General Rant

No secret that some members believe it's lacking in certain areas. That's fine, I'm pretty busy to not sit here 24x7 and delete posts where members feel they wish to use expletives and have a bit of a flame fest.

Enough's enough though. If you have been warned in the past and/or have had your response deleted to a thread recently, consider that your warning that your behaviour isn't acceptable for these forums.

If your are a supplier and have had a thread you made deleted, consider that your warning that you are in breach of guidelines.

I've put off being heavy handed for 2+ years, but it seems some of you like to wear out the welcome. Time to wield the suspension stick I believe.

Beyond that...

As has been discussed previously - more moderators will be enlisted when the forum grew to a point where it was getting out of hand. I believe we have reached that point, so what I thought I'd do is have interested candidates email their wish to moderate.

What you'll need to do:

1. Email me on forums AT dtvforum DOT info

2. List your real name, your age, the city you live.

3. Detail the forums you think you could moderate well

4. Detail your previous AV/DTV background which may assist you in this aim.

5. List the times you are more likely to check the forums.

Look forward to seeing the submissions.

Great move Coral! It should come as no surprise that I support this move 100%. If I wasn’t so busy with HTC I'd help out for sure

PLEASE, when this gets underway can you also start the process of merging and splitting threads. It make sit so much easier for newbies and for people to keep track of relevant info.

May I suggest getting rid of the Off-Topic forum and not allowing any off-topic topics/posts.

This forum has turned from a DTV technical discussion forum to a general discussion forum with a DTV bias.

I'm sure this isn't what those people/companies subsidising the forum

originally intended.

Evan :->

The off-topic subforum is a minor subset of the forum. I personally don't see it as a problem as it were, but more so a way to have members feel involved in the community.

Pretty much every forum I've seen has an off-topic section somewhere..

You don't have to read it, no one's forcing you to, and every post in there is off-topic anyway, so no biggie.. it's the off-topic posts in the normal forums that need to be moderated, especially the ones involving name calling, swearing and such.

Just please, don't turn into Whirlpool (broadband forum) where just the slightest hint of off-topicness gets the post deleted, even if the post is informative and doesn't affect any user in any way.

I agree on Davo's point there, Whirlpool is littered with "off-topic -removed by moderator" posts and it really just degenerates useful discussion into a "spot the fact between the clipping" fest.

Anything blatantly off-topic should go into the off-topic forum. This way, anyone who doesn't WISH to read those posts can elect not to.

Pretty much every forum I've seen has an off-topic section somewhere..

Just in case this thread turns into a de-facto vote, I'm with DavoNogo on this as well.

As DavoNogo says, just about all the forums have "off-topic" posts in them, but none-the-less they generally add to the communitys knowledge pool, or bring a smile to the readers.

Now and again I drop by Whirlpool, and it's not uncommon to see two or three or four posts in a row "clipped". I always wonder what it was I missed........

Trolls are annoying, but if you don't feed them they generally go away, and while their posts are from left field, they still start a discussion, and is this a really bad thing ? Probably not.........

If ** I ** was a moderator, what would I of clipped lately ??? Honestly, Not too much !!

In the forums I frequent, there are a couple of commercial sellers, who keep a very low profile in relation to their selling activities and by no stretch of the imagination could they be accused of touting their wares on these forums.

My 2 cents, Coral, you're doing a great job around here, if you need some help, please try and ensure that the new moderators stick to your generally-hands-off policy and only hit the "Delete" key when absolutely necessary.

Austen.

Are you going to provide an 'interview' for candidates, or will you just pick at random???

Putting an "Off Topic" forum at the top of the forum list would help heeps. I'm sure a lot of people haven't seen it down near the bottom.

Putting an "Off Topic" forum at the top of the forum list would help heeps. I'm sure a lot of people haven't seen it down near the bottom.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The forums I've seen have always had their off-topic section at the bottom..makes sense when you can't find a certain section that you scroll downwards past each subforum until you get to the off-topic section, when it doesn't fit in any of the subforums.

As Coral can no doubt attest, I do occasionally report trolls and folk that post pure garbage due to a complete inability to type a sentence in english. I've also reported the occasional person that, for whatever reason, posts inflamitory comments with no apparent provocation.

Im very keen to see a "little" more moderation as the last thing I want is for these forums to end up like the AVS forums where you have to read 10 pages of posts (full of ego battles) before finding any real information.

Off-Topic forums should always be down the bottom, mainly because the main focus of the forum should remain the primary objection, in our case DTV.

May I suggest getting rid of the Off-Topic forum and not allowing any off-topic topics/posts.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Agreed, there are plenty of forums for general discussion

May I suggest getting rid of the Off-Topic forum and not allowing any off-topic topics/posts.

No, No, No, No......Please No..........

To see what happens when this rule is strictly enforced head over to Whirlpool......

Off Topic, This post removed by moderator

--------------------------------------------------

Off Topic, This post removed by moderator

--------------------------------------------------

Off Topic, This post removed by moderator

--------------------------------------------------

Off Topic, This post removed by moderator

--------------------------------------------------

It appears if anyone has the nerve to post anything that is not 100% directly related to the topic the post is removed.

I think this just takes away from the "community", and the community feel is what I like about these forums !!!

IMHO............ !!!!

Austen.

Have you seen how many moderators they have over at whirlpool?

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-user-online.cfm

They're all just a bunch of Natzi's if you ask me, which is why I rarely visit there (though I've heard people from whirlpool refer to this forum regarding DTV)

Whirlpool's moderation is all over the place too. One mod will allow something while another will remove a post of the same nature in a diferent thread. The rule implementation on swear words is extremely flexible to say the least.

