Oleg Volk
Moderator Emeritus
...in my opinion:
1. The participants
2. The rules and their enforcement
Factor 1 is major, factor 2 is minor. Adding more rules will bring only diminishing returns and reduce the quality of the experience for all.
I have a successful example in the way I make friends. I have many friends with whom I stay in touch pretty much indefinitely. That's why my social gatherings tend to be big. However, it is possible not to be my friend anymore by:
1. Unethical behavior towards me or towards a mutual friend
2. Being sufficiently uninteresting or less than friendly, in which case I will simply re-allocate my scarce time and resources towards more deserving people
By that analogy, which we have tested on-line in the last few months, I think it would make sense to tweak the way THR operates. In the past, it has been operated as a place where all were welcome, barring egregious behavior. Full citizenship with ability to post were extended at once. As a result, we've gained many amazingly knowledgeable, civil people. We have also gained our resident population of things who don't play well with others. THR may become a scarce resource in the very near future.
1. The official policy will be to continually remove people who are proven oxygen thieves. That will be a subjectively defined condition, generally a combination of belligerence and lack of clue. Lack of knowledge will not be an offense, behaving like a poorly socialized child would be. THR will never be "full" but it will shed a certain amount of mange regularly. In the past, I disliked losing any members. Now, I realize that the time spent coddling those who don't play well with others is the time not spent for the benefit of those who do. My core interests are squarely with the good humans, not with the bad hominids trying to get by on external resemblance to humans.
2. Certain capabilities will be awarded on the basis of merit. That policy has been in effect for several months now. I won't elaborate on the specifics, only say that the rewards for acting like a mature, knowledgable and civil adult are quite pleasant. The down side to that policy is that it requires moderator involvement to identify the recipients of the honors. Large number of posts is not required, only a high signal/noise ratio here or even off-line.
In the meantime, use the combination of "Ignore" and "Report this post/outrage" buttons, and a thick skin to get the most out of this site. The moderating snipers are getting the range cards out. Three of the members we've come to appreciate will be approached with offers of moderator positions later this month. We'll do what we can to make THR a pleasant and an educational experience...with your help and advice.
1. The participants
2. The rules and their enforcement
Factor 1 is major, factor 2 is minor. Adding more rules will bring only diminishing returns and reduce the quality of the experience for all.
I have a successful example in the way I make friends. I have many friends with whom I stay in touch pretty much indefinitely. That's why my social gatherings tend to be big. However, it is possible not to be my friend anymore by:
1. Unethical behavior towards me or towards a mutual friend
2. Being sufficiently uninteresting or less than friendly, in which case I will simply re-allocate my scarce time and resources towards more deserving people
By that analogy, which we have tested on-line in the last few months, I think it would make sense to tweak the way THR operates. In the past, it has been operated as a place where all were welcome, barring egregious behavior. Full citizenship with ability to post were extended at once. As a result, we've gained many amazingly knowledgeable, civil people. We have also gained our resident population of things who don't play well with others. THR may become a scarce resource in the very near future.
1. The official policy will be to continually remove people who are proven oxygen thieves. That will be a subjectively defined condition, generally a combination of belligerence and lack of clue. Lack of knowledge will not be an offense, behaving like a poorly socialized child would be. THR will never be "full" but it will shed a certain amount of mange regularly. In the past, I disliked losing any members. Now, I realize that the time spent coddling those who don't play well with others is the time not spent for the benefit of those who do. My core interests are squarely with the good humans, not with the bad hominids trying to get by on external resemblance to humans.
2. Certain capabilities will be awarded on the basis of merit. That policy has been in effect for several months now. I won't elaborate on the specifics, only say that the rewards for acting like a mature, knowledgable and civil adult are quite pleasant. The down side to that policy is that it requires moderator involvement to identify the recipients of the honors. Large number of posts is not required, only a high signal/noise ratio here or even off-line.
In the meantime, use the combination of "Ignore" and "Report this post/outrage" buttons, and a thick skin to get the most out of this site. The moderating snipers are getting the range cards out. Three of the members we've come to appreciate will be approached with offers of moderator positions later this month. We'll do what we can to make THR a pleasant and an educational experience...with your help and advice.
