Long term recruiting and survival

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I gotcha! :grin:

Thank you for the all the well wishes.

I hate car shopping. I try to do it as quickly as possible. It took about two to three days to look online and we went down to a dealership and spent about two hours looking at a car, signing my soul away, and driving off with a new ride.
 
I gotcha! :grin:

Thank you for the all the well wishes.

I hate car shopping. I try to do it as quickly as possible. It took about two to three days to look online and we went down to a dealership and spent about two hours looking at a car, signing my soul away, and driving off with a new ride.

I can relate. I am emergency car shopping at the moment. Not looking for something fancy. One of my father's good friends is selling me a Maxima which is in nice condition mechanically, but kind of dinged up for a very cheap price. He's about as honorable a person as you can hope to meet, so I am pretty comfortable about the whole deal. It will do the job until I get my next new car.
 
Endless Flight - sorry to hear about the pileup. Keep an eye on your health. I've seen soft tissue & concussion injuries sneak up on people post-car accident after they think they're okay a couple of days.

As for forum growth, its a good thing for members to keep active promoting the site. Does RPGpub have a FB page yet?

As for Pundy, I am very happy I've got his rough and tumble site to post on vs. this more mellow forum. Kudos to him for theRPGsite because free speech forums are a rare beast.
 
Yes there is a FB page but I haven't messed around with it too much yet.
 
Wow, sorry to hear about the accident EF, and sorry I haven't been around for a while myself. Had some personal stuff this month, but should be back to normal posting habits within the week.
 
Mein Gott in Himmel ("Godzilla 2000" quote :grin:), that's horrible news! I hope you get back to where you were -- functioning car and all -- soon. o_O
 
I've been trying to subtly advertise on other forums to get some fresh vict..uh, members.
 
I've been wondering about how best to do that. The difficulty is that collecting the banned people is another site's schtick and not one we want to pursue.
 
I didn't find out about this place until mention of it was slipped into a post on another forum by Doc Sammy today. Anyhoo, I would strongly recommend getting and using a SSL certificate ASAP. Google now actively deranks unencrypted web sites from their search engine, and both Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox recently began throwing out warnings when signing up to or logging into an unencrypted web site. That may scare off the technically challenged.
 
I see we are getting a good amount of new members to join us in our friendly discussions here. I thank you if you are spreading the word for our little refuge here. I know some of you are for sure because I snoop around the internet but I wanted to put that out there because the internet is a big place. :smile:
 
There's a thread on rpgnet that's been contributing quite nicely.
 
It's what they know and have continued to do over the past 10 years? Bureaucracy to cover all moderator decisions, with just enough vagueness to have no accountability.

I hope that the Rpg Pub doesn't take any inspiration from past models, because, IMO, both Rpg.net and theRpgSite are lessons in abject failure as gaming forums.
 
I really do appreciate their good will as far as wishing us luck. I have no inclination to write up any detailed list of rules for this site. I use the Golden Rule and go from there. It's worked pretty well in my life so far and I've used it to good effect in my previous ventures online without issue.
 
I wanted to add that we do have a rule about avoiding (because banning isn't the right word and it's allowed in regard to RPG discussion) political and religious discussion. I've seen it's disastrous effects on online communities over the years, some that I've been a part of, and I'm not about to let that happen here. Sometimes nuances are lost in online conversations about very personal topics and those are best left for the dinner table (or not at all). Other than that, I'm all about free speech and having a good time and being friendly to one another. There's lots of miserable pricks on the internet too and I like having the freedom to escape that.
 
I wanted to add that we do have a rule about avoiding (because banning isn't the right word and it's allowed in regard to RPG discussion) political and religious discussion. I've seen it's disastrous effects on online communities over the years, some that I've been a part of, and I'm not about to let that happen here. Sometimes nuances are lost in online conversations about very personal topics and those are best left for the dinner table (or not at all). Other than that, I'm all about free speech and having a good time and being friendly to one another. There's lots of miserable pricks on the internet too and I like having the freedom to escape that.

Someone on Google+ thought "no current events" would be a better way to put it. In any case, I think it may be the only "rule" we really need — at least at our current size.
 
Someone on Google+ thought "no current events" would be a better way to put it. In any case, I think it may be the only "rule" we really need — at least at our current size.
I think "politics" is probably the better label. Everyone knows exactly what that means.

I can see asshats playing all kind of games with a "no current events" rule. A lot of current politics draws on events of the past, so you could open backdoors to politics that way. Then you would get people being obtuse and wondering why we are talking about Gen Con this week when it is clearly a "current event". There are also a lot of current news stories that aren't political. If a big earthquake hit an area where multiple posters were from, a thread to check in how people there were doing might not be out of line.

The only thing to keep in mind is that some topics are politically divisive in some countries and not others. But if the poster genuinely steps into it by accident, a single mod warning should be enough deal with it.
 
