11489 Another new group?

I’m thinking of opening yet another new group. This would be a totally informal chat group where regulars could swap chat and banter about bad backs or what we are up to, so as to keep the ‘chat amongst ourselves’ from spilling into other threads.

I feel there is a core of regular users, who have got to know one another (in a virtual sense) over a period of time. Because of that familiarity (and sometimes contempt) there are often exchanges in the middle of other threads, which are unintelligible to less regular users.

I would think that members would have to have a robust sense of humour to be part of the group but the ‘Forum Characters’ and ‘Avatar’ threads show that it is possible to have some light hearted banter without being too offensive.

I would make it a public group (with a suitable health warning) but in this case I think the messages should be hidden as they are not for general information.

This group would only work if admin could allow it to be self-policing.

I should state at the outset that, if I do create such a group and take on the responsibility of being it’s moderator, there would be little point in anyone who is on my ignore list joining but then again I don’t expect any of them would particularly want to be part of such a group, and there is nothing stopping them opening their own.

Anyway, what do others think?

Category

Italy Magazine Forums - Announcements & Queries - No Longer Applicable

you can count me in .............cheers

I'm in.... :yes:

As a side issue, might there be any mileage in asking for (the return of [I think]) a live chat room?

[quote=Nielo;108813]I’m thinking of opening yet another new group. This would be a totally informal chat group where regulars could swap chat and banter about bad backs or what we are up to, so as to keep the ‘chat amongst ourselves’ from spilling into other threads.

You are very perceptive, Nielo, I have recentley started to 'dip' out of threads because, well... I just can't be bothered when they head off down the private club route. HOWEVER (I am eating humble pie), [B]I think it's a good idea[/B].

Only thing, I would say, is that sometimes it is the posting of an innocent or banal or unexpected thread that feeds the frenzy....

Why don't you make it invite only? I can't see the virtue in making it public.

Me too? :yes:
Anche io?:yes:

Brilliant Holmes, Brilliant.

I'm sure you have your own ideas for a name, but what about "The Dog and Trumpet" - the first virtual round is on me!:yes::yes:

How about operating a Yellow and Red card system to stay on top of "order" . e.g. If you the moderator (and noone should join if they think you are not the man/woman/fish for the job) think a post was "over the top" advise them publicly that they have been Yellow carded. After a time of say 1 month, Yellow cards expire, so normal life resumes. But 2 yellow cards in a month and you are Red carded and banned for 3 months. Probably too much hard work for you, but an idea. This might help show Admin the group is policed.

I campaigned and got a live chat room facility here a few years ago. Although my motives were honourable, I lived to regret it's existance in the end. Live chat is exactly that - live - and should some members who do not always see eye to eye end up finding themselves in the chatroom at the same time - well - sparks may fly - especially if one goads the other into a rage.

Chat rooms are great fun when used by likeminded people or to hold a forum quiz night (something we also used to do on a regular basis here), but I would be wary of using one here again because they are unmoderated and someone somewhere could/will get upset/goad someone into losing their temper and then go running to Admin to complain - this may lead to someone getting banned. No one wants that.

It's all very well saying "control yourself and do not rise to the others bait" but real life aint that simple - is it?

If a chat room were to be "moderated" then everyone would be on the best behaviour so that wouldn't work either as it would be a false atmosphere - and it's nuts to expect a chat room to be moderated 24 hours a day.

I understand what you're saying Oneto (and why), it's just that I dont want to tread on Ronni's toes by seeming to be "poaching" members - you know it aint my style - but as we already have our own chat room over the road I suppose I could open it up to other members here if anyone is interested - and as long as Ronni doesn't mind.

I think opening up our chat room to other members here could be a way of ensuring that everyone understands it is a LIVE chat and therefore, they enter at their own risk - without ItalyMag having the hassle of setting one up here - or having the responsibility and worry of moderating it.

Does that make sense?

Hi Neilo
This is a great idea, but how about setting up a poll, with all the options and outlining the rules, that way the big fella might see thats its more than a few that would benefit/enjoy ............dog and trumpet LOL

Hi - I think its a great idea for the "regulars" to have a place to hang out virtually. However, it is probably best not to create such a place on ITALY forums. You want to create something personal where you can set your own rules and run it as you see fit.

