Here is a list of some pending issues and projects, and upcoming proposals. It pretty much concludes the latest batch of potential forum upgrades, after which I'm interested in focusing on issues related to the main KLOV/IAM site for a while.
1. VAPS
VAPS is an ongoing project, but continues to go well. I continue to provide support for the many users that have duplicate accounts, as well as to improve some functionality. Upcoming changes:
2. Restoration Forum
I had originally expected people to keep posting new cosmetic / cabinet questions in the tech sections, but that doesn't seem to be what everyone else had in mind. I just read the 70+ posts and PM on the subject, and clearly different people have a variety of different ideas (as usual). We seem to have a number of options. All of them allow requests in a thread that are related. The decision seems to be what to do with new questions.
Timeline: Estimated August 23-29.
3. Rules, Guidelines, and Price Policing.
We need to implement our rules and guidelines so everyone is playing on the same page. This has been delayed while I'm thinking of a variety of options and possible additional forum sections.
Timeline: Rules may be enforced in a 'draft' or 'beta' status any day (they basically are already), and final status will occur after decisions have been made about 'Positive Feedback', 'Negative Feedback', and 'Pricing Help' forum sections (see below).
4. Positive and Negative Feedback Forum Sections
A key goal of the forum rules is to prevent random flames, insults, fights, and inappropriate content. A question has arisen. If the site bans personal attacks, how do you warn others of thieves and scammers. How do you handle grey areas. How do you explain negative feedback?
Additionally, right now a Positive Feedback thread has over 500 posts in it. It doesn't make for easy reading when your interest is in feedback about one person.
A few weeks ago I created 'Positive Feedback' and 'Negative Feedback and About to be Negative Feedback' sections. I just opened them up for viewing, including some explanatory threads (PLEASE READ). The idea is that you can browse these sections to see new threads, or sort on them or search them to quickly find information out about a specific person. Note that the Negative Feedback posts would be viewable for members only, and not to anonymous guests or Google.
Timeline: I intend to solicit feedback about beginning about September 1. Between VAPS and unrelated business issues I don't have time to deal with feedback about this before.
Alternative: If we don't create the new sections (with or without the proposed guidelines), I would suggest creating a new feedback thread each month instead of having a single run-on super-thread.
5. Pricing Help Wanted Forum
At the risk of upsetting folks that don't want to see more forum sections, I'd like to propose one more.
By popular demand we are banning price police. The minority of people that like the price police posts (some strongly) believes it protects new or unsophisticated users from being ripped off, etc. One problem is that such 'help' is often not asked for, either from the sellers or potential buyers. At the same time, sometimes potential buyers and sellers have legitimate pricing questions. Right now they show up in all sorts of places (General Discussion, For Sale, Wanted, Chat About Anything).
I created a 'Pricing Help Wanted' forum as a sub-forum under the wanted section. It would be a place where pricing advice could be asked for, as long as it wasn't a backhanded attempt at price policing.
Please look at the section and read the first post. Since it is a proposal, you can't post it in.
Timeline: I intend to solicit feedback about this beginning about September 1.
6. Suggestion Box
I'm tempted to create yet another forum section, called Suggestion Box, where members could initiate new threads. It's primarily to help me keep track of the various suggestions that come in. The Admin/Mod Initiated Threads section does not allow users to create new threads, only respond to them, so this new section would fill a gap. There isn't a great place to post suggestions now, other than in random places or via PM.
Timeline: Up now for viewing sample placement only. If it goes live it would likely be in mid to late September as we are already quite busy with pending improvements, suggestions, and customer support. It may go live partially sooner if I get interested in moving select threads from other forums into it.
7. Additional KLOV/IAM Improvements and Integration Issues
We are looking at a variety of other site improvements. These are ongoing throughout 09 Q4 and if we get deep into any of them early, may delay one or more of the above items.
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A number of new forum sections have been proposed here, and at the appropriate time we will gauge user's reactions to these proposals. There are not really any other forum proposals pending, except for a possible further separation between videogame and non-videogame tech or for sale sections.
1. VAPS
VAPS is an ongoing project, but continues to go well. I continue to provide support for the many users that have duplicate accounts, as well as to improve some functionality. Upcoming changes:
(a) On KLOV/IAM pages, include more VAPS information, ie: breaking out games vs. board #s and 'for sale' stats
(b) I'm thinking of limiting the amount of 'For Sale' items to a specified limit, ie: 20 games and 20 boards, and that in order to go past those limits, an account would have to be labeled as a 'dealer' account.
(c) A user suggested an 'Add This To My VAPS collection while browsing KLOV and if one was logged in.
(d) Easier addition of VAPS records for unlisted games
(e) Support for additional machine types (ie: EM, slot machine, etc.)
(f) Additional Features
Timeline: #a & #b: August, 2009. #c, #d, #e - September, 2009, #f - October 2009(b) I'm thinking of limiting the amount of 'For Sale' items to a specified limit, ie: 20 games and 20 boards, and that in order to go past those limits, an account would have to be labeled as a 'dealer' account.
(c) A user suggested an 'Add This To My VAPS collection while browsing KLOV and if one was logged in.
(d) Easier addition of VAPS records for unlisted games
(e) Support for additional machine types (ie: EM, slot machine, etc.)
(f) Additional Features
2. Restoration Forum
I had originally expected people to keep posting new cosmetic / cabinet questions in the tech sections, but that doesn't seem to be what everyone else had in mind. I just read the 70+ posts and PM on the subject, and clearly different people have a variety of different ideas (as usual). We seem to have a number of options. All of them allow requests in a thread that are related. The decision seems to be what to do with new questions.
