Suggestions for moderators, and improvements to Premed101 forums

[TheBoss]

A mod is chosen based on neutrality and maturity foremost (in addition to many other factors like contribution, posting history, etc..)[/size]

 

I agree that these are the most important factors when choosing moderators.

 

Out of the members suggested to be mods, either by someone else or themselves, the only ones I'll support are rmorelan, NewfieMike, and thatonekid

[supafield]

supafield would also be a good choice (assuming he's up for it).

 

also thatonekid

 

I'd be happy to, if needed.

[liszt]

I think an "everything else" sub-forum would be great to separate out the completely off-topic threads from the general pre-med discussions which could then be more devoted to general applications questions and at least marginally medicine-related posts.

 

moo and Madz25 have my vote for mods.

[oto]

Psh, the only member that comes close to satisfying the level of neutrality and maturity required is rmorelan.

 

How many other members can act like our current unwavering neutral mods?

 

They are rock solid; I don't know how many people went absolutely berserk opposing some religious threads and other threads on issues (drugs, smoking..etc), and yet the mods left them untouched.

 

However, they closed down the threads on ethnicities (got border-line racist) and other direct attacks within a day.

 

Despite the fact that half the people on here wouldn't agree with them, they knew that was correct and did exactly that. The current mods are friggin beasts.

[thebouque]

Psh, the only member that comes close to satisfying the level of neutrality and maturity required is rmorelan.

 

How many other members can act like our current unwavering neutral mods?

 

They are rock solid; I don't know how many people went absolutely berserk opposing some religious threads and other threads on issues (drugs, smoking..etc), and yet the mods left them untouched.

 

However, they closed down the threads on ethnicities (got border-line racist) and other direct attacks within a day.

 

Despite the fact that half the people on here wouldn't agree with them, they knew that was correct and did exactly that. The current mods are friggin beasts.

 

You're right, it'd suck if threads were closed because a mod is too strick. And Moo would be a great pick, in my book he'd be the first pick.

[Cautious]

Hey Ian,

An optometry thread would be really great for those of us considering that field. There is currently very little info available on the web for Canadian optometry programs.

Thanks!

[loodogg]

pharmacy thread

[The Law]

I think we definitely have to control the crazy arguments that happen on here sometimes about random/useless topics. Of course, it's always fun to debate with one another - but it's not fun when people begin to attack each other in really mean and personal ways.

 

We also have to control the spam that's been coming all over the place.

 

And we can always improve by updating information, making the most commonly asked questions easily available for people (so that we don't have to keep saying "use the search feature!"), and just trying to introduce some new and useful content to the site.

 

Also - rmorelan, undoubtedly, should be a moderator on the site. He's so helpful and just a fantastic, very resourceful person.

[TheBoss]

I think we definitely have to control the crazy arguments that happen on here sometimes about random/useless topics. Of course, it's always fun to debate with one another - but it's not fun when people begin to attack each other in really mean and personal ways.

 

We also have to control the spam that's been coming all over the place.

 

And we can always improve by updating information, making the most commonly asked questions easily available for people (so that we don't have to keep saying "use the search feature!"), and just trying to introduce some new and useful content to the site.

 

Also - rmorelan, undoubtedly, should be a moderator on the site. He's so helpful and just a fantastic, very resourceful person.

 

Looks like you're a super moderator now, and I think you were a great choice .

[RyanMaverick]

Just an update so people can stop suggesting people already selected. I've noticed the following people are now moderators:

 

rmorelan

NewfieMike

The Law

tooty

[tooty]

Awesome that Ian is deciding to turn this forum around

 

 

1. Make one sticky that all new users must read when they register. The sticky should include forum rules and an FAQ section that lists all threads pertaining to each common question. New users need to know about the SEARCH feature and general forum etiquette. Every user should adopt the attitude of informing noobs of good forum etiquette. If an already answered question is asked in a new thread, kindly ask the user to do a search and paste the link of an old thread. It shouldn't be long before everyone starts posting properly.

 

2. One thing I really like about SDN is that they have a forum dedicated to premeds asking "What Are My Chances?" This is great because premeds looking for feedback or general information have a one-stop shop instead of having to scroll through the General forum which is cluttered with non-med related discussion. In the WAMC forum, each thread subject should contain a general outline of the student's situation ie 3.7 GPA, 30P MCAT, good ECs, Ont res 4th year not OMG help am I doomed?. It would help the premeds a lot.

 

3. I would separate the General Forum into Premed Discussion and Miscellaneous Discussion. A lot of threads end up in General simply because it's at the top of the list. By having appropriately named forums we can have much more organized collections of threads. Mods would of course move threads appropriately if they started in the wrong forum.

 

4. I'm sure updated vbulletin software can get rid of almost all spammers, so that's just a matter of time.

 

5. I think each user should label their account Premed, Medical Student, Resident, etc. instead of having to put that in their signature, have a standard way of displaying the title.

 

6. I like the idea of Pharmacy and Optometry forums. Probably a large demand for it.

 

7. Dedicated forum for Undergrad program and courses discussion. Seems like every high school student wants to know which program is better or which course is easy/hard. Organizing these discussions makes it easier for everyone to pool and extract information. Don't know if this will take off though.

