Problems people are having with TFF.

[Martin]

I'm not entirely sure if this goes here, or perhaps if this thread will serve a purpose whatsoever. But I'm getting disheartened at some of our members leaving (for example Crazy Chocobo's recent departure thread) or becoming disgruntled with TFF as a whole. So I thought I would start a thread where those who are suffering a grievance with the forum could vent their feelings, and therefore if something appears popular then perhaps the staff may take notice and address the issue. I just hope this may help stop the numbers of members, including the long-term folks from deciding to make like a tree.

Please feel free to contribute.

[Mistress Sheena]

Another possible thing that you can do, is that if you feel that you have something to contribute to this forum as a whole; and you have been a member of this community for a year or more, please contact Cain Highwind or Lococolt04 for access to the Shinra Corporation forum.

That forum exists for the sole purpose of getting senior member feedback on goings on, or the "backstage" if you will, of forum issues. The new rule sets, for example, is one of the things that was discussed there.

If you feel you are knowledgeable enough to help the community, by all means, join the forum and give your opinions or suggestions of what you would like to see here.

Mostly right now it is just full of Staff members or Ex-Staff members and a few TFF Veterans. I think it is vital that we invite some more new blood into this forum so that way we can see how the newer members of the community think about the forum and if they have anything new they can add.

Honestly, SC is not a ultra elite secret forum in any way. Anyone can have access to it, really. You just have to... ask for it.

Though, honestly, how can you ask for it when non-access members can't even SEE the damn thing?

[Pete]

I completely disagree with that type of forum. It should be all-staff and that's it. By having old staff (myself included) and random one-year "'vet' consultants", you wind up pandering to too many groups and it just becomes a new gen chat of sorts. The staff and staff alone should talk about staff issues. You don't need non-staff in there discussing matters that they really know nothing about, or have no place discussing. I think things should be done the way they've always been done. With a board having as many members as it does, and having only a fraction of the posts in gen chat as it once did (even 7 years ago), I'd say there's a problem. But I'm not even gonna bother with that now.

And the thing is, only members with access to certain forums can see that they have access. It's the way the boards work.

[Mistress Sheena]

Dude.. it's not staff issues. The rules concern everyone. We have a staff forum. It's called the mod forum. That's staff-only stuff.

SC is for issues that affect the community and forum as a whole, or did I not say that enough times?

I know where you're going, and I understand it, but you're misunderstanding what SC is all about, and why it was created to begin with. If we kept all the issues as staff only, how will the community have any say in what goes on with issues that affect them?

(Like the rules for instance.)

[Jesus Christ]

I have an issue with how seriously people seem to take themselves and how seriously the forum takes itself, but it's all good really, because it makes it fun to be Jesus.

[Neo Necron]

Originally Posted by Pete

I completely disagree with that type of forum. It should be all-staff and that's it. By having old staff (myself included) and random one-year "'vet' consultants", you wind up pandering to too many groups and it just becomes a new gen chat of sorts.

Disagreed. I have access to that forum. Yes I am old staff and would consider myself a vet now, but the discussions in there really don't become cliquey in any way. Discussions in there are discussions on forum issues and nothing else. Occasionally they may slip into banter, but not often.

However, I do think we should try to recruit more people in there and get some fresh new ideas from newer members. To be fair, like you say, it is mostly staff, ex-staff and vets who post in there and it needs some younger (that is, young as far as forum membership is concerned) members. It's not limited to mostly staff, ex staff and vets because of any group formation, it's because it hasn't recruited for a good long while.

[LocoColt04]

So, ignoring how Piro/Toph/Sheena/WTFever COMPLETELY derailed the point of this thread within his first post (*cough*warningfortrolling*cough*), let's tend to your topic.

Originally Posted by FFGuru

So I thought I would start a thread where those who are suffering a grievance with the forum could vent their feelings, and therefore if something appears popular then perhaps the staff may take notice and address the issue.

Anyone wishing to do this should choose your words carefully.

I'll allow this thread to exist, but if it becomes a bitchfest, it will turn into a flamefest, and I'll be throwing warnings at everyone left and right.

Let's address the issues at hand, but let's not turn it into anything arguable. The last thing any of us want to see is a throwdown between all the people who seem to be arguing with each other through the visitor messages system.

By the way, I should point out that those are also under forum jurisdiction, as are private messages and reputation. All I ask of people is that they be civil.

[Martin]

Originally Posted by LocoColt04

Anyone wishing to do this should choose your words carefully.

I'll allow this thread to exist, but if it becomes a bitchfest, it will turn into a flamefest, and I'll be throwing warnings at everyone left and right.

Let's address the issues at hand, but let's not turn it into anything arguable. The last thing any of us want to see is a throwdown between all the people who seem to be arguing with each other through the visitor messages system.

I agree, I never intended with the creation of such a topic for it to become a 'bitchfest' and those wishing to post have surely now been suitably warned. I'm just concerned at the level and rate of members new and senior that have left recently, and I hoped that maybe we could find out why. But if it becomes used for an argumentative purpose I would be the first to ask for it's closure. It would go against what I stand for as a start.

I just think that this could act as a go-between is all.

[Mistress Sheena]

I was honestly trying to help, because I thought they were similar in ideas/topic, because I figure if people had issues with the forum, they could voice those issues in Shinra to be discussed in greater detail, etc, etc... But hey. Whatever.

Honestly I don't like the Visitor Messages thing much because it kind of reminds me of myspace, and it's harder to moderate. At least all staff members get emails if someone reports those, though.

[Pete]

All I'm saying is that FFGuru has the right idea, in trying to get a town hall style of meeting going, where everything can be discussed out in the open. If you're going to talk about problems, they should be addressed in front of everyone, because it might help others bring up issues or questions.

In that same vein, I think that problems with individuals should be handled individually; with no need for singling people out though the public forum. Use PMs or whatever. I don't know how things work now, but I remember how they did back in the day. I just think that it's adding too much bureaucracy, where in order to make a comment or an issue, you have to ask for permission into Shinra and then file a complaint. I think the old comments and questions forum did just that equally well.

At the same time, I feel that this place is adding too many bells and whistles in order to hide the fact that it's not as active as it used to be. Years ago, there was a fraction of the number of posters we had today, and if you missed say a week of gen chat, you'd be completely lost, and it'd take you the better half of a day to catch up on gen chat threads and the like. Today, we have shitloads of members, and yet gen chat has been pretty stagnant. It's picking up a little bit, but it's not a lot at all. At the same time, by adding all of these other features, you're giving people more options and more customization options, which can be good, but it hurts the overall forum community when nobody is really discussing anything or networking because they're all playing games or doing random things that aren't posting.

Aaaaaaaaand that's my two cents. Don't need a special forum to speak my peace.