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 Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2005 8:21 pm
I can see where a seperate area all for strictly parenting related stuff might be good.
or... a subforum for idle chat...
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Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2005 10:50 am
This is to BadLoki, specifically, and also any Vice Captains she has (I'm really not sure of the list of Captain, Vice Captain and crew, so my apologies for addressing you so anonymously.) I want to make a complaint regarding the closing of threads (particularly in the last month or so). I think the locking of threads in this guild is just a LITTLE exaggerated lately. These are threads with problems people have and are asking for advice or, as in the case of the Dad's thread, a sort of little break from all the other threads to focus on things regarding pregnancy from a different point of view. Having a thread like this locked is... overdoing it just a bit. I know that the mods don't even have ill intentions, I know they are just trying to keep things nice, tidy and organised, and do so to the best of their abilities, so I am not blaming them. But, I, at least, have begun to feel that I cannot ask for help or advice or discuss problems I have here, because when I have the problem, I may NOT have the time -or in the case of this thread, the calmness to search and search and search through pages and pages of an existing topic just to find a post that MIGHT answer my problem (when I posted the thread, I had been crying off and on all morning and part of last night, worrying that I was about to have a miscarriage, but also certain I was being over-paranoid). What was WRONG with me replying to Nopenname and Lunashock? And what is WRONG with other people replying to my original post? This Guild was, as I understood, meant to be a place where parents could get and share advice, thoughts, feelings, tips and hints about all things related to parenting. As well as a refuge from the general preteen and teenager age group that dominates Gaia. But, with threads being closed all the time, thereby inhibiting a discussion of the problem, is making this place really difficult for some of us to feel they can participate. I just think the rules regarding threads and their allowed lifespan are way too strict and at the cost of comfort and a feeling of being able to relax in an environment and atmosphere that is productive and sympathetic. I also think that too many threads, like mine for example, are locked without any given reason. (A reason is something like "I am locking this thread because" and going on to explain what the "because" is, not just locking it and wandering off to leave the original poster wondering what happened. A little courtesy in this area WOULD be nice. It doesn't hurt the mods or admins to just add a little reason. It's... courteous, which is what everyone wants.. a little courtesy.) Sorry to make a big deal out of this, but it's always bugged me to see harmless threads being locked without reason, and lately -in the last month or so- it's been way more frequent, and I just wanted to give some feedback, and to post as clearly as possible what my problem with this is. Thank you in advance for reading. Again, I mean no offense to the mods, I know they are just trying to do their jobs. I just think a few of the rules themselves are a little exaggerated in their strictness. And, if people might think that if I don't like it, I know where the door is, I've been seriously considering it... but I thought it would be less than courteous not to let the admin (captain and crew) know that there is a problem.
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Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2005 1:35 pm
Actually, if you look most of the threads that are locked do have reasons stated. I locked the thread about 11:30ish and added the edit BEFORE doing so. And I redirected to the Pregnancy Q&A with a link as well. In regards to the Dad Thread, please look in the previous posts and that situation is being addressed, so not an issue anymore.
PMs have never been sent out with any complaints in that regard as well, I would like to note. Also, I would like to ask that courtesy be given to mods as well (as noted in the Where We Are All Located thread). Personally, I understand wanting special attention for your special circumstance, but I think people take it a little too personally when a thread is locked. People DO check the stickies.
I was the one who locked your thread and I received zero PMs about questions or concerns about it being locked. I locked it because it was a pretty clear cut answer on it and didn't want it to be a 3 page thread where the answer was posted over and over like the Prenatal Vitamin thread, especially when people never post in any of the other noteworthy threads, just make threads about themselves. The reason why I've been adhearing to the rules is BECAUSE of the lack of courtesy and respect given to the mods while Loki have been gone, usually by the same people.
If looked, almost all of the threads locked have a reason in the last post. That's just my two cents on the issue, I've been so frustrated with how things have been during the absence, but I've toughed it out and I think things will work better like this to cut down on trolls, flaming, and spamming. There HAVE been complaints about people who post threads about themselves and have been asked what the stickes are for if people aren't going to use them. I'm aware we can't make everyone happy though and we all have our stressful times to deal with.
