To Don >>>> Just A Suggestion !!!

[marcus]

Don, i hope my post wasnt too critical, moderating the forums has been very frustrating in the past. its getting better.
Thanks for keeping the forums going.

[ajohnsen]

Thanks for keeping the forums going.

Agree. Thanks, Don.

[Trev]

I agree with what Coops, AJ and marcus have written above regarding the welcoming of new members.
On the other forum I'm on (it's world wide), the welcome comments are a regular feature and combined with a question or two about the newbie, almost always elicit more reponses from them.

Trev I heard that they were trying to shut that "other" forum down. Due to the fact that those questions about the newbie were deemed as grooming.

Seriously though.

I agree with all points of view above but think the most important one was re limiting the amount of forums. I have read comments about real surf on other forums and the consensus is that there is way too much to navigate.

I moderate on another surfing forum and every post gets answered. I think it's a bit elitist to assume that Realsurfers are top notch surfers who aren't prepared to give advice to newcomers who are genuinely asking. (especially when TMC is on here! And we have all seen the photos)

No Jimmy, the other forum I'm talking about is a car owners forum. I visit a couple of other surf sites about once every couple of months. The car forum is world wide and well run.

[jimmy]

Bait taken. I think I've got a big one here.

[Trev]

Bait taken. I think I've got a big one here.

Have one of these for your trouble.

Just re-read what you wrote.
"grooming" :? oookaaaayyy. Suurre.........

[Toby Wan]

I like the idea of a rating system too - but not the first to a million kind..

Something like ebay where it compares good rep vs bad rep over a period of time.. basically if you're going to get a good or bad rep then its because of something GREAT or TERRIBLE - not just because you agree with someone or posted 100 times before lunch..

for example, someone helps you out with a question - then sweet, give them a thumbs up..
Someone unnecessarily flames someone on their first post asking about a particular surf spot, then thumbs down..

Maybe if more than 2 or 3 people find a post rep-worthy (positive or negative) then that post/thread counts as a positive or negative point towards their rep..

i think this would be good and is almost like a self moderation by the forum users themselves - if someone has a lot of positive rep then newbies and others would (hopefully) take them a little more serious..

if someone has a whole bunch of negative rep then their flaming comments don't hold as much substance..

basically - if i post a topic and get shut down by 2 or 3 random punters, but then a veteran with a lot of positive rep posts something helpful, then its a lot easier for me to listen to that piece of help and ignore the others.. if you know what i mean..

I don't know the technical side of how this would/could be implemented, i just reckon it could help

And cheers Don for the forums - I don't necessarily contribute a whole lot, but its sure entertaining for a read when work isn't doing it for me.

p.s. I've always wondered about this link http://forum.realsurf.com, i inadvertadly type it into browser and get the error message

[jimmy]

Instead of launching into a "stop posting" rant because some has ideas you don't approve of try using the "BLOCKED" feature, it works great & I haven't seen a pridmore ad for months.

Had a few beers tonight have you mate? If I was you I would actually unblock Pridmore and then you wouldnt have to ride a 10ft board!

[Johnno]

and howareya johnno? - I heard that you went mad and the coppers shot you ..

Good to see you are still around Larry and I've been mad for years .... I'm from the dark side of the moon

I'm still faster than a speeding bullet but do have trouble leaping buildings with a single bound these days ..........

Well great to see that we have sooooo many pro active ppl on this site with a lot of great ideas ............. sorry about that Don .........

It is good to see that ppl do care about these forums and hopefully in the near future thay will be bigger and better.

Now just one other thing Don with ps: any thoughts about improving the income situation would be gratefully received well this isn't helping you out ....... Forum Topic .... http://forum.realsurf.com/forum/viewtop ... 48&t=16972

Want to join our forums? PLEASE READ THIS FIRST -
Calling all RealSurf forum fans: your site needs you!

