New K1 subforums?

[Marilyn. 340]

Has anyone got the "Mover" option yet?

I know Ewok has moved some threads already, but there seems to be another thread appeared called "Touched" in the K1 forum.

some people were given this option awhile back already... He is just going to add more people now.....

[William33 110]

The most productive thread I have seen on this site!!!

The new sub-topic will require additional moderation. I think it will be handled appropriately.

[GrenadianCrix 1]

hey Sue,

There's n00bs and there's newcomers. You know which you are... the rest of us do, too.

thanks

sue

[Tinker 0]

I can understand the K1subforums, but moving things related to the K1 questions, to the consulate forum???????????????

Everything is all over the place now. What is going on?

Going to bed, hopefully I can find the things I'm looking for tomorrow

[William33 110]

I can understand the K1subforums, but moving things related to the K1 questions, to the consulate forum???????????????

Everything is all over the place now. What is going on?

Going to bed, hopefully I can find the things I'm looking for tomorrow

You mean moving Embassy related topics to the Embassy forum? Appropriate. Once you move past USCIS on the K-1, it's NVC topic or Embassy.

In fact, most Non K-1 related questions posted, which have been majority as of late, were moved to the appropriate area.

Simply to get the question answered by experienced individuals that frequent those areas.

[J&D_anon 0]

I saw the new Forum right away and I am very happy with it.

I am glad that we finally came to a solution, now we will wait and see, how that works out

Diana

[MichelleandCraig 1]

Good job, Cap.

Is there going to be a way to not leave a trail behind when threads are moved though....as I pointed out earlier (and RJ and others...) the forum is going to stay quite cluttered, at least in the beginning, if that doesn't change. I don't know if it's possible to eliminate the "moved" if a thread gets moved, but if you can, it might be something to consider. Perhaps you're thinking that once people get used to this there won't be a reason to move so many threads, so it won't be a problem...I'm not sure. I think, however, as new members join the site it will continue to be a problem...until they're used to how things work around here, they will just post to the first K1 forum they see more than likely. Just my thoughts again....glad you made the forum though..it should help a lot! M.

[Captain Ewok 1,891]

Good job, Cap.

Is there going to be a way to not leave a trail behind when threads are moved though....as I pointed out earlier (and RJ and others...) the forum is going to stay quite cluttered, at least in the beginning, if that doesn't change. I don't know if it's possible to eliminate the "moved" if a thread gets moved, but if you can, it might be something to consider. Perhaps you're thinking that once people get used to this there won't be a reason to move so many threads, so it won't be a problem...I'm not sure. I think, however, as new members join the site it will continue to be a problem...until they're used to how things work around here, they will just post to the first K1 forum they see more than likely. Just my thoughts again....glad you made the forum though..it should help a lot! M.

There is not an easy way to PM people as you also want people who read the thread earlier to be able to find it again. The moved topic link will be pushed down when new topics are posted. So the answer is that without leaving the link back then the original poster and other readers would have no clue where it went.

One thing of note is that since people here mentioned that new members were having trouble searching for things I decided to upgrade the main search tool at the top. People can now search the entire site including the forums with it. The old forums search is available in the forums still (see members bar).

[Andy 2]

The new sub-forum looks fine to me. It's not quite what I had in mind since I was anticipating the new area to appear under the existing K-1 topic on the main page as a separate object from it, but a sub-forum works just as well if it stands out sufficiently. The only complaint I see is that because it's a sub-forum, there isn't a line of text to explain what it's for as there is with the renamed K-1 topic.

I was thinking about the 'moved' thread links appearing in the K-1 area, and at first it seemed a bad thing to keep seeing them, but in retrospect it's not because aside from the fact they'll move down and the way they appear in the list doesn't impede quick scanning of the active threads, it also has to be said that they act as a sort of guide to everyone too - that posts about NOAs and case progress get put somewhere else - a sort of passive moderating.

And while on the subject of moderators, to my mind the question of who they should be and whether they are known or not was where this issue got stuck last time.

My own view is that moderators should be appointed from amongst the membership. Known, long-standing members. They should have the 'moderator' tag attached to posts such that it is visible when they contribute, because for the most part their contributions would be to help guide discussions rather than edit them. The objective would be to keep topics on-topic and the posting climate as positive as possible with the lightest touch possible, and that means they have to be trusted to be able to exercise good judgement and fairness, but be able to withstand the stresses and strains of occasional abuse in reaction to their posts which would inevitably follow when certain posters are aggrieved at being 'nudged' back into line. They need to be members who are respected already, or at least who's contributions are respected - though in the somewhat combative climate out there, that might be hard to achieve!

Finally, they should be appointed for a limited time at first, such that if their actions as moderators are not appropriate to the task, another will be appointed in their place at a set time (if not before).

