Is it just me or is TFormers a wasteland right now?

[madman1366]

I guess that was one of the things that did bother me back a few years ago when I was around here more. There was simply too much mod interference and it got tiresome. As far as I'm concerned, so long as things don't get physically threatening or just over the top insane then topics shouldn't be getting locked or so many warnings issued. It kind of defeats the purpose of having some really good discussions, because like it or not, the best discussions are usually very opinionated and aren't always the friendliest or simply have sensitive issues. It seemed like there for awhile almost anytime there were too many contrasting view points a thread would simply be locked at any sign that the discussion could turn ugly, whether it actually did or not.

 

Plus I always thought mods tried too hard to monitor for the sake of kids...when I don't really think I've met anyone younger than a late teenager on these forums, ever. Not gonna say that there aren't some younger ones around, but stuff like this I don't see holding the interest of younger kids. So I think it's safe to say 99%+ of the people are plenty old enough to take a little more liberty than what was previously allowed. I liked other sites because I didn't have to worry about keeping all my posts to a PG level rating.

 

Debates and arguments can be good things. Where I draw the line is when people go on the attack. With any thread I've moderated, I've given the thread users 2 chances to turn it around and only lock down when no one heeds the warning. I know that can be perceived as 'dull', but the last thing that should happen here is having people getting hurt and walking off. I'd much rather be accused of being too strict than watch someone walk away from the site because they got abused.

 

 

I have no doubt there were lots of mods around who never felt the need to get as involved as others did. Some mods would wait until it appeared things were getting too personal, but some would freak out and lock down topics for some of the dumbest reasons...some I could never even begin to understand.

 

I guess it only really bothered me when otherwise it was a pretty good discussion with only one or two asshats who couldn't tone it down getting them locked. I know you're at the mercy of what the mod options of the site let you do, I'd say a better option would be the ability to lock individual posters from the offending topics rather than locking the topic, with the exception being if the topic itself is just drawing too much heat. I guess that's an idea for the people actually programming these sites.

 

The most difficult thing in the world is trying to determine a persons real intent when it comes to posting. What can seem rather tongue in cheek to one, can seem rude and offensive to another.

 

I don't mind some heat. I don't mind if people get downright pissed at each other, so long as they do it respectfully. I've found that most of the time things will work themselves out. Either they will find resolution, or it will simply burn itself out. If I were the mods facing this, anyone on the verge of going over the line would be asked in a PM to ease it back or to take the matter up with whoever they are at it with in private if they can't.

 

They never really ever did that, and instead a lot of good discussions went bye-bye...so did a lot of people with them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As for discussing a lot of the same topics...I don't mind that. I never mind talking about the same things with newer people who weren't around before. So long as it's not always the SAME people having the same discussions it's all good! I love Transformers and I could sit here and talk about them all day, in any kind of way. Been that way ever since I bought that first pre-TF red Sunstreaker when I was a kid at TRU.

[Tripredacus]

I have no doubt there were lots of mods around who never felt the need to get as involved as others did. Some mods would wait until it appeared things were getting too personal, but some would freak out and lock down topics for some of the dumbest reasons...some I could never even begin to understand.

 

That's not exclusive to here. Not everyone is as active as a mod when they get promoted. Even on "my" forum, there are about 20 mods, but only about 3 or 4 are really active. Everyone does things different than everyone else and that's basically what you are seeing. And definately it is also true that not all mods will agree with each other either. I see other mods do things that I wouldn't do but it all comes down to the forum rules and also definately need to all work together and talk about things. Although, with a couple of exceptions, the TF fandom is a bit more... um... passionate than what I get to deal with. :tflaugh

[BaCon]

Wow, what an amazing read. Didn't want to jump in and spoil the comments. But seriously, there is nothing to hide here. You guys have it about right about the forums. Tformers is a popular news site that has taken on forums and many other things over the years. We do not currently have the same time and resources focused on forums that you will find on other sites. It is just a handful of people doing stuff here that I think is pretty well run considering.

 

That said, the credit for the good times really goed to SFC who focused an enormous amount of energy on the forums. Early on, the Web was new and exciting stuff. So people poured a lot of time into these communities. That has changed, and has had the biggest impact on the forums here. I imagine Seibertron and TFW get by having dozens of people on staff. We have but a few now.