Personally, I don't feel the crew got much respect or help from some members during the hiatus and assume we are power hungry, uncaring people. I've just noticed that most of the actively regular members aren't the ones making huge complaints against the mods and are more willing to PM and work with the mods instead of posting rants and anger on the board.
Just my take on the subject, not trying to be mean or harsh, but all the stuff we've had to deal with, I wanted to say something.
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Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2005 3:26 pm
I will say I personally think since Loki has come back I'm much more happy with the guild every day I come to look. There is much more I want to see at the top of the page, The threads like the pregnancy thread and the military threads seem to have had a resurgence as well as the picture post threads.
I don't have a problem when a mom or dad who has JUST had their baby come and post a whole new "HEY NEW BABY LOOK!" thread, my problem (and I HAVE complained in the past) is when it's 2 months later and the parent/s are STILL posting pictures in their individual own thread and people keep responding.
I also don't feel there is a problem with "hey I'm new threads" but then when members who have been here forever launch into four paragraph descriptions of themselves to introduce themselves to the newcomer...I mean COME ON!
My suggestion, if there is ANYTHING changed in the way that crew members lock threads is to FIRST maybe let someone answer the person who originally posts a question with a decent answer we have LOTS of knowledgeable people around here who are willing and ready to answer questions, then continue to do EXACTLY as they are doing and lock the thread, provide the link to where to go next time, and give a reason.
And I DO use the stickies, every time I see there is a new Pregnancy Q and A or a new Parenting Q and A question I go Ooooh and go over there to see what the next discussion is going to be.
Further, I think some members of this guild need to better utilize sites like www.familydoctor.org, www.drgreene.com, and www.babycenter.com for general questions about pregnancy that a read through "What to expect when you're expecting" could give you the answers to.
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Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2005 10:39 pm
Firstly, I wanna thank everyone for the feedback and comments.
Now, I knew when I requested the "de-cluttering" that it would invariably upset some people. I expected this and am doing my best to deal with it. But there is one point I wish to stress regarding my decision to go through with it....
In the past (before my absence) I had recieved PMs from members complaining about the amount of spam/clutter/repeat threads. My Crew also brought this to my attention as well. It gets difficult to mod all these threads when more and more keep popping up everyday. I have had to assign new Crew members twice (counting this current time) since this guild moved to the GGN because of the immense size and the great activity level of this guild. This has been done to try and defer some of the workload from such a small amount of people.
I mean look at the stats. There are currently just under 500 members in this guild. And only 6 Captain/Vice Captain/Crew members to deal with everything. I am currently looking for two more, so that should help once they've been assigned.
But my point is, we're doing the best we can with what we have. Almost no one has PMed me regarding this issue (outside of my Crew and sexygerman), so until I made this thread, I didn't even know anyone was having such problems with the "de-cluttering" unless they posted inappropriate rants in other threads.
Everyday, I try to implement more measures to improve this guild (this thread, new rules, updates, new announcements, new stickies, the de-cluttering, new Crew, my work diary, and etc). But some things take time and trial and error. Perhaps the de-cluttering *is* slightly strict, but this is the first time we've done it, so we're learning too. But it is something that was needed. I mean, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. I would hope the stickies aren't totally useless. If more people were to use them, then all these other threads wouldn't have gotten created in the first place. It's the same problem you have on pretty much all message boards.
I was tired of seeing repeat threads, and there were plenty of others who were tired of it as well, and they wanted something done about it.
However, I am not unwilling to change things up. None of these thread-locks are ever carved in stone. Ever. For example, the Dads Thread is being re-done and will be posted up as soon as sexygerman decides to do so. Anyone who feels they were wrongly locked is ENCOURAGED to PM me, the VC, or ANY Crew and make their case. We will then discuss it and come to a decision. sexygerman contacted me with his own take on the issue and we spoke about it. I then contacted the VC and my Crew and we came to a decision, thus he gets to re-open, but this time with a more specified, stream-lined thread so as to avoid confusion or conflicts. And he agreed with the process.