(a) We can try and keep such questions in the tech area, though this seems the least logical and least desirable since it may not be intuitive. Additionally, cosmetic and cabinet questions are generally not the sole domain of videogame collectors. A lot of the same questions apply to pinball machines, EM games, old penny arcade machines, scales, etc. By having the restoration discussions out of the tech area, its easier for non-videogame collectors to participate if any of them wishes to.
(b) Have the restoration forum section be open to both threads about projects (with their questions and followup) as well as to new questions and information posts. This choice would impose minimal guidelines. The forum section would likely get a slightly different name.
(c) Same as choice #b, but specify that project posts begin with something in their title like "[Project] Galaxian", new questions with '[Question] ...', information and advice unsolicited '[Info] ...' or '[FAQ] ...', and everything else under '[Other] ...'. This would be similar to 'FS' and 'FT' in for sale sections. While the actual tags might be different than what I've listed here, you got the concept. The forum section would likely get aslightly different name.
(d) Break the restoration section up into 2 sections, one for posts about specific projects "Restoration Gallery", and one for general questions, advice, and FAQ's, (ie: "Restoration Help: Cabinets and Cosmetic"
My Thoughts: I'm leaning to choice #c, with #d as a second choice, and #b is a third choice. Remember, under all the options, questions are fine in response to threads.(b) Have the restoration forum section be open to both threads about projects (with their questions and followup) as well as to new questions and information posts. This choice would impose minimal guidelines. The forum section would likely get a slightly different name.
(c) Same as choice #b, but specify that project posts begin with something in their title like "[Project] Galaxian", new questions with '[Question] ...', information and advice unsolicited '[Info] ...' or '[FAQ] ...', and everything else under '[Other] ...'. This would be similar to 'FS' and 'FT' in for sale sections. While the actual tags might be different than what I've listed here, you got the concept. The forum section would likely get aslightly different name.
(d) Break the restoration section up into 2 sections, one for posts about specific projects "Restoration Gallery", and one for general questions, advice, and FAQ's, (ie: "Restoration Help: Cabinets and Cosmetic"
Timeline: Estimated August 23-29.
3. Rules, Guidelines, and Price Policing.
We need to implement our rules and guidelines so everyone is playing on the same page. This has been delayed while I'm thinking of a variety of options and possible additional forum sections.
Timeline: Rules may be enforced in a 'draft' or 'beta' status any day (they basically are already), and final status will occur after decisions have been made about 'Positive Feedback', 'Negative Feedback', and 'Pricing Help' forum sections (see below).
4. Positive and Negative Feedback Forum Sections
A key goal of the forum rules is to prevent random flames, insults, fights, and inappropriate content. A question has arisen. If the site bans personal attacks, how do you warn others of thieves and scammers. How do you handle grey areas. How do you explain negative feedback?
Additionally, right now a Positive Feedback thread has over 500 posts in it. It doesn't make for easy reading when your interest is in feedback about one person.
A few weeks ago I created 'Positive Feedback' and 'Negative Feedback and About to be Negative Feedback' sections. I just opened them up for viewing, including some explanatory threads (PLEASE READ). The idea is that you can browse these sections to see new threads, or sort on them or search them to quickly find information out about a specific person. Note that the Negative Feedback posts would be viewable for members only, and not to anonymous guests or Google.
Timeline: I intend to solicit feedback about beginning about September 1. Between VAPS and unrelated business issues I don't have time to deal with feedback about this before.
Alternative: If we don't create the new sections (with or without the proposed guidelines), I would suggest creating a new feedback thread each month instead of having a single run-on super-thread.
5. Pricing Help Wanted Forum
At the risk of upsetting folks that don't want to see more forum sections, I'd like to propose one more.
By popular demand we are banning price police. The minority of people that like the price police posts (some strongly) believes it protects new or unsophisticated users from being ripped off, etc. One problem is that such 'help' is often not asked for, either from the sellers or potential buyers. At the same time, sometimes potential buyers and sellers have legitimate pricing questions. Right now they show up in all sorts of places (General Discussion, For Sale, Wanted, Chat About Anything).
I created a 'Pricing Help Wanted' forum as a sub-forum under the wanted section. It would be a place where pricing advice could be asked for, as long as it wasn't a backhanded attempt at price policing.
Please look at the section and read the first post. Since it is a proposal, you can't post it in.
Timeline: I intend to solicit feedback about this beginning about September 1.
6. Suggestion Box
I'm tempted to create yet another forum section, called Suggestion Box, where members could initiate new threads. It's primarily to help me keep track of the various suggestions that come in. The Admin/Mod Initiated Threads section does not allow users to create new threads, only respond to them, so this new section would fill a gap. There isn't a great place to post suggestions now, other than in random places or via PM.
Timeline: Up now for viewing sample placement only. If it goes live it would likely be in mid to late September as we are already quite busy with pending improvements, suggestions, and customer support. It may go live partially sooner if I get interested in moving select threads from other forums into it.
7. Additional KLOV/IAM Improvements and Integration Issues
We are looking at a variety of other site improvements. These are ongoing throughout 09 Q4 and if we get deep into any of them early, may delay one or more of the above items.
---
A number of new forum sections have been proposed here, and at the appropriate time we will gauge user's reactions to these proposals. There are not really any other forum proposals pending, except for a possible further separation between videogame and non-videogame tech or for sale sections.
