gaigai

I think this is a good idea about the "May Offend" or some such thing. But whether or not you would tell your (insert family member) depends on your family. Some families may be "Cleavers", while some families are "South Park". How about, it wouldn't offend if you told it at a Church Social. And I admit to having to say mea culpae over that one.

PrettyKitty

WOW whole lot of discussion going on here, will try and keep it brief.

I love this board but don't feel that I spend enough time on it or contribute enough to put forward my opinions on content and rules etc.

I would like to give feedback though,

I agree with Terri's comments about GCC, ...I miss it too, since the Personal Diaries were introduced. I find that I am reading less threads and posting fewer comments, as I find it laborious scanning through pages of info on each person (sorry!). Even if you click on the last page to get the most recent updates, you usually have to 'backtrack' to pick up the beginning of the latest subject.

When this was all on GCC, you knew that the most recent posts were at the top of the page, and after a few days they would naturally 'drop off' the front page after most people had read it and everyone who wanted to had commented on it. Anything new in someone's life would appear at the top of the page, it was just 'natural' to read the things at the top, an easy notification that the person had something new to share. I do miss that.

As for suggestions/solutions....eh (shrugs in exasperation) Admin I feel you are in such a difficult position as you are NEVER going to please us all. Having more, specific sections for jokes/diaries etc may be a solution, am not sure. Sorry I can't come up with anything more constructive, but I did want to give you my feedback on the GCC vs Personal Diaries debate.

Admin

That would make the problem go away.
It can be controlled by deleting new posts when things get too far. But then, I'm sure a lot of people whose posts get deleted will complain about it.

Yes, that's a valid point.

Nope. Adding more sections would make it even worse. It would take even more time to find and catch up with what's happening in all those sections.

I don't, and I never said I do.

barnbum

Hmm--I'll keep it to the point.

1. The off color stuff was the only thing making it unpleasant here. I like the suggestion of adding "may offend" in the title (IF it MUST be posted). There was never enough info to know it was something I didn't want to read. And it was growing in frequency.

2. I did get tired of all the bad news, but I didn't open them.

3. If I opened a topic and it had turned to just a banter of words back and forth--I closed it fast. I couldn't even follow the mare stare post (but understand it was the nature of keeping awake).

4. I love the idea of posting positive or neutral topics in GCC and save the depressing/personal stuff for the diaries.

5. My time on this forum is limited, so I stick to Pictures mostly, but I loved sharing horse/flower, etc photos because they brought joy to the folks on here and frankly, I have very few others to really share them with.

6. I love the idea of asking the readers what to do--but this does give you more to have to digest. Thanks.

PS I had the assisted living folks here yesterday for a horse show--so if it's decided it can go here, I'll post the illustrated story. :wink:

Ninnie

Let me start by saying , I love this board and would never have dreamed a place like this could exist. I so do appreciate all the hard work that you and the moderators put into it.
However I miss the stories that were up lifting, from other parts of our world. I loved the horses and the pets and the pictures from around the world that we used to be able to see.
I don't come here to become depressed by other's problems, not that I don't care, because I do, but this place is a sort of escape for me. When I tune in here, it is to get support about quilting and to be inspired by others work. I try not to bring my personal problems here, and do try to be supportive to others. I was one that stayed up at night for the mare stare, and enjoyed it. I saw 2 healthy foals brought into this world, never dreaming that would be possible. Yesterday, Joanne lost a foal and the mother, and those of us who were familiar with them, could tell her how sorry we were.
this board is so full of work horses, those who hold the exchanges, or who organize a small gift for someone. I try to participate in these.
I don't like going to GCC and becoming depressed, that part I do not miss being there.
I don't know what the answer is, but someone has to step up and make the choices, what is proper for GCC and what isn't., and I don't think that has been met yet. Do I have the answers/ NO, no way, but , I do miss the things we were able to enjoy on there before.
AS for the diaries, I do have one, and I do try to keep it as a place to ask for help and useful information, and I have learned so much about my new toy, by just having a place to ask for help. So I also want them to stay. I can understand why so many don't have time, when you are still raising a family, or working.
Is this place perfect? No, no way, but it is still the best there is our there, and I for one am thankful for that!

sandpat

I have to admit that I've tried to stay out of the fray here, but I'll voice my opinion for what its worth. I am a long time user of the board and I think a fairly frequent poster. I love the board, but lately...not so much for these reasons.

Recently some (well, almost all) of the threads I started were hijacked and being taken over by some of the issues that Admin addressed...off color jokes. I like to laugh as much as the next guy, but these just went too far. That was solved by the introduction of the PDA section. Thats good although I just don't have time to go there and read everyone's posts. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings by them thinking, well, she posts on theirs, but not on mine...so I just don't go there at all.

