Moderator's Thread

[Alieberman]

Just wanted to start a thread where the Mod's can openly discuss board issues for everyone to see and where others can chime in with issue's going on here.

Just so everyone is aware, the current Mods are: UADevil, JmarkJohns, PieceofMeat, Chicat and ALieberman

[Alieberman]

Major issue right now is the separation of church and state (sports and politics)

Are we all in agreement of doing our best to separate the 2 whenever possible but allowing appropriate crossover when warranted as long as a link to another thread on politics board is included and all discussion is directed there?

[scumdevils86]

Major issue right now is the separation of church and state (sports and politics)

Are we all in agreement of doing our best to separate the 2 whenever possible but allowing appropriate crossover when warranted as long as a link to another thread on politics board is included and all discussion is directed there?

yeah i supposeeeee

[Merkin]

Keep them separate for sure.

[UAdevil]

Separate, yes.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Major issue right now is the separation of church and state (sports and politics)

Are we all in agreement of doing our best to separate the 2 whenever possible but allowing appropriate crossover when warranted as long as a link to another thread on politics board is included and all discussion is directed there?

I'm in favor of this approach.

For the separatists, I think it will be easier to stomach some interplay if the effort is made to route main discussion to the political board.

For what it's worth, I thought about creating a sports and politics thread in the political forum to have a natural home for crossover content. I don't know this, but with the current political climate, I would expect that there is a high likelihood that sports and politics will have increasing crossover.

[scumdevils86]

Major issue right now is the separation of church and state (sports and politics)

Are we all in agreement of doing our best to separate the 2 whenever possible but allowing appropriate crossover when warranted as long as a link to another thread on politics board is included and all discussion is directed there?

I'm in favor of this approach.

For the separatists, I think it will be easier to stomach some interplay if the effort is made to route main discussion to the political board.

For what it's worth, I thought about creating a sports and politics thread in the political forum to have a natural home for crossover content. I don't know this, but with the current political climate, I would expect that there is a high likelihood that sports and politics will have increasing crossover.

fair point as well.

[Olsondogg]

First off...I appreciate all the work the moderators do behind the scenes. This is by far the best board to post on.

Secondly, anyone calling for someone to step down as a moderator is out of line....and yes LH was out of line calling for Chi to step down. If you have a problem with something a moderator chose to do, that's fine and acceptable...and call them out for it. But to call for someone to step down when they are towing a heavy load without compensation or recognition is over the top.

People are really damn dramatic around here. It reminds me of an old saying I used to repeat: You can please everyone some of the time, some of them all the time, but never everyone all the time.

How long do we have to discuss issues? Moderators, thank you for what you do. Posters, grow up...if you don't like something, call it out and handle it yourself before calling for heads to roll and policies/rules to be made.

[Longhorned]

Major issue right now is the separation of church and state (sports and politics)

Are we all in agreement of doing our best to separate the 2 whenever possible but allowing appropriate crossover when warranted as long as a link to another thread on politics board is included and all discussion is directed there?

Yes, agreed. I also read Spaceman Spiff's expansion below, and I don't think it counters Alieberman's post, if I read that right.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Major issue right now is the separation of church and state (sports and politics)

Are we all in agreement of doing our best to separate the 2 whenever possible but allowing appropriate crossover when warranted as long as a link to another thread on politics board is included and all discussion is directed there?

Yes, agreed. I also read Spaceman Spiff's expansion below, and I don't think it counters Alieberman's post, if I read that right.

I was proposing a dedicated sports/politics crossover thread in the political board. It had started with the idea that if people would link things like RHJ's tweet to the poli board, there's is likely enough content to fill a reasonable thread with sports/politics crossover.

If a topic is best handled in another thread or people want to link to another thread, that's cool. My thought was a sports/politics thread to augment what already exists, not to detract from what already exists.

[TucsonClip]

Just keep the two separate. Easy solution for everyone to follow.

If you want to include a link in a sports thread to a political discussion regarding the same topic, thats fine. However, any post regarding (or quoting) that link (from sports thread to political thread) should be immediately moved to said thread or flat out deleted.

[CalStateTempe]

Just keep the two separate. Easy solution for everyone to follow.

If you want to include a link in a sports thread to a political discussion regarding the same topic, thats fine. However, any post regarding (or quoting) that link (from sports thread to political thread) should be immediately moved to said thread or flat out deleted.

I like this solution. Spiffs sports and politics is a good one as well.

[pokinmik]

I'm good w separate and/or the 'political sports' thread down below. That thread will be needed when Kerr, Pop, or LBJ skip the White House visit after winning it all in June.

