Forum-Improvement Suggestions

[LeftCoastLady 441]

Kathryn, in that case, then why are the questions regarding the post-NOA2 process (or even pre-petition submission queries) moved by mods to the regional/country subfora? If the intention is to have all K-1 related items from NOA1 to Interview stage, for example, housed in one area, that's one thing, but there are plenty of instances where threads have either been moved by a mod or a mod has stated in a thread that they should inquire about a certain item in the subforum.

From what you're stating, it seems the idea would be to have everything posted in the K-1 forum no matter the country. Though, I have to admit, I could see that being quite confusing since there are stark differences between what's needed for someone going through London vs. say, Lagos.

Edited June 16, 2012 by LeftCoastLady

[TBoneTX 45,288]

I agree with all of his suggestions, but I wanted to go a little further with some opinions on pinned threads. [...]

Jim, these are great policies; hypothetically, how might they be put into practice or effect?

Hypothetically, given the setup and status of the forums & pinned threads, and because the Admiral wants help (as he's said), what might be the first steps?

Hypothetically, who should be involved, and how, when, and to what extent? What parts of the workload might be spread around, to avoid overburdening the burdened?

It would be great to hear from Jim and from others, too, si man.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

Jim, these are great policies; hypothetically, how might they be put into practice or effect?

Hypothetically, given the setup and status of the forums & pinned threads, and because the Admiral wants help (as he's said), what might be the first steps?

Hypothetically, who should be involved, and how, when, and to what extent? What parts of the workload might be spread around, to avoid overburdening the burdened?

It would be great to hear from Jim and from others, too, si man.

I'm not sure about the technical aspects. I've never managed a forum that used IP.Board software. I'm more familiar with phpBB and vBulletin. I assume that IP.Board has more or less the same sort of management tools that other forum software systems have. I know that posts can be moved or deleted and that threads can be split because I've seen it done by organizers and mods here. I don't know if there's an automated way for a post to be copied to another thread, but that can be done manually, if need be. You open a reply to the post in it's original thread and then copy the post contents and paste them into a new post in the pinned thread. The author of the post in the pinned thread will appear to be the admin who copied the post (or, preferably, the editorial board account), but the quoted post will appear with the proper attribution to the original author, as well as a link to the original post. You just have to make sure you copy the opening "quote" tag correctly.

The editorial board itself only needs to be a few members who are willing to do the work. That work involves reviewing posts that have been suggested for inclusion in a pinned thread, researching them for accuracy, discussing with the other editors, and finally voting on whether to include the post. Most forum software has the ability to create hidden forums that only certain members can see. A forum like this can be created for the editorial board to discuss and vote on suggested posts. An odd number of people should be selected to ensure a vote never results in a draw. A privileged account with a name like "Editor" can be created. All members of the editorial board should have access to this account, and be able to login as "Editor". All edits to the pinned threads should be done using the "Editor" account. Regular members can send PM's to the "Editor" account to suggest posts for inclusion in a pinned thread. The editorial board can create threads in their private forum with a copy of the recommended post for discussion and voting. This doesn't need to take a lot of a person's time because it's not urgent like moderating the open forums. It shouldn't be a problem if the editors want to take a couple of weeks to consider a post.

The editorial board wouldn't need to consist of people who are already organizers or moderators unless those people are willing to take on the extra duties. The forum's management should discuss potential members for nomination to the editorial board, and then approach that member via PM.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Kathryn, in that case, then why are the questions regarding the post-NOA2 process (or even pre-petition submission queries) moved by mods to the regional/country subfora? If the intention is to have all K-1 related items from NOA1 to Interview stage, for example, housed in one area, that's one thing, but there are plenty of instances where threads have either been moved by a mod or a mod has stated in a thread that they should inquire about a certain item in the subforum.

From what you're stating, it seems the idea would be to have everything posted in the K-1 forum no matter the country. Though, I have to admit, I could see that being quite confusing since there are stark differences between what's needed for someone going through London vs. say, Lagos.