Yes, I was just about to say something along those lines. I totally understand that not everybody will know our rule about politics/religion and that is totally fine. A simple PM to the person is enough if it's warranted. There won't be any big speeches and I'm not about shaming people in public. I am pretty optimistic the policy will work.
 
I totally understand that not everybody will know our rule about politics/religion and that is totally fine. A simple PM to the person is enough if it's warranted. There won't be any big speeches and I'm not about shaming people in public.
If there's any confusion, you could just have a pinned, read-only post in this forum that explains the general policy. Not a listing of Rules X-XX; but, a general hey, this is what this forum is about post.
 
I find it interesting that the rpg.net mods in the thread are eagerly suggesting this forum writes up detailed rules. I'm of the opinion that the convoluted legalism of rpg.net is one of its biggest problems.

It's what they know and have continued to do over the past 10 years? Bureaucracy to cover all moderator decisions, with just enough vagueness to have no accountability.

I hope that the Rpg Pub doesn't take any inspiration from past models, because, IMO, both Rpg.net and theRpgSite are lessons in abject failure as gaming forums.

I've been going back and forth about this in my head since the RPG Mod comments. My knee-jerk reaction is to agree with them to a certain extent. This is largely due to personal experience, both AFK and online. In the case of the latter, I've seen a few beloved tech forums (small outfits for various open-source software developers) get destroyed by trolls and coordinated FUD. They were there only to wreck the place. Those forums could have been saved if the mods came down with the ban hammer.

On the other hand, Baulderstone and Peterson make good points. I think that, for now, there's no need to fix something that's not broken. I'm not worried about the occasional troll. My concern is any coordinated efforts to sabotage what's being built here. That's a bridge we may need to cross when it falls on us.

I really do appreciate their good will as far as wishing us luck. I have no inclination to write up any detailed list of rules for this site. I use the Golden Rule and go from there. It's worked pretty well in my life so far and I've used it to good effect in my previous ventures online without issue.

And this works for me.

I wanted to add that we do have a rule about avoiding (because banning isn't the right word and it's allowed in regard to RPG discussion) political and religious discussion. I've seen it's disastrous effects on online communities over the years, some that I've been a part of, and I'm not about to let that happen here.

Yeah. Shame that. I love talking politics, but I won't do that here, and I don't do that online anymore (for reasons I don't think I need to explain). I think one of the best things we can do is keep politics and religion out of the Pub. This alone would does much to keep things mellow.

There's lots of miserable pricks on the internet too and I like having the freedom to escape that.

The Web is dark and full of derp, Endless.

I think "politics" is probably the better label. Everyone knows exactly what that means.

I can see asshats playing all kind of games with a "no current events" rule. A lot of current politics draws on events of the past, so you could open backdoors to politics that way. Then you would get people being obtuse and wondering why we are talking about Gen Con this week when it is clearly a "current event". There are also a lot of current news stories that aren't political. If a big earthquake hit an area where multiple posters were from, a thread to check in how people there were doing might not be out of line.

This.

The only thing to keep in mind is that some topics are politically divisive in some countries and not others. But if the poster genuinely steps into it by accident, a single mod warning should be enough deal with it.

And this as well.
 
Thank you for that suggestion, K! I will consider doing that.
 
My concern is any coordinated efforts to sabotage what's being built here.

giphy.gif
 
So in regards to rules, I'd like to share some of my B/X Mars stuff here, but true to the source material, the illustrations are in no way work safe. Can I get by just labeling the the thread or should I just scuttle the entire idea?
 
So in regards to rules, I'd like to share some of my B/X Mars stuff here, but true to the source material, the illustrations are in no way work safe. Can I get by just labeling the the thread or should I just scuttle the entire idea?
Not a mod, but Tristram is a mod, and look at his fantastic Old School Inspirational Art Thread. He has a lot of stuff in there that is of Barsoom-like nature. I'd say that thread is a good measure of how far you can push things here.
 
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So in regards to rules, I'd like to share some of my B/X Mars stuff here, but true to the source material, the illustrations are in no way work safe. Can I get by just labeling the the thread or should I just scuttle the entire idea?

Just put [NSFW] in front of the thread title and carry on!
 
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I think "politics" is probably the better label. Everyone knows exactly what that means.

I can see asshats playing all kind of games with a "no current events" rule. A lot of current politics draws on events of the past, so you could open backdoors to politics that way. Then you would get people being obtuse and wondering why we are talking about Gen Con this week when it is clearly a "current event". There are also a lot of current news stories that aren't political. If a big earthquake hit an area where multiple posters were from, a thread to check in how people there were doing might not be out of line.

The only thing to keep in mind is that some topics are politically divisive in some countries and not others. But if the poster genuinely steps into it by accident, a single mod warning should be enough deal with it.

