingmypirate]

LOL.

[_Ren]

If you want the celestrial forum to pick up then introduce more in there.

So if one is looking for serious LDS dialogue they ought to look in the celestrial forum. Or at least that is what I though.

Yes - that's what you 'would' think isn't it :)
The ideal is sound. I just think getting it to work that way in practice is a little more complicated.

It's not enough to just 'post more in the Celestial forum'. Posting in the Celestial forum has to actually mean something - in a practical sense.

You have to be able to start 'interesting' topics (otherwise people will stick with the Terestial). Topics where people can get somewhat animated about those subjects. But at the same time, the threads have to be 'controlled' - because unfortunately interesting threads can also lead to OTT tempers and off-topic wrangling. So, if the Celestial forum isn't 'controlled', you may as well just post in the Terrestial forum and get more people participating. Therefore, the Celestial forum has to be 'moderated heavily'. It says that right now. Were talking about the 'evils' of moderation, and yet the forum already says it is heavily moderated!.

That principle is already in place. I'm not suggesting that as some kind of new concept...!

All I'm suggesting is - rather than piling on more moderators to perform an almost mission impossible, perhaps think about moderating the Celestial forum more efficiently. People can replace that word with dictatorship if they like *shrug* Even though in the worst case scenario, pretty much everybody would still have both the Terrestial AND the Telestial to run amok in! The point is that it's not like the Celestial forum is advertised as a moderation-free zone. In fact, that's the thing that's meant to differentiate it. It is meant to be heavily moderated NOW - that's the whole point of it.


Shades did a good job earlier of splitting out Coggins thread. But if the idea is that the Celestial forum should get busier, and people don't learn to stick to the type of thread that the OP intended, then that's gonna be a LOT of work splitting threads over and over - for moderators in the future.
People COULD sort this out by themselves. Who knows - lets see - maybe it will come true. And then we won't have to worry about any changes too much...

[_Imwashingmypirate]

Erm, that is why I said, "If you want good discussion then post something interesting." Which so happened to be followed by comment on the celestrial forum. I just pressumed people would get that one ought to post interesting topics anywhere including the celestrial forum for things to pick up.

And if it worked once then it can work again.