I am totally confused now by the "rules" for the GCC section. I no longer feel like I can post anything not quilt related...don't know how to judge what might or might not be"interesting" to the majority of the users...so I just don't start a thread. I feel like if the foal threads with the huge number of views and posts are being deemed "not interesting to the majority", then nothing that I have is "interestng" either. That makes the board not as much of an enjoyable place as it has been in the past.

I don't care for the birthday..get well...sections. I can't keep up with scrolling through all the pages to find out who I should be sending wishes to! I enjoyed being able to do that in the GCC section previously. I think Terri explained that well and I agree with her feelings, not just about these sections, but about the other vacation type pictures as well.

I did start coming to the board to learn about quilting issues and I still do that. However, I also come to the board to learn about other places, people and things that I don't come into contact with everyday, like the walk through villages in Spain, Terri's trip around Guam, even her encounters with the boogie monster! These are fun and interesting threads. Why can't we still post like that?

The "feel" of the board lately has gotten to be more of a "police" state which I don't care for. This should be a place where we can come and freely share with each other..not where we think if we post something that it will be deleted, moved, or we will get out hand slapped. Afterall, we are adults. I think that the actions of a few are impacting the activities of the whole. These issues should be dealt with on a personal level...via pm.

Just my opinions for what its worth. I obviously still come here daily. :D

Mousie

I have changed my daily routine recently but think this thread is so important, I set my timer to come back and just read this.
I am so glad that I did.
I just learned that someone I think very highly of, and would never want to offend or 'bother', has been very gracious, but also sending mixed signals. Maybe I am a little naive, too.
I apologize for my verbosity when I type :oops: . It's a life long thing I have had to work on, and always will. I will not stop trying, as it's my problem, and I really don't mean to make it anybody else's. If I add comments to something, and you come back and respond positively to me, then I think your ok with it, or even enjoying yourself.
Because of 'open' discussion, I am learning that one of the things ppl are concerned about, is having their own thread deleted or scolded, not bc of something they did, but someone on their thread.
Until recently, it never crossed my mind, that something you say on someone else's thread could jeaopardize that person's whole thread. I am going to practice broader thinking and consideration.
I would like to point out one more thing. I may be offtrack, but from some things I read this morning, we have had a lot of new changes in a very short period of time.
I love the PDA section, and I think it has solved a lot of problems. It would be unfair, for ppl to think everything that has happened since it was started, is 'because' of PDA.
Some ppl immediately felt that having the new PDA section was like being treated like a child...send them to the backroom...hide the embarrassing etc....so they refused to go there. That's ok. That is how they feel.
I absolutely embraced it, as soon as I saw it. It suits my personality, and many others. Each person can make their space whatever they want it to be, and for those that don't go there, and think it is just a place where a lot of useless, garbage can worthy stuff is abundant...I am very proud to say, that although maybe only interesting to us "neighbors"...it is not full of degenerates. It's actually very funny, informative to me, and as far as I have seen, not off color at all. People are behaving very well, and getting along famously.
Please do not blame that section, or these ppl, for all the changes since.
We have no control over the other changes.
I wish we would have open discussions like this more often, as I hear things, constructive opinions and ideas, that I never thought about.
I think it is healthy and keeps ppl aware that we each need to come out of our, me-focus, which is unintentional, but human.
This exchange helps us to understand each other and our board better.

Admin

Yes, someone else mentioned a similar thing happening. It's as if we have little "gangs" that roam around the board raiding topics on random :)

Which is a pretty good argument against the people who say that everything was OK before the changes, and that "nothing was broken".

Part of the reason for the PDA section was to give them the space to have fun without affecting the reading/posting experience of other users.

I think a lot of people feel the same way. That's why I started this discussion. It's happening because we don't have well-defined guidelines. And it's not possible to either use or to moderate the section if nobody has a clear idea of what it is we are trying to accomplish. I guess that's the reason some people aren't happy with recent moderation decisions.

I agree that there is no point in even having the GCC section if nobody posts in it because the rules are too strict. But the community needs a place for general discussion, so we need to find a way to make it work -- if not for everybody then at least for the majority of people.

So far, I have the following list of base points:

- Positive/neutral discussion topics (the kinds of topics that don't have a tendency to spin out of control) would go into GCC.
- Negative topics would go into PDA. Those almost always end up "inspiring" more negative topics from other people.
- Jokes are fine in GCC as long as there aren't too many of them floating around "at this point in time" and as long as they are not over the line. That would be a judgment call of the moderators. There is no other way around it.
- The same goes for all other kinds of posts. When it begins to seem like a flood of copycat topics is emerging, posts will be deleted. Again, that's a judgment call for the moderators.