[moo]

Yes, I am now a mod. I hope this site continues to be a place for people to interact in a friendly manner. Arguments and disagreements are inevitable. I encourage respectful dialogue and debate. No personal attacks. Please keep things civil.

[cnb88]

Just an update so people can stop suggesting people already selected. I've noticed the following people are now moderators:

 

rmorelan

NewfieMike

The Law

tooty

 

Very good choices imo. Overall very unbiased, fair people:)

 

Cnussey, AndreaM, LostLamb, deeman101, and Leon would also be great additions to that list (if Ian's looking for more).

 

It's good we have a couple mature pre-meds instead of just med students now. It'll give a slower taper off when they get in and get to clerkship/residency. That seemed to be the problem- all the current mods kinda disappeared at the same time. This way we'll be set for an extra few months at least (because hopefully Law and Newfiemike will get in this cycle! ) Great choices so far- I can see this forum return to it's previous glory very quickly with these people at the helm!

[Ian Wong]

There will be additional moderators added, but I need to hear from them before doing anything. I also am away currently, so there's a high likelihood that the adding of moderators will have to wait until I'm back in mid-December.

 

It is definitely helpful to me to hear which users you think would be good moderators, as I am obviously not very familiar with the current posting environment.

 

Ian

[estairella]

There will be additional moderators added, but I need to hear from them before doing anything. I also am away currently, so there's a high likelihood that the adding of moderators will have to wait until I'm back in mid-December.

 

It is definitely helpful to me to hear which users you think would be good moderators, as I am obviously not very familiar with the current posting environment.

 

Ian

 

While new moderators would be nice.. having a new site admin would be pretty useful too. The software is old, buggy.. and inevitably crashes from overload around acceptance/waitlist/rejection day. I don't know how much of that is vBulletin and how much of that is the hosting itself, but it's definitely something that should be addressed.

[liszt]

Just an update so people can stop suggesting people already selected. I've noticed the following people are now moderators:

 

rmorelan

NewfieMike

The Law

tooty

 

An up-to-date list of mods can be found by clicking the View Forum Leaders link on the forum index page (between the forum lists and the What's Going On? area).

[AndreaM]

I think it's great that we have four new mods and I just wanted to say a big thank you to Ian. With regards to site updates, I think that tooty's suggestions for a few more subforums would make a big difference.

[thatonekid]

supafield would also be a good choice (assuming he's up for it).

 

also thatonekid

I'd be happy to help if needed. I'm on this site everyday anyways.

 

A mod is chosen based on neutrality and maturity foremost (in addition to many other factors like contribution, posting history, etc..)

 

For example, the mods didn't delete threads discussing religion or smoking even though a lot of people went berserk opposing them. They did however shut down threads to do with people discussing ethnicites and judging different countries and their people because they soon were on the verge of racism.

 

These tough decisions require putting personal biases aside and being very neutral. I applaud the mods.

I could not agree with this more. I think that the main purpose of having more mods is to clean up the spam. The amount of bots we have on this site is astounding.

[TurkandJD]

KennethToronto, rogerroger, estairella, DanInVan would make good mods for the U of T forum.

[Leon]

Two more ideas:

 

1) I also agree with an additional sub forum for General discussions. This would be for anything non medical, and the existing General premed discussion would be for .....general premed discussions that are too broad to fit into any of the other specialized sub forums.

 

2) Giving an existing moderator the power to appoint more moderators. That means that in the event that existing mods move on from the forum or don't have time, we won't have to appeal to Ian directly and an existing mod can help maintain the forum by appointing new ones.

[seeking1]

People who should be mods:

supafield

moo

tooty

w8kg6

rmorelan

 

I'd suggest a few more, but a number of them aren't in med school yet, myself included.

 

Nonetheless, thank you Ian for making this forum. Although I've joined some 6 years after you made it, its been a real help to myself and countless others and its brought a lot of us closer too. You have done the forum a great service by wiping it clean of the ads that have been plaguing it. All the best in your decision-making.

[Pantaloons]

Though I hesitate to self-promote, I'd like to request to be a moderator.

Why:

• Active: I'm on here every day (though I post less than every day)
  
• Insight: I'm a 2nd year medical student and long-time pm101 poster
  
• Neutrality: I shy away from inflammatory threads and post in a responsible and mature way (feel free to check my history)
  
• Helpful: I'm active on the forums answering questions constructively
  

Suggestions for pm101:

• More/better edited & monitored FAQ threads
  
• A mod-endorsed statement regarding spirit and behaviour on the forums
  
• Spambot security
  
• vBulletin update
  
• Preventative measures to avoid server issues on May 15
  

 

I will add more thoughts as I have them.

 

Thanks Ian,

- Pantaloons

[w8kg6]

I've actually spoken with some of the people here at Dal, and I think I'm going to take on the Dal forums as my area. It's the forum where I've done most of my posting anyways, and I know it's a place that could use a moderator. I'd be happy to take that one under my wing.

[NewfieMike]

I support both of these fine gentlemen (pantaloons and w8kg6)

[tooty]

Ian, can we get vBulletin 4? Maybe even the publishing suite with blogs and such? The suite is more expensive but would be pretty balla

 

And I too support pantaloons and w8k6gj