From Flu Wiki 2

Forum: The Role of the Moderators

09 March 2006

DemFromCTat 08:32

This is always a contentious topic. Posters rightly feel they ‘own’ the Forum (and in a very real way, you do - it wouldn’t exist without you). But mods have a different and parallel job. Here’s a recent example:

Links are provided by we moderators for interest only, as many readers have not seen them. It does not imply ‘you should have looked’. I add the disclaimer because there seems to be a misperception of what the mods are trying to do.
In any case, there is a collection of workplace continuity links on the wiki. I encourage anyone who fins new links to please add them or send them to me at demfromct@earthlink.net. We’re happy to post any from anywhere in the world on the assumption that everyone’s plans have value (and local plans have interest).

The “wiki proper’ consists of links, essays and collections on various topics, some of interest to some some of interest to others. Some of the sections are large and farly organized (International Plans), some large and disaorganized, some small and just starting out. But many Forum users don’t read the wiki proper very much, and new readers might find the whole thing daunting to search. If regular users (including mods) drop you a link that seems interesting, check it out and see

  1. if it’s got anything for you
  2. if you want to add

Another role of the mods is to periodically remind posters of the Forum rules, such as they are.

As we get more robust on the Forum, and have new users added, please note these basic rules which are similar to netiquette everywhere:
  1. Be nice to newbies.
  2. Not every poster can figure out PHP markup (it’s not HTML as is used with blog posting). See the box at the very bottom for tips on posting, especially links. Long links will cause the page to expand laterally (called sidescroll and the page will remain that way until an editor can edit.
  3. News stories should not be reproduced in full. It is a violation of copyright and fair use rules, particularly when not accompanied by analysis. Post just a portion, and provide a link. No link, no credibility.
  4. This is a nonpartisan site. There are plenty of political blogs for arguing politics. Please note that we have non-Americans using the site (to them: incomprehensible and boring!) and that political arguments should be restricted to how it affects flu policy.
The Forum is open. Write me or any of the editors if you encounter a problem. We have very few, btw, but as we get bigger I think this will be added to periodically. Thanks, all, for participating and reading.

A fifth rule might be ‘try to stay on topic’. Again, the mods are human and aren’t perfect. Rants and complaints aren’t helpful, and unless you’re going to do the job yourself, you’ll just have to put up with the way we do it. Same as it ever was for every bulletin board that’s ever existed. And given where we’re coming from (all over the world, all over the political spectrum), it’s remarkable we’ve done so well.

We will always attract trolls. Let us know if you find one we’ve missed. And take a deep breath before you assume you’ve been insulted. Maybe it’s just all in the reading.

Cheers!

DemFromCTat 08:37

Currently, Melanie and myself (along with pogge) moderate the Forum. We may have a few new moderators to introduce to you as we grow. Whether this thread gets added to or not, it will stay around as reference.

But get used to the idea that mods are reading. The Forum can’t function without them.

Montanan – at 08:42

I’d think y’all would be fairly tired with all the work you do. “And given where we’re coming from (all over the world, all over the political spectrum), it’s remarkable we’ve done so well.”

Yes, you’ve done a very, very good job.

Thanks to you all. And if ABC DOES cover BF all of next week, you are going to need some help and I’ll look forward to the new voices of reason.

Np1 – at 08:45

Second that; keep up the good work. Kelly

gs – at 08:47

can’t you make several subforums and then move the threads around as in curevents with the custodians ?

DemFromCTat 08:47

Montanan, we don’t get nearly as many hits from TV coverage as we do from print stories. It’ll be interesting to see. TV seems to be a more passive medium.

DemFromCTat 08:48

gs – at 08:47

Not with current software and current manpower. As the ‘wiki proper’ is what we wanted to build, the Forum will have to fit within the context. We are always on the alert for PmWiki upgrades.

DemFromCTat 08:50

By the way, feel free to ask (email or otherwise) if you’re looking for something on the wiki and can’t find it.

