Considering there has been quite a lot of discussion regarding the improvment of this forum, I thought it would be pertinent to create another thread specifically for said cause and eliminate the clutter within another farewell thread.
Many important issues regarding the quality of this forum have been brought to light, and in an attempt to remedy these problems we must have a decent plan or course of action. Over recent months, the quality of posts on this forum have really fallen down the drain, and this is due to a number of reasons, specifically such as: 1) Mass exodus of more established members 2) Creation of vbPlaza and vBookie which takes away from posting 3) Thief option which creates quarrels between members and 4) Arcade which also takes away from posting. Essentially, with people spending more time dealing with betting and arcade games, the one thing that this place was originally built for has taken a hit...namely the actual posts.
To raise the quality of discussion on this forum, many suggestions have been given to Marty, who seems to have his eyes open to this subject. Some of the suggestions are as follows:
1) Temporary/permanent closing of the Arcade, vBookie, and/or vbPlaza function(s) of this forum. As I stated earlier, these options can be very time consuming and thus take away from the true nature this forum was built for.
2) Temporary suspension of the reputation system. There has been far too many posts regarding reputation in recent months, and just as an Arms Race between nations, the race to receive reputation is very detrimental to the state of affairs in this place, especially when rep is given for the most trivial and nonsensical posts. This function has also created quarrels between some members.
3) Implementation of at least two new moderators, perhaps more, to insure the quality and well-being of the forum. The moderation on this forum is sporadic at best, and as Mikhail most recently stated he can only take care of posts that are reported or posts that he and his fellow moderating staff can see. Seeing that there has been quite a few threads that have succumb to fighting between members or turning into nothing more than "msn chit-chat," something needs to be done. NOTE: I personally feel that the selection of new moderators should not be a popularity contest, because we have seen the results of this practice before and it doesn't always turn out too pretty.
4) Possible implementation of a "senior members" subforum to address certain issues in the short run and to develop a greater standard of posting on the forum, as suggested by Tom.
5) Mass-unbanning of the better members despite being banned at least once for banable offenses, however still regarded as good members. There have been a few banned members who, while staying on topic, added a lot to this forum in terms of discussion and football knowledge. Posters such as Claire, Jaecole, and Seven know about football and would improve the quality of discussion on this forum. HOWEVER, it must be made clear that this is indeed their FINAL CHANCE and if they receive their warning and commit one more offense...they will be banned for GOOD. No question. With no chance of a reinstatement. This leads to the next point...
6) Amendments to forum rules. Looking at the rules section of this forum, there seems to be a lot left to be desired when talking about technicalities such as warnings and bans, and this needs to be improved so that a standard is clearly evident.
There have been other minor suggestions, and if I have missed any that you feel are important, please feel free to make a post explaining for your ideas or the ideas of others.
Certain members have also stated time and time again that it's easy to "talk the talk," and most of the time nothing ever comes from the good suggestions. If we really are serious about improving the quality of this place, we need to lobby for the changes before its forgotten, or even more frightening, before the problem becomes worse.
Many important issues regarding the quality of this forum have been brought to light, and in an attempt to remedy these problems we must have a decent plan or course of action. Over recent months, the quality of posts on this forum have really fallen down the drain, and this is due to a number of reasons, specifically such as: 1) Mass exodus of more established members 2) Creation of vbPlaza and vBookie which takes away from posting 3) Thief option which creates quarrels between members and 4) Arcade which also takes away from posting. Essentially, with people spending more time dealing with betting and arcade games, the one thing that this place was originally built for has taken a hit...namely the actual posts.
To raise the quality of discussion on this forum, many suggestions have been given to Marty, who seems to have his eyes open to this subject. Some of the suggestions are as follows:
1) Temporary/permanent closing of the Arcade, vBookie, and/or vbPlaza function(s) of this forum. As I stated earlier, these options can be very time consuming and thus take away from the true nature this forum was built for.
2) Temporary suspension of the reputation system. There has been far too many posts regarding reputation in recent months, and just as an Arms Race between nations, the race to receive reputation is very detrimental to the state of affairs in this place, especially when rep is given for the most trivial and nonsensical posts. This function has also created quarrels between some members.
3) Implementation of at least two new moderators, perhaps more, to insure the quality and well-being of the forum. The moderation on this forum is sporadic at best, and as Mikhail most recently stated he can only take care of posts that are reported or posts that he and his fellow moderating staff can see. Seeing that there has been quite a few threads that have succumb to fighting between members or turning into nothing more than "msn chit-chat," something needs to be done. NOTE: I personally feel that the selection of new moderators should not be a popularity contest, because we have seen the results of this practice before and it doesn't always turn out too pretty.
4) Possible implementation of a "senior members" subforum to address certain issues in the short run and to develop a greater standard of posting on the forum, as suggested by Tom.
5) Mass-unbanning of the better members despite being banned at least once for banable offenses, however still regarded as good members. There have been a few banned members who, while staying on topic, added a lot to this forum in terms of discussion and football knowledge. Posters such as Claire, Jaecole, and Seven know about football and would improve the quality of discussion on this forum. HOWEVER, it must be made clear that this is indeed their FINAL CHANCE and if they receive their warning and commit one more offense...they will be banned for GOOD. No question. With no chance of a reinstatement. This leads to the next point...
6) Amendments to forum rules. Looking at the rules section of this forum, there seems to be a lot left to be desired when talking about technicalities such as warnings and bans, and this needs to be improved so that a standard is clearly evident.
There have been other minor suggestions, and if I have missed any that you feel are important, please feel free to make a post explaining for your ideas or the ideas of others.
Certain members have also stated time and time again that it's easy to "talk the talk," and most of the time nothing ever comes from the good suggestions. If we really are serious about improving the quality of this place, we need to lobby for the changes before its forgotten, or even more frightening, before the problem becomes worse.
Buy on AliExpress.com