Serious members forum..?

[Lynxus]

Hi Guys,

Off the back of certain posts in threads recently,

Could we look into maybe having a thread / section only available to users with 1000+ posts and member for 1 year + ?, 2 years? 3 years? maybe more?

Maybe allow ops/mods to manually add members as seen fit?

I say this because I would be interested to see what it would be like to have model threads with just serious people in it ( Rather than people who simply sign up, Post some rant about there being No snow / rain /storms ) and then annoying all long term members?

Or something along these lines..

Thoughts?

Edited December 8, 2012 by Lynxus

[Pixel]

I kind of see your point but there are many people on here who have been here a few years and have only 30 posts etc, too many variables to exclude I think.

It's always a learning curve in the model thread. If someone posts about T240 believing it will happen then they will soon get the idea it won't and learn on the way.

Maybe the problem is that there are folk who post reactions to such posts stirring up a hornets nest. Then there are others who are more patient and notice a newbee and take the time to explain things a little in simple language. This time of year it always gets very heated in the model thread but a lot of people have learnt from it.

I don't think having an elite model thread will make many friends - there is however and technical model thread which seems to work quite well.

[Paul]

In terms of the model thread, we already offer alternatives like the technical discussion and model summary thread so we're relatively well covered really. Of course there's always the options for members or the team to open new threads to fill a gap but my instant reaction to the idea of a thread open solely to members with x posts or x amount of time on here is that you're effectively discouraging new members who may have a great deal of input to offer.

[I remember Atlantic 252]

Hi Guys,

Off the back of certain posts in threads recently,

Could we look into maybe having a thread / section only available to users with 1000+ posts and member for 1 year + ?, 2 years? 3 years? maybe more?

Maybe allow ops/mods to manually add members as seen fit?

I say this because I would be interested to see what it would be like to have model threads with just serious people in it ( Rather than people who simply sign up, Post some rant about there being No snow / rain /storms ) and then annoying all long term members?

Or something along these lines..

Thoughts?

Not users with 1000 posts, but users with decent 'likes', eg fergie has way more likes than posts, loads others with 2000+ likes, perhaps a thread where only members with huge likes to post in

[Lynxus]

Okey dokey. Fair enough

/thread

[Bishop Brennan]

In my opinion, part of the problem is that the Technical Model Discussion thread is rather under-utilised. From what I can tell there have only been three new posts there since the start of December, and none since Dec 4th. Hardly a hive of activity.

I feel the technical thread should be invite-only (if that is possible) and should be where the likes of GP, Chio, Lorenzo, John Holmes etc should be encouraged to post their latest thoughts regarding the model outputs.

Bish

Edited December 8, 2012 by Bishop Brennan

[Paul]

That's kind of the point though really - all the people you mention are aware of the tech thread and by choice aren't using it - as a team we can only put the threads in place (and allow members to start threads), it's then up to people as to whether they post in them.

We have the alternate threads, perhaps those who are frustrated by the model thread need to use them more, perhaps the reason they don't is that they see 900 in the model thread and 50 in the summary thread, but of course that's an ever decreasing circle as people won't read the alternatives if they're not being regularly used. I'd suggest those who want to use the model thread continue to use it, and those who don't should stop getting frustrated at the model thread and post in to the summary or tech thread without worrying about the size of audience etc, as like minded people will soon find the posts and those alternatives will become more popular.

The way I see it is that as a team we can only put the facilities in place and try to keep things polite and on topic within each thread, beyond that the way those facilities are used is down to each individual member

[davehsug]

Yes I think many of us had much higher hopes for the technical thread. It was reasonably well used at first but seems to have fallen out of favour. It would be nice if the members who were allowed to post did so, but I suppose they want to be read!

[Gael_Force]

From what I have seen recently, it's not the number of posts or duration of membership that dictates the quality of post. When people are frustrated that their desired weather type is being suddenly snatched from their grasp emotions and tempers run high.

Neither are likes a good indication - there are as many likes awarded for a flippant one liner as there are for a long and detailed technical post!

The format has sufficient avenues to cover all needs, it just requires people to exercise self control. If they cannot do that regarding something as volatile and unpredictable as the atmosphere then they should find a hobby where they can have more control of the eventual outcome.

[mikeocarroll]

I say this because I would be interested to see what it would be like to have model threads with just serious people in it ( Rather than people who simply sign up, Post some rant about there being No snow / rain /storms ) and then annoying all long term members?

It's called the model discussion thread in summer - and I much prefer it during those months.

But seriously, I just popped into the feedback area of the forum to give a big thumbs up to all the moderators and forum developers who make this a great place and we can't really blame them for the fact that some people behave like they are in kindergarden. My least favourite phrases must be "I know this is off topic but..." and "anyway back to the models" (i.e. throwaway model comment following long off-topic rant).

So well done to all those involved in running this forum you do a great job and just about get the balance right in tricky circumstances IMO

[Bristawl Si]

I'd like to see the Mod Disc thread restricted to about 20 seasoned posters.

GP, Big John Holmes, Chiono, Phil Warks, TWS, Nick F, Snowking, Ian Brown, Nick Sussex, Steve Murr, TEITS, Frosty, A Winters Tale, Gibby, Old Met Man, Ian Fergie, Isolated Frost, AWD - maybe a couple of others.

[Paul]

My personal view is that I wouldn't want to create a thread on that basis, you've listed some good posters up there but there are many more, and of course new members join all of the time who you wouldn't want to exclude automatically.

That said, all of those posters & others do have the option to post into the slower moving threads like the summaries and tech discussion if they wish. Also, one under-utilised part of the community is the blogs - any member can set one up, and not just that any members can group together in a shared blog, so perhaps that is an option for some to consider using if they want a small corner of the community to use as their own away from the hustle and bustle of threads.

[Dorsetbred]

Some good points raised, but it has to be the posters themselves that decide where to post. The seasoned users mentioned are well aware of the technical thread and it is used. However for their thoughts to be read by the masses, maybe they feel it necessary to drop into the MOD.

Personally the MOD can be "All I want from the weather is...." at times like these, whilst the technical thread is just that, so a degree of self control is also required to keep one sane at this time of year. The moderators really do have to work hard in these situations, as do some of the posters.

[frogesque]

Personally I've been around a bit but know nothing about model threads so I keep out. I'm happy enough to look out the window to know what the weather's doing!