The last post by TMC Sat Oct 02, 2010 9:19 regarding a problem with paypal. Now the dude is still waiting for a reply so I guess others may have wanted to donate but are waiting a reply too.......

[admin]

Just checking in quickly folks. Been on the mag all day. Same again tomorrow, but I can tell you this thread has been very helpful and I'm looking forward to having the time to sort out the issues raised and to work toward a major consolidation of sections. As usual, when I started out I didn't have any clue about what worked and didn't. Now I have a slight clue! I won't get more ahead of myself than that.

re the donations thread, I should have been checking that obviously. It seemed to be working, but I will test it tomorrow to make certain.

Gotta get some shut-eye, catchya later!
Don

[Chillin]

Not posting, but still lurking. Real names Nick if anyone gives a fig. I agree with most comments about consolidation and simplfying. Whats the go with those who can't post or resize pics?

[Beanpole]

Just a couple of impressions I'd like to ad about this.
One thing is this isn't twitter and people interact with the site in a lot of different ways.
Ratings?
Get real. They have ratings on E Bay so you don't lose your cash. Some people think theyre in an episode of big brother. Thats fine just realise everyone else doesn't.

Its summer and its always dead on here over the xmas new year period.

One of the refreshing things of late has been the increasing QLand presence on here. It used to be almost exclusively N Beaches
with long threads about who was the localiest local east of Pittwater Road.

A lot of people drift in and out from time to time. I can see why Nick Carroll felt the need to say he was leaving but I can't see what anyone else has achieved by having a good bye post.

Since every surfcraft is out in the surf these days maybe ditch alternative equipment. Maybe have an old farts thread.

[Karlos]

I've been floating around these forums long enough to have seen many come & go, & you know what, the RS forums always had this ebb & flow. At times they're as boring as all hell, then they'll fire up again momentarily before settling down. One thing I will give them is that (despite some over-sensitiveness among certain mods) they are reasonably under-moderated & going by what I've seen on other forums, that's a good thing.

As for 'flamers', they rarely seem to hang around long anyway, & FFS, who really gets offended by anonymous internet warriors anyway? That sh*t is (for better or worse) part of the interweb & it ain't gonna change. I'm talking about the imbecilic types, not the funny ones like smnmntl, Dino etc who actually keep this place interesting, & who I wouldn't actually consider flamers. As for a rating system, that's a stupid idea. Half the place would be banned within a month, what with some of the sensitive souls here.

I agree with Skipper on the bailers (or at least the ones that make an issue of it), as they often sound a bit like a belligerent toddler not getting their way. It's not our job to keep you entertained is it? If you're not liking the joint, go away, or at least have some time off. Chances are as some of the old posters leave, others will join, & hopefully in amongst the new ones, there will be some that contribute worthwhile stuff to the forums. Talking about how it was better in the old days is really kind of redundant.

As for anonymity, I'm not comfortable putting my name out there (I refuse to create a fcuking facebook account), but that's just me. Just because I'm paranoid... I try not to carry on like a dickhead (not always successfully), but I just don't like the idea of people being able to drag up shit about me in Google. Not that I'm hiding my name as such, & if anyone could actually give a shit I'd let them know I suppose.

So what was the original question? Something about consolidating the forums? Who cares? They work fine the way they are I reckon. Just don't over-moderate the booger sections & stop banning guys like Rockin' Ron, Dino etc from them 'cos their posts are generally hilarious. Marcus, you & the rest of the lidding gang need to stop taking that shit so seriously. Really.

[Grooter]

I've been floating around these forums long enough to have seen many come & go, & you know what, the RS forums always had this ebb & flow. At times they're as boring as all hell, then they'll fire up again momentarily before settling down. One thing I will give them is that (despite some over-sensitiveness among certain mods) they are reasonably under-moderated & going by what I've seen on other forums, that's a good thing.

