/ Register

PsychDoc's Self-Imposed Time-Out

Discussion in 'Credit Talk' started by PsychDoc, Jan 16, 2003.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
Page 1 of 3
  1. Jan 16, 2003 #1
    PsychDoc

    PsychDoc Well-Known Member

    I'm not resigning my Creditnet membership. However I will sit back and see how Creditnet handles the recent problems it created. If Creditnet management simply won't bend on any of this, then I will certainly become an active and eager participant on another site.

    Here are a few thoughts:

    1) Although this board has had 6,000 people register in the last few years, the vast majority of those simply disappear after a week or two. There are only 150 active participants on Creditnet at any given time. (Reference the occasional demographic data published on this board from time to time.) About a third of those comprise what most boards would call the "resident expert base" -- sometimes called "vets" here. The last resource a site wants to lose is its bank of experts because they bring so much value to the board. If a site had to pay for that kind of consultation, the venture wouldn't be fiscally possible.

    2) About another third of the 150 actives at any given time are what some sites call "mid-termers." These are the folks who've been around longer than newcomers but haven't yet reached "old-timer" status. Although they participate often and are certainly "regulars" by anyone's definition, most do not stick around for the extremely long haul (i.e., years and years). About 10-15% will become vets, and the rest simply drift away once their personal goals are met during the course of about a year.

    3) The final third are the newcomers -- sometimes affectionately termed "newbies" on this board. They come and go constantly. These people especially depend upon the presence of a solid bank of resident experts, or else they'll simply find another site as they surf the web. However this group may well be the most important of the three in that if the site deteriorates they don't stick around. And if newbies don't stick around, nobody's asking questions and the interesting dialogue stops. When that dialogue stops -- the interplay between newcomers and vets, along with the added spicy commentary of the mid-termers -- then the site becomes increasingly inactive and can simply die. For that reason, all hail the newbies! :)

    I think what's happened here is pretty simple. Creditnet management inadvertently alienated one of its most important resources -- its bank of resident expert "vets." The problem can be whittled down to a sentence: Although fla-tan was a good choice by anyone's estimation, Butch and Allen -- by virtue of their mid-termer status as well as by Butch's spotty interpersonal track record -- were not seen in the same light. Next, analytical messages like this one were removed ("censored" in the words of some). pbm, in contrast, always allowed dissent, even when he was the occasional object of scorn. This recent censorship further enraged those vets who had chosen to essentially "live" on this site for the past few years.

    Unfortunately the problem may be too inflamed now to repair. However, if the patient is still breathing (lol), these steps may result in a recovery:

    1) fla-tan should be retained as a board administrator.

    2) Butch should be mature enough to analyze the controversy his appointment has caused and -- like Steve Case of AOL Time Warner -- simply step down as an admin, prioritizing his loyalty to the success of this board above and beyond his personal ambitions.

    3) Allen, who is relatively unknown here, has a short participatory track record, and has demonstrated a very limited fund of knowledge regarding credit, should similarly step down as well.

    4) Odessa/Kaliban should enlist nominations for a set of 3 or 4 board admins. There are any number of ways this could be done, but "quick" and "easy" would probably appeal. :) A few days of solicited comments via email might provide a better basis for selection. Admins necessarily need to be respected participants who've "played well with others" here and have demonstrated a healthy amount of knowledge about credit matters. Moreover, admins should understand that this board thrives on public debate and doesn't require much "parenting" or "censorship" at all.

    5) The recent new "rule" prohibiting posts which are negatively critical about Creditnet or which mention other credit bulletin boards should be rescinded quickly. Such rules smack of paranoia and are silly and ineffective regardless. One of my early posts here was a catalog of all the credit-related discussion boards on the net. I posted that to Creditnet because I felt that this was the "center" of credit discussion on the net. It was a very popular post, and I think probably contributed to a lot of folks actually going over to those other boards and mentioning Creditnet, lol. Under these new censorship-style rules, that post would have been disallowed.

    6) All of this requires Creditnet management to understand that there is something larger at stake here than loyalty to a decision that was apparently made rather quickly. Preserving this community is very possible, however it will require some consciousness-raising at this point, and that needs to occur quickly unfortunately.

    Doc
     
  3. Jan 16, 2003 #2
    Buckets

    Buckets Well-Known Member

    <<<THUNDEROUS APPLAUSE>>>

    Although I think CREDITNET.com should be allowed to pick who they want to be moderators, I don't think they should people who have a vested stake on this board already (especially politically) and they should be people who are more concerned about the free flow of discussion and thought, the protection of one's identity, etc. It doesn't matter what they know about credit, it's how they can help people help others AND help themselves. I don't want to know the moderators. In the eyes of the people who post here, they should be seen as simply moderators and nothing else.

    Buckets
     
  4. Jan 16, 2003 #3
    dogman

    dogman Well-Known Member

    SUPERB! - dog
     
  5. Jan 16, 2003 #4
    rackt3

    rackt3 Well-Known Member

    I agree with Psychdoc to a point. Given how much trouble the choosing of message board members have caused thus far, I think choosing other board members would still cause problems (maybe less trouble, but not everyone would be completely satisfied).

    I think management made a major error in choosing people who post to this board. It would have been much more beneficial had they chosen someone from the outside.

    If that wasn't possible, I wish the word never got out about about who were chosen as the new moderators. At this point however, I hope Kaliban (and/or whomever else is involved in making these decisions) would reconsider sticking to his/their current choices. Everyone seems to like the idea of have fla-tan as moderator (as I do as well). The only person I question is Allen. How/why was he chosen anyway? Why was this Allen person chosen over all the vets who've been here forever, and whom everyone had established respect for? I baffles me.