 

That said. No excuses about how / why things are the way they are. I admit I do not know what to change so things are to your liking. Starting right now. This community is yours to make better. If people want to help out beyond what they can do with the existing member tools. Please PM me. HOWEVER, my hope is to not make this *work* for anyone. Rather, make a community where anyone can help when they want to.

 

Serious. If you want us to axe the dedicated news section and incorporate it another way. You got it. You want a classic TFans skin. We can do that. Games and modules can be added easier than adding staff. So that is something we can do if the current software allows it. Monthly member giveaways. We'll get to work on that. Remove the Customs and Collection gallery posting, OK.

 

What else can WE do?

[jeffafa]

It took until today to really see what Jason was talking about. Take the post about encore devs. TFormers posted the news first (i believe) and only three people commented on it so far here. TFW has a ton of comments on the same story. I see a bunch of F bombs being dropped there. I wonder if being less kid friendly is a bigger draw to adult collectors who will actually post on forums.

[Breaker]

Wow, what an amazing read. Didn't want to jump in and spoil the comments. But seriously, there is nothing to hide here. You guys have it about right about the forums. Tformers is a popular news site that has taken on forums and many other things over the years. We do not currently have the same time and resources focused on forums that you will find on other sites. It is just a handful of people doing stuff here that I think is pretty well run considering.

 

That said, the credit for the good times really goed to SFC who focused an enormous amount of energy on the forums. Early on, the Web was new and exciting stuff. So people poured a lot of time into these communities. That has changed, and has had the biggest impact on the forums here. I imagine Seibertron and TFW get by having dozens of people on staff. We have but a few now.

 

That said. No excuses about how / why things are the way they are. I admit I do not know what to change so things are to your liking. Starting right now. This community is yours to make better. If people want to help out beyond what they can do with the existing member tools. Please PM me. HOWEVER, my hope is to not make this *work* for anyone. Rather, make a community where anyone can help when they want to.

 

Serious. If you want us to axe the dedicated news section and incorporate it another way. You got it. You want a classic TFans skin. We can do that. Games and modules can be added easier than adding staff. So that is something we can do if the current software allows it. Monthly member giveaways. We'll get to work on that. Remove the Customs and Collection gallery posting, OK.

 

What else can WE do?

 

Thats a terrifying post.

[BaCon]

I wonder if being less kid friendly is a bigger draw to adult collectors who will actually post on forums.

 

FWIW, I don't think we have ever been that popular where people are camped waiting to respond en mass. :D We've always been a more laid back site where its okay not to have every TF and know every detail or yee be slagged for it.

 

Is it kind of unfair to make these comparisons? Basically, there is always going to be a few top sites. Even Tformers is the top 10. So does every other site get slagged for not being more awesomer? I don't think anyone running a site is in it for the power. It is just too much work. We all do this for you. I feel kind of bad for people working on sites these, big and small. They are being judged for not having the better burger when they just want to serve up the fun.

 

Thats a terrifying post.

 

Dare - dare to believe you can survive

You hold the future in your hand

Dare - dare to keep all of your dreams alive

It's time to take a stand

And you can win, if you dare

[Breaker]

Look let me be perfectly honest here.

 

I love this forum. Of the 3 staff members I'm acquainted with )BaCon, BWBM, Blitz-Wing) I've found them to be more then fair and courteous (not trying to kiss ass, just saying). I like the layout of the forums as is. I agree that the Animated section needs to be moved or archived and replaced instead with Prime or something. I feel like the galleries are decent but it's hard to navigate them swiftly and sometimes I have trouble accessing my own content on the rare occasion I want to. Not sure why, could just be user error.

 

The Database I find perplexing. It's really cool but I can never find the freakin thing unless it's updated and a news posts alerts me to the fact. It needs to be more accessible in my opinion. Maybe even put a search bar somewhere in the main page or forums that could jet you right over to the appropriate database materials.

