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New Testimonials/Rating Section

J

john

Guest
January 20th 2004

Dear Caudata.org User,

Due to popular demand, I have added a new rating/testimonial feature to the forum. It is now possible to offer testimonials regarding your dealing/trading/selling/buying with others, including companies and individuals. This information should serve as valuable advice for other Caudata.org users in the future.

This feature is only available in the Donor/Significant Site Contributor/Moderator section of the forum.
 
M

matthew

Guest
John, if the demand is a "popular" one - why can't this feature be available to the many not the few... any chance of your being minded in the future to open it up to all?

A great idea, but restricted to a minority.

Why?

(A curious, respectful Junior member writes...)
 
J

jesper

Guest
I agree with Matthew, the people who need this kind of advice are the newbies not the experienced people(ie moderators/site contributors).

Cheers
Jesper
 
J

john

Guest
Hello guys,

I'm sorry but this will not happen. Here's why:<ul>[*]Due to the nature of the testimonial section I believe it would be open to abuse and making it private means I can regulate who can access it. <LI>As things stand on the board people can sign up with false/stupid information (hello Ty Ger Salamander) and abuse the facility if they so choose. This can't happen in private. <LI>Some individuals should not have the right to look at the testimonials and since the board is free to access it cannot be open to public view. The individuals in question know who they are. <LI>Any possible slander/legal problems regarding reputation are circumvented by the restriction of viewing to a private group of people. <LI>This facility was requested repeatedly by the donors and contributors to the site.[/list]
I'm open to any points you would like to add to this but for the moment I am standing firm with my decision.

I would also like to think of it as a real perk for site donors but that has nothing to do with the reasoning behind making it private.
 
M

matthew

Guest
Fair play, John.

If I was an administrator I would worry about the abuse of such a facility and that some litigious individuals might attempt to hold me both responsible and accountable.

Having paused to thank-you for the cogent and open explanation, I did want to add two little points, however.

One is that on the whole I hope that there won't be ***too many*** differences in access, facilties and communication between donors-contributors and the rest of us. I can't help but think an even-footing in the sharing of information best serves us all, our animals and the mission described on the welcoming homepage.

The second one is that an open access rating feature seems to work brilliantly well at www.livefood.co.uk (although then again, how much moderating does that take?!).

Thanks for listening to - and responding to - the question.

Best//M
 
J

john

Guest
Hi Matt,

With all due respect regarding the "differences in access and facilities" point, it's the donors that pay for the site and as such I believe they are entitled to their own private discussions should they choose to use them. Having said that I will say that most of what they discuss is not newt and salamander information. The busiest topic lately has to do with the founding of an International Caudata Society. Quite frankly I'm glad that topic is private because, again, there are some individuals that I would rather not have reading it simply because it could lead to unhelpful posting. On that topic I will also say that people who donate to the site are more likely to form a solid core of a society given the fact that they are willing to help me keep the site going.

It is not my policy, nor will it ever be, to restrict access to Caudata information.

I'm familiar with livefood.co.uk. What I will say is that what I've implemented isn't quite like that. It's not ratings as such. Here is a carbon copy of the text on the testimonials section:

"Welcome the the Testimonial Zone.

In this section of the private forum you are invited to provide testimonials, good or bad, of the treatment/success/failure of your dealings with other individuals with regard to trading/exchanging, selling and buying newts, salamanders and other amphibians. If you were mistreated, scammed, duped or if the animals were mispackaged, poor quality or not as represented to you, we want to know about it.

You must strictly obey the rules or your thread will be deleted.

Rules

Please be honest, factual and to the point.
Your personal opinions of someone's character are not relevant to whether or not they dealt with you fairly, so please obey rule 1.
If you break the rules your message will be deleted.
If you disagree with another user's testimonial then reply to the relevant thread but be sure to obey these rules in your reply.
This isn't a discussion area so do not enter into discussions within threads.
Each person or business with whom you dealt should have its own thread - please add your experience to the appropriate thread if it already exists or otherwise create your own in the format described below.
This is not an area for character assassination, obey rule 1.

Obviously this area of the private forums is not visible to regular visitors. Only donors, site contributors and moderators may participate/view/create threads.

Formatting your thread title and message
Please use the following thread title format for business or people names that do not already have their own thread:

<business>, <state/county/province>, <region/continent>

e.g. Disney Herpetological LLC, Florida, USA
or Blunt Biological, Surrey, UK.