That's the thing; it's incredibly difficult to come up with rules to maintain tone and topic of a forum, and yet cover every eventuality; and eventually, someone will come along and follow the letter and not the spirit of the rules, or generally make the place a miserable experience without doing anything outright banworthy. It happens in every forum or group eventually, and the bigger you get, the more likely it is; I think you always need a "spirit of the gathering" clause to get rid of people in that case, but that does rely on the membership as a whole having trust in the people who can administer that power.

I like the concept of a "no political discussion!" rule, but it could get awkward if we want to discuss games or media that are "about" modern-day issues (Like, say, Monsterhearts, or the Jessica Jones TV series, frex).
 
I've been going back and forth about this in my head since the RPG Mod comments. My knee-jerk reaction is to agree with them to a certain extent. This is largely due to personal experience, both AFK and online. In the case of the latter, I've seen a few beloved tech forums (small outfits for various open-source software developers) get destroyed by trolls and coordinated FUD. They were there only to wreck the place. Those forums could have been saved if the mods came down with the ban hammer.

On the other hand, Baulderstone and Peterson make good points. I think that, for now, there's no need to fix something that's not broken. I'm not worried about the occasional troll. My concern is any coordinated efforts to sabotage what's being built here. That's a bridge we may need to cross when it falls on us.

To clarify my position, I firmly believe that drama will come to this forum at some point, and I think Tristram and Endless Flight will need to take up the Ban Hammer one day. I just think that forum like this is better served by loose rules of moderation, not specific ones. Specific rules are catnip to people that want to play "I'm not touching you!'

The thing is, people rarely need to be banned on the spot. EF and Tristram and any potential future mods take time to discuss how to respond to someone that is a problem, and their discussion is probably going to be more fruitful than consulting a list of rules.

That's the thing; it's incredibly difficult to come up with rules to maintain tone and topic of a forum, and yet cover every eventuality; and eventually, someone will come along and follow the letter and not the spirit of the rules, or generally make the place a miserable experience without doing anything outright banworthy. It happens in every forum or group eventually, and the bigger you get, the more likely it is; I think you always need a "spirit of the gathering" clause to get rid of people in that case, but that does rely on the membership as a whole having trust in the people who can administer that power.

I agree. I also feel that the people that would really need a long list of rules to know how to be nice to other posters and to avoid political topics are probably never going to work out anyway.

I like the concept of a "no political discussion!" rule, but it could get awkward if we want to discuss games or media that are "about" modern-day issues (Like, say, Monsterhearts, or the Jessica Jones TV series, frex).

I agree, but I have other online venues where I can get political. I still post at rpg.net and the rpg site, as well as on other pop culture sites. This forum is meeting a specific need by being a place where I can talk about games without politics coming up. Sometimes I want it. Sometimes I don't. If I have an opinion on a game that is political, I'll take it outside.
 
That's the thing; it's incredibly difficult to come up with rules to maintain tone and topic of a forum, and yet cover every eventuality; and eventually, someone will come along and follow the letter and not the spirit of the rules, or generally make the place a miserable experience without doing anything outright banworthy. It happens in every forum or group eventually,
I am already here.
 
Fair enough. I'm probably just being overly cautious. I do that sometimes. :sad:

Haha. It wasn't really directed at you. It was like sneaking a candid camera in on the evil people plotting our demise.
 
I'd also like to avoid too many rules. At the end of the day, this forum belongs to the mods, and technically, they can do with it as they see fit - and we don't have to like it! :smile: Let's try just getting along and see how it goes ...
 
It's a private forum, if Endless Flight doesn't like someone's behavior he should feel free to ban them. If the forum becomes too large for that to work, additional moderators and some rules would probably become necessary. But of course, those who can't live with that are free to leave.
 
I hope that we never need heavy moderation here and I can guarantee one thing. If you are a moderator here, it's to serve the community and not to boost your ego.

I saw that on many a forum too. As soon as somebody became a mod, they turned into an asshole.

I'll give theRPGsite props on that. Whatever you think of Pundit, his mods were or are all exceptional, including OHT and Brendan.
 
I saw that on many a forum too. As soon as somebody became a mod, they turned into an asshole.

I'm a mod in a group chat at work. Somebody posted a pretty NSFW image, so I deleted it.

Instantly, I saw before me the full extent of my powers. I had became the Arbiter of the Seen, able to dictate the limits of the team's world. With but a click of my mouse, I could banish someone, render them invisible, or - surely a worse punishment! - able to speak, but unable to be heard. I, and I alone, could dictate how my colleagues saw not only each other, but also themselves.

I had seen the brink of the abyss, dear readers. And it was tempting - oh, how I desired to throw myself over that edge, to impale us all on the rocks of ignorance below! But I turned back. With all of my will, I politely asked them not to do it again.
 
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