Whirlpool's moderation is all over the place too.  One mod will allow something while another will remove a post of the same nature in a diferent thread.  The rule implementation on swear words is extremely flexible to say the least.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hey if you want moderation all over the place check out China Daily.

Mention the Dalai Lama or Tibet and guarateed the post won't get up. For goodness sake I can't even make a post mentioning Al Qaeda and the Alaska purchase, yet I can say that "the f*****' ****s can *****y censor my ******g post over ******* nothing", and it gets printed (substituting the correct spelling rather than the asterisks).

I think DTVFORUM's moderation is fine and I like the off topic area right where it is.

If I have any complaint, it is that some posters do occassionally get through, like that yank trying to flog his hi fi gear, when he was really a dealer. These sort of things occur fairly infrequently and are not a major problem here.

I think we are lucky that we don't get more spam, and I think Coral does a pretty good job.

JB

In keeping with the Community spirit will we be able to approve/disaprove of your nominations for moderators (if you chose to go down that path)?

For example if you chose to make Mojo a moderator Id like to have something to say about it in the form of a vote. Could be a simple poll.....Mojo yes / no.

(Just using you as an example Mojo..)

Personally I think this Forum self regulates and keeps within the "Spirit" exeptionally well without the need of Whirlpool type nazis. you get the odd PITA but I think you do a great job to control it Mr C.

As for the general off-topic sub section my vote is for it to stay. (I love talkin footy and crap sometimes....all digitally related of course).....sure I can go and talk footy on a footy forum but I like to talk footy with the same guys I share my Digital Forum stuff with.

All threads go OT at some point or another, I think its much maturer to have it as a guideline rather than an "enforcable by death" or "delete at all costs" type reaction like they have elsewhere.

Anyway just my noob style input....my 2 drachmas worth

BTW .... gO tHe DrAgOnS

There you go Coral !!!!

It appears that we think you're doing a pretty darn good job and are happy to see you continue in this vein.

We realise however, that you have other things to do, so it seems like any moderators you approve just need to follow in your footsteps !!

Austen.

There you go Coral !!!!

It appears that we think you're doing a pretty darn good job and are happy to see you continue in this vein.

We realise however, that you have other things to do, so it seems like any moderators you approve just need to follow in your footsteps !!

Austen.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well said.

For example if you chose to make Mojo a moderator

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

^ lol

Well, a quick skim of this thread indicates things are going along pretty well, still.

I continue to agree with and support Coral's position of keeping relatively hands-off, and allowing real life discussions on real life topics in the forum, as long as its kept reasonably civil, and in the right places.

I dont support calls for converting this forum into some dry, soul-less, mechanical-answers-for-dumb-androids board where all that occurs is an endless stream of newbies rock up, ask the same questions, and get the same answers. Sure, we should all continue helping people out, and spreading the word, but many of the more interesting members may vanish if this just became a sterile, over-moderated, LG-sponsored, classified-ad-driven, pseudo-self-help clinic for those dudded by the HN & Co droids...

Santa is the king of Off-topic postings and useless (or biased) polls.

What would he do if there was no off-topic forum?

Evan

I support pretty much every comment in this thread (contrary to what others might think I’m not in support of an over regulated Nazi like forum!), but as I stated in another thread what I would really like to see more of at DBA is basic forum organisation. This is by no means a criticism of Coral's current moderation, but rather recognition that this process is simply not possible with only one mod for such a large forum.

By forum organisation I mean:

*Similar recent topics merged (i.e. if three threads appear in the space of a few days all stating "New Pioneer plasma announced" then these threads should be merged together). This stops doubling up of information and repetition, but more importantly ensures that collective information isn’t lost (i.e. what if a very valuable post is made in one topic thread, but not the other). This also keeps things neater and makes relevant info more accessible.

*Splitting of threads when they go in totally different directions. By no means should you go overboard with this process like Whirlpool, as I agree that’s a classic case of an over moderated nightmare, but sometimes it is valuable to split a topic in two if separate interesting (but unrelated) discussions develop. i.e. a thread dedicated to scalers might branch off on to a discussion about a particular brand of DVD player. People interested in this DVD player may never read this thread, and therefore miss this valuable info, not to mention people talking about the scaler may want the topic back on track. So in these cases it’s often good to split the thread into a separate topic and name it appropriately (the original thread stays intact and the new thread is named ______ DVD player discussion). This doesn’t mean posts are lost, but they are simply relocated. The very important thing to do here is to post in the original thread to let members know what you are doing (i.e. when you split the topic, put a post in the original thread saying “topic split. New thread on ___DVD Player can be found here ->…..).

*More stickies of relevant info for newbies. This one is up to members as much as it is to Mods, and is something I have admittedly been a real slacker getting around to at HT Central as well. To cut down on repetition (lets face it, no one wants to answer the same questions week after week if they can avoid it!) and to make navigation and info more accessible for newbs, more stickies of FAQs could be put at the top of relevant forum sections. There are many helpful and knowledgeable members here who I am sure would be happy to write or organise previous information into clear guides and stickies to answer the more common questions.

Like any group or society, virtual or not, the larger it becomes the more organisation and regulation is required. The trick is to be fair and casual in the approach, so as to not detract from the enjoyment and the freedom of speech present in an already excellent forum.

Hope people can see where I’m coming from.

*More stickies of relevant info for newbies. This one is up to members as much as it is to Mods, and is something I have admittedly been a real slacker getting around to at HT Central as well. To cut down on repetition (lets face it, no one wants to answer the same questions week after week if they can avoid it!) and to make navigation and info more accessible for newbs, more stickies of FAQs could be put at the top of relevant forum sections. There are many helpful and knowledgeable members here who I am sure would be happy to write or organise previous information into clear guides and stickies to answer the more common questions.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I fully support this one.

But stickies have to be based on FACT not opinion.