 

I feel like there needs to be more reviews. More awesome reviews like Blitz does. There needs to either be someone else helping him lift the weight or funding his operation so he can review more stuff. The latter poses a problem as to who owns the toys or whatever. Not sure how that would work. Donate them or auction them to charity afterwards? Or sell them to the community to recoup the costs? That'd be cool. Sell them off at a reasonable price to continue funding more reviews. Plus there are plenty of members who are always looking for something.

 

More integration with Tfields(sp?). I see some of it but I don't see how it benefits me more then using BBTS or RK. Need some sort of specialized functionality that no one else has to set it apart and keep it competitive.

 

I miss the chatbox. And the warm welcome of Taaron and Reluttr everytime I happened into it or the chatroom. Seriously, give those guys a medal. They were ALWAYS in there and always as friendly as ever. The status update isn't quite the same but it is awesome in it's own right. It needs to stay.

 

RFC - love it. I wish there was a way we could post to their live podcasts through here instead of going through whatever that other thing is. Maybe get some guest speakers in there? How awesome would it be to have Scott McNeil or Derrick J. Wyatt jump into one for a few minutes during Botcon time?

 

I wish there was more of a presence with the comic section. There just isn't much there but I can't blame that on any one individual. Thats a group thing, either the majority is into it, they're not or they just don't feel the need to post on it. I think Ladywreck and Ender when he was posting do/did an excellent job with their reporting. Ender is probably one of the most ambitious and driven little baby makers I've ever met. If he wasn't such a family man I would demand he have a larger presence in more then just comics.

 

Game Nights - I. Um. It is hard to keep up with something like this. Because when I was doing it there was such a large turn out (except the last time) and it was just difficult trying to keep everyone together. I have a crappy connection so being the host with an overflowing party was difficult and keeping track of everyone dropping out and popping in was mind exploding. It would be great if we could have like an entire GameBattles-ish place that could track our gamertags, when we are online, when were planning to be online, and form/plan out group to play with at specific times. I am not talking about trying to turn our gaming members into MLG pros, just suggesting an easier way to connect through game space. Trying to go multi-platform is almost impossible. My PS3 is packed away in a box and I can't afford multiple copies of the same game anyway to host multi-platform game nights. And really there just isn't THAT much interest from more then a handful of users who want to go the way of the PC and there was literally NO ONE asking for a PS3 game night back when WFC came out.

 

I love this site. More then should be allowed by law. If nothing changed about it and it stayed just the way it is now I would actually be okay with it.

[jeffafa]

and there was literally NO ONE asking for a PS3 game night back when WFC came out.

Am I the only one playing WFC on PS3? I am in no way a gamer and only bought a PS3 for WFC - my kid has a PS3 so I wanted to get the same system so we could play online together. I just looked at the xbox friday post and it really seems like most are on xbox.

 

BaCon, I am sure running a site like this is a lot of work. Blitz probably has a "system" in place for doing the reviews, but it has to take a couple hours of work to get everything (pics, text, etc) in place.

Keep doing what your doing!

[Jason X]

Man, who would've thought such a simple question would've gotten us this far?

I agree with Breaker that if nothing on this site changed I'd still love it. Having said that, I'm impressed (though not surprised) by the degree to which BaCon is willing to be accomodating. If the new forum-centric topics are any indication, he's not wasting any time either.

Ultimately I want to see this site do well. I've seen the guys running the show make changes to attract more new blood, but they've bent over backwards to not alienate existing members. I'm sure whatever comes up this'll still be a great forum.

[Jason X]

and there was literally NO ONE asking for a PS3 game night back when WFC came out.

Am I the only one playing WFC on PS3? I am in no way a gamer and only bought a PS3 for WFC - my kid has a PS3 so I wanted to get the same system so we could play online together. I just looked at the xbox friday post and it really seems like most are on xbox.

 

BaCon, I am sure running a site like this is a lot of work. Blitz probably has a "system" in place for doing the reviews, but it has to take a couple hours of work to get everything (pics, text, etc) in place.

Keep doing what your doing!

Well, I am an avid gamer, but I bought my PS3 for WFC and FFXIII. That I discovered a bunch of great PS3 games afterwards is just a bonus. My PSN gamer ID is: Jason_Xtron. Look me up sometime if you want a game. I'm currently making my way through TF DOTM, but I'll still play WFC.