Melanie – at 09:00

Just a reminder to all,

Not only are the mods human, we have demanding full time jobs in addition to this forum. We can’t be here 24/7/365. Y’all are going to have to police yourselves.

DemFromCTat 09:04

Again, email us if we’ve missed something we have to attend to (spam, trolls, etc).

Melanie – at 09:14

Contact information is here on the left sidebar.

gs – at 09:16

who is Cassandra ?

Melanie – at 09:19

Cassandra edits for formatting.

Melanie – at 09:32

bumped

BroncoBillat 11:39

I’ve got to add this: I’ve always had a “semi-survivalist” mentality in that, living in CA almost all of my life, I’ve always tried to prepare for the worst (earthquakes and mudslides). That said, I have NEVER, in all my (almost) 49 years, learned nearly as much as I have learned these past 6 months from FluWiki. Thank you, Dem, Melanie, Pogge, and all the rest, and thank you to all of you who have posted so much intrigueing and insiteful information.

“I want to thank my agent, my producers, my family. I want to thank the entire cast, the crew, all the people who worked on this production. I want to thank my friends, my enemies, and all the people out there……oh? My times up? Okay….thank you, thank you all!!”

lugon – at 14:07

We can all take some of the subjobs of mods. No need to be designated! :)

I personally add links to the “wiki proper”, and remind people about the difference between “conversation space” (where talk happen easily and get lost easily too) and “structured information space” (where content has a structure so it’s easier to find and so it’s more useful).

“I want to use this oportunity to thank the creators of wikis in general and pmwiki in particular … Okay, thank you all!”

DemFromCTat 14:09

Bumped for visibility.

AnnieBat 14:21

Bronco Bill - love your entry above - I had a good laugh. However, my real love is for the editors and creators of this fantastic site - such vision and then such commitment.

Can I please re-emphasise a point made by DemFromCT that a written conversation is always open to interpretation / misinterpretation as we do not have the body language to assist with meaning and emphasis. Please, if you think someone is ‘having a go’ count to ten and imagine what body language contexts could be with it BEFORE you respond. As a contributor, if you think something you write may be taken as a slight by some readers, add some text smiles etc to ensure your message isn’t mis-construed.

Most of all, enjoy it in here and treasure the wealth of knowledge and new friends this site has given us.

-)
-) ;-) <g> LOL OXOXOXO (hugs and kisses for the unitiated)
Jane – at 15:14

This site is great! Thanks for all your hard work. :) Now, what is PHP markup?? I’m a real beginner, and acronyms sometimes baffle me.

BroncoBillat 15:30

After (if) pandemic hits and lots of people haven’t prepped: PHP = Pretty Hungry People!

DemFromCTat 15:35

BroncoBill – at 15:30

maybe some day. For now PHP markup is the text and character strokes you need to use to post links, change format, etc.

For example, to post a link, you use <a href=“URL”>link</a> in HTML, but you use [[ link_url | link description ]] in PHP.

DemFromCTat 15:36

You can learn more about PHP by clicking the text formatting rules.

BroncoBillat 15:37

I knew that! ;-)

LoveTexasat 15:37

I am new but I would like to thank everyone also. This is informative and fun. I feel like I know some of you. A lot of what I have read on this site I have thought of but it is nice to have confirmation on what I am thinking. And I have picked up some great ideas. thanks again and keep up the good work.

anon_22 – at 15:43

Bronco,

“I want to thank my agent, my producers, my family. I want to thank the entire cast, the crew, all the people who worked on this production. I want to thank my friends, my enemies, and all the people out there……oh? My times up? Okay….thank you, thank you all!!”

LOL…

pogge – at 15:44

You can learn more about PHP…

I’m going get pedantic on you. While PmWiki is written in PHP, the users don’t get involved with it. This platform has its own unique markup which is what contributors need to deal with (and is what your link deals with - you’re sending them to the right place).

