Don't make me beg! :)

Hi folks,

I have posted this thought several times but, if you will allow me the indulgence, I really believe this is an issue of significant importance which merits to be discussed and considered on its own ...

Should the powers that be disagree with the above, close the thread at your discretion, and I will speak of it no longer.

I posted this earlier in a now defunct thread:

ATS mods and staff need to thread MORE!!!

Some of our most intelligent, engaging, controversial, imaginative, members keep getting modded ... and they disappear into Cosmic.

I understand that it's nice back there and drinks are free and plenty, and I realize the amount of time you are volunteering out of affection for the site, but please, some of you need to come back and get down and dirty with the rest of us ... we could really use you!

The "be the change you wish to see" mantra is surely a virtuous one ... but it really only works if it is applied literally and figuratively across the board.

Now I did a quick count and there's almost 70 of you who are mods and above. Each became that for all the above mentioned reasons and more ... let's say out of the 70, half of staff is "dormant" in any given time frame. That leaves over 30 active staff members on any given month.

If each of you vowed to do just 1 thread a month, just 1, we would have at least 30 ADDITIONAL high quality threads a month ... averaging to 1 a day. I mean look at the thread TheRedneck just authored just a few days ago. THAT is a mf thread!

Now two things I must clarify because peeps seem to always read more into things than they aught to ...

1. I am NOT saying that mods/staff are doing a poor job of it. I'm just saying that I/we need more of their exceptional contributions. It's a compliment ok.

2. This isn't a slight at others. Everyone, from the member that just registered to someone that's been here since 2002, brings something to the table and are each of equal importance.

We can all just keep doing what we're doing and that already makes for a terrific UGC platform, one that most folks by now know I am tremendously fond of.

What I am asking for is for help ...

And for my part I will try to do better, be better, contribute better.

Just 1 thread a month each ... will you please think about it?

I think they EAT the good members and the mods are really just bots.

Spooky, huh?

Glad I've never been modded.

Maybe some of them will prove me wrong and actually meet your plea head-on.



[edit on 14-12-2009 by loam]

IDK man but I think we're still hanging in there:

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Hellmutt authored an excellent thread last week as well. Not to mention some posting in Short Stories comps. The Debate tourny's, etc. I've actually sen an upturn in staff participation on the board lately.

Well, since you put it so nicely, I will try my best to create a thread at the very least, once a month.

Unfortunately for most, I am not of the caliber of most of the other Mods around here.., their posts are for the most part stunning and rewarding reads.

I will ask however that you too should treat us to your outstanding posts with increased rapidity...

In time, we shall see how this request evolves, as I for one am not inclined to ignore the wisdom you've shared.

I confess that I have started fewer threads; but it wasn't out of any special warm fuzzies that comes from dwelling in the Cosmic forum, which for all it's allure, is in the end, more of a business thread; and aside from the advice on modding or occasional pleasantries, can never be a substitute for the ATS board.

Thanks for the reminder!

reply to post by schrodingers dog




I agree...


There are a few Mods whose posts i used to love reading and as soon as they get modded... they don't have the time.



I understand that the owners want the best members as their staff too.... makes sense, but we the membership lose out in a way.


But i understand why they can't fit it all in too.... It's a tough one.

I think you should beg personally, but then I'm just that way out today

You make a good point, and I've been as guilty as anyone recently of not contributing as much as I used to, although I did author this;

Iraq War : Blair's backpeddaling on WMD's? (shameless plug there folks!!!!)

....on the single biggest issue politically of the last decade, which got flagged and starred but only a few replies - I guess it pales into insignificance to a Russian ICBM making pretty clouds in the upper atmosphere when one of its giros malfunctions.

Still, my writing absenteeism is down to a combination of a couple of things, not least is a new job thats sucking my time away like the event horizon of a CERN black hole, and the latest WOW patch - Shadow priests FTW!!!!

Still, Christmas is coming, and that means time off, and time off means more chance to write, so I'll do my best inbetween imbibing cold beers and the posts I write while I'm winning the debate tournament

Hi SD,

Would say I completely agree.


Yes indeed I may currently be claiming such other things as work, home, life commitments...of being a recent new father and so not having much free time to devote to not just posting threads - but also actively engaging within them. After all, starting a thread is one thing, maintaining it and actively engaging within it is another.


As others have pointed out, sometimes the time we have available here on site (despite what I sometimes read here, we're principally unpaid volunteers so don't receive a Govt or 'Alphabet Agency' paycheck) can be all but completely taken up with 'Mod work'.
So much certainly goes on behind the scenes, reviewing of Alerts etc we are sent by Members, responding to u2us sent by Members, following up all manner of things.

I guess ultimately - again despite what I sometimes read here - we tend to devote what time we may have here to addressing the presented needs/concerns of the Members.
Posting threads unfortunately comes secondary - well, it does to me anyway. I'd personally prefer to devote whatever time I'm able to spend here *helping* out.


We are looking at that though.
Perhaps something like a Mod-Roster type deal...whereby Mods take a 'Back to Grassroots' break for a period of time, cease Modding and spend some time being *a full Member* again.

I do miss the days of enjoying posting, enjoying reading, enjoying the discussion and the connections you get to share with other Members. Just actually spending time *being* here on this site.


Personally my own interests are around the Paranormal/Spirituality...and there are a number of topics I'd love to start threads on. Same also with UFO/Alien focussed discussions...

