Ab's New Year Resolutions

[AB Editor]

Happy New Year Everyone!

I hope we're all feeling refreshed and ready to face the great sparkling potential of 2014.

I've not made any resolutions this year - not yet anyway.

I wondered if you'd like to make some for me, and the site in the general.

What direction would you like the site to go in over the next year?

What do you think we could do better over the next 12 months?

What's missing from AB?

Any suggestions and ideas welcome, as long as you're not too rude about it :)

[ChillDoubt]

I review the moderator actions, I see nothing unusual.
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You alone? Or in combination with the other Ed's?


Just because YOU don't like it doesn't mean it's wrong.
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Er, I have neither a like nor dislike of 'it', whatever it is, I just experessed a doubt, in the same way that I doubt the mods are policed/regulated to the degree we are led to believe, that's all.
As we don't know who they are, we have no way of knowing if they are censured, do we?
I'll leave it there as I'm off to work, have a good one y'all!

[AB Editor]

"Persons unknown removed a post on X thread [at half past three-ish] when they shouldn't have."

^^ that would work.

[jno]

*You alone? Or in combination with the other Ed's?*

How many Eds do you need? As many as sit on the US Supreme Court so you get 5-4 majorities?

An Ed's an Ed. He/she has responsibility for what appears on his site, his magazine, wherever. It's not a democracy out there, it's just a commercial website free to users, and one of the rules is that the Ed's the boss. I think you're overworrying this.

[sunny-dave]

In defence of the Ed (whilst occasionally sharing some of the other members' concerns) - the only time I have contacted Ed about a deleted post it was promptly reinstated.

[ I think someone had not quite 'got' my ironic sensayuma ... ]

[Ann]

Just joined the business meeting - sorry I'm late!

Agree with these points: FAO section, Preview or chance to edit typos afterwards (wouldn't feel so stupid then!) Latest posts brings to the most recent post not having to click on latest, a "Like" or "dislike" button (sometimes I disagree with the subject but daren't say openly for fear or getting pounced on) and titles appearing with capital letters for each word - can this be changed please Ed as some times it looks really strange?

I like the site, but have to ration my time these days as it's easy to get hooked and spend too much time on here ;)

Thanks Ed, I wish you and all ABers a very happy and healthy new year! :)

[humbersloop]

^^agreed jno, and if the site were being censored rather than moderated, users would vote with their feet pretty sharpish

[AB Editor]

Ann - thanks for the feedback! We definitely need to sort out the titles/titlecasing.

[sunny-dave]

After a trawl through, a few comments :

1. AB is not a democracy, it's an enlightened (usually) dictatorship - which has legitimate commercial concerns which may occasionally override 'free speech'. Similarly 'good taste and decency' is a moving target - different strokes upset different folks. Like or lump it, but address any moans directly to the Ed rather than washing dirty linen in public.

2. Being a mod can be thankless - being a 'public mod' can be even worse. I've eventually drifted away from another site I used to enjoy, as the levels of abuse/criticism for me and my co-mods just got silly. They are trying to keep the place tidy - if they appear to have gone too far then email Ed - he/she does listen to reasoned criticism.

3. Yes - please fix the title CaPitAlisaTion - it looks weird sometimes.

4. A preview button might help - actually an 'instant retraction' button would be better - where the OP can pull the question as long as they act immediately (say within 20 seconds).

5. I like the idea of 'themed' posts - but my book reading group foundered very quickly, so some thought about the how/why/when would be needed.

dave x

[Peaspeculiars]

It would be really interesting to have perhaps a little bit of history about how the site was created somewhere on the front page? I don't know why, but I imagine the Ed and a few of the original mods sitting around with a pint in a pub garden one sunny day and thinking 'I know.. we'll start this..'
As a relative newcomer to AB, I really like the site! I use facebook/ emails also, but like the anonomity of AB. Of course this doesn't mean I don't mind my P's & Q's when answering, (and think trolls should be bashed with thier own sticks), but have found that the vast majority of users are entirely respectful and answers useful.
I love the banter and hope it never gets too heavily moderated.
Good work and Happy New year to the AB team and all it's users :-)

[AB Editor]

"5. I like the idea of 'themed' posts - but my book reading group foundered very quickly, so some thought about the how/why/when would be needed."

It was a good run up to the bookclub, we just didn't get to the discussion bit!

This is why a user class of "hosts" for these things would be good, allowing some users to sticky threads in certain topics for example.

[AB Editor]

Happy new year to you too, Peaspeculiars!

[pixie373]

Can't the titles just appear as they were typed? There's no need for automatic capitals.

[boxtops]

It's automatic Uncapitals, which is annoying, pixie - only the first letter is capitalised, so you get something like Bbc.

[pixie373]

Oh yes. Good point, boxy. In the actual post, you can put BBC, so why not just leave the titles as typed, too?

[AB Editor]

We used to have a problem with PeOPle TYpInG lIkE THiS To gEt AtTeNtiOn....

We could probably stop doing it now.

[anotheoldgit]

While on the subject of the Headlines Ed, why is it that spell checkers don't work in this window?

[AB Editor]

"While on the subject of the Headlines Ed, why is it that spell checkers don't work in this window?"

I don't know actually AOG - they used to, didn't they?

I think we'd have to address that question to Mozilla and Google as the spell-checker is built into their browsers, and not AB itself.

[ChillDoubt]

jno
*You alone? Or in combination with the other Ed's?*

How many Eds do you need? As many as sit on the US Supreme Court so you get 5-4 majorities?

An Ed's an Ed. He/she has responsibility for what appears on his site, his magazine, wherever. It's not a democracy out there, it's just a commercial website free to users, and one of the rules is that the Ed's the boss. I think you're overworrying this.
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Er, not worrying about anything. I asked about one/multiple Ed's because the Ed posted this in response to a Baldric question:

We have editors on in the evening and on weekends.

Don't know about you jno, but that would suggest to me that there is more than one editor, hence my question.

[jno]

I think there's an assistant Ed and/or someone who's sometimes around at night or on weekends. There used to be, anyway. My point was just that whatever any of them do is in the name of the Ed; he garners all the praise when things go right and the blame when it doesn't, so for practical purposes it doesn't matter what issues he confers on.

[Baby_Sham]

The usual - lose weight (only 1/2 stone to go... eekkk!, stop being a *** friend, and plan that ghost hunting trip...