Perhaps a chat room somewhere else (there are lots of free options) would give you more space to run it just as you would like. Probably the best would be to set it up on your own domain - you can all chip in to buy a domain and I am sure someone with technical skills would be happy to spend the required 5 mins to set it up for you. This way you can do just what you like without depending on the continuity of this particular magazine for your private space (not that we are planning to go anywhere!)

Having said that if you still want to go ahead and do it on this forum please do - I can't allow it to be self-policing because no-one would allow anyone to do whatever they want under someone else's domain. Of course if nothing beyond what has already taken place on these forums happens then there is no issue (and quite a bit took place!)

ps: Just for fun I checked if dogandtrumpet.com was free - and turns out is leads to hmv.com - visit and you will immediately understand why :smile:

MSN Messenger is also quite a good place for chat.

[COLOR="red"]ps: Just for fun I checked if dogandtrumpet.com was free - and turns out is leads to hmv.com - visit and you will immediately understand why [/COLOR]

Same for co.uk. Maybe.it???

Ronald, you mentioned an upgrade to a new version of the software and if it is the version I am thinking about, it will make the Groups section much more manageable because it will incorporate features similar to those in the forum.

I have experience moderating another forum and so far (fingers crossed) all issues have been resolved amicably, but if you feel that Italy mag is not ready for such a group so be it.

As others have said we can all pile down the ‘Rat and Carrot’.

Pity I thought perhaps we had built up some trust, but hey ho………….

It's not about trust in you Nielo - I have no reason to question your abilities to moderate or handle a group. What I am saying is that you shouldn't trust the future of a group all your own to another website. Much better to control all aspects yourself.

Nielo, it seems Ronni has no objection to us propping up the bar and having a good old gossip elsewhere - be that at the Rat & Parrot or the Slug & Lettuce, so rather than having to club together and find ourselves a watering hole - I'm quite happy to open up to ItalyMag members here the Old Wheeltappers & Shunters Club over the road. (You can organise/take control of it if that suits you - no problem.)

I hear Oneto is doing one of his star turns on Saturday evening - and I suppose we could dust off the spaceship for a quick ride around the car park. :bigergrin:

For anyone interested in having a bit of LIVE banter - just PM Nielo, Oneto or myself and we will provide you with the link for the chatroom.

I take your point Ronald and indeed there are several other forums which have been formed by members of this one.

I see [url]www.ItalyRag.com[/url] is free.:laughs:

I thought that if the asides and personal chat were contained in one place it might stop it bubbling up in the middle of innocent threads and putting off new members. Never mind. Another idea consigned to the bin!

A group with a sense of humour.... I can't see anything wrong with this. On the contrary. As long as we all behave it could be fun.

Sounds like it could/might be fun... but I've always thought that chat rooms - in addition to the 'pro's' and 'con's' mentioned here - are often counterproductive to any threads being sustained. The moment has gone in an instant on a 'chat' - and who, apart from a few 'saddoe's' (dammit - [I]where[/I] should that apostrophe go? Is that a word?) goes back through Chat Archives to see what's been said.

But having said that, surely a Chat Zone might even be 'link free'. Now [I]there's[/I] a thought!

You could always have a sheep as the sign [IMG]http://images.shaunthesheep.com/user_uploads/avatars/av_398911e5-a23c-102b-a11e-00304891b9c5.jpg[/IMG] and call it "Woolies!" No competition anymore with that name...

Keeping the noisy, unruly ones [IMG]http://home.comcast.net/%7Egods1216/smileys/bat.gif[/IMG] quiet shouldn't present [U]too[/U] much of a problem - should it?

[IMG]http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/5577/banned7vi.gif[/IMG]

This is another Group, the third, whereby members who are on a Moderator's Ignore List are excluded.

I maintain too that if it is an Invite Group Only then that elitism stinks.

Talk about a disjointed "community"

[quote=Sally Donaldson;108855]This is another Group, the third, whereby members who are on a Moderator's Ignore List are excluded.

I maintain too that if it is an Invite Group Only then that elitism stinks.

Talk about a disjointed "community"[/quote]

Am I missing something here?

How can a Moderator place people on their IGNORE LIST? Doesn't that defeat the object [I][U]and[/U][/I] their 'raison d'être'?