[Longhorned]

Secondly, anyone calling for someone to step down as a moderator is out of line....and yes LH was out of line calling for Chi to step down. If you have a problem with something a moderator chose to do, that's fine and acceptable...and call them out for it. But to call for someone to step down when they are towing a heavy load without compensation or recognition is over the top.

People are really damn dramatic around here. It reminds me of an old saying I used to repeat: You can please everyone some of the time, some of them all the time, but never everyone all the time.

How long do we have to discuss issues? Moderators, thank you for what you do. Posters, grow up...if you don't like something, call it out and handle it yourself before calling for heads to roll and policies/rules to be made.

The drama is exactly what I and many don't want to see. If everything on this board were Alieberman all the time, moderating would be hardly visible, liberals wouldn't attack Drumpf supporters, posters would account to themselves for their posts, and all the best parts of this board would shine. But this idea of calling for heads to roll, as you put it, means that suggesting that somebody should step aside from moderating is a mortal blow. That right there is dramatic.

As to the other part -- and not that there's anything wrong with this, but just to address what you say -- when I and others questioned the decisions that shaped procedure in within threads, things marched forward as they were.

What I've said is what I've observed in things available for anyone to see. I'm not trying to convince some number of people to change their minds, or speaking for some group of people against some other group of people. I'm speaking for myself.

I mentioned before that this isn't personal, and that the situation I described isn't Chicat's fault. Let me explain that further. When somebody points out a problem with how things are working, one of the first things to be taken into account is how deep that somebody is in the problem he identifies. Here, that's quantifiable: My post count is pretty high. Other people have higher post counts, but they're not the ones saying there's a problem. I play a significant role, and have sizable responsibility, in any problems I have with something like a poster who gets officially banned for reasons I find troubling ... because I've played a big role in building the environment that made that happen. I could build a pretty credible argument based on my own post record for why I should never have responsibilities to help run this site, but then again, I'm not running this site, and there are probably good reasons when nobody ever asked.

Chicat isn't a person who just does what he wants. He's a person who is genuinely doing the best anyone can do (and not just "trying to do his best") under the circumstances that some of us more than others have made. As a moderator, Chicat is an institution, a pattern of moderating that we've built up through ideas, agreements, and appeasements since the early 2000's. I'd have more confidence in where things are headed with the change. He doesn't have to agree, and he doesn't have to do anything. Nobody here has to agree. Posters can regret that I said it, but I'm not intending a mortal blow and being dramatic. I'm being boring as shit. And if nothing changes and we more forward in a way that doesn't inspire my confidence, then I'll move forward on this board with everyone else, and without drama.

[UAtrue]

Major issue right now is the separation of church and state (sports and politics)

Are we all in agreement of doing our best to separate the 2 whenever possible but allowing appropriate crossover when warranted as long as a link to another thread on politics board is included and all discussion is directed there?

I don't have the time to verify, but I believe this is what POM and Chi were proposing. Leaving a single post in the upper board (with or without the information the poster wants conveyed. Such as keeping RJs tweet in the post) with a link to the lower board is definitely the best way to go.

I unfortunately have limited time available to spend on this board. I see too much politics everywhere else I go. I am as passionate as the next guy about politics, but I come here for AZ (and other related) sports (and occasionally the hot/not hot girls polls). I have little interest in coming here for politics especially because the discussion too easily devolves into personal attacks and I prefer to enjoy the board and the company on this board. Similarly, when I go to the local bar to watch some of the GB Packers games with some of the other locals, and one of them brings up politics, rather than get into a heated discussion and miss the game I just say I'd rather not discuss it because I'd rather enjoy the game with my friends.

Hope Chi comes back; he's been doing a great job.

[baconus66]

As I said before I vote together and allow people to be adults and avoid or ignore the things that bother them

But if separate at least allow the quote or summery of the story to appear with the link to other discussion location

[baconus66]

ex.:

Steve Kerr said “As someone whose family member was a victim of terrorism, having lost my father. If we’re trying to combat terrorism by banishing people from coming to this country by really going against the principles that this country is about and creating fear, it’s the wrong way to go about it."

To discuss this further go here _________

[Alieberman]

ex.:

Steve Kerr said “As someone whose family member was a victim of terrorism, having lost my father. If we’re trying to combat terrorism by banishing people from coming to this country by really going against the principles that this country is about and creating fear, it’s the wrong way to go about it."

To discuss this further go here _________

This is exactly what we are going to do.

Thanks everyone for the input. This example is exactly what we as moderators are going to strive for and what we expect from members of this community.