Another problem is that while I was gone, things got a bit hairy in here. i was told there were more outbursts of trolls and conflict. So upon my return, I decided that these things needed some SERIOUS addressing, and this is also part of that. This *is* supposed to be a place to relax and be a sort of haven to us, but the only way it can be, is if certain measures are taken to insure that. It's like a neccessary evil, for lack of better term. If I didn't take a very serious stance on these issues, then things would fall into chaos and we'd be overrun with spam, trolls, and repeats. My aspiration for this guild was for it to be an easily accessible place for like-minded folks. In order to do that, I have made NO entry fee and kept it as a Public guild, but in doing so, it opens a floodgate of trolls, flamers, liars, and people who take us for a joke. And the only thing protecting my members from having to deal with them is me, the VC, my Crew, and our rules. So sometimes things have to be strict if you expect anyone to take you seriously and have respect for the guild. If I keep allowing all the spam and clutter, then it will keep coming. If I put my foot down, then people will hopefully get the idea and we will have less spam and clutter to sift through.
Also, if everyone would please hold tight for a bit longer, we will be getting sub-forums for the guild. this will GREATLY help with this whole problem. With an extra means of organization, we may not have to lock so many threads anymore. I can (hypothetically) make a whole sub-forum devoted to Pregnancy Q and A rather than just one thread, thus allowing people to make individual threads without cluttering up the main forum. So things may get even better if everyone can just bear with us for just a bit longer.
However, in light of this most recent feedback on the de-cluttering, I will go back over my criteria for locking threads and do some adjusting on it. In the meantime, if ANYONE has an issue with a thread being locked, please feel free to PM one of us and make your case. NO LOCKS ARE CARVED IN STONE. WE WANT TO WORK WITH YOU TO MAKE THIS A BETTER GUILD. WE AR ENOT TRYING TO BE JERKS BY DOING THIS.
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Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2005 12:56 pm
Lunashock, I just wanted to say that I didn't know you locked it. I think both you and Nopen are mods, no? And, at least when I saw the thread, you had posted the link to the Q&A, but didn't say you were locking the thread, so I didn't know you had done it. Anyway, thank you for reading my post and for replying. I didn't mean to attack any mods, as I said, I know you guys are doing your best, so I apologise if you felt like I was explicitly attacking you or the other mods.
I wanted to reply because a couple questions were asked, and I wanted to answer them, which I couldn't do.
Nopenname, I just wanted to thank you for your post in my thread, because it seriously calmed me down, which I desperately needed (I know that getting too worked up is not good for the baby, to say the least). So, I just wanted to say thank you.
BadLoki, I'm sorry I didn't PM you... I WANTED to, actually, but I had read in a sticky that you don't want to be PM'd in regards to the guild, unless it's a dire emergency and I did not consider this an emergency. Possibly I misunderstood that post and should go back and reread it. (I will, anyway, be going through the stickies again, cause I noticed a few have changed titles and a lot more have popped up, but haven't had time to read them yet.)
Anyways, thank you for reading my post, and please understand that I don't blame the mods or you for wanting to enforce your rules. I just wanted to give some, I admit frustrated, feedback... and it seems to have come out harsher than I had expected -as Lunashock seemed to feel defencive.
Last, just wanted to say that do read the General Parenting Q&A sticky when I have time, but I can never find what I'm looking for.. maybe if it had an index? J/K.
If you can do subforums -which I didn't know Guilds could have- then that would make it all much easier for me, at least, to find what I'm looking for.
Lastly, I didn't mean to spam. I was not, at the point when I had made the thread, mentally or physically capable of searching through pages of topics to find something that dealt with my problem.. I was really freaked out -but tried as hard as I could to post my question calmly as possible so it would be clear to understand, instead of posting what I really felt: "OH GOD, HELP, I THINK I'M MISCARRYING!", and I was physically run down from the crappy night I'd had due to my emotional problems (I couldn't sit at the computer again, until I posted in here).