...and particularly the ethnic/cultural perspectives of paranormal/spirituality as well as Aliens/UFOS.
My own culture has many wonderous myths/legends/knowledges/histories around such.

Different cultures as we know have different perspectives...and through different cultures sharing a view through different eyes then we as a whole can increase our learnings and understandings.


Another benefit I see - and why I do agree - with more Mods starting threads is that it provides Members perhaps a better insight into the Staff here.
Perhaps through us more actively displaying who we are, where we come from, what makes us tick etc Members will see that no we aren't Govt-shills, no we aren't NWO-bully-boys, no we aren't all American, all male, all white, all christian, all atheist, all *insert target group here*...but rather Members may see more readily the variety and diversity of who we are.



Peace.

Keep Springers glass full, wash Skeptics car, shine Crak's shoes... and now you want us to author more threads.... man, we're going to need some clones to get all of this done.

[edit on 14-12-2009 by elevatedone]

Originally posted by elevatedone
Keep Springers glass full, wash Skeptics car, shine Crak's shoes... and now you want us to author more threads.... man, we're going to need some clones to get all of this done.

I'm hoping you mean "some" clones.

Mod Edit - corrected spelling mistake

[edit on 14-12-2009 by elevatedone]

...and today's award for Most Unfortunate Typo goes to...

@trep: More threadz from you for sure young man ... plus you're going to have plenty of free time in about 10 days.

@maxmars: You sir need to stop it with the humility and junk ... you're one of the most intelligent peeps I've ever had the fortune to cross paths with.

@nef: Sdog officially begs you personally!

@alien: Thanks for the terrific feedback ... though when you say:

We are looking at that though.
Perhaps something like a Mod-Roster type deal...whereby Mods take a 'Back to Grassroots' break for a period of time, cease Modding and spend some time being *a full Member* again.

Does that me that I will be (as per usual) blamed for this and repercussions will be yielded? (j/k)

@majic: You sir, have one of the most interesting threadz I have come across ... more please?

[edit on 14 Dec 2009 by schrodingers dog]

reply to post by Majic


No applause, no applause, just throw money.

This totally ruins my next thread idea:


"were the mods abducted by aliens?"

I was on the verge of a vast conspiracy, and now I'll have to update my research. It's obvious now that they've been replaced by reptilian shapeshifters.

Some Call It Sorcery

Originally posted by schrodingers dog
@majic: You sir, have one of the most interesting threadz I have come across ... more please?

Another one like that would have to wait for my next manic episode.

Mods post so much its almost embarrasing, as if they didnt have a real life or something.

Post-Count-Ranking (see members-list):

intrepid
marg6043
FredT
SkepticOverlord
Gazrok
Hellmut
masqua
Skyfloating
dgtempe
Nygdan
Chissler
infinite
elevatedone
semperfortis


75% of the Top 15 are Staff. Your thread is Debunked.



[edit on 14-12-2009 by Skyfloating]

reply to post by Skyfloating


Yeah but how many of those post are "work" related. (stay on topic, BBQ threads etc)

I think SDog is referring to Thread Starts.

I know I'm guilty of cutting way back in the last year or so.

Apart from the time factor, the topics I was most interested in (economics related etc) exploded onto the mainstream and I was no longer able to keep up. I also tired of the political game to the point where I usually don't even bother reading those topics anymore.

I do have some threads left in me...
.

reply to post by Skyfloating


Those who count the votes control the election ( This is a conspiracy site).

In all seriousness that count includes total time in ats, and might not disprove the concept of them posting less after being mod'ed. What numbers can we use to determine if the post count goes down after becoming a mod?

Im just fooling around. Ive voiced the same complaint before.

"Why do my favourite posters quit posting when they become Mods?"

Thanks for the reminder S-Dog

(I do recall a very recent thread by Gools on Stabilizing Police Force, a recent one by Hellmut on the Sky-Phenomenon, a recent one by MemoryShock on - you guessed it - mk, a recent one on GWarming by the Redneck etc.)

Originally posted by Seiko
reply to post by Skyfloating

 

Those who count the votes control the election ( This is a conspiracy site).

In all seriousness that count includes total time in ats, and might not disprove the concept of them posting less after being mod'ed. What numbers can we use to determine if the post count goes down after becoming a mod?

Pretty easy actually. Most of the top 50 are staff, as Sky pointed out. Then:

Number of members with more than 10,000 posts: 50
Quantity of posts by members with more than 10,000 posts: 837,335

www.abovetopsecret.com...

That means that those 50 people are responsible for about 15% of the content on ATS.

reply to post by Skyfloating


But what percentage were posted before becoming mods / admin etc and how many posts are on 'official' business?

I totally agree with the OP, some of the best contributors to ATS in my time have been elevated to Mod status and have subsequently reduced their contributions to next to nothing, (obviously there are some exceptions Skyfloating, )
In fact I can honestly say that I have failed to see a single contributory post off some of those still listed as Mods and I have noticed a marked decrease in posts from some of the more senior admins etc.

I think it would be unfair to highlight the mods in question but I honestly think this has contributed to the deterioration in standards here on ATS.

I would also like to say that another major contribution to the perceived current lack of quality here on ATS is that a lot of the quality contributors have been banned, some for unclear or seemingly innocuous reasons.

But ATS is still the best site of it's kind and I will continue to be an active member...but are other site's catching up??

Back on thread:
We do need our Mods to be active members on the boards if ATS is to continue at the forefront.


[edit on 14/12/09 by Freeborn]