Originally Posted by
janetdoe
1. But apparently there are rules about no discussion of the election in 'regular' threads. Members who tried to bump threads related to the issue and mention there was currently an election on that topic were scolded for campaigning, and IIRC, the thread was locked. This happens to be an issue I was very passionate about, so I PM'd a bunch of the posters on the thread that had expressed support for my views, and I was reprimanded/reported for that by a moderator.
2. The first step to making TB relevant to users is to be able to point out to users that there is a TB, and that the TB has purview over the issue they care about, and there is currently an election in which some candidates share their views. But there is literally no way to do that, as far as I could tell.
1. There isn't a rule that regular FTers/TB candidates can't participate or bump threads re: issues. However, if a TB candidate deliberately bumps threads &/or PMs folk to push their point of view & keeps mentioning they're running for TB in the post/PMs FTers (again, this is generic & not aimed at you) or gets others to do so on their behalf, then it does start to fall into the campaigning side of things.
If candidates are truly interested in an even playing field/bringing attention to issues & not just campaigning for themselves, they can bump the thread once & say 'hey there's an election going on, there are a variety of candidates with a variety of views, & if this issue (or others) is important to you, you might want to head over to TB to read the candidates bio/platforms, and answers to questions or raise a question that the CommunityDirector can ask.' Heck, FTers & TB members have been known to do that when issues come up for discussion on motions and/or when voting is underway & not necessarily tied into election time.
2. Guess I question whether 'relevant' to FTers is the correct word. TB does serve a purpose to FT, but again most FTers care more about their individual programs than the admin of a bulletin board. I belong to several BB & really the behind-the-scenes isn't of interest to me most of the time, unless the admin part gets so screwed up it truly adversely impacts my experience of the bulletin board. Overall I think FT runs well. Obviously there's always room for tweaking & improvement. Some of it FTers will agree on & some they won't. But regarding making TB more visible to FT during elections (and non-elections), the CommunityDirector does as much as possible.
Originally Posted by
janetdoe
I ignored the election for homecoming queen when I was in high school because it was irrelevant to me, (even though there were countless signs and people canvassing the halls, etc) and I ignored TalkBoard elections for several years because I had no idea why I should care.
And yet others paid attention to the homecoming queen election because it was of relevance to them. Just because you think something is irrelevant (whether it be homecoming or TB) doesn't mean others feel the same. When call for candidates or elections are announced, the function of TB is also highlighted, which would provide info on why they should care.
Originally Posted by
Kagehitokiri
OP's point was - TB and members (can be allowed) to post their opinion, but running-for-TB (can be not allowed)
OP is not talking about informing people about the election, voting, etc
OP is saying there are election issues that may not be known to be election issues outside TB forum
Disagree a bit. OP in OP is stating that TB elections aren't promoted, and also that FTers can't raise issues even when running for TB. TB elections are promoted as much as the CommunityDirector can, and TB candidates can still express their opinion on issues, just not to the point of promoting themselves - ie, campaigning. To quote myself:
"If candidates are truly interested in an even playing field/bringing attention to issues & not just campaigning for themselves, they can bump the thread once & say 'hey there's an election going on, there are a variety of candidates with a variety of views, & if this issue (or others) is important to you, you might want to head over to TB to read the candidates bio/platforms, and answers to questions or raise a question that the CommunityDirector can ask."
Originally Posted by
Jenbel
I actually think that TB has become not relevant to FT (and that's why the majority of FTers are not interested in it). It was an interesting experiment, but times have changed. We have a Community Director who is able to make decisions now. Close TB and move on.
I don't regard TB as an 'experiment' & I do think TB is helpful to the functioning of FT. I think for the most part a lot of the main 'hot button' issues have gotten sorted over the years (there are still a few remaining) & guidelines created, so there's not as much broo-ha-ha & heated discussions/massive changes to the functioning of FT that used to exist in years past. That's not a bad thing and is a natural transition, especially as BBs mature.
I think TB still holds a purpose as it is a place where FTers can go to suggest new forums & other items for the betterment of FT, where other FTers can weigh in, & TB members can consider the pros/cons/do research & bring up points that may or may not have occurred to other FTers, other TB members or the CommunityDirector, & then provide that input, in the private and public forum, to the CommunityDirector. Given the CD has multiple responsibilities, it helps to have a board that can synthesize & provide input.
Originally Posted by
MSPeconomist
AFAIK there's some precedent for similar threads in various fora informing members that TB is considering a proposal that will affect the forum. Also AFAIK sometimes these announcements are started by the member(s) advocating the proposal, sometimes even leading to a discussion in the forum that will potentially be affected, and sometimes someone from TB, such as the TB President, posts about the issue and potential proposal in the substantive forum.
Agree. It's been that way since I can remember.
Originally Posted by
kipper
1. I look at TalkBoard as a way to make suggestions to IB and to serve as a check and balance against unilateral Community Director decisions without any input from the community.
2. If one would like to know where those running stand, one can submit a question to the Community Director to be asked of the candidates. IIRC, in prior years, candidates were asked questions where they stood on current TB motions and even items of note that had not yet reached motion stage.
1. It's not often that the CD makes unilateral decisions without input from some segment of the community, but she does have the ability to do so if she so chooses. However, I know she follows discussions in both the private & public TB forums (and others if something is brought up for discussion). IB, for the most part, is pretty hands off so if something passes TB & the CD, as long as it's technically possible, IB is probably ok with it.
2. Agree.
Originally Posted by
MSPeconomist
At least last year, TB avoided having votes during the lame duck period, just before new TB members were seated. However, I don't remember any hot issues where having new TB members vote rather than those who were retiring from TB would seem to have given us a different result. Perhaps someone with more detailed knowledge of TB history can correct this impression and/or point out what the convention was in earlier years.
I can't remember if it's a formal thing, but AFAIK even if not formal, it's been an unspoken rule (at least while I've served on TB) that any motions/voting don't get started during the lame duck period (which is only a couple of weeks).
Cheers.