Please include the nature of your dealings with the entity concerned as the first line of your post/message.

e.g. "Newt Trade" or "Newt Purchase" or "Sent Eggs" etc.

Finally, if you have broken a law or your dealings were legally questionable, please do not share this with us. If you choose to break the law that is your business and any post that attempts to directly or indirectly involve Caudata.org will be deleted. To clarify, if you post about illegal dealings you are attempting to involve Caudata.org. It is your responsibility to be aware of all appropriate laws."
 
J

john

Guest
There was a message posted earlier here (which I have removed, Eddie) and I also received an email from someone else and these have shown me that there are a few things I ought to clarify about Caudata.org.<ul>[*]As it stands right now, Caudata.org is not a society. It's controlled by myself. <LI>Jennifer Macke and Nate Nelson help to look after the forums and obviously they and Heather Björnebo are the people behind Caudata Culture/Caudate Central, over which I have no control other than hosting the site and helping if they require it. <LI>Whilst I do make the "big" decisions, I am always open to criticism, comments and ideas. Let me also make it clear I'm open to correction. This discussion itself is an important example of that. With regard to the Testimonial section I made the decision to make it private having weighed up the pros and cons of making it public (which was my original idea) before deciding on the "safer" option of making it a donor and site contributor-only area. There's no advantage to me by making it donor-only other than making it easier to regulate and perhaps avoid a few legal issues. There is the chance that it would encourage people to donate but that was not part of my reasoning. <LI>One thing that has begun to annoy me over the past 18 months is that some donors feel that by donating they somehow buy a share in how Caudata.org is run. Let me make it clear that this site is run for the users (otherwise there would be no point to it), it's not run by the users and donating to the site is a way of showing you found/find it useful. Donating doesn't entitle you to any more of a say in the running of the site than an unregistered user. Only if and when this site becomes a society will members have that kind of control. <LI>Having said that, as I am human, just like you, I make mistakes. One of which is that I frequently forget to give donors the correct forum status. This isn't deliberate and I usually try to put it right. So I'm sorry Eddie Stambaugh and the others to whom this has happened. <LI>Please only donate to the site if you want to help me pay for it or show your appreciation for the usefulness you've gained from the site. If you've any other reason for donating then be aware of everything I just said. <LI>The email I received today made me realise that some people are intimidated by the level of knowledge and the opinions expressed by some of the people who use this site. They see some facet of elitism developing here. Nate Nelson can testify to the fact that I set up this site in the first place because of elitism I/we had encountered elsewhere on the Internet. Everyone has a right to be seen and heard on the site. If you're intimidated, please don't be. You can express any opinion you like in the forum that is in good taste but be prepared to be contradicted if your information isn't sound, or be prepared to hear other people's opinions that may not agree with your own. <LI>Related to the last point, it is an instinctual human trait to try and divine the emotions felt by a person at the time they wrote a message. Unfortunately on the Internet people often get this wrong and think that someone is attacking them, angry or whatever. Please don't take anything personally because in 9 out of 10 cases you would be wrong. <LI>You wouldn't believe how much this site eats into my time each day. I never thought it would be this popular (Nate did though). I have no intention of stopping so don't worry. However I don't always get everything I want to do on the site done each day. So please bear with me (and Jen & co.). Let me add that we all give our time freely and knowingly so I'm not complaining. Personally, it makes me feel good to know that this place exists and that you all participate. I've made some wonderful contacts and friends through this site, and I've met many of these people in real life. I also intend to meet many more. I know this has happened for many other users too, apart from myself. I want everyone who uses the site to have similar good experiences to us.[/list]Right, I've written another essay... go me :p.
 
M

matthew

Guest
Re the message-before-last, just wanted to thank you for the helpful clarification of the type of feature you were talking about. Reassurances re elitism welcome and timely too.
(Perhaps, therefore, my slight feeling-left-out sensation should really just be a cue to donate, gratefully & unconditionally.)
 
J

john

Guest
Hey Matthew,

Don't feel like you have to donate. I'm sending you a private message.
 
A

a

Guest
With the rating/testomonial, would it be possible for only donors/contributors to post, and any public member to view. This would avoid the problem with timewasters posting, without making normal users feel like they have to pay to make the most of this site

AJfr0ggy
 
J

john

Guest
That still doesn't meet my requirements mentioned above. Thanks for the suggestion though.
 
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