There are a variety of reasons why this happens. Remember that Organizers move threads as well, not just Moderators. There are specific circumstances where the question is not so much K-1 or CR-1 specific but Consulate specific and the post either originates or is moved to a regional forum. Sometimes there will be duplicate posts in each forum, and while we discourage duplicate posts there are occasions where it really is the best option to have a thread on the same situation in each forum as there are different 'audiences' available and the answers will reflect both audiences' input.

Sometimes the thread is moved in error, either by a new or inexperienced Moderator or Organizer who is still learning his or her way through the process, and sometimes it is moved because of a subjective belief by the Moderator or Organizer that it should be in the Regional forum, whether that is the right decision or not.

Ideally, yes, it is the process involved that would determine the forum in which the post was made. The immigration process posts should remain in the immigration specific forums. The regional forums were originally set up to deal with the non-immigration specific questions members had such as what hotel is the best one to stay in when I go for my K-1 interview, or how do I get to the Consulate from the bus station, or can someone recommend a good restaurant in the area - questions that are regional specific and only transitionally related to the immigration processes involved. The Regionals generally do provide a supportive environment for others from those countries, however not always.

It isn't a perfect system because no matter how much we would like to stream line or categorize things, immigration isn't a one size fits all. So, we generalize some things and specify with others in what appears to be the best circumstances at that time. It isn't a static situation, though, and the decisions about these can change, as circumstances change. Ultimately, it is the Site Owner/Administrator's decision about how things are set up and managed, based upon his own goals and objectives for this site and with a healthy ear to recommendations from the members of his moderation and organization teams.

Edited June 16, 2012 by Kathryn41

[TBoneTX 45,288]

The forum's management should discuss potential members for nomination to the editorial board, and then approach that member via PM.

Well, Management would certainly be the Admiral, si man, and (I'm supposing, for functional reasons) also include Kathryn, si ma'am. Admiral & K., what among Jim's ideas sounds palatable, feasible, and workable? What would be the way to proceed? If you would need to caucus privately, what might be the time frame for your response about all this?

It would still be great to hear input from others, too, about how to improve the pinned threads and make them even more valuable.

[Darnell 8,478]

Thanks for moving the K-3 forums, si Man !

Bold/Italic have been fixed. I would love help to get the rest fixed .

Maybe farm out the work to yer current mods, then? Yes?

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Thanks for moving the K-3 forums, si Man !

Maybe farm out the work to yer current mods, then? Yes?

Yeah, I probably don't need the 5 hours sleep I am currently getting each night. I can just donate those too to Visa Journey.

Edited June 18, 2012 by Kathryn41

[^_^ 5,021]

Yeah, I probably don't need the 5 hours sleep I am currently getting each night. I can just donate those too to Visa Journey.

Slacker.

[TBoneTX 45,288]

Yeah, I probably don't need the 5 hours sleep I am currently getting each night. I can just donate those too to Visa Journey.

Well, that's why the recruitment of other members for this project would be optimal. Would appreciate suggestions (from K. & others).

[Darnell 8,478]

Yeah, I probably don't need the 5 hours sleep I am currently getting each night. I can just donate those too to Visa Journey.

Hi Kathryn ! When last I checked, yer not the only one on the Mod team - I beg of you , don't take any 'extra work' personally - it's on the Cap'n to farm out the work to the Mods that can handle the workload.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Darnell, everyone on the mod team is equally as busy. There really isn't any extra time available from the mod team to do more than moderate. Work, family, personal lives - we all have these as well as being responsible for moderation activity and being 'on call' to respond to reports when our personal responsibilities allow us to be available.

[Penny Lane 8,159]

Make me a mod. I have a desk job that has me sitting on VJ for eight hours a day.

[^_^ 5,021]

Make me a mod. I have a desk job that has me sitting on VJ for eight hours a day.

Sorry, but the job requirement is a lot more than 8 hours. You do realize there are 24 hours in each day, yes?

[Penny Lane 8,159]

Sorry, but the job requirement is a lot more than 8 hours. You do realize there are 24 hours in each day, yes?

I thought it was obvious that I was just kidding.

We all know the only way to become a mod is to make a thread about it the second you join the site, and then simply pretend to be one until it happens.

Edited June 21, 2012 by Evylin

[rade2rising 205]

evylin the chance of you becoming mod are same as george bush winning the upcoming election. good luck in your journey.