This is my point, moderation is adjusted to the members of the DL forum. What a concept, have and use a reasonalbe TOS, moderators have the support (vote) of the members. If no one wants to run for moderator in a forum Randy can always appoint one from the various volunteers which have yet had an opportunity to serve. Annual elections insure that the moderation is supported by the members as they are electing the moderator(s) and there individual style and opinions as to how to use the TOS and moderation as a whole.

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dallasflyer

I'm pretty sure there is one.

[This message has been edited by opus17 (edited 09-20-2003).]

Well, even if you don't know for a fact one way or the other, how would someone's post count factor into the revenue scheme? Speculate for me.

I'm not trying to put you on the spot, but I just really don't get how the two are connected. Those here who work on other IBB's can maybe shed some light?

More posts = higher posting traffic = higher viewer traffic = stronger position when selling advertising space.

Would FT be able to charge as much for a banner ad if it had only 200 members and 5000 posts total in comparison to thousands of members and two million posts?

FewMiles..

I own/operate/moderate several boards, some even larger than FT and to be honest I don't know of a correlation between post count and revenue stream.

Adviews/clicks=revenue. To get adviews you need visitors and someone with a lot of posts isn't always the one with the highest views. Lot's of POSTS in general from many members makes for a lot of views.

Not everyone with a high post count will get a lot of page views, and possibly it's quite the opposite, like here on FT I know one member with a LOT of posts but who's posts rarely attract attention as many just ignore them or skip the topic, if those topics are not read then they don't get an adview.

What will gather lots of views is issues like breaking airline news (program changes), games like the Word association thread etc... As much as many people hate omni I'm quite sure it's good for a very juicy percentage of Flyertalks traffic as it is the board with the most active posters. BUT, don't think that FT is a multimillion dollar ad business, even with Randy's traffic and 3000+ posts a day it's just enough to cover costs. IMHO it's not the active POSTER that generates the traffic, it's the active LURKER. The person that browses ALL the boards and threads will generate the most pageviews/adviews.

I would like to express my thanks and congratulations to Rssrsvp, obscure2k, gleff and bdschobel (in no particular order), the four moderators of the Delta forum, for an excellent job in moderating that forum. I have never been a moderator, so I am not sure as to the travails of that voluntary position. It must be a thankless job � but not at this moment. Thank you for listening, Delta forum moderators, and please keep up the good work.

Thanks, Canarsie for the kind words.

I agree, great job! The board has a few trolls who make your job twice as hard as it should be. A pat on the back for all of you!

One definition might be someone who posts deliberately provocative threads, usually with equally provocative thread headings, knowing full well that post will ensue in a riot on that board.

It is a presumably sad, attention seeking person, socially maladjusted, who would need to resort to this daily behaviour, but nonetheless, some such persons do exist on FT.

Often the poster has little or no actual or practical experience or patronage of the airline involved, which makes it even more common trolling. And elicits an even angrier response for that very reason.

Personally, I think the moderator's "business" and even reaction to moderator actions, should not be a public subject of FlyerTalk.

I believe FlyerTalk should be about travel and points, and not about "the business" of FlyerTalk.

Got a concern about moderator's actions? Email the moderator and/or Randy.

Wanna know the moderator "Guidelines?" That's nice, but is it really any of your business unless you are a Moderator?

Too many folks want to know too much about backstage stuff, IMHO. Like they want to moderate the Moderators or something! "See here. I got a copy of your guidelines and I don't think you're doing your job right!"

IMHO, these "business" issues should remain transparent to the general membership, and function in the background without becoming subjects of the public FlyerTalk bulletin board itself.

Email...or become one yourself. All, IMHO.

If I think a moderator has done something that might be out of line or wrong, I email the moderator. If I still don't agree after hearing back...then I'd push it to Randy.

I would never even consider making a public post about it. No matter how wrong I might think their actions were. That doesn't belong on FlyerTalk, IMHO.

[This message has been edited by PremEx (edited 09-21-2003).]

Thanks Rssrsvp - pleased to see another moderator post that is their preferred option.

My view is that particular option is open and transparent, and I hope it becomes universal policy - if indeed it is not already.

The furtive total deletion of posts that I witnessed recently by one Moderator - for quite some days on one thread [which were not off-topic at all] was not best practice nor desirable. IMHO of course.

PremEx, I don't agree. There are other boards with which I'm familiar which operate this way, with moderation largely hidden from view/mysterious, and what I find happens is that the lack of discussion and openness can lead to charges that the moderators are being unfair/preferential/arrogant. And when one of the known guidelines is simply "don't piss off the moderator," you know you're somewhere where moderation is less than professional and arbitrary.

I don't think that's the kind of board we want here, though I suppose I could be in the minority.

Perhaps someone should create a manual called;
Moderation for Dummies

PremEx sez:
I am pleased to get feedback and respond to 99% of the emails to me as promptly as feasible, even the hate mail .




[This message has been edited by Moderator2 (edited 09-21-2003).]

Ditto Moderator2.