A Less Subtle Way To Enforce Rules Awareness

Hi Everyone...

I dont know if you have seen DT2's big Quick Answer Bar that tries to enforce the awareness of the site's rules, but i thought it would be a good idea to have it here to, the board guideliness, just as the search button apparently tend to be overlooked VERY easily, on the other hand, in DT2, one notices that Quick Answer Bar very easily.

Here is a screenshot of it, for those of you who havent seen it.

This is just a suggestion, maybe, it might sound a bit obstrusive, but i dont know what is more obstrusive, a Quick Answer Bar integrated on the site, enforcing the rules, or members not following the rules (most of the time, because they are not aware of them)

Edit: this idea by Wizard could be very neatly added as well to that "Quick Answer Bar"

// Seph

#155347

I don't think it would be too obtrusive if done in a fashion like that. When you said "banner" I imediatley thought of a "Enlarge Your Tongue" red flashing banner.

Also, thanks for the support for the Search bar.

Edit - Wait, I was looking at the wrong bar. I still have the same opinion, except the bigger bar (the one with the numerous links) should go in the obvious place.

#155359

Lol, semantics always end up in the way

Lets call it Quick Answer Bar... catchy enough?

PS: get me that link, i want to enlarge my tongue... taod licking, you know...

#155362

I think that'd be a good idea...

We also need to get the new rules finalised, though...

These need to be agreed by all the staff, so we all enforce them.

Not only that, but I think we need to write lots more FAQ style content for new users, and have the rules cover as much as possible, as thoroughly as possible...

All that, however, is something I intend to look at as soon as my exams are done.

#155582

I think instead we should employ a select few individuals to be part of a secrete organizations called something like "police thought" or mabie "thought police". They could rout out anti-aquasoftian Semitism and we could then feed the captees with "thinkdouble" till they turn into mindless loyal citizens.

#155614

Originally posted by lostspyder@May 3 2004, 08:46 PM

I think instead we should employ a select few individuals to be part of a secrete organizations called something like "police thought" or mabie "thought police". They could rout out anti-aquasoftian Semitism and we could then feed the captees with "thinkdouble" till they turn into mindless loyal citizens.

waiting for tim to respond with "when we go 2.0" all the rules will be inforced with an electric shock send threw the modum to the user who violates one of the rules here at AQUA-SOFT. oh no, was that off topic? ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZap

i have no eyebrows :cry:

#155620

Here's what I want to see (while we're on the subject):

1. No more of this [tag] business. We tried it before and it failed. It's really not worth fighting over. You can't win Seph, I was CLOSING THREADS when people didn't use tags, and still no one listened. The [tag] rule was pretty much over months ago. I don't know where you got the idea that they were back. Tim probably should have removed the rules from the top of the sections.

2. More ON TOPIC posts. Im not saying everything has to be 100% aqua, but if I read one more thread about toad licking, I'm going to suspend someone. There's no reason for you guys to hijack threads like that. PLEASE keep things at least somewhat on topic in the thread.

Seriously, the boards are not the place for your little inside jokes. 99% of us don't care about your toad licking, etc.

And yes, I'm talking to staff too.

#155626

Originally posted by contrasutra@May 3 2004, 09:05 PM

Here's what I want to see (while we're on the subject):

1. No more of this [tag] business. We tried it before and it failed. It's really not worth fighting over. You can't win Seph, I was CLOSING THREADS when people didn't use tags, and still no one listened. The [tag] rule was pretty much over months ago. I don't know where you got the idea that they were back. Tim probably should have removed the rules from the top of the sections.

2. More ON TOPIC posts. Im not saying everything has to be 100% aqua, but if I read one more thread about toad licking, I'm going to suspend someone. There's no reason for you guys to hijack threads like that. PLEASE keep things at least somewhat on topic in the thread.

Seriously, the boards are not the place for your little inside jokes. 99% of us don't care about your toad licking, etc.

And yes, I'm talking to staff too.

I never thought I would say this - but I actually agree with you Constrata. When I first arrived here late last year I was all for off-topic, anything goes kinda chat - but as I have got more familiar with the forum, I too feel that its time to "cut the crap" and get back to why we are all here.

