The board and its direction (if any)

[dharmagoat]

This is a large and active forum and has room for all.

I agree entirely. Are you sure you read my post properly?

[catmoon]

Perhaps we should look at whether or not there is some basic Dharma, like the 4NT and 8FP, that can be realistically defended by mods.

[Nighthawk]

Well, blue garuda, I disagree. I feel like mods should be doing more.

[Blue Garuda]

Well, blue garuda, I disagree. I feel like mods should be doing more.

At the moment they are short-staffed.

It is also difficult to cover all the time zones and respond quickly.

Thirdly, it is also more difficult to moderate topics which you do not understand and in which insults are being made which only those 'in the know' would understand.

Maybe more people should volunteer, maybe for a few months at a time?

So there are two solutions I offer to the perceived problem:

Individuals could create more threads on the topics which they think reflect 'Buddhism' and this will inevitably move the nature of the site in the direction they desire.

2. More poeple could volunteer as Mods to ensure speedy and meaningful response, especially in the more specialised areas.
This could be for a fixed terms and attached to specific subforums if the number of Mods made this possible, in addition to the Global Mods, or simply raise the number of Global Mods.

[Malcolm]

Perhaps we should look at whether or not there is some basic Dharma, like the 4NT and 8FP, that can be realistically defended by mods.

What you do not want to do is go in the direction of E-Sangha.Our motivation was good, but the bureaucratic heavy-handedness backfired and created more problems than it solved.

People's speculations will wear out if no one expresses interest in them. Threads that are not worth paying attention to will die.

Practiced distinterest is better than shrill denunciations.

M

[Virgo]

Perhaps we should look at whether or not there is some basic Dharma, like the 4NT and 8FP, that can be realistically defended by mods.

What you do not want to do is go in the direction of E-Sangha.Our motivation was good, but the bureaucratic heavy-handedness backfired and created more problems than it solved.

People's speculations will wear out if no expresses interest in them. Threads that are not worth paying attention to will die.

Practiced distinterest is better than shrill denunciations.

M

I couldn't agree with this strongly enough. More bureaucracy will only create problems. This has happened in history so many times.

Kevin

[Sherlock]

I'm not a fan of over-moderation and IMO, occasionally there does seem to be some of that here at least compared to some other forums I visit; on the whole I'd agree with Malcolm's idea.

[Blue Garuda]

Perhaps we should look at whether or not there is some basic Dharma, like the 4NT and 8FP, that can be realistically defended by mods.

What you do not want to do is go in the direction of E-Sangha.Our motivation was good, but the bureaucratic heavy-handedness backfired and created more problems than it solved.

People's speculations will wear out if no one expresses interest in them. Threads that are not worth paying attention to will die.

Practiced distinterest is better than shrill denunciations.

M

I see that as the flip side of what I suggested.

If a member creates a thread which they think is what Buddhism is all about and it becomes popular, the direction of the forum will shift.

If a member starts a thread and people have no interest, or lose it, that also defines the direction of the forum.

Either way, it is by creating threads and people's response to them that the forum activity is directed. So people should test their theory that they are 'right' and represent the consensus and create threads rather than whine about other people's. If the forum is seen as a manufacturer, and someone thinks they are making the wrong products, the best thing to do is test it with real consumers, the members.

Mods are only needed if ToS are broken in the process. Of course, defining ToS in the first place can end up prescribing and proscribing way too much.

At the moment we do have too few Mods IMHO, and the issue is not how much intervention is needed but when and how.

[Indrajala]

What you do not want to do is go in the direction of E-Sangha.Our motivation was good, but the bureaucratic heavy-handedness backfired and created more problems than it solved.

People's speculations will wear out if no one expresses interest in them. Threads that are not worth paying attention to will die.

Practiced distinterest is better than shrill denunciations.

M

I agree with this.

[KeithBC]

People's speculations will wear out if no one expresses interest in them. Threads that are not worth paying attention to will die.

Practiced distinterest is better than shrill denunciations.

While this sounds nice in theory, it is not realistic. Threads that are not worth paying attention to (by Buddhists) will be kept alive by the New Agers who outnumber us. Practiced disinterest only works if we are in the majority.

Om mani padme hum
Keith

[Virgo]

People's speculations will wear out if no one expresses interest in them. Threads that are not worth paying attention to will die.

Practiced distinterest is better than shrill denunciations.

While this sounds nice in theory, it is not realistic. Threads that are not worth paying attention to (by Buddhists) will be kept alive by the New Agers who outnumber us. Practiced disinterest only works if we are in the majority.

