To avoid so many duplicate threads, please place your ideas and thoughts on a live chat system here.
Initially, we weren't going to do a live chat, but enough users asked for it that Dan has agreed, and we'll add a live chat to the system AFTER we launch AG3. It will NOT be part of the AG3 launch.
Ideas that others have suggested: - custom channels - password-protected channels - kick/ban controls - moderation controls - report a user
We don't know yet if the chat will be Flash based, Java based, or something else.
Well, if enough of us regular users get together and kick up a fuss, they Might actually listen. While I think a chat room is a misstep, it would have no real bearing on me so long as the forums remain intact. However, being intact would mean carrying over the current content, or at least the gems. Otherwise there wouldn't be much of a point in going there.
One definite logistical issue that a chat room would give rise to is the need for a 24-hour Moderator presence. Chat happening in real time would be much harder to police/censor the garbage out of than forum posts.
In an actual forum, like what we have now and the AG overlords want to remove on AGv3
You didn't specify content, which confused me. That quote right there led me to believe you thought they were going to remove the forum and replace them with a chat.
Well, if enough of us regular users get together and kick up a fuss, they Might actually listen.
Has been tried* before, no luck.
However, being intact would mean carrying over the current content, or at least the gems.
Seems unlikely since they are changing the forum engine.
One definite logistical issue that a chat room would give rise to is the need for a 24-hour Moderator presence.
- Add in a censor. If you get censored X amount of times it notifies the mods and they review your chat logs. - Add in a flagging system. If you get flagged X amount of times it notifies the mods and they review your chat logs. - Separate forum and chat mods. See Kongregate for example.
*Talking about the thread in the tavern, that pickle one, where users are/were complaining and tried emailing the staff to get stuff done. Didn't work.
Separate forum and chat mods. See Kongregate for example.
Why do they have to be separate? If they can be trusted with one, they may as well have the other. Why not just expand the moderation team entirely?
Or, of course, potential moderators could start out as chat mods and their performance would be monitored, and eventually if they do a good enough job they could be promoted to full-blown moderator. It would be a much better system than what we currently use.
Why do they have to be separate? If they can be trusted with one, they may as well have the other.
I'm basing this on Kongregate, but usually chat mods aren't that active within the forum. They are mods in chats because they frequent them and know how they work, that doesn't mean they do that with the forum. However if chat mods become active in the forums and do a good job, usually they'll get asked to become forum mods on top of being chat mods.
Or, of course, potential moderators could start out as chat mods and their performance would be monitored, and eventually if they do a good enough job they could be promoted to full-blown moderator.
Or, of course, potential moderators could start out as chat mods and their performance would be monitored, and eventually if they do a good enough job they could be promoted to full-blown moderator.
Yes! That is a great idea! The trial-and-error method sounds much better than having moderators hand-picked based solely on what the other moderators think of them!
Or, of course, potential moderators could start out as chat mods and their performance would be monitored, and eventually if they do a good enough job they could be promoted to full-blown moderator. It would be a much better system than what we currently use.
Very good idea.
As to GoM and CPs chat: Yes if forums get removed it'll suck, but as GoM said, it can be started over and surely it's a case of people being smart enough to copy and paste the help.
Also, CP i see what you're saying about the chat maybe taking away from the forums, but i don't think this will be massive. Forums will be alive and as buzzing as they are now. [Granted, that's not very much].
I think it would only be a good idea if they are active in the forum. Let's say someone who doesn't use the forum becomes a chat mod, just because they display the requirements in there and know how chats work doesn't mean it'll be exactly the same in the forum. I don't think they would allow someone who has little to no experience in a forum to have those kind of powers. Should've specified why I liked the idea, it was what I was trying to get through.
Just like I don't expect forum mods to become chat mods automatically. Different things to moderate.
But this is only relevant if they go through with this idea.
Let's say someone who doesn't use the forum becomes a chat mod, just because they display the requirements in there and know how chats work doesn't mean it'll be exactly the same in the forum.
Obviously they wouldn't just promote people to the full-mod position solely because they were good chat mods. They'd have to show that they know their way around the forums and the rest of the site as well.
It would be more of a test of whether or not the user can handle a position of authority. Which, if you think about it, is safer than the current system of going basically with instinct and giving almost nobody a chance to prove themselves worthy.
It would be more of a test of whether or not the user can handle a position of authority. Which, if you think about it, is safer than the current system of going basically with instinct and giving almost nobody a chance to prove themselves worthy.
Just an idea: *If* they decided to bring this into effect, shouldn't people be able to apply for chat/forum mod, and then if they prove they're worthy, be selected to be full-time/proper mod in the same way selection happens now?
^ Maybe applications would just create way too much work for the mods though, come to think about it. I used to chat in a teensite, and they had an application process. Sometimes the owner or an admin with private message someone (a regular) and ask them to apply if they wanted it. Surely if they had an application process they could have some form of search criteria to block out people just signing up and instantly applying.