I really love the atmosphere here at A~S and its crazy characters but sometimes things do go a little bizarre (goats anyone?). So how about giving us an area to just talk crap and keep it seperate from the Aqua side of things? I know we have a general discussion section - but I still feel this is based around Aqua... how about a Goats licking Toads section?

#155635

Originally posted by contrasutra@May 3 2004, 09:05 PM

Here's what I want to see (while we're on the subject):

1. No more of this [tag] business. We tried it before and it failed. It's really not worth fighting over. You can't win Seph, I was CLOSING THREADS when people didn't use tags, and still no one listened. The [tag] rule was pretty much over months ago. I don't know where you got the idea that they were back. Tim probably should have removed the rules from the top of the sections.

2. More ON TOPIC posts. Im not saying everything has to be 100% aqua, but if I read one more thread about toad licking, I'm going to suspend someone. There's no reason for you guys to hijack threads like that. PLEASE keep things at least somewhat on topic in the thread.

Seriously, the boards are not the place for your little inside jokes. 99% of us don't care about your toad licking, etc.

And yes, I'm talking to staff too.

I agree with the second, but not wholly with the first.

[tags] help people to understand what a topic is, but become unnecessary if people title threads well.

To be honest, I think titling of threads accurately is never going to happen all the time - staff and regulars understand how to title threads, using either system, new members don't. Whichever method is chosen, mods will still have to rename threads (or rather, should have to rename threads - whether or not they do this is a different matter).

That said, [release]/[ann] tags do make the newsposters' lives a little easier, but then again, so would more well titled threads, a better organised forum structure.

Contra - you can argue as much as you like against tagging threads, but it's a choice between that, completely renaming the threads, or having a forum full of gibberish titles. Of these, tagging is the fastest for us to do, and has the most impact for the time spent. Otherwise, we'd need to spend a good couple of minutes extra trying to re-word the title in such a way that people can find it again, but also so that it's more transparent what it's about. Not an easy task, I'm sure you'll agree.

I'm not going to get into the whole off-topic discussion for the sole reason that I feel that, whilst it's a bit out of hand at times, the new rules should deal with this, once I've got them written fully.

Then again, so is most of what people take issue with at the moment. Isn't it funny how all the things I've been trying to get into the new rules over the last months are all coming to a head now?

#155644

Originally posted by contrasutra@May 3 2004, 03:05 PM

2. More ON TOPIC posts. Im not saying everything has to be 100% aqua, but if I read one more thread about toad licking, I'm going to suspend someone. There's no reason for you guys to hijack threads like that. PLEASE keep things at least somewhat on topic in the thread.

Seriously, the boards are not the place for your little inside jokes. 99% of us don't care about your toad licking, etc.

If that's the case, thenwe should definitley consider the chat room. It's because of all of this "non-sense" that make me come back. And thus in the mean time, on a rare occasion, I help people.

#155650

Originally posted by wizard@May 3 2004, 05:29 PM

If that's the case, thenwe should definitley consider the chat room. It's because of all of this "non-sense" that make me come back. And thus in the mean time, on a rare occasion, I help people.

If you only come here to goof off, maybe you should leave. Like I said, there's no reason you have to be on-topic all the time (I joke around too), but 90% (and that's being nice) of your posts are completely offtopic.

This is not your private forum, you have to understand there are THOUSANDS of other members that might want to have civil conversations.

Steve: Updated rules won't solve the problem. None of these rules are new. It's just a few people who refuse to follow them because they think they can do whatever they want.

#155688

Originally posted by contrasutra@May 3 2004, 10:22 PM

[...]

Steve: Updated rules won't solve the problem. None of these rules are new. It's just a few people who refuse to follow them because they think they can do whatever they want.

They will if we enforce them well enough.

The problem in the past has been either lackluster or overzealous enforcement of what have, quite frankly, been vague "rules" at best.

I've never purported that the rules are new, but what I intend to do is much more clearly define the rules.

For example, I always worry about whether or not my decisions when modding are ok - if we had a well defined set of rules, I'd never have to worry about that, and members wouldn't be able to argue that we were victimising or whatever unjustly.

