Roger Patterson
24-03-2008, 01:35 PM
For the attention of all users.
This Forum is to be an important part of the new BBKA website which is controlled by the Publicity and Promotions Committee (P&P). As I was a regular contributor to the Forum I have been asked to oversee it. At the time I was unaware of the changeover to the new Forum, and I accept this caused problems to members, resulting in many heated posts and emails, some directed at people who knew little or nothing about it. There are many people involved in the running of an organisation such as the BBKA, and the website and Forum are a very important facility. They are enjoyed by many people who are unaware of the time and effort that is needed on a normal maintenance basis, let alone trying to set up a new site as well. All these people are volunteers, many having full time jobs as well. One must have sympathy for Steve Turner (Admin) as he was under severe pressure to get the new website up and running, and personally I reckon he has done a brilliant job.
On behalf of the BBKA Executive I apologise for the inconvenience caused and the lack of information. I will be honest and say I still don’t know all the reasons, but rather than look for scapegoats I want to move on. I hope this will be accepted without reopening the discussion.
I understand the new software is very much more powerful than the old and is easier for “Admin” to operate. Already there have been some very positive comments, but like everything else it doesn’t suit everybody.
In my view the Forum should be a valuable facility that is informative and a pleasant place for beekeepers and non beekeepers to visit. Before jumping in with both feet I have had a look at several issues that have caused problems and tried to address them in a rational way, but this will take time and there is still more to do.
It was obvious there are a few beekeeping issues that needed their own Forum. Recently Queen Rearing, and Microscopy had been separated, and I thought the TBH method of beekeeping had sufficient interest to warrant their own section, so I have done that. For obvious reasons we can’t have too many separate ones, but where there is a genuine and long term need I think we should try to cater for it.
I had noted comments and spoken to several people about access of the old site beyond the original 10 days. As a result the old site will stay open on a read only basis until June 4th, so it you wish to retrieve anything please do so.
For a number of reasons there were a lot of posts that were abusive or offensive. This annoyed a lot of members, some of whom have departed. As the Forum was seen as part of the BBKA website it is clear that things needed cleaning up and this is being addressed. There are always going to be differences of opinion, and we must all be tolerant and accept this, but to abuse someone for having different views is not acceptable.
The Forum rules were not available after initial logon, so these are now freely available at the top of each Forum. In my view it is unreasonable to expect members to abide by rules if they can’t see them. Can I ask you to read them, and in particular the reference to signatures.
The Moderators had no guidelines to work to and these have now been compiled. They come into effect from the posting of this announcement, and will be updated when necessary. These should make sure the response to various issues are consistant. Regarding abusive or offensive posts there is a procedure and this will be strictly adhered to, and I want everybody to be aware it will not be tolerated. The Moderators have a difficult job as there are many things that need doing in order to keep the Forum running smoothly. Some of the problems are caused by members, and the regular ones are posting in the wrong place, and going off thread. Although there is a “preview” button many members don’t seem to use it. The Moderators spend a lot of time on the Forum and this can be drastically cut by members being a bit more thoughtful.
As I said earlier the Forum should be an informative and pleasant place to be, and with everybody’s help we can achieve this. I hope you all welcome the new approach, and I hope you enjoy being part of a friendly facility.
Roger Patterson.
This Forum is to be an important part of the new BBKA website which is controlled by the Publicity and Promotions Committee (P&P). As I was a regular contributor to the Forum I have been asked to oversee it. At the time I was unaware of the changeover to the new Forum, and I accept this caused problems to members, resulting in many heated posts and emails, some directed at people who knew little or nothing about it. There are many people involved in the running of an organisation such as the BBKA, and the website and Forum are a very important facility. They are enjoyed by many people who are unaware of the time and effort that is needed on a normal maintenance basis, let alone trying to set up a new site as well. All these people are volunteers, many having full time jobs as well. One must have sympathy for Steve Turner (Admin) as he was under severe pressure to get the new website up and running, and personally I reckon he has done a brilliant job.
On behalf of the BBKA Executive I apologise for the inconvenience caused and the lack of information. I will be honest and say I still don’t know all the reasons, but rather than look for scapegoats I want to move on. I hope this will be accepted without reopening the discussion.
I understand the new software is very much more powerful than the old and is easier for “Admin” to operate. Already there have been some very positive comments, but like everything else it doesn’t suit everybody.
In my view the Forum should be a valuable facility that is informative and a pleasant place for beekeepers and non beekeepers to visit. Before jumping in with both feet I have had a look at several issues that have caused problems and tried to address them in a rational way, but this will take time and there is still more to do.
It was obvious there are a few beekeeping issues that needed their own Forum. Recently Queen Rearing, and Microscopy had been separated, and I thought the TBH method of beekeeping had sufficient interest to warrant their own section, so I have done that. For obvious reasons we can’t have too many separate ones, but where there is a genuine and long term need I think we should try to cater for it.
I had noted comments and spoken to several people about access of the old site beyond the original 10 days. As a result the old site will stay open on a read only basis until June 4th, so it you wish to retrieve anything please do so.
For a number of reasons there were a lot of posts that were abusive or offensive. This annoyed a lot of members, some of whom have departed. As the Forum was seen as part of the BBKA website it is clear that things needed cleaning up and this is being addressed. There are always going to be differences of opinion, and we must all be tolerant and accept this, but to abuse someone for having different views is not acceptable.
The Forum rules were not available after initial logon, so these are now freely available at the top of each Forum. In my view it is unreasonable to expect members to abide by rules if they can’t see them. Can I ask you to read them, and in particular the reference to signatures.
The Moderators had no guidelines to work to and these have now been compiled. They come into effect from the posting of this announcement, and will be updated when necessary. These should make sure the response to various issues are consistant. Regarding abusive or offensive posts there is a procedure and this will be strictly adhered to, and I want everybody to be aware it will not be tolerated. The Moderators have a difficult job as there are many things that need doing in order to keep the Forum running smoothly. Some of the problems are caused by members, and the regular ones are posting in the wrong place, and going off thread. Although there is a “preview” button many members don’t seem to use it. The Moderators spend a lot of time on the Forum and this can be drastically cut by members being a bit more thoughtful.
As I said earlier the Forum should be an informative and pleasant place to be, and with everybody’s help we can achieve this. I hope you all welcome the new approach, and I hope you enjoy being part of a friendly facility.
Roger Patterson.