Originally Posted by
Mych
How about a history lesson for any newbies (and not so new "lurkers" like me) that might be following this thread ?
I've see it posted many times that " the TB has no purview over moderation " and I have to ask;
Why was it set up that way ?
Since FT is no longer owned by a single person, is there any posibility, that in the future, the TB can influence "The Powers That Be" to change it ?
I'm trying to understand the reasons, past and present, for the structure of FT, where the elected body seems to have very limited control over what effects the people that elected them and the "moderators serve at the pleasure of" the appointed Community Director.
I know that it's not my playground, so I have to play by the rules. But to me it seems too much like " I'm the parent and I said so ! ".
Thanks,
Mych
That's a fantastic question and one which is open to a great deal of historical revisionism.
Here's my take, as someone who has been an active poster since the start of the board:
Basically, once FlyerTalk started to take off, FlyerTalk founder and former owner Randy Petersen set up a dual track of management of his IBB.
He recruited volunteer moderators to clean up spam and enforce the TOS. He shielded these folks from any form of criticism by making ANY discussion of moderation grounds for swift and certain disciplinary action. He wanted his moderators to be answerable to him and him alone.
He also created the TalkBoard so that all members could have some representative input into the creation of the TOS and the forums. For some weird reason (I guess so there could never be discussion of moderation EVER by anyone but him and other moderators) he put an iron curtain between the two management structures.
Anyway, in the end apparently he decided that this created a lot of problems, because after he sold FlyerTalk then left and started his new board he put in place NEITHER a TalkBoard nor moderators.
Instead he has paid moderators and 'guides.' Open discussion of moderation is allowed and management is by fiat.
In any case, we are now under the indirect management of forum owner Internet Brands and direct management of their appointed 'Community Director,' Carol (SanDiego1k).
While IB and Carol have decided to start from exactly where Randy left off, IMHO, Carol is far more open to ideas and constructive criticisms to make FlyerTalk a better and more useful place to visit than Randy was. She is also more organized and consistently engaged.
So, ultimately, it is 'her' board. Some members have been trying to convince her (as well as the moderators) that the way Randy ran things with limited moderator accountability and no collaborative input into day-to-day management squanders the good will and good ideas of forum posters.
This proposal, for example, seeks to create an opportunity for collaborative input on the day-to-day management of forums by that forums' posters. It is an idea that many moderators are implementing on their own and appear to be having a great deal of success with.
That's a Very Good Thing, imho. I suspect that under former management my posting this thread would have gotten me suspended. Today it is an avenue for hopefully making FlyerTalk an even better internet bulletin board.
So you end up with some, like me, pushing for greater input, collaboration and accountability in the day-to-day management. And others who cling to the paradigm of 'never discuss moderation ever.'
Anyway, that's MY take.
Others may have a different take on the history and where that history leaves us today, and where we should take FlyerTalk in the future.