Om mani padme hum
Keith

Lock everything down then. Also, if there are too many posters in the Dzogchen forum, for example, we can even things out by allowing for example, only Malcolm, Nemo, Josef, Sonam, Pero, KY, and Ratna to post in the Dzogchen forum, and insist that KeithBC and Virgo and so on only post in the Kagyu forums and so on. This will ensure that thigns run properly and that only the correct Dharma is upheld.

Kevin

[Malcolm]

Threads that are not worth paying attention to (by Buddhists) will be kept alive by the New Agers who outnumber us.

so called Newagers do not outnumber Buddhists on this board.

Disinterest always works -- if you don't find something interesting, don't read it, and if you do, don't respond.

I do not respond to 98+ percent of posts made in this forum. I am unlikely to respond to anymore posts in this thread, now that I have made my opinion known, for whatever it is worth.

M

[Blue Garuda]

People's speculations will wear out if no one expresses interest in them. Threads that are not worth paying attention to will die.

Practiced distinterest is better than shrill denunciations.

While this sounds nice in theory, it is not realistic. Threads that are not worth paying attention to (by Buddhists) will be kept alive by the New Agers who outnumber us. Practiced disinterest only works if we are in the majority.

Om mani padme hum
Keith

I agree with the sentiment but I doubt the maths - we have the best part of 2,500 members and over half are 'New Agers'?

At different times, the most active members have reflected all sorts of views but I can't remember a time when 'New Agers' were even in the majority of active members who post regularly.

I observe that these things go in cycles and often it is possible to find old threads with almost exactly the same content as the latest crop. If it really is the high level of activity by 'New Agers' which you find problematic, rather than numerical superiority, the answer remains the same - ignore them, report any ToS breaches, and post loads of new threads on what you personally consider to be Buddhist content which will create the forum you want it to be.

Proof? When the ghostly bot (phantom59) posts half a dozen new threads on Buddhist themes, the other stuff gets knocked clean out of the list of the most active topics.

[Virgo]

By the way, if this is about astrology. Then so called hard-line "Buddhists" should might want to look at the Kalacakra tantra and they might discover that we are entering a "golden age" based on Astrology according to the Kalacakra.

If Kalacakra is too "new agey" for any one, that is not my problem. I have complete confidence in the teachings.

Kevin

[Andrew108]

I have no problem with any posting as long as it is genuine and not simply designed to boost the Web presence of an organisation. Believe it or not but there are some Buddhists who would like nothing better than to gather converts. As surprising as it seems these Buddhists have a fear of talking about their experiences and prefer to stick with the party line. Genuine discussion of any kind should be encouraged.

[Tara]

Couple of points. Firstly even though the number of members is rapidly approaching 2,500 of those only a relatively small number post (probably less than 40 at any point). Some are prolific posters and others hardly post anything which brings me to the next point. According to the boards statistics the post count is less than 100 per day on average most of which are not a problem. Looking at the members list it can be seen that the many members of DW have a 0 post count. Also it can be seen some members whose post count is sizable no longer post here either because they have left or because they have been banned.

The team currently consists of the owner, 3 global moderators and two active administrators. The team is able to cope with the workload at the moment. There are members who are currently under consideration for inclusion into the team however no decision has been reached yet.

Regards,

[Indrajala]

Lock everything down then. Also, if there are too many posters in the Dzogchen forum, for example, we can even things out by allowing for example, only Malcolm, Nemo, Josef, Sonam, Pero, KY, and Ratna to post in the Dzogchen forum, and insist that KeithBC and Virgo and so on only post in the Kagyu forums and so on.

This is utterly ridiculous.

[catmoon]

Practiced distinterest is better than shrill denunciations.

M

"All that is required for evil to prosper is that good men do nothing."

[Astus]

I'm not really sure what evil and New Age invasion this is about. If I look around in the Buddhist forums, I don't see it happening. Am I missing something? Sure, I don't read everything, not even the half of it, but checking recent topics, titles here and there, it seems all according to the dedicated Buddhist section. There are some strange ones in Dharma Free for All and the Lounge, but that's what they are for anyway. Everyone has the great opportunity to discuss the wonderful Mahayana teachings in its myriad aspects. So, it's better to ask yourself what were the last three topics you posted in and those that you started. Were they about the Buddhadharma? Were they a reflection of bodhicitta?

[Malcolm]

Practiced distinterest is better than shrill denunciations.

M

"All that is required for evil to prosper is that good men do nothing."

That might be true of the Third Reich, but it hardly applies to the "new ager question".