What is the chatter about closing OMNI about?
 

Is this some kind of super-secret option? I've never seen a post of Randy's which would indicate that he'd ever seriously considered it. Please, can someone point me in the right direction? thanks.

It seems that doc has the intention of returning to flyertalk, stirring up a bunch of trouble, and then using that trouble as a provocation to have OMNI closed down.

[This message has been edited by robb (edited 06-17-2003).]

Randy has in the past indicated that OMNI was not his idea and that it existed due to requests from the membership.

I would hope that if Randy does indeed think that OMNI has become a problem, that he deals with the problem(s) instead of closing OMNI.

Personally, I see no big problem. I see some exhuberant posting, but no problems.

That's exactly how I feel...

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Man, there is just no fooling you, robb! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

You have got to be a genius! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

Just answering the question as posed.

Omni's not so bad; it's just some of it's posters.

Take a look at Omni. Look at the thread starters. It's the same core group. Not saying that's good or bad. You decide.

But if you'll allow me a sidebar...Doc is not the one causing trouble.

Oh my, it's 12:22am. Looks like I didn't save the day afterall. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/confused.gif

I had this possibly mistaken belief that Moderators were on Flyertalk to PREVENT personal attacks on members - and not make them???

As CameraGuy advises, it was not doc, but Randy who has posted here that OMNI was not his idea and he never was really much in favour of it. And it is Randy who has posted that OMNI has been a source of complaints and paperwork for him ever since.

How do I know this robb? Well I read it right in this Forum less than 3 months back. So did YOU, as you posted to the thread right after Randy's post below, so it appears disingenuous to me that you now blame doc for the possibility it may be closed down. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

All of this discussion occurred when doc had taken a voluntary break from posting, so your attack above is without basis, as whatever the issues were then they were surely not of doc's making? There have of course been many other anti-OMNI threads here also when doc was not posting. It is just that kind of Forum that often gets heated.

robb - I trust the FT TOS you are entrusted to enforce as a Moderator is invoked if you re-read you own comment above - and if it might be amended or deleted I in turn will be delighted to edit it from this post as a "quote". http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

I must say before I typed this I spent 15 minutes looking at the OMNI posts in the past days. I must agree that doc does appear to be causing the problem - not solving it, by adding long strings of new threads.

And you and Morrissey et al starting dozens of equally inane new threads to "fight fire with fire" have added to the problem there, not helped it IMO. So I guess all of you could be accused of "stirring up trouble" in that regard???

I agree you all (indeed we all do) have the absolute RIGHT to start as many threads as you wish there - as with OMNI there is no subject matter to stick to or risk being branded off-topic by Moderators. The MODS there have a tough job right now - I do not envy them it. But surely you are now part of the problem, not part of the solution by adding a dozen more threads to try and 'make your point' I think?

Sitting on the fence here I suspect all that does is annoy EVERYONE that uses OMNI for what they enjoy it for. Light hearted banter among folks of like mind, silly post-padding threads, and political and religious discussion etc, etc. Their choice - more power to them. But they do enjoy OMNI for that, and having a few folks create in a few hours 100 new (and lets face it - pretty pointless!) threads possibly anticipating no responses to them, just bumps other folks' favourite threads 5 pages back.

This gets others angry, and if 2 or 3 folks did it on the UA board, I'd be angry too. I hope that the few folks involved in this might ALL agree to a truce or breather of sorts, and all just exercise a little more restraint with posting large slabs of new threads there for a few days? Pleaaaaase folks. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I have contacted both doc and robb directly about this, and do hope the new posts in OMNI from them and other affected Flyertalkers are somewhat less numerous in coming days ...... the outcome to that is in their own hands for all to witness. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/thumbsup.gif http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/thumbsup.gif

I am the first to admit I have been embroiled in more than my fair share of food fights on FT, and one thing I have learned (if anything!) is which ones are a total waste of energy for a lot of good people. And this is one such issue. IMO. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/thumbsup.gif

I absolutely did read that in this forum. And, if you'll read it again, you'll see that Randy was referring to heated political discussions, not the administrivia of the forum.

I also read that he had no intention of closing it down, so any recent talk of shutting OMNI down has come from doc in the quoted passages above.

You may note that we have recently discussed several controversial topics without bloodshed (see the debate over gay marriage which was singled out as being a respectful debate).

Again, those issues were different issues, and your views on the OMNI forum are well-known.

