This forum is in lockdown mode

Well, you are certainly in the position to heavily influence how this plays out. It is a simple cost\benefit analysis. Here are the options as I see it;

1. Decide that the benefits (and there are a lot of them) outweigh the costs (and there there are a lot of them) and make no changes.
2. Decide that the benefits outweigh the costs at present, but the costs are quickly adding up while few benefits are being added - as such, make changes to try and return the ratio to something more to your liking.
3. Decide that all the benefits to come out the forums have come out already, and the costs are quickly rising out of control - as such, cut your losses and lock everything to save what benefit is there and stop incurring costs.
4. Decide that the benefit is not worth saving due to all the costs already incurred and just remove it all.

Since you are bothering to have a discussion at all about it, it seems to me that you are thinking option two - there is enough good coming out of the forums to warrant saving things, but there is enough bad to make you concerned. Here are a couple of options that might work;

1. Enforce existing forum rules, since they were pretty much designed to prevent the things folks are unhappy about. They will of course need to be applied consistently.
2. As suggested by a mod, full on moderation - everything needs approval before it goes live. The obvious problem is that it makes it VERY hard on the mods and makes it really hard to get timely information out.
3. Limited moderation - everything you post will be put through moderation for X number of posts. If you have not had any posts deemed "inappropriate" then you can post freely without moderation. Basically, everyone starts out on probation until they prove they can behave themselves. It also keeps people who get banned (even if it is just a temp ban) from just making new accounts and posting rage, and gives the mods the chance to help actual new people not ask questions that will get them flamed (i.e., stuff that the "search" button begs you to let it answer). This works, but I am not sure that your boards have this capability.
4. Posting limits per day - again, sometimes there are hot issues, sometimes not. It could also be part of the temporary probationary period if the boards have that capability.
5. Remove (or temp moderate as above) embedded images in anything but signatures to cut down on a lot of the macro images, but you will have to limit the size of sigs so they don't just appear there instead.
6. Have an open dialogue with the forum members about your concerns and what needs to happen to get things going well, and what will happen if they don't.
7. Self moderation - i.e., "karma" style system. Easily manipulated, but it works with some other measures in place to help avoid vote rigging.
8. Things I haven't come up with yet.
9. A combination of the above.



Thoughts? Of course, you don't need to answer to me or anyone. Just have them, and please let them not come from a place of anger and frustration but of insight and love of a product and community that you helped to create.

Please enjoy your weekend, and thank you for the chance to discuss this.

We're not going to close the forums down as people have already stated that it's a good way to keep the community going and I'm all for that.

Full on moderation or even thorough moderation is pretty unreasonable since it basically becomes a full time job that isn't worth it. With that said and in reference to the previous post, people just need to start ignoring the troublemakers, and keep the flamebait lower. Fishing with dynamite is easy but it quickly becomes less and less fun. Just leave certain people alone. There can still be good discussion and criticism ( both positive and negative ), and entertaining stuff about the game and its players without it being offensive to the point threads get locked up

Everyone is bias even if its small its still bias.

Are the mods going to continue closing threads without posting a reason at the end?

Do you seriously need an explanation as to why those threads get locked?

Yes, even some of the mods now are biased. If everyone is similairly biased, why can't an xbox player help out in the xbox section?

I vote myself for 360 moderator, I shall love every post with a IDeadeye quote. "randy pubstar"

"Respawn in 7 days, nerds"

"GOML SCRUBS!!! LOCKED!"

You know you want it.

Yes, I'd like to know why a thread asking how many uber streaks you've gotten was locked

Because the thread went off topic and the beginning of page 2 and spiraled into the usual insults and bickering. We all know where it goes from there. Lock.

You didn't lock it.

inb4lock

Taco's thread obviously.

Jess the more you tell them they still won't understand because what ever you tell them goes in through one ear and right out the other. They are in denial of trolling. This is why I feel the forums should be locked, these kids just don't listen and act.

Now if only anyone cared about your opinion.

Sorry Chron.

Aren't you twelve or something?

The 360 Community doesn't need a moderator who is a 360 player, I mean the two, or three, there were had little to no respect shown towards them.

Simple requests to chill out were ignored and laughed at.