Hey everyone! It's been a while since I've done a discussion thread: but hopefully that's given you some time to recuperate from by endless ramblings. :P
Today I want to make a post pushing for some changes to our auth system, and how we run it. I want to keep this brief, so I'm going to go right into things. The first on a list of things I want to address is:
The expert status, and its parameters
For me, there's been a lingering feeling for a while that a points-based requirement isn't the best way to find good candidates for the expert status. As much as I appreciate the mystic of reaching 6k and completing a goal, I've felt for a while that the number is too high, and takes too long to reach.
The issue is we can't simply choose another number, because the next time there's a fluctuation in activity, the difficulty of reaching it will change again and we'll have a similar problem. So, in light of the fact there have been plenty of people over the years who deserved editing powers before they got them:
As of today, 6,000 points is no longer a requirement for expert status. I/we are going to start considering people for the position on their merits, as opposed to a numerical measure. Pokemaster gave the thumbs up for this change a while ago, so I think it's overdue now that I commit to it!
So how is this going to work? I'm open to anything, honestly. We as staff members will probably initiate a lot of this, but I also think nominations would be good. As things stand, the factors I would consider would be maturity, post quality, how long the person has been around, and how interested they are in the community.
And you bet there are good candidates right now! I'm mindful not to overextend myself, so these guys can turn me down if they like: but to start I want to nominate KRLW890 and Gekky for expert! Both active and quality contributors, and for a long time. If either of you are up for it, let me know :)
Feel free to discuss this change, other nominations etc. There's more to address, though:
Mods, editors, and lack of auth
I have been overdue to talk about editors for a long time. Despite a jump in activity of late, I'd say we're as understaffed as we've ever been -- and with the franchise to build traction in the next couple years, it is time we got some new faces formally into our mod team.
These names have been thrown around for months now, so it should come as no surprise to anyone that I'm pushing again for Hellfire Taco and PX to get a promotion. Both already have a massive hand in keeping this community clean and presentable, and are high-quality, long-term contributors.
...In fact, I would heavily consider promoting them both to moderator. They should have gotten editor a year ago, and have nothing left to prove in terms of how they conduct themselves here. Promoting editors does nothing to help our moderator shortage, too: I honestly think we might as well.
And in addition, it would be a good step toward being more proactive with the way we run our auth system. This was the main reason for me making this post: I think a stronger effort on behalf of me, the community and Pokemaster is needed to keep things running smoothly.
We cannot have another period where there's only one mod who can actively address issues on this site.
Finally, however:
I WANT MOAR POWERS!
I do actually. But I'd like to think it's also for the benefit of the community. :P
Basically, I've believed for a while that there are some missing pieces from our repertoire of punishing instruments ways to keep the community tidy. Namely, I want to suggest that you give moderators the ability to do the following things, Pokemaster:
- See who voted on posts. It says you have this power on your profile. Can we have it too? It would make it a lot faster for us to prove and deal with spam voters.
- Delete any wall post. There have been times in the past where some bad things have been posted on user walls, and we've been powerless to do much about it. Frankly, it's not fast enough nor practical to have you deal with it every time. Can we do it ourselves? (PX also points out it would make sense to give editors this one too.)
- Edit anyone's profile. We can see a button that lets us edit people's accounts, but it only lets us promote experts and toggle avatar preferences. We should be able to clear out text fields as well, for the same reason as above.
- Change the rules page. Community issues and new moderating standards come and go all the time: and with the rules page being our public reference book, I think it's appropriate that we have the ability to keep it up to date.
- Anything else you think we could use to run the dictatorship keep things orderly.
...And that'll just about do it from me. Let me know what you think of these changes and suggestions! I'm hoping we can set up an environment where we talk a lot more about auth and where we're at in terms of mod presence.
