Randy Petersen

For some time I've had trouble devoting enough volunteer time in this forum to welcome new members to FlyerTalk and to assist other members in where appropriate posts and threads might be located among the many forums on FlyerTalk.

Toward the goal to assist members in a most positive way, I'm seeking volunteers that can assist me and other volunteer moderators in helping out.

The best candidates are those who have additional time when on FlyerTalk to give back to the community. The first task of our volunteers is to welcome new members and to extend the goals of FlyerTalk to talk miles, points and travel in the appropriate forums.

FlyerTalk works best when members can easily locate organized information and when they feel a comfortable environment in which to contribute back to the community of travelers. A nice group of volunteers might include some who are knowledgeable of the Aeroplan program and others who are comfortable in welcoming new members and assisting them in locating the information and resources on FlyerTalk for their best answers.

Given that this forum is a busy one and the rate in which FlyerTalk is generally growing, we are looking for several volunteers. Volunteers will be assigned a mentor to help them learn the best ways in which to assist our members.

A helpful FlyerTalk is the best FlyerTalk. Interested members may submit their interest here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/townhall/talkmoderator.php

Thank you in advance to anyone wishing to help others in this forum and my apologies for not having the time available to assist everyone. As a valuable asset to FlyerTalk, it's certainly my goal to try and make sure members have the resources they need.

Randy

GoldFlyer

Randy, I applaude your decission to appoint moderators to the AC Aeroplan Forum. I know it has been an issue strongly argued in the past and your own moderation has been in a way, a step towards trying to get some sembelance of order to the AC Forum as is generally found elsewhere on FT.

Your time is obviously precious and therefore limited in the amount that you can spend in monitoring activities here, which at times get very heated, waaaay off topic or just plainly mis-posted. I am sure that whomever the eventual appointees are will have a difficult time in settling in and getting those here acustomed to moderation but in th end I think it will help this forum flourish, attract new members and become a place where all can participate without hesitation.

shuuy

Randy - in practice, what's the difference between a volunter and a moderator?

Randy Petersen

Actually nothing. I often use the word "Volunteer" to remind others that these are non-paid members of the community who are assisting us all in building a more welcome and helpful on FlyerTalk.

In essense, they are members first.

Thanks for the question.

Randy Petersen

Thanks for the comments and the observation. In reality, in most of our forums moderation is well in the background. Only in forums where a select few members beleive they are more important than other members does moderation on occasion rise to the forefront.

I've always been a fan of the independent way of the Air Canada forum and would like that to continue. As noted, despite my good intentions, I simply am not doing a good job in welcoming new members to this forum and in essense, firing myself. There are so many others in the community of FlyerTalk that have shown a strong willingness to want to give back and maybe its time to acknowledge those members.

I don't think we mind heated opinions of topical interests here, or even those common to Canada off-topic threads, but like the rest of FlyerTalk we all must guard against the insult of our other members. There is no place on FlyerTalk (like perhaps on other bulletin boards) to insult others in a way to take away from the thread topic at hand.

But the real value of volunteers in this forum is to help all members, new and old, to find the information they need in order to be better travelers and members of Aeroplan. This is a large forum and much of the information is in posts in the past. A knowldege of that information will help from having to repeat it from time to time.

Bottom line: This forum is open to say "Welcome."

negotiator

I respectfully nominate Parnel as Moderator!

tcook052

Doesn't that nomination have to still be ratified by the union rank & file.

negotiator

Yes, but if we limit it to 'union rank and file' on this board then it will be a short, quick vote.

taupo

We have some excellent candidates in this forum who are regular contributors to FT and this forum in particular.
It needs to be someone who will hopefully allow the uniqueness (read OT Canadiana), welome new people to FT and put any of us in our place when we need it.

AB320, Tcook, acysb, exac to name a few.

Edited to add: I forgot the moo man, shareholder and how could I ever forget our very own FF of the Year, mtacchi.

imverge

I nominate: mtacchi

DutchSE

:-: moo :-:

The Winger

If the forum had to be moderated, Cattle would make a good choice, as would any of the names that taupo mentioned.

It is good to see that Randy is going to allow the forum to keep it's flavour.

YOWkid

Yeah, but cattle's thong smells -- could that be problematic?

GoldFlyer

Thankfully they haven't invented smells over the internet just the odd stink here and there.

cur

Although power corrupts, it would corrupt in my favour. So I nominate him too .