Above all, when responding to immigration questions, a member who is also a moderator will have to be mindful that their view, opinion or statement can readily be taken to be representative of Visa Journey as a whole rather than just of themselves as a member, making the appropriate phrasing of contributions more crucial than for any other member. Moderators must absolutely be capable of thinking first, and acting after!

[Andy 2]

Oh, and as for how they are chosen.... the problem is that Captain Ewok has to be able to work closely with them and have trust in them as part of the 'management team' so in reality he's going to have to pick them. There are several ways of going about it, the only really bad one is by asking for volunteers. I'd say the best way is one of two methods:

Method 1: Captain Ewok decides, based on whatever criteria appears to him to be most appropriate to the forum and after giving whatever thought he sees as necessary. It's not as arbitrary as it seems to do it that way - it was how the original moderating team were picked, and (not speaking for myself but the others) worked very well in practice.

Method 2: We start a new thread here asking for nominations for moderators, where any person nominating someone has to give a brief explanation as to why. After a set period, nominations close and Captain Ewok then decides who won. We can't risk it being done by popular vote because there are too many possible 'winners' who are popular because they belong to a clique or group and who would win for that reason rather than their moderating skills.

Of the two, I'd favor method 1. It's simplest and ensures Captain Ewok retains overall control. I propose 5 moderators be selected with the objective of setting them loose no later than mid-April, for perhaps 3 months as a trial. Any of the 5 could have that status revoked if there are a significant volume of complaints which Captain Ewok adjudges to be fair. If, after 3 months it seems to be working well, the moderators continue in place.

[MichelleandCraig 1]

Sounds like it would be a good idea to me, Andy! M.

[Mags 112]

Oh, and as for how they are chosen.... the problem is that Captain Ewok has to be able to work closely with them and have trust in them as part of the 'management team' so in reality he's going to have to pick them. There are several ways of going about it, the only really bad one is by asking for volunteers. I'd say the best way is one of two methods:

Method 1: Captain Ewok decides, based on whatever criteria appears to him to be most appropriate to the forum and after giving whatever thought he sees as necessary. It's not as arbitrary as it seems to do it that way - it was how the original moderating team were picked, and (not speaking for myself but the others) worked very well in practice.

Method 2: We start a new thread here asking for nominations for moderators, where any person nominating someone has to give a brief explanation as to why. After a set period, nominations close and Captain Ewok then decides who won. We can't risk it being done by popular vote because there are too many possible 'winners' who are popular because they belong to a clique or group and who would win for that reason rather than their moderating skills.

Of the two, I'd favor method 1. It's simplest and ensures Captain Ewok retains overall control. I propose 5 moderators be selected with the objective of setting them loose no later than mid-April, for perhaps 3 months as a trial. Any of the 5 could have that status revoked if there are a significant volume of complaints which Captain Ewok adjudges to be fair. If, after 3 months it seems to be working well, the moderators continue in place.

Definitely the first one. If you go the nomination and voting route you are asking for trouble, IMO. People will start voting tactically and I bet there will be multiple accounts opened so people can vote more than once for a certain person.

I know the Captain doesn't need to be told who to choose and that's not what I am doing. But I know that in general people like Marilyn P, Rebeccajo, TracyTN, William33, Meauxna, and Jenn are IMMENSELY liked and respected on VJ. They don't get into petty squabbles, have a balanced POV, don't take offence easily and are fair and intelligent. You need people like that on a moderating team.

Edited March 29, 2007 by mags

[TracyTN 237]

I am all about coming up with a way to get more moderating done here. Should we start a 'moderating discussion' thread and veer off topic as much as possible? JOKE. But maybe the new thread for it is a good idea.

And thanks for the vote of confidence, mags. I have moderated at boards before - the last time being in a politics forum (you can imagine how dicey that'd get! My tack was only to get involved if I felt I had to (or if a thread was pointed out to me).

Some of the names mags mentioned came to mind for me as well: rebeccajo, meauxna, Jenn, Marilyn, William. I also thought of lal_brandow.

[Yodrak 7]

jenn,

I was thinking the same.

Yodrak

I was thinking that the new forum would be a place for congratulatory posts for *all* stages of the visa journey, not just K1s.

[Andy 2]

It may not be a good idea to put names forward at this point so much as focus purely on the need for better moderation, the parameters of moderating work, and the method and circumstances of selection. If, for example, it is felt that Captain Ewok ought to be the arbiter of choice in selection, it's unjust to push names forward here that could influence choice to the possible detriment of others who are busy in other areas and not mentioned here.

Personally, I'd like to see an agreement on there being member-based moderators appointed and have their roles clarified before there was any suggestion as to who might be best suited. Different roles may warrant consideration of different people after all.