#155700

if the mods are so worried about tagging threads, then you all should figure out a way to do thread creation like deviant art does submissions. specifically, after a person clicks submit to start the thread, make them answer a couple of questions before it actually posts, so that some of the 'tagging' is done automatically. and here's a vote to get rid of the tags, while only keeping the release tag. 95 percent of the people here come just for the releases anyway. or maybe highlight the links to release threads.

as far as searching, instead of the little link to search in the top row, make it stand out more.

IMHO off topic posts aren't that bad, but everyone doesn't have to be resident comic extraordinaire. there isn't much worse than to see a thread get lam0r'd up with 20 posts full of nonsensical banter or petty flame wars. but at the same time i wouldn't want to see things get so strict that everything must be on topic, tagged and serious 100 percent of the time...unless AS is just going to become merely a news site.

#155706

Personally, I like it when mods edit posts and say why they edit it, for example; someone posts in the wrong subject, so the mod lets them know. That way, people know what they did wrong and the thread isn't closed. I think mods should be more passive and just edit posts and not close as many threads.

#155709

Originally posted by daclothe+May 3 2004, 10:51 PM-->

QUOTE(daclothe @ May 3 2004, 10:51 PM)

if the mods are so worried about tagging threads, then you all should figure out a way to do thread creation like deviant art does submissions.  specifically, after a person clicks submit to start the thread, make them answer a couple of questions before it actually posts, so that some of the 'tagging' is done automatically.  and here's a vote to get rid of the tags, while only keeping the release tag.  95 percent of the people here come just for the releases anyway.  or maybe highlight the links to release threads.

That's exactly what we're trying to work out - the best way to identify threads of note without making it too intrusive and so forth. It's hard to do, if you try to think of all the possibilities and want to keep everyone happy...

Originally posted by daclothe@May 3 2004, 10:51 PM

as far as searching, instead of the little link to search in the top row, make it stand out more.

That's the plan...

#155711

well i guess stevie and i are on the same page then

#155716

where's the tag on this thread?

#155723

[tags] will prob. go when we upgrade the boards (when and if ipb2 comes out)

#155730

told ya

#155738

We will do something on the top of the page to show the new guidelines we have.

#155743

Originally posted by Timan@May 4 2004, 03:41 AM

We will do something on the top of the page to show the new guidelines we have.

Thanx Tim

Thanx the rest for hijacking my thread.... we have had all those discussions, have we not?

Let me just say this. I enforce tags for a couple of reasons.

1.- It is still on the how to post guidelines on the top of each page, not following them will only give the appearance that we do not follow what we preach to users that have actuallly READ them as well as the guidelines.

2.- There were half of the threads tagged and half weren't when i started as a mod, consistency is one of the foundations of rule enforcement. the obvious choice was, all tagged (again, it is in the how to post guidelines)

3.- It is, as Stevie said, a lot easier for newsposters to spot releases and skim what shouldnt be ont eh news; But then again, they are not doing much newsposting anyway, only for the major releases.

If the tags need to be stopped, i will, but this has to be part of the rules, and obviously a better organizing method for naming of threads needs to be used. I will not stop tagging threads cause some people dislike it, or cause some people dont care. In all fairness, pleasing all 16000 members wont happen.

I would say this again, but Stevie said it to perfection

Contra - you can argue as much as you like against tagging threads, but it's a choice between that, completely renaming the threads, or having a forum full of gibberish titles. Of these, tagging is the fastest for us to do, and has the most impact for the time spent. Otherwise, we'd need to spend a good couple of minutes extra trying to re-word the title in such a way that people can find it again, but also so that it's more transparent what it's about. Not an easy task, I'm sure you'll agree.

But there is a topic discussing tags... Continue the discussion there, not here

#155863

Originally posted by Seph@May 4 2004, 05:23 AM

3.- It is, as Stevie said, a lot easier for newsposters to spot releases and skim what shouldnt be ont eh news; But then again, they are not doing much newsposting anyway, only for the major releases.

OI!

#156247

#156250

Originally posted by Seph@May 4 2004, 09:54 PM

  You should've known i wasn't talking about you Unbeliever

i know but i have to protect my fellow newsposters

guild ethics

#156258

ok... another explanation, i wasn't talking about Sid either, but the rest have, quite frankly been doing nothing. A newspost here, another there, whenever they feel energetic enough to do it.

But that, again is another subject.

#156262