Anybody who is posting a joke (or raiding another person's topic) should be mentally prepared to see her post deleted. Hopefully, people will learn not to take deletions of such posts personally.

As I said, in most cases if you look at a post in a vacuum, it might not seem like a big deal. But when looked at in the context of other posts and topics that are floating around "right now", it's easier to see the problem.

Please submit more feedback, and soon we'll test the next round of changes.

Mousie

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I want to address this reply for my own understanding. Hope it helps more than me.

member: You got something you think is MORE interesting than what your seeing? - post it.
admin: That was my original intent, but as I said, it's not working out. People can't objectively judge how interesting their own posts are. None of us can. Or at least it seems that way.

Since as humans, we cannot read minds, this has to be a judgement call, and the only answer I can think of...is reader tolerance.
What am I missing? What am I reading, and supporting, that is bothering so many,...and who are "they"? who are, where are,...all these 'bothered' ppl?
Speak up, and say exactly, what is wrong with threads, so we can understand.
Just as, if I for example, write a thread, and get many positive responses, I would also, re-think my contributions, if my stuff were being ignored etc.
Just as we need to be considerate when posting, we also need to be considerate when reading. It's a two way street.
Ppl are unique, and bring all sorts of different stuff to the table.
Do you, any of you, really, truly, believe that someone took the time to consider, assemble, and type out, a whole thread, just to get in your craw? really?
Can you not at least imagine, that this subject, or these pictures, to them, were interesting enough, that they believed others would enjoy or be benefitted also?
You will never come up with a perfect formulation for chit-chat. It's an individualized thing, and I think we need to all look at the number of views, and replies and use that as our guide as to what is most beneficial to a large number. I am going to start paying more attention to those.

admin, etc.:quote]I liked the pets etc. on chit chat, and the birthdays, and wedding announcements etc. bc these are important events that are interesting, and I hate to miss them. Why would that bother anyone. I don't get it. [/quote]

Roben actually hit it right on the mark with the post above. So I'll quote it:

member: the posts have been moved, so that everyone was being treated the same...
ok, maybe I am being dense...so I'll just say, 'duh"...I don't understand.
Enlighten me, please.
Who was not being treated the same as who, and in what way?
I am not complaining. I can go click on the new section, and find the pets to show my gbabies and to enjoy myself, not criticising...I sincerely don't know what the issue was with this. Please fill me in, bc it must be something that was heard about in pm's, and we have no idea what that is?

tlrnhi

I like your ideas so far, Admin.
Like I said in my previous post....
I'd like to be able to see people post pictures of where they live, etc. Spain, Australia, France, and yes, even Guam are far away places that others will never be able to visit in their wildest dreams and being able to post them in a forum such as Chit Chat would be great to have again.

That also goes for the pets too, such as Barnbum with her foals and her flowers. She has beautiful gardens and I know that I'm not the only one that appreciates it when she posts her "little slice of heaven" for all to see.

I do have an idea that might work when it comes to something major in someone's life, such as a death of a spouse/immediate family member, birth of a child/grand child......Have the person who is wanting to post, send a PM with the pertinant info to either you (Admin) or Mod and have them post it under a locked thread. That way, no other posts are made and others can see it, then PM the person their condolances or congrats. You just don't know HOW MANY PMs go out when something like that happens looking for addresses/ideas on something to do for that person. And pretty much everyone KNOWS who to PM for addresses, right people? :)

As to Mare Stare, I will admit that some of the posts did get a bit off topic, but we (as the group of starers) did try to bring it back around to some sort of normalcy, but when you survive on little or no sleep, you get a bit punchy. Mare Stare had ALOT of people coming in to see what was going on with the chatter about the mare and I think ....ok, I'm hoping that next year we can have it again back in Chit Chat. I would be willing to be a moderator for that thread and smack hands/mouths if someone got off tangent a little too far.

With regards to jokes.....some are ok, some are not. Some are borderline offensive, but even putting in "OFFENSIVE" in the topic, still is not a good thing, to me. I remember one day, I signed on and the first 10 threads were jokes. I think jokes should either have their own section or be limited (somehow) to so many per day/per person. And, NONE should in any way be offensive to anyone.

If I think of anything else, I'll post it.

Admin, you are trying to do what is best, I know it's hard for you.....
I think we should all send you some nice squishys :) :)