Forum Facelift!!!!!!!!!!!!

Monday, March 31st, 2008 at 11:08 AM by: Robin Linden

Recently I was approached by two Second Life Residents about revitalizing the Resident Moderator program on the forums. They had a group of people who had volunteered to help moderate the forums, given that the current program has effectively ended.

We decided not to take them up on this very generous offer, not because we don’t believe that Residents should have a role, but because the forums are about to get a new Linden owner - welcome Katt Linden! - and I want to wait to decide the best way to proceed.

We’ve debated for a long time on the role of the Linden Lab forums and have at various times considered the following arguments for closing them down:

- Linden Lab has other ways to communicate and gather feedback
- people aren’t always very nice to each other
- there are other forums run by Second Life Residents
- we don’t have the staff to manage the discussion at the level we think is needed
- people should interact in Second Life rather than on the website

and so on.

At this point my plan is to work with Katt Linden to update the vBulletin software, map out a plan for revitalizing the forums and integrating them with the blog. Updating guidelines, revisiting permanent bans, archiving and creating new forums will all be part of what we look at. I’m sure you all will have lots of input, so please discuss with us here.

In the meantime, many thanks go to the Residents who have helped with moderation in the past, as well as to those who volunteered to help with moderation in the future. Volunteers are very important to us, and we appreciate their willingness to pitch in to make Second Life better for us all.

And special thanks to Nika Talaj and Qie Niangao for all their thoughtful input on improving the forums.

hmm.

So i was definitely wrong about additional moderation.

Reading that, I am left with more questions than answers though.

Awesome!!!

Robin also started a thread in Townhall Feedback.

I was just thinking the same thing... oh, well... no need to worry until we actually know what the plan is.

.d

Interesting times.

Speaking of times, I guess they don't have a timeline or date in mind yet?

-Atashi

I am excited that they are going to upgrade the software!The newest version of VB has a lot more functionality . Far better security as well.(This board is a hacker's dream as it stands right now, it is so out of date).

If a few names on that list actually do become resmods, that should make things.... interesting .

hmm guess I was not good enough as a volunteer... (I did contact them about being a mod, or anything that would help) my name is not on that list (unless that is some list that not all of us were aware of LOL)

I for one never knew a group of ppl went to linden about assisting with the forums, I would have gladly put my name in that hat

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!

Suuuuuuure they do...

Compared to some forums, this place is saintly

(Congrats Nike an Qie for proving that we *can* make a difference!)

There was the "How would residents STRUCTURE the forums? " (/327/19/234843/1.html) thread a few months back.

There also was Strife's call for ResMod Volunteers

This is actually true, I think some people don't realize how gentle this forum is compared to some of the places on the net.

I was just thinking the same thing,lol. Ah I better make more popcorn...

Rha, sorry your name didn't make it.

There were two threads started by Strife soliciting volunteers.

Those led to this contentious but still helpful thread I started soliciting feedback on improving the forums:
/327/9a/221612/1.html

Growing out of this, Qie and I started this thread when we decided to facilitate the Lindens firming up moderation for the forums by starting a Jira:
/327/4a/234101/1.html

And finally, the thread Kitty cited earlier on structuring the forums:
/327/19/234843/1.html

The list of names Qie and I sent to the Lindens was pulled from the 2 volunteer threads, as well as responses to the Jira. Strife also sent an earlier version. I think the Lindens may have editted the list a bit for the blog ... perhaps removing a few names they knew more about than we did? I haven't reconciled the two lists. But I guess Robin did not survey further within her own email or organization to find whoever you contacted.
.

lol, I forgot I volunteered.

(?)Linden Lab has given up ownership of the Forums and licensed the name to this Katt person(?) Robin used the word 'owner' for some reason. Seems like a plan to distance themselves from the forums (making them less 'official') and also control it somewhat by making a current employee it's owner.

I doubt that's it, Lias. My guess is that Katt Linden is the new Community Manager, a recently hired person reporting to Robin who's job description includes responsibility for the forums, as a form of community outreach.
.

oh ok. Ialso noticed this I think that certain controllable threads will be added to their official blog.

GOOD!!

Oh, please!

very true! the ones who are complaining about the state of THIS forum would never survive the forums "out there". smh

Your name on the list prolly gave Phil a coronary.

Truthfully to me it sounds like they really don't want the forums at all.
I don't want to join other forums.
Truthfully for me carrying on group conversations or activities isn't comfortable in world
due to lag and various reasons.
People can be just cruel in world too but no Lindens can usually see this.

Robin Linden wrote:
We’ve debated for a long time on the role of the Linden Lab forums and have at various times considered the following arguments for closing them down:

- Linden Lab has other ways to communicate and gather feedback
- people aren’t always very nice to each other
- there are other forums run by Second Life Residents
- we don’t have the staff to manage the discussion at the level we think is needed
- people should interact in Second Life rather than on the website

and so on.