Mistakes will be made and mods are not here all the time so any help is always appreciated. If you see something that needs moderation... please just hit the report this post icon and we will deal with it.

Thanks

[JMarkJohns]

The main reason we create topic forums is to stay organized and compartmentalise. No point reading movie shit in a baseball thread or about travel plans in a basketball forum.

At the same point it works to allow for people not to feel sucker-topic'd, clicking a rondae thread in a basketball forum that had previously been all about sports and personality, only to discover a raging case of politics has flared up.

I believe a separation is good, and somewhat necessary.

I will create a sports forum thread for basketball and football entitled "Wildcats get political" and will hyperlink to political forum, or allow timely awareness of a Wildcat related topic or action in the more trafficked forum.

This will both raise major forum awareness, help to isolate topics to clearly marked threads, and then link to no holds barred conversation in lower forums.

I'm splitting the baby... I see the value of both sides, and I will not show favoritism to one side or the other. This keeps things clearly defined, allows for better traffic, and still keeps politics out of sports threads, even if a politics thread is in a sports forum.

[JMarkJohns]

Is also like to add that I believe all the moderators who worked to keep separate did the proper thing. And while I believe these topics are important and deserve as much attention as possible, and I completely understand the need to keep what always devolves from political talk away from the most visited, read, enjoyed aspects of the site, or, at the very least, keep them to their own clearly labeled thread.

[JMarkJohns]

As for how Bans are dealt with, since this is the other thorn of a topic recently, we need to clarify.

I dont believe any ban of a true member should take place without a poll of three options: Yes, No, Temporary (with defined duration)

Clear spammers or trolls, I believe the board should have faith in us as moderators, since we were voted in (as I recall).

I do still believe that moderators should be voted in, and after a period of time, should go on sabbatical to keep their mind right or be voted out to be held accountable.

[Jefe]

Separate!! Leave all the BS at the bottom. How many active posters are there in politics/religion? Less than 10% of active members vs all the other sections?

[scumdevils86]

Separate!! Leave all the BS at the bottom. How many active posters are there in politics/religion? Less than 10% of active members vs all the other sections?

that is definitely inaccurate

[CalStateTempe]

God we really need this Oregon weekend to start to move on from this...

It's a big hit if we lost 97 and chi over this squabbling.

[pokinmik]

Jmark is a true pro.

[Jefe]

God we really need this Oregon weekend to start to move on from this...

It's a big hit if we lost 97 and chi over this squabbling.

Just wait till he sees the new political thread in the Wildcats Basketball section. One single post set him off last week

[CalStateTempe]

Yeah I think the dedicated thread in the sports page is over the top.

Baconus example is the way to go imo

[JMarkJohns]

This is a co-op. I'm not fucking around. Topics deserve attention, and getting buried into the echo-chamber that is the politics forum doesn't give a thinker like Kerr or Rondae respect for being more than basketball players.

But it limits discussion to that thread so there's no surprises by simply clicking the dedicated Rondae thread, and the thread will encourage continued discussion in the politics forum.

It's effectively topical clickbait for politics lovers or haters.

If you don't like it, don't fucking click.

It's on you, the viewer, to make the decision to view or not to view. To engage or not to engage.

[ASUHATER!]

This is a co-op. I'm not fucking around. Topics deserve attention, and getting buried into the echo-chamber that is the politics forum doesn't give a thinker like Kerr or Rondae respect for being more than basketball players.

But it limits discussion to that thread so there's no surprises by simply clicking the dedicated Rondae thread, and the thread will encourage continued discussion in the politics forum.

It's effectively topical clickbait for politics lovers or haters.

If you don't like it, don't fucking click.

It's on you, the viewer, to make the decision to view or not to view. To engage or not to engage.

Yep. if clicking on a political post will trigger you since you don't agree with the general leaning of this board...maybe it's best for your mental health to just not click. it's all up to you to decide what you want to do on here.

[Jefe]

Well that's one way for a mod to moderate. Like I said in the other thread, I skip over those topics. Other much more valued members are the ones taking issue with politics spilling over because a certain few can't control themselves. The majority of people offering their opinion on these issues are the ones who regularly post in the politics forum.

[JMarkJohns]

Well that's one way for a mod to moderate. Like I said in the other thread, I skip over those topics. Other much more valued members are the ones taking issue with politics spilling over because a certain few can't control themselves. The majority of people offering their opinion on these issues are the ones who regularly post in the politics forum.

I'm not catering. If a Wildcat says it and it's political, it goes in the thread with a teaser link to the politics forum thread.

This way it can inform for those brace souls courageous enough to be informed, holding all political spillage to that singular thread, something that can be as easily ignored as avoiding clicking.