Yes Carole. I am on Nielo's Ignore List and not realising who the Moderator for the Pets Group was, I posted an interesting article there about the dangers of throwing sticks for your dogs to retrieve. The post was deleted without reason given so I reposted it. It was then deleted again, this time with an explanation by Nielo that since I was on her Ignore List she had no way of knowing whether I was going to post something untoward .....

I don't know if you have read my thread this evening entitled "Everything In Mo/ideration" where I suggest too that a limit of say two groups per person should be set to keep things balanced .....

Nielo & JC.

I have been pondering on what has been said thus far and for what my opinion is worth, I like both ideas being suggested in this thread.:yes:

The group idea as a place for light hearted banter is something that is lacking here on ItMag. My only concern is of a technical nature, in so far as posts made in a group lack the immediacy of a chatroom conversation. That is (and I stand to be corrected here) in order to see if any response is made to a post, you would have to be constantly clicking the refresh button to see if its made it past the moderator. To this end I think the group idea would be better suited more as a 'drop in' and comment area rather than a chatbox.

That having been said, for those requiring the immediacy of a conversation, this could easily be remedied by using a chatroom facility. However being located on another site I think the chatroom would be better suited to pre-arranged chat meetings, whether these be for gossip, moans & groans or, quizzes etc, etc, though it is possible for more that one 'room' to be open at any one time to accommodate members varying needs, and Ronald would appear to have no objections to our using an alternative forum's chat facility.

So I say lets have both!

[quote=Sally Donaldson;108860]Yes Carole. I am on Nielo's Ignore List and not realising who the Moderator for the Pets Group was, I posted an interesting article there about the dangers of throwing sticks for your dogs to retrieve. The post was deleted without reason given so I reposted it. It was then deleted again, this time with an explanation by Nielo that since I was on her Ignore List she had no way of knowing whether I was going to post something untoward .....

I don't know if you have read my thread this evening entitled "Everything In Mo/ideration" where I suggest too that a limit of say two groups per person should be set to keep things balanced .....[/quote]

Sally, if you want in - all you have to do is ask and if this group chat is set up I can see no reason why you would not be allowed to participate. However, the understanding would probably be that if you ([B][I]and anyone else[/I][/B]) behaved in any way deemed "unsuitable", then your ([B][I]and anyone elses[/I][/B]) membership of the group would be terminated. Your numerous complaints and whining about things being unfair - simply because they are not what you want - do nothing to make some members feel comfortable with having you as part of any group.

If you would only stop to think for a minute, you may see how you come across as demanding and childish. Currently, there is freedom to open as many different groups as any member wants - why do you want to take that freedom away when you would be the first one to stomp your feet and complain about it if you ever wanted more than two groups under your 'control'?

There is no need for you to always buck against the trend or fling a spanner in the works because you feel ostracised - this is of your own doing and if only you were more relaxed about situations like this - you may find that it would be reflected within the posts you make.

Take it easy woman - and just see how things pan out. :smile:

Thanks for quoting folks!:bigergrin:

[B]Originally Posted by Sally Donaldson [/B]
[I]This is another Group, the third, whereby members who are on a Moderator's Ignore List are excluded.

I maintain too that if it is an Invite Group Only then that elitism stinks.

Talk about a disjointed "community"[/I]

[quote=Nielo;108813]
I would make it a public group ….

[/quote]

As you can see I clearly stated that it would not be an ‘Invite Only’ group…sigh.

The question is moot anyway as Ronald is not willing for such a group to exist on his forum.

Oneto, I agree about the spontaneity of chat in a chat room, that is what makes it an interesting medium, but it also makes it impossible to moderate.

What I was proposing was a sort of halfway house. I was not choosing to be moderator-it is automatic - and (contrary to popular belief) I have a life and don’t spend all my time here. So if someone did say something offensive, it would be there until I came along and removed or edited it.

Ronald’s suggestion that we ‘go elsewhere to chat’ does not present a problem, as quite a few of us do already, and it was only his mention if the possible upgrade and that this would make ‘groups’ a better facility that prompted my idea in the first place.

We will just have to carry on the witty banter in the pub over the road ([url]www.italiauncovered.co.uk)…..It’s[/url] your round and mine’s a G&T
:laughs: