HOW NOT TO HAVE YOUR THREAD MOVED.
I doubt there’s a soul in Gaia who hasn’t made a thread and had it moved for some reason. I’m guilty of misplaced threads, too. The forum lines are often easily blurred. Here’s hoping this guide will help whoever reads this to avoid putting time into a thread only to have the annoying “Your thread is moved!” PM pop up. Because to be honest, it’s just as annoying for helpers/moderators to have to keep moving threads as it is to have that PM pop up for you.
Before you make a thread, try checking these guidelines:
1 – Check the forum descriptions and select the right forum. Every forum on the site has a description that should tell you just enough to get a good idea of its purpose. Some of the forum descriptions can be pretty broad, so check inside the forum to make sure there aren’t subforums that are more suited for your topic. For example, if you wanted to talk about Lord of the Rings, don’t just post in the Entertainment forum. There is a subforum for that inside of the forum.
2 – Read the guidelines of any forum BEFORE you post in them. All of the forums have rules about what you can or can’t post in there. Not only will it explain the forum’s theme in more detail than the forum description will, but it will also outline other rules. The forum you want may have rules against bumping in topics or making a post and leaving or may have rules regarding how you set up your topics, so check these beforehand so you don’t get in trouble.
3 – Check thread topics to make sure you’re the first. Before making your thread, check at least the first two pages of topics in the forum. You don’t need to read through every thread on those two pages, just skim through the titles to get a general idea of what each topic is about. Topics that do not give an idea of the discussion, like ones titled, “what if…” or, “Is it right to…” can usually be disregarded unless it’s been active for some time. If you see the topic you wanted to make, don’t make your thread. Instead, carry on the discussion in that thread.
4 – Follow the rules. If you decide to make your topic after going through all of this, make your thread with the forum guidelines in mind. As said before, most forum guidelines have some rule dealing with how you make your topic. For example, not many forums appreciate threads with one-line starter posts. Most forums require some substance to their threads. If you are in the Morality + Religion forum talking about a new justification for believing in God, don’t just make a thread saying “I believe in God!” Your thread will go over well if you state your position and explain why you believe so. (However, it is very possible that that topic is already covered)
5 – You are human. No matter what steps you take to avoid making a misplaced thread, odds are it will happen to you. So don’t get frustrated and DON’T yell at the mod/helper that moved your thread. This could get you banned. The mods/helpers are only doing their jobs, and there is likely a good reason why your thread was moved in the first place. If you read this guideline or if the mod/helper made notes to explain why your thread was moved you should be able to figure out the flaw in your thread. If it is unclear, don’t be afraid to ask the mod/helper what went wrong. But please, do this POLITELY for the sake of learning your mistake. It is extremely irritating to receive ten PMs in your inbox from people angrily demanding their thread be replaced.
REASONS WHY YOUR THREAD COULD BE MOVED: If your regular forum is crowded, lacks moderators, or both, it probably has a bunch of threads that need moving or deleting. Many times there are few moderators online at any given time, so the ones who log on have their work cut out for them. Because of this it is not uncommon for your thread to get moved or deleted without an explanation why. In order to improve or just get an answer, you may have to find that reason yourself. Look at your post and try to see if it falls under these categories:
1 – Misplaced. Your thread may not be in the proper forum. Check the forum description and guidelines again or for the first time, and then look and see if there are forums that suit your thread better. The forums are organized so that it shouldn’t be too hard or time-consuming. If you are unsure of where your thread can go, ask a moderator. (Mods/helper responsibilities are listed below to help find whch moderator to ask) I know that in the Extended Discussion forum it is not uncommon for users to post misplaced threads there in order to gain more respectful and intelligent responses or just more responses than one could find in more suitable forms like GD, GCD, or the CB. This reasoning is understandable, but still not admissible. Threads are judged for content only, not target audience. Misplaced threads are usually moved to their appropriate forums.
2 – Repeat topic. It also isn’t uncommon for users to make a thread when there is still an active discussion on the same topic available. This wastes forum space and are usually moved to the Recycle Bin. Two common reasons why people make repeat topics are: Lack of knowledge of the older thread, and a desire to present information not present in the current thread. The former can be fixed with a quick look at forum titles on the first two pages of any forum. The latter reason can be fixed by posting the new information in the older thread to promote new discussion.
3 – Rants. These are threads based mostly on venting the poster’s frustrations than on provoking a calmer discussion. These are better suited to the journals and are usually moved to the Chatterbox.
4 – Spam. These threads make no attempt at discussion and usually focus on posting for gold or posting nonsense. These are moved to the Chatterbox along with the rants.
5 – Trolling. Like spam, except these threads are intentionally offensive nonsense threads meant only to provoke outrage. These threads are usually deleted.
6 – TOS Violations. These include but are not limited to pictures above a rating of PG-13, advertisements to other websites, and Jesusbots. These are also deleted.
WHY DON’T THREAD TYPES 5 AND 6 GET DELETED QUICKLY? This answer is simple: Threads up for deletion cannot be touched by helpers and therefore have to go through the report queue. The queue is usually full up and threads in it are dealt with on a first-reported, first-serve basis. Because of this, it may take a while for certain threads to be deleted. If you can find a Dedicated moderator or Global Moderator (purple and teal names, respectively) online at the time of posting, you may PM them and (politely!) ask for it to be deleted. Be sure to include a link in that PM and look for a moderator specific to your forum first before looking to other forums.
WHICH MODERATORS CAN DO WHAT? Gaia has a bit of a Hierarchy going on and moderator responsibilities can get confusing. Here it is in simple terms:
-Regular user (black): Can make threads, vote in polls, and make posts. Can also delete posts made, but cannot retract votes or delete threads.
-Gaia Helper (black): Only new ability is to move threads. This authority is specific to one or more forums and therefore cannot move threads posted all over the site. Also cannot delete threads or handle reports, scammers, or hackers.
-Dedicated Moderator: Also works in a specific part of the site, but can delete threads.
-Global Moderator: Works all over the site and can handle abuse and harassment cases.
-Omnimoderator: Deals with hackings, scammings, and account issues.
Due to a design change as of 6/16/07 all moderators have green usernames on the forums. There should, however, be a description of their duty beneath their username. The responsibilities of all moderators remain the same.
Developers, on the other hand, have a new change in username color. Their names will show up in brown These are teh people to ask about Gaia's features.
-Administrator (orangy-yellow) Handles sitewide development. DO NOT PM.
I do hope this helped. I’m not fool enough to think that this will immediately stop the spam in every forum, but I know there are people who make misplaced threads by mistake. Plus as said before, it isn’t fun to keep moving threads any more than it is to have your thread moved.
Half Baked SF · Fri Jun 08, 2007 @ 03:23pm · 1 Comments |