It allows and disallows simultaneously.

If we go without, or tease in random other threads to the political converse portion, we risk what apparently cannot be risked: a political confrontation.

So, every topic with an inkling of non-sports related to Wildcats, gets put there.

[CalStateTempe]

Is wildcats get political primarily a sports thread or a political thread?

Answering that question should tell us where it's home should be.

On the sports board the solution is simple, post a link and direct people to the politics forum.

Just offering my two cents since I was under the impression that's what we do in a coop but the mods can structure it however they want. It doesn't really matter all that much to me.

[JMarkJohns]

Is wildcats get political primarily a sports thread or a political thread?

Answering that question should tell us where it's home should be.

On the sports board the solution is simple, post a link and direct people to the politics forum.

Just offering my two cents since I was under the impression that's what we do in a coop but the mods can structure it however they want. It doesn't really matter all that much to me.

Any Wildcat offering an opinion on politics is talked about exclusively in that thread with a primary purpose to raise awareness for the topic, and secondary purpose to navigate people to the politics forum for further discussion/fighting.

It limits the reach of offending or unwanted content, but also doesn't bury it in lesser trafficked areas.

[JMarkJohns]

Is wildcats get political primarily a sports thread or a political thread?

Answering that question should tell us where it's home should be.

On the sports board the solution is simple, post a link and direct people to the politics forum.

Just offering my two cents since I was under the impression that's what we do in a coop but the mods can structure it however they want. It doesn't really matter all that much to me.

To further clarify, what you state is the intended purpose of the thread.

I created the specific thread for the teaser content so nobody would be surprised/triggered/offended/disgusted by clicking the General "Rondae" thread and find his views on politics.

It keeps the politics 100% out of all the other threads and is labeled accordingly so if clicked, the viewer knows what to expect.

[Alieberman]

I feel like this has been talked to death...

This is now set up so no one can ever get offended over anything ever again.

[JMarkJohns]

Additionally, yes, a Coop is supposed to be cooperational.

As in ideally the masses moderate themselves through appropriate behavior and discourse.

As in they express concern before a volcano of issues erupts all over Mt Saint Helens style.

As in they express their views, desires, visions for the board.

Ultimately, those voted in have to make a few decisions.

After creating one thread and viewing this thread, I came away with multiple issues:

1. Libtards hate Conservatards
2. They like to argue
3. Sports fans don't want those arguments overflowing in sports content threads
4. Political espousers want more than a "sub forum status" for Wildcat related political content.

Determining the idea of randomly posting politics teasers in sports topics wouldn't address 1-3, I created the dedicated thread solution which addresses 3-4 since nobody can do shit about 1-2.

[Spaceman Spiff]

I feel like this has been talked to death...

This is now set up so no one can ever get offended over anything ever again.

I'm offended by this post. Can a moderator please delete.

[Main Event]

#Machina4Mod

[Longhorned]

With thanks to JMark, all the moderators, and everyone, I agree it sounds great.

[baconus66]

I think the addition of the Wildcats get Political thread is a great call. Good compromise.

[Longhorned]

Does make wish Gregg Popovich were a former Wildcat though.

[Alieberman]

Mods-

Do we think we need to get a couple more mods on board?

I know I have a crazy work month coming up. I don't think it would be a bad idea to find another level headed poster or 2 on board with moderator abilities.

[JMarkJohns]

Mods-

Do we think we need to get a couple more mods on board?

I know I have a crazy work month coming up. I don't think it would be a bad idea to find another level headed poster or 2 on board with moderator abilities.

I mentioned this in the PGU thread. We mods can talk through it over the weekend. I think it's a good idea. 2 is the minimum.

[JMarkJohns]

I was thinking about starting a Twitter feed for us.

Just something general.

I'll get it started, then I will PM the mods info. May be shared where multiple users can Man the account and email, or it might be best if it's just a single user sorta thing.

[CalStateTempe]

I think this is a fantastic idea!

[JMarkJohns]

I think this is a fantastic idea!

[JMarkJohns]

https://mobile.twitter.com/BearDownForums

I can change our @, but BearDownWildcat is taken, and BearDownWildcats is too long, and BearDownCoOp looks drunk.

Figured BearDownForums within the context and the link on the profile to this site helps clarify things more.

[Chicat]

I'm the first follower!

[azgreg]

I'm the first follower!

You spelled stalker wrong.

[scumdevils86]

I really should figure out the twitter thing. I've been saying it for 8 years now. I sorta keep up on facebook and lurk on reddit boards without logging in and then post here. That's the extent of my message board/social media profile and that feels overwhelming sometimes hah.