Gunz' Zone Debate # 1: Making the BillsZone Forum Better

[shelby]

Gunz' Zone Debate # 1: Making the BillsZone Forum Better <!-- Start Post Thank You Hack --><!-- End Post Thank You Hack -->



<HR style="COLOR: #f3f3ff" SIZE=1><!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->BillsZone is, at heart, a message board dedicated to the Buffalo Bills. At times our main football forum, the BillsZone, is plagued by arguments, TOS violations, and spam. The Zone Staff would like to see the BillsZone forum evolve into the best place on the net to discuss Buffalo Bills Football.....a message board where people discuss our beloved Bills without bickering, flaming, personally attacking each other, and spamming.

The debate question posed to the Zone Presidential Candidates is this:
How would you encourage a spirit of respectful debate amongst BillsZone posters?
What steps would you take to encourage more traffic in the BillsZone forum, especially during the offseason?
What steps would you take if posters were resorting to flaming or personal attacks in their posts?
Briefly describe what you believe is the appropriate way to moderate the BillsZone forum. For example, do you believe that moderators should play an active role in discussions and actively "police" the forum, or should they take a more hands-off approach and only take action if a post is reported?You may confer with your staff before replying to these questions. Please be as specific as possible in your responses.

Once you have responded to the debate question, your opponents will each have the opportunity to post a rebuttal in this thread. You may then respond to each rebuttal in turn. Please note that only one rebuttal by your opponents, and only one response per rebuttal by you, will be allowed.

The debate will be closed at 7 pm on Wednesday, March 19.

Thank you for your participation, and may the best Zoner win!
shelby
Supervisior of Zone Elections

[Gunzlingr]

As I have stated several times, I have absolutely no interest in being a moderator again. Taking that into consideration, I personally think that the name calling in the main forum has gotten out of hand. We have valued posters leaving because trolls and ne'er do wells come in and attack the team, the owner, the coaches, and other posters. I believe that we should be adult enough to criticize the team without name calling. Who gives a crap whether or not someone likes JP over Trent, or vice versa? It's not like we directly control who starts. Grow up already. Perhaps a probationary period where new posters are watched extra carefully to eliminate trolls and spammers would also help. Perhaps it would help if we had a "Rogue's Gallery" if you will that would list all of the banned posters, so as not having to endure a 1000 questions on where a poster went.

For the second part of your question, I think we should expand our link partnerships (while maintaing the current ones), and maybe institute a program where zoners could earn a few extra zonebucks a month by using an "official" Billszone link in their signatures at other boards would be easily viable options for recruiting new members at no monetary cost.

I think any personal attack or flame should be immediately culled from the tread, and moved to the mod forum where it can be discussed and voted on by the moderators and president. If they don't conclude it to be offensive it can be returned to the thread - if found in violation then the appropriate action needs to be taken immediately. All this of course depends on whether the post is reported, because in my opinion (and this will answer the last part of the question) moderators should be hands off unless they are called upon. This is part of the reason I don't want to be a moderator - people make mistakes, and it is too easy for a mod to get pissed off at an individual and become too heavy handed and abuse their power. The last thing the zone needs is some power hungry mod meting out their brand of justice to promote a vendetta.

[shelby]

Thank you, Gunz.

When Bedard, Playa, and EE are ready, they may each post in this thread with any questions or rebuttal.

[Earthquake Enyart]

Probationary period :down: You are trying to attract new people, not put them through some arbitrary popularity contest.

Rouges gallery :down: We know who the nimrods are.

Partnerships :5:


Moving stuff to the moderator forum? :puke: If the mods / admins don't have enough sense to tell right from wrong, the mods / admins should be terminated immediately. There is no true leader here who exerts the strength and leadership to keep the douche bag mods / admins in line. That's why I should be president.

[Gunzlingr]

1. Probationary period :down: You are trying to attract new people, not put them through some arbitrary popularity contest.

2. Rouges gallery :down: We know who the nimrods are.

3. Partnerships :5:


4. Moving stuff to the moderator forum? :puke: If the mods / admins don't have enough sense to tell right from wrong, the mods / admins should be terminated immediately. There is no true leader here who exerts the strength and leadership to keep the douche bag mods / admins in line. That's why I should be president.

I would like to address each of your points individually.

1. The probationary period would give new posters a day or 2 to observer the way the board operates and what is expected of them. It would also control spammers because people couldn't sign up, post their garbage and leave again immediately.

2. Numerous times someone has been banned and there are 10 corresponding threads asking the banned poster went. This option would allow those threads to be eliminated via the spam zone because there would be a central thread that tracked those people.

3. As you can see I took the time to address each of the issues that were brought before us. You don't like my stance on bringing in new posters and advertising the site, that is fine, but you also failed to address it at all.

4. I proposed the method of dealing with reported posts in the way that I did in an effort to eliminate the biased, ham fisted (to use your words) methods of dealing with these posts. You claim that such actions are the root of all evil here at the zone, yet you would replace one dictator with another. You seem obsessed with becoming a mod and using that power to your own personal gain.

[L.A. Playa]

If you dont want to be a Mod or in a place of leadership why run for office ?

Also, you have spoken of taking the Zone "back" to its former greatness, what would you do to make the Zone betetr in the future ?

Thank You.

[Gunzlingr]

If you dont want to be a Mod or in a place of leadership why run for office ?

Also, you have spoken of taking the Zone "back" to its former greatness, what would you do to make the Zone betetr in the future ?

Thank You.

I want to be the president, I do not want to be a moderator. I believe I have been clear in this since the beginning. Adding another moderator will not solve anything. However, I think the position of President is intriquing in that the president will have access to the moderator forum and have the opportunity to be the voice of the people. This is a first in Zone history in that the posters will have an inside voice in the running of the zone without the constraints or arbitrary power that a becoming a moderator entails.

While your second point does not deal with the debate questions at hand, however I will tell you that the plan is a multi-faceted attempt to bring equity to the moderating process, streamlining the boards, and reaching out to new and former zoners.

[shelby]

i am waiting to see if Bedard wants to make a rebuttal.
This thread will be closed at 7 pm PST.