    Again, I hope management reconsiders, and gets this board back on track.
     
  6. Jan 16, 2003 #5
    rackt3

    rackt3 Well-Known Member

    I find is quite unfortunate that posts were deleted. How in the world do they think this board would keep long time members if they (moderators/management) delete messages they don't agree with. They should know that's bound to anger people.

    As PsychDoc says, this board thrives on debate... and we're all adults. We do not need to be "protected" from posts you (moderators) find inflamatory. This is how creditnet has always been, and the way it should be.

    We absolutely detest censorship here.. so I implore you do remove your delete button.
     
  7. Jan 16, 2003 #6
    robin

    robin Well-Known Member

    I don't know Allen, however I think I heard that he was chosen because of his technical expertise.
     
  8. Jan 16, 2003 #7
    Deven

    Deven Well-Known Member

    I'm a newbie and I plan on being around for quite awhile. Although I may not have the "history" that others here have, I do have a few comments.

    From the discussion boards I've been involved with in the past, they don't typically have users as the moderator. I know the dynamics of this discussion board is a bit different but it seems to me that someone that was independent might not fall under all the scurtiny of the current moderators.

    Just my 2 cents ....
     
  9. Jan 16, 2003 #8
    marci

    marci Well-Known Member

    Well said, Randy, as always...
     
  10. Jan 16, 2003 #9
    KHM

    KHM Well-Known Member

    Doc-
    You took the words right out of my mouth....
     
  11. Jan 16, 2003 #10
    Tuit

    Tuit Well-Known Member

    Sorry dbl post, had a feeling it was going to do that! LOL.....lately this computer has been acting like it's on a slow boat to china!!!!!

    Tuit :)
     
  12. Jan 16, 2003 #11
    Tuit

    Tuit Well-Known Member

    Yep! very well said indeed! Thanks Doc!

    Glad your sticking around while this gets sorted out!

    Tuit :)
     
  13. Jan 16, 2003 #12
    sudsman616

    sudsman616 Well-Known Member

    A sense of sanity slowly returns to CN...thank goodness
     
  14. Jan 16, 2003 #13
    dogman

    dogman Well-Known Member

    I am also ASKING all the posters to PLEASE POST YOUR FEELINGS! IU see consistency that Kaliban needs to address this one.

    Hi Kellie :)

    arroo - dogman
     
  15. Jan 16, 2003 #14
    psp in nm

    psp in nm Well-Known Member

    Eloquent and straight shooting as always...thanks doc!
     
  16. Jan 16, 2003 #15
    HOMEN2004

    HOMEN2004 Well-Known Member

    Well Said!!! Kudos goes to Doc!

    I know that I haven't posted here continuously, but I feel that the "seasoned vets" should have been chosen before anyone else. I do not know any one person personally, but I have gotten positive advice from all of the above. I would hate to not have a site to come to everyday. (Even if it is to just read the threads) I have learned alot here, and I was just elated to find this site. I sang this sites praise everyday, all day, and to know that Breeze, Saar, and the others will not be here is just disturbing.

    When I registered to this site I chose the user name Homen2004, b/c that was my goal, to purchase a home in 2004, but thanks to Fla-tan and his posts, I will be purchasing a home in 2003 instead.

    I do wish that all of those who left would sit down and reconsider leaving the site. Let go of the hurt, and think of all the people that you have helped and those who continue to need your advice.
     
  17. Jan 16, 2003 #16
    Buckets

    Buckets Well-Known Member

    <protest bump>
     
  18. Jan 16, 2003 #17
    chitchat

    chitchat Well-Known Member

    Well said Doc... and I second that your sticking around for a while. I started my quest Aug. 2002, and it pains me to know that the vets that answered my questions back then will no longer be here =(.

    Again, thanks!
     
  19. Jan 16, 2003 #18
    dimitri

    dimitri Well-Known Member

    I agree 100% with your opinion. I have searched for along time for a good credit discussion board and by chance came across this board. This board helped me so much and the wealth of knowledge could not be compared to any other board. I used to look forward to checking all the new posts every morning, however, lately the posts have become less informative. I am sure this has to do with alot of the vets not posting. I am not even sure if I am a mid-termer or newbie, joined May of 2002, but I do appreciate all of the help that I obtained through this board.
     
  20. Jan 16, 2003 #19
    das72071

    das72071 Well-Known Member

    As usual PyschDoc has hit the nail on the head.

    I have been an everyday reader and infrequent poster for about a year and it believe that it is an invaluable resource. The value of this board is due to the continually growing knowledge base that has been created by the veteran experts. Without the foundation of accurate knowledge provided by the veterans this board will degenerate to the level of the countless other boards that exist on the net. These other boards are a mishmash of half-truths and outright incorrect information and are basically useless. Creditnet stood alone as the gold standard of credit message boards.

    I believe a new anonymous moderator should be appointed and this moderator will either earn or lose the board's respect based on their ability. It can be one of many tried and true experts who have invested so much time on the board or somebody new. Personally, i think it should be one of the handful of true longtime experts(Fla-tan, PsychDoc, Saar, LKH,LizardKing just to name a few) but they should be given a new anonymous moderator account. Management has all the information it needs to appoint an appropriate moderator at their fingertips in several years worth of posts.

    Here's hoping CreditNet can weather this storm.
     
  21. Jan 16, 2003 #20
    thescoob

    thescoob Well-Known Member

    Amen Doc... 100% on target
     
Page 1 of 3
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page