As for 'flamers', they rarely seem to hang around long anyway, & FFS, who really gets offended by anonymous internet warriors anyway? That sh*t is (for better or worse) part of the interweb & it ain't gonna change. I'm talking about the imbecilic types, not the funny ones like smnmntl, Dino etc who actually keep this place interesting, & who I wouldn't actually consider flamers. As for a rating system, that's a stupid idea. Half the place would be banned within a month, what with some of the sensitive souls here.

I agree with Skipper on the bailers (or at least the ones that make an issue of it), as they often sound a bit like a belligerent toddler not getting their way. It's not our job to keep you entertained is it? If you're not liking the joint, go away, or at least have some time off. Chances are as some of the old posters leave, others will join, & hopefully in amongst the new ones, there will be some that contribute worthwhile stuff to the forums. Talking about how it was better in the old days is really kind of redundant.

As for anonymity, I'm not comfortable putting my name out there (I refuse to create a fcuking facebook account), but that's just me. Just because I'm paranoid... I try not to carry on like a dickhead (not always successfully), but I just don't like the idea of people being able to drag up shit about me in Google. Not that I'm hiding my name as such, & if anyone could actually give a shit I'd let them know I suppose.

I agree with everything karlos says here.

And especially this

So what was the original question? Something about consolidating the forums? Who cares? They work fine the way they are I reckon. Just don't over-moderate the booger sections & stop banning guys like Rockin' Ron, Dino etc from them 'cos their posts are generally hilarious. Marcus, you & the rest of the lidding gang need to stop taking that shit so seriously. Really.

But I still reckon this is the best forum I've come across in using the web for more years than I'd like to admit and will continue to stay on.

[BA]

Hey guys, long time no post.

I used to be on here nearly everyday whilst at work in an office. (didn't do much else ). I drifted away due to a change in circumstances more than anything (no I didn't get the sack!).

it did seem a lot better in the old days, but doesn't everything? Things change, people come and go. Thats normal. I've started to check in a lot more these days and agree things seem a bit stale. As others have said, when genuine advice is requested, things seem to go off topic and the flamers jump in. Annoying, but easily ignored. Some people are funny, some clearly aren't.

Hopefully things will pick up. I intend to join in a bit more in the future. Hopefully some of the older crew will come back as well.

Bretto

[marcus]

And especially this

So what was the original question? Something about consolidating the forums? Who cares? They work fine the way they are I reckon. Just don't over-moderate the booger sections & stop banning guys like Rockin' Ron, Dino etc from them 'cos their posts are generally hilarious. Marcus, you & the rest of the lidding gang need to stop taking that shit so seriously. Really.

yeah right, is this a bait?
the only reason they entered the bodyboarders section was to put shit on everything.
they ruined the bodyboarding section.
smntl cant even surf, why should i and others have to take sh!t from someone like that?

[Karlos]

^^^Not bait at all. Just stating the facts, confirmed by your thinking that I'm trying to stir up some shit...

[Grooter]

Nah mate I'm serious

As soon as someone dangles the "boogers are ghey" bait it's equivalent to dumping a bucket of blood in a sharks pool. It gets way out of hand and denigrates into personal insults so fast. You're not innocent in that regard either, but granted you take accountability for it and I will honestly say you have been doing a really good job as a moderator of late. It's a thankless job and it's why the last time I took up a forum mod role was probably 10 years ago.

For the record I'm not innocent of dropping baits either, but in my case it is never, ever personal. It's all just taking the pizz which is all I think most people really do.

smnmntl was a tyrant in there I agree, if you had the ability to ban his posts then it was probably justified but friendly banter should not be grounds for hysterical responses either.

The reason why the booger stuff got traction is because it gets a response and unfortunately that is part and parcel of any internet forum but ignore it and it does go away.

[Karlos]

smnmntl was a tyrant in there I agree, if you had the ability to ban his posts then it was probably justified but friendly banter should not be grounds for hysterical responses either.

He was merciless BUT he was fcuking hilarious.