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Re: LvMI Forums Lacking Post Quality?

liberty student — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 23:20:58 GMT

No doubt. There is no criteria yet, and there is no one appointed to make the decision, but GAP is the greatest of all time. Not that GAP isn't a great poster, but I though the issue was forum quality, not cronyism and how annoying newbies can be.

This place has been blowing my mind lately. From the ban that is not a ban, to the censorship of the left/right thread.

Problem: Forum quality is low (apparently)

Solution: Get the admins badges

Non-Sequitur?

I've learned some neat things here, and some folks here are very cool (my fellow rightist and vulgar libertarians) but since Bureaucrash opened up a social network I think I am going to spend more time there. Feel free to add me (DixieFlatline) if you like. I will be more active there starting next week.

Btw, someone mentioned forming a Right Libertarian Alliance. If you're interested, PM me. I've got an extra forum license lying around, I might be interested in starting up something along those lines.

Re: LvMI Forums Lacking Post Quality?

Geoffrey Allan Plauche — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 22:40:48 GMT

HeroicLife:

I have created an additional role: Most Valuable Poster.

I don't know yet what the criteria will be, or who will decide on new MVP's, but I think Geoffrey Allan Plauche deserves to be the first.

Wow! Thanks for the honor, David. :o)

Re: LvMI Forums Lacking Post Quality?

Anonymous Coward — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:59:19 GMT

HeroicLife:

I have created an additional role: Most Valuable Poster.

I don't know yet what the criteria will be, or who will decide on new MVP's, but I think Geoffrey Allan Plauche deserves to be the first.

I'd be happy if I would show up on the main forum page under the section "Most Active Users"...

Yeah, everybody hates an AC.

Re: LvMI Forums Lacking Post Quality?

Nitroadict — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:42:05 GMT

I'm a bit wary of having an MVP icon... it seems to me that it would encourage a view of further divide between newbies & those who have been on longer than others (and those who have been on even longer than those who have been on longer than newbies, etc. etc.).

As a web-designer, I would also make the mods & admin icons about 20% smaller, as not everyone has a fast comp (I've been using my smaller & slower laptop more & more lately, and it definitely slows down scrolling a bit).

I liked the points-only thing over the MVP icon; it reminds me of whose line is it anyway, where the points didn't really matter :D.

Re: LvMI Forums Lacking Post Quality?

HeroicLife — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:47:44 GMT

Yes. I accidentaly deleted the "Moderator" icon - I'll fix it when I get home tonight.

Re: LvMI Forums Lacking Post Quality?

Jon Irenicus — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:32:39 GMT

Are the icons meant to show up automatically?

-Jon

Re: LvMI Forums Lacking Post Quality?

equack — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:20:16 GMT

My post count has nothing to do with my arguement as stated above. I would rather spend the time to create a post which gives others utility in reading it than taking up wasted bandwidth. I've been around since the start of these forums and and have read a lot of discussions. Some discussions I've thought about a great deal and contributed to them. Others, I've declined to post for aforesaid reasons.

I take Austrian economics and libertarianism very seriously, not only online, but in daily life. I find ways of injecting, if you will, Austrian ideas into everyday conversations in the hopes that the person may be drawn to the cause of freedom. I really thought these forums would be useful in creating an actual virtual community of those dedicated to Austrian economics. We don't have the chance (unless your student at Mises U) to discuss Austrian matters in real life, but there is a chance here to do so. Thus, seeing posts which really don't advance this great theory we have before us, Austrian economics, or its political implications, Libertarianism, made me a bit upset. I think both theories/schools of thought are great and should be spread through discussion, rather than damaged by off-topic, erranous, or inflammatory posts.

Having said all that, I will take some of your advice on creating examples of good discussions hoping others will follow. Possibly, I willl spend more of my time on these forums working with other Austrians than the usual sit-in-your-room and read Mises approach that other Austrians who don't have the internet have had to take (such as Rothbard in his earlier days).

Re: LvMI Forums Lacking Post Quality?

hayekianxyz — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:07:30 GMT

One of the problems I've been noticing a lot if people making posts trying to find resources as a first resort, as opposed to going away and looking and then coming here as a last resort.

Re: LvMI Forums Lacking Post Quality?

HeroicLife — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 04:52:55 GMT

I have created an additional role: Most Valuable Poster.

I don't know yet what the criteria will be, or who will decide on new MVP's, but I think Geoffrey Allan Plauche deserves to be the first.

Re: LvMI Forums Lacking Post Quality?

HeroicLife — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 04:35:05 GMT

Well, here is step one of the quality-improvement initiative: I've added "Moderator" and "Staff" icons.

Re: LvMI Forums Lacking Post Quality?

nje5019 — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:03:56 GMT

I think a beginner subforum would be helpful. Another thing we could do (and I'd volunteer to help work on this) is make a sticky with links to threads that we consider good discussions of issues that people bring up on almost a daily basis. Maybe a few people here and there would look and get their questions answered instead of starting up new threads on the same things we talked about yesterday. Have a sticky 'index' thread would probably work better than just assuming people will take the energy to search the forums.

Re: LvMI Forums Lacking Post Quality?

hayekianxyz — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:41:54 GMT

HeroicLife:

Jon Irenicus:
Perhaps a newbie forum is a good idea

The problem with that is that the troublemakers are not people who know they are ignorant, but ignorant people who think they have all the answers.

But at least with a newbie forum then you'd be able to delete any such threads.

Re: LvMI Forums Lacking Post Quality?

Jon Irenicus — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:41:10 GMT

True but then at least they'd no longer obstruct people who have a knowledge of Austrian econ but want to refine it without wading through posts related to far more basic concerns (maybe even make that part of the forum closed access.) It'd also be easier to notice whether someone is patently ignorant of Austrian econ/libertarian political philosophy, contrary to their own protestations, and thus allow for heavier moderation on the more advanced subfora and more relaxed moderation (like present) on the open ones.

-Jon

Re: LvMI Forums Lacking Post Quality?

HeroicLife — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:31:55 GMT

Jon Irenicus:
Perhaps a newbie forum is a good idea

The problem with that is that the troublemakers are not people who know they are ignorant, but ignorant people who think they have all the answers.

Re: LvMI Forums Lacking Post Quality?

Jon Irenicus — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:22:54 GMT

Yeah, if you noticed (maybe you didn't) I did mention I want to return these boards to the old Austrian forum's level of discourse. However, that is difficult because it might involve heavy-handed moderation, which I am opposed to. Perhaps a newbie forum is a good idea, where it is not assumed that the participants have read basic texts on Austrian theory, and a more advanded subforum where discussion assumes familiarity of Austrian texts (and thus is restricted in what passes for discussion on it.)

One thing is going to change though, and that is that I will be closing threads that ask questions that have been answered a hundred times over, ones that degenerate into flame-wars, temporarily/indefinitely ban members reported for bad behaviour &c, and naturally, delete troll threads/ban trolls from the outset. The forum has explicit ground rules, and as such these should be respected, like those of any club. I'd prefer for members to request such things of moderators before executing them, though.

-Jon