Moderator Do
 

Thanks, Randy for your input.

The Moderator Do sounds really exciting. Is there a thread where FlyerTalkers can submit questions, concerns, and ideas for the agenda? What an amazing opportunity for the Moderators to deal with the general FT public's needs.

Have they developed a vehicle for offering feedback on their progress in dealing with specific FT issues?

Is it possible to have a Moderator DO where the general membership is invited to participate in constructive dialogue? What a tremendous growth opportunity that would be for both FT and its moderators.

Why on earth would they want to subject themselves to something like that? It seems all the issues have been discussed here already at great length. I think what they are doing with the private DO is a great idea. They can enjoy themselves and at the same time, discuss issues without having to deal with the crap they do everyday when they are trying to moderate the forums.

It seems only logical to me that the moderators would very much welcome feedback from the general FlyerTalk public, just as we all seek feedback from our employees, clients, etc. How can we do an effective job of serving if we don't understand how the people we serve feel about our service?

But I know moderators get a lot of feedback as they go along from us... either us *****ing and whining about what they have done, or thanking/praising them (and I bet that's a lot less common), so I don't see what the point would be in seeking it out, when any thread of that nature is sure to become a flamefest in about ohhh 3 posts... surely you've seen that happen in threads on ORP often enough to understand why it might not be the best of ideas? If you've got concerns (and I'm sure everyone knows that you do), why don't you pm your nearest friendly moderator with them, and ask that they take them privately to the do, to be addressed if the opportunity occurs. Taking it off board makes it a lot less confrontational, and allows the mods to be less defensive about it...

Anyway, it's their Do. I'd be pretty mad if someone who wasn't coming to one of my Do's tried to arrange what was happening at it.... they are big boys and girls! (well most of them ;))

It is a pity that people do often become unnecessarily hostile in ORP and often, very interesting and valuable discussions become sidetracked by that hostility.

Despite that unhappy occurrence, it is, however, possible to have meaningful, constructive dialogue. One topic I would very much like to see addressed is Moderator Guidelines.

What, for instance, constitutes a suspendable offense? It is confusing to see some folks issued lifetime suspensions for making very logical, polite posts, while others repeatedly make rather vicious and unkind posts without any apparent repercussions. It would be very helpful to have clear guidelines.

Hey, Pukie, why not just e-mail Randy all your wonderful ideas, as they have no place being aired on a public forum, I believe that Randy has not only expressed this several times in general, but several times directly to you personally. Are you too "special" to abide by Randy's wishes?

Punki is special ... she's an "Original Member" who has seen FT grow in leaps and bounds and while we differ from time-to-time on ideas of what's next and how to handle certain members and issues, I'm still game to listen. Listening is a big part of what I do here on FT. At the end of the day I don't always have to agree, but I do have to listen.

As well, I have corrected your typo ... it's "Punki" not "Pukie."

I am deleting this post as Randy took care of the problem.

Since Mod.'s paying their own way to this Vegas do, I'm hoping they do something else but dwell on FT the whole time. ;) It'd be a shame to be in sin city and not be even a little sinful. :D

Randy, this child has for the last year or two deliberately spelled my name wrong whenever she was feeling particularly sanctimonious, I just thought I'd return the childishness and would return the favour.

Of course the great irony is the fact that you actually (in)corrected it to 'Punkie' ;)

Answer to Punki's question
 

Punki, your question was a natural one to ask and let me go over a few things first:
- the idea of a ModDo came totally from the minds of our volunteers who continue to give back to the community. It looks like the first of another later this year so I think it's not meant to try and go over every single item, but rather form a base from which moderators can establish common tools and communication in helping members.
- This marks the first time that many will have been able to get together and discuss things with me. While we've had a few live chats, nothing beats being able to have an open dialog of FlyerTalk.
- In my mind, this is a training session to develop consistent tools and tutorials for FT mods now and into the future. I don't sense it's a ***** session.
- A great part of the mods work is helping new members acclimate themselves to FT. We'll likely chat about more "newbie" things we can do.
- The mods will tell you that I'm not likely to allow and devote time to talking about individual members.
- They are all coming paying their own way. This is one Do that isn't as much social as more giveback to the Community. All members should benefit from the standards that we hope to finally introduce.
- Your idea isn't a bad one, but the timing just is not right ... the first ModDo ever.
- I am more than comfortable that these individuals who devote more than an average members time on FT are aware of the issues which should be on the agenda.

Its rare in any online community to see this type of action from the moderators and we should all be very impressed of their commitment to FlyerTalk and beyond.

For me it will be a real eye opener. I barely have met any of the mods and it will certainly give them time to get to know me a little bit and how i think about FT, mods and our membership in general.

Sound OK?

Thanks, Randy.

You are most certainly right that FlyerTalk is a unique and wonderful community--one that has changed my life forever. I still remember back when there were only a hundred or so regular posters, and when we first started planning the PIP. My sisters were horrified that I was going to fly to Hawaii to meet a bunch of "internet" people. They were certain that you were all a bunch of axe murderers.

What an amazing experience that was, and, thank you very much for convincing Hunki that this frequent flyer stuff isn't totally crazy. We can both fly in first a lot more often since you convinced him to become a 1k as well. :D :D

Since then, I have met at least 400 amazing and wonderful FlyerTalkers all over the world, and traveled with some FlyerTalkers to as many as eight different countries on four different continents. How cool is that?

I don't think there are any other websites like ours, so it only stands to reason that there aren't any other moderators like ours. I sincerly hope that this first Moderator Do weekend is productive and successful, and that each Moderator Do to come improves upon the results of its predecessor.

OBTW, is your lovely bride joining you for the weekend, or is she taking the weekend as a Nordstrom opportunity? ;)

We we are flying to NYC for the weekend so I can indulge in my once-a-year Stage Deli Pastrami Reuben (the only red meat I eat all year) and a night of dancing in the Big Apple. Who would ever have even considered such a thing prior to a serious FlyerTalk immersion. :)

Like I said, FT has changed our lives forever. Lucky us. I will give you more details when we retire.

Any feedback?

Thanks for asking.
It was a pleasure meeting Randy and his lovely wife. As well, it was also wonderful putting faces to "handles." Most of all, I am now convinced that when Randy selected the moderators who attended the "Do," he chose, very well. How nice to break bread (or tapas) with a group of people whose primary agenda is to give to others.