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Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2005 1:11 pm
Thanks for replying Kristall.
I understand you were upset and distressed when you posted, that's why no one was angry with you, luna was just redirecting you is all. We're never angry with anyone when we lock then redirect a thread, we're just gently nudging folks in the right direction.
And I do thank you for your feedback. Like I said, this is our first time doing a "clean up" so we're wanting to know how we're doing and what we can do to improve things.
As far as sub-forums for the guild go, they haven't been released yet, but according to one of the programming Admin for Gaia, they should be out REALLY soon. And as soon as they are released, I WILL be getting some for this guild as to better organize things so issues like this won't occur as much.
Also, I vaguely remember one of my stickies saying something about PMing me and such, and I believe you are correct. At the time I wrote that, I was wanting to encourage poeple to PM my Crew so as to get used to the fact that they're here to help too. I believe I wrote that post shortly after we moved into the GGN. I will go back and revise that. I want to be clear that I accept PMs from EVERYONE whether it's about guild stuff OR just for conversational purposes.
I just wanna ask everyone to please continue to pardon our progress as we improve things around here. things will be muuuuch better and more organized soon.
Also, yes, lunashock is a Crew member of this guild, but Nopenname isn't. She has however applied to become one. I do keep an updated list of all Crew members in the "GPG rules, FAQ, and other info-UPDATE-09/24/05-NEW RULE!!!!!" sticky at the top of the guild. Also, there is a list of the Captain, Vice Captain, and Crew at the bottom of the guild's 'homepage' which updates automatically whenever I promote or demote Crew members.
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Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2005 1:29 pm
Ah, I understand now. Thank you for explaining about the PM thing, and for letting me know about the crew members.. I KNEW there was a list (I've looked over it in the past), but I wasn't sure where I had seen it.
Thank you again for understanding and explaining.
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Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2005 8:33 pm
It's no problem at all. I always want to hear feedback and I always want to do what's best for the guild.
So, everyone, keep those suggestions coming!
Also...
*In a poorly done William Shatner impression*
Need... sub-forum suggestions. Want... to... hear from you... all.
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Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2005 7:30 pm
Here are a couple of suggestions for subforums:
1. Body Issues- a place to discuss postpartum recovery, PMS, feminine issues, weight loss, etc.
2. Entertainment- a place for stuff like the Book Club, artistic endeavors, dress-up GPG members, etc.
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Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2005 7:58 pm
kmaritza Here are a couple of suggestions for subforums: 1. Body Issues- a place to discuss postpartum recovery, PMS, feminine issues, weight loss, etc. 2. Entertainment- a place for stuff like the Book Club, artistic endeavors, dress-up GPG members, etc. Excellent ideas. I will give them some thought and see what we can do. Thank you VERY much for your input! mrgreen
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2005 12:34 am
I feel kind of silly suggesting it... but I am SO clueless on homekeeping... (I am not a natural born homemaker) and although its not exactly "parenting" it does affect your childern sweatdrop
I have found it hard to balance school and parenting/homekeeping and I was wondering if there was a thread already posted on it or if there could be... maybe.
I'm just so bad at your every day house hold maintenance and any suggestion, stories or ideas would help me out lol
ty for your time whee
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Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2005 12:53 am
kmaritza Here are a couple of suggestions for subforums: 1. Body Issues- a place to discuss postpartum recovery, PMS, feminine issues, weight loss, etc. 2. Entertainment- a place for stuff like the Book Club, artistic endeavors, dress-up GPG members, etc. I like the idea of an entertainment subforum. 3nodding Then the Book Club thread could be moved there, and add other things. On a side note, I love how the GPG looks, especially with the subforums. heart Keep up the excellent work Loki, and the mods too!
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Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2005 7:08 am
badloki, do you need some gold to go towards making new subforums? If so, can you access the GPG funds or should I donate directly to you?
I know this isn't actually a suggestion, but I figured it was the best place to ask.
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