The mere mention of another person's name appears to make something a personal attack in many people's eyes, but I need to be up front and clear here. It's impossible to resolve any issues without it, and I think it's in the greater good of the TOS that I do so.

Here's the deal and here's what's always been the deal for me:

Each of the forums on FlyerTalk is like a dinner party. It has regulars who act as hosts and a variety of lively topics to suit the tone and flair of that particular party/forum.

Any successful dinner party has some lively topics that engage the guests in great conversation. Hosts and the bravest of the guests monitor the pace and pulse of the party and interject new topics as needed.

OMNI happens to be a very large party and can simultaneously handle about 30 or so active conversations (or slightly fewer than appear on Page One).

The guests of OMNI have a really great time when the number of conversations going on hangs around that number. Topics live and die natural lifespans, and new topics come in at a reasonable pace to refresh those that have run their course.

Now, comes doc, who even though he has upset this dinner party several times before, returns to flyertalk and disrupts the entire flow of the party by shouting out topics rapid-fire, quickly overtaking the capacity of the board. Topics which were still in play are sent to an early grave, all in the name of topics which spark little, if any, conversation 60-70% of the time.

I absolutely feel that doc comes in and shows no respect for the others in the room when he does this and that his actions are rude to the other guests.

Of course doc has every right to introduce topics that he finds to be of interest and would like to see discussed, but I think that two changes are required:

1) The volume of topics should be respectful of the rights of the others in the room to have their topics discussed.

2) The topics themselves, in order to earn one of the coveted 30 spots, should be of sufficient interest to at least doc himself that he comment on them!

This isn't Coffee Talk where we say "Hillary Clinton. DISCUSS!" At a fun dinner party, someone might say "You know, I read that some people feel Hillary acts like ... I agree because..." It is even more offensive that lively conversation gets squelched by topics which not even the poster seems to express any interest in.

I have witnessed two of these doc-blowouts in my time, and have always maintained that doc has a valuable and welcome role to play, and I was truly disappointed when the last round fell apart and doc ended up leaving. I posted during a lull in the action how much I appreciated that everyone was able to participate in the forum on those days, but it didn't last.

I don't want to be mean to doc or attack doc, I just want to know if he has any interest in learning how to play nicely with others. His behavior and emails over the past few days indicated that he has not, and here am I to defend the delicate balance that is OMNI against the onslaught.

I know that people who drop by occasionally or are new to the party might not understand, but I hope they will benefit just the same from a smoothly running forum.

I still stand interested in a peace process that acheives the objectives above, and hope it will allow everyone to participate.

EDITed to catch the few bold tags in oz's post I missed.

[This message has been edited by robb (edited 06-18-2003).]

Yes it does if you name the member and say what you did IMO. And AFAIK the TOS spells that out very clearly? But absolutely not my call. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

I repeat I'd have been pleased to remove the 'quote' if yours had been edited.

robb - I happen to agree with you pretty largely on the lounge example on OMNI (or any other Forum) as you will see reading my comments above, and indeed 8 months back - my last post here. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

The solution to the problem is surely for you and doc and one or two and others to post less new OMNI threads in the immediate days ahead? To show good faith that they'd like the issue resolved, and not appear to be wanting to inflame things?

That was my only suggestion. I suspect many others would like to see that too? Become part of the solution and not part of the problem. Time will tell. It takes two to Tango. It hope it happens - I really do. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Randy's comments about OMNI I quoted were pertinent as they were 3 months back, and on a thread you posted to. He has certainly made others of similar indeed stronger wording, and they had nothing to do with Iraq matters, but about the food fights in general there on many other previous occasions.

I would take issue with these two ideas.

30 is an arbitrary number - why 30?

And no topic is ever killed off unless it's closed. And there's no problem with bumping threads - people do it all the time.

I may be the only one, but I look at all those news postings if they interest me, though I won't necessarily post a response.

I'm not trying to make up a rule by saying 30. I'm trying to guess at how many simultaneous active discussions OMNI can handle. I'm guessing that maybe 10 topics on the front page are falling off, and maybe 5 topics from other pages have a shot at coming back quickly and staying active.

35 - 10 + 5 = 30.

I see you trying to cause more trouble than doc, particularly with this post. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif


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"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety
deserve neither liberty nor safety." -- Ben Franklin

My apologies. I just want this behavior to end, and I've explained everything as clearly as I could above.

Right http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/rolleyes.gif


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"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety
deserve neither liberty nor safety." -- Ben Franklin