Watching in Texas – at 15:49

For Jane (and some of the others, including myself) - isn’t there a site that shows the internet slang initial thingy’s and what they mean. Somebody posted it, I think it was Dem, on another thread but I can’t remember which one and I am not exactly sure what to call it - but it tells what LOL means, etc.

DemFromCTat 15:57

pogge has told me this a thousand times, and I never learn…

BroncoBillat 16:03

Dem, WiT, et al,

Try these sites for slang defs…..caution—the first one has some ‘adult’ language in the terminology!

http://www.msc-inc.net/Documents/InternetSlang.htm

http://www.noslang.com/

BroncoBillat 16:06

And here’s a good site for Emoticons (smiley and other faces)

http://www.computeruser.com/resources/dictionary/emoticons.html

Watching in Texas – at 17:00

Thanks BroncoBill - hey what happened to your new and improved longer name?

BroncoBillat 17:15

WiT----COOKIES!!! While I’m at work, even though I work in I.T., I can’t delete cookies on my PC. The uber-managers of IT Security lock down ALL capability of file deletion unless there is a need to do so by a local Admin. I have those permissions….on other peoples’ computers, but not my own because I “own” it. So a higher Admin has to come to my rescue when there is a problem with my own PC. Really burns me….

So, here I sit…BroncoBill. But at home? BroncoBoncoBillBull!!!!!

Watching in Texas – at 18:22

BBBB - well in my heart you will always be BroncoBoncoBillBull! I still think one of the funniest things on this site was when someone called you BroncoBull and you posted back “uh, that would be Bill, no Bull” - I laughed for quite a while. And you know, with the news that’s coming in - a good laugh is worth more than a pound of rice!

BroncoBillat 18:45

WiT---I remember that. We were having a rather “heated” debate. Almost as soon as I posted with that opening, I realized what I had said. Still chuckling at that one. I think that was the same poster who called me Bonco!! Not sure….I’m getting old (at almost 49) and the memory is the second thing to go….

VandyRNat 21:14

I consider myself to be a baby (maybe a toddler) following in almost all of the footsteps above. It is a blessing and sanity enhancer to read what you all write. I occationally contribute and like everyone here sometimes sand gets kicked in my face.(Read F.N. here)But again, if we were all alike this forum would be a verrry boring place. I love the comraderie, the humor and tongue in check you can feel with just the words. The knowledge of so many bright and talented people coming together at such a challenging time -we are gifts to each other.:)))

LoveTexasat 21:36

BroncoBill You are a hoot—but I just don’t understand why you don’t like Texas?

Watching in Texas – at 22:16

LoveTexas - have I missed something somewhere - why do you think BroncoBoncoBillBull doesn’t like Texas?

BroncoBoncoBillBullat 23:47

Hey LoveTexas—I don’t remember saying I don’t like Texas…but I AM a native Californian, and we’re not supposed to like Texas! :-) ‘Cuz Texas doesn’t like California! ;-)

WiT---you didn’t ask what the first thing is to go. That’s good, ‘cuz I don’t remember!!

10 March 2006

mom11 – at 00:20

Hi VandyRN!

Just wondering, are you in Tenn.? We are about an hour away, on the Tenn. line. Go to Vanderbuilt, too often! NO flu plan here!

lugon – at 04:36

Moderate yourselves! :)

NS1 – at 05:40

I came here to learn about modulation or something, but I can’t remember where I put my keys because I forgot to take my memory pill.

Oh, here they are, right on top of the keyboard.

Watching in Texas – at 07:00

BroncoBoncoBillBull- I didn’t ask cause I forgot what you said :-) (I’m 47 and do really good to remember why I go into a certain room)

Watching in Texas – at 07:10

Dem - on behalf of myself (and some of the other humorists) I do hereby apologize for getting so terribly off topic. Now, if someone could please remind me what the topic was….;-)

DemFromCTat 07:22

The topic? Why everyone loves Texas.

Watching in Texas – at 07:26

I want the talking doll!!

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