The application form asked for knowledge on the software used etc. I had no idea about it, but was active and had a decent knowledge on the site, the users, what was right/wrong, so i got given the chance. I don't know what software AG3 will use: but this site had a private room for mods/admins - new mods were brought here after been given the login to the software and were "trained" so practised banning, warning etc on the owner, which was helpful !
They'd receive dozens of applications and if this is similar to a job application, I'd expect a lot of people to put down fake information to try to get on their good sides. It doesn't sound like it'd work out well either way.
Also, applying makes it seem like you have a desire for it. Most people that wish they were mods just want to be because it looks cool; they don't realise how much time and effort the mods actually put into maintaining the site. Which means most people wouldn't be right for the job. Even if they realise it, so few people can handle it. You have to deal with people on a regular basis and devote a lot of your time to maintaining the site. At least, that's what is expected of them.
Which, if you think about it, is safer than the current system of going basically with instinct and giving almost nobody a chance to prove themselves worthy.
They want to avoid mistakes. Imagine appointing someone to a position of power and they decide to go crazy. You'll have a lot of unhappy users and the mods would look stupid for trusting that person enough to join their group.
If they put the software Cormyn created back in use to find people that fit the requirements and the mods watch over those mentioned users, I think that's fine.
However with chat mods, I think that their power should be restricted to the chat only. Being able to ban and remove messages within the chat, nowhere else.
They'd receive dozens of applications and if this is similar to a job application, I'd expect a lot of people to put down fake information to try to get on their good sides. It doesn't sound like it'd work out well either way.
Also, applying makes it seem like you have a desire for it. Most people that wish they were mods just want to be because it looks cool; they don't realise how much time and effort the mods actually put into maintaining the site. Which means most people wouldn't be right for the job. Even if they realise it, so few people can handle it. You have to deal with people on a regular basis and devote a lot of your time to maintaining the site. At least, that's what is expected of them.
However with chat mods, I think that their power should be restricted to the chat only. Being able to ban and remove messages within the chat, nowhere else.
I agree with the latter, and my thought was restricted to chat/forum mods. Maybe not even to the moderators, i'm just considering if they introduce personal chat rooms, like user-created ones (Although maybe they've rejected this, i can't remember)
If they put the software Cormyn created back in use to find people that fit the requirements and the mods watch over those mentioned users, I think that's fine.
Yeah this in my opinion was the best form of finding potential mods.
They want to avoid mistakes. Imagine appointing someone to a position of power and they decide to go crazy.
That could happen no matter what method they used. Screening users down to the last drop isn't as foolproof as it sounds. There's still a chance that their supposedly perfect candidate will end up going insane with power. At least with the chat mod method, you give a potential candidate chatbox powers and the worst damage he can do is ban everybody from the chat.
The current method seems to be based almost entirely on the mods' personal opinions on users. Which would be fine if they weren't so paranoid of someone going crazy. Cormyn's system had the objectivity needed to pick users, but that's about all it had. The advantage of the chat mod method is that it can allow users to be chosen out of objectivity and to be promoted when they feel the candidate is responsible enough to handle full power.
It could, but that's a more thorough way. Still, trying to do everything they can to avoid an incident like that is a good policy.
Yes, it seems that way. It seems that most of the process is to get on their good sides. Basically trying to be their best friends, but in a subtle way, so you lead them to believe that's how you truly are.
This could be the cynic in me speaking, but I don't think it's all that difficult to put on a false persona to get them to like you. This is the Internet after all, much easier than real life. However it would take a lot of patience to hold up that act. One of the requirements is to be a consistent member for 1-2 years.
Imagine using this site everyday with a fake persona for that long. Surely that'd get tiring, but if people really want something--even if it's a small internet position--they'll work hard for it. I have suspicions of that for some people that use this site and used to, but I'll keep that to myself.
But in a chat you're expected to respond quickly in conversations. In the forum you can take as long as you want to make everything ideal, so I think in chats it'll show most users' true forms.
Still, trying to do everything they can to avoid an incident like that is a good policy.
It would be a good policy if it were efficient, but how many new moderators have you seen in the past 12 months?
You'd think a year without progress would be an eye-opener to somebody.
Yes, it seems that way. It seems that most of the process is to get on their good sides. Basically trying to be their best friends, but in a subtle way, so you lead them to believe that's how you truly are.
Yes, it does seem to rely almost entirely on subjectivity. I'm amazed that the current system is still in play. What we need is a community manager to take charge and appoint people objectively based more on qualifications than on how the mods feel about them personally. I see plenty of potential candidates every day who I think would do a perfect job and meet every qualification, so they can't pull the "no good candidates" card this round.
I don't think it's all that difficult to put on a false persona to get them to like you.
It's the internet, so you don't even need a false persona. You just need to alter a few traits here and there to give you the appearance of someone trustworthy. It's such an easy system to bypass, I can't figure out why they'd still be using it over one that was more objective.
