Get to know your nominees

[TRF]

"The Board" and BigFoot. Fact or fiction? They are both fun to talk about but neither of them has truly been proven to actual exist. There is actually more evidence online about the BigFoot than the GeocachingMaine.org board. Therefore, I nominate BigFoot to the Board along with any 3 of the 7 Dwarfs. Babe the Blue Ox would be a good representative also. Darn, this is going to be a tough decision.

[JustKev]

"The Board" and BigFoot. Fact or fiction? They are both fun to talk about but neither of them has truly been proven to actual exist. There is actually more evidence online about the BigFoot than the GeocachingMaine.org board. Therefore, I nominate BigFoot to the Board along with any 3 of the 7 Dwarfs. Babe the Blue Ox would be a good representative also. Darn, this is going to be a tough decision.

You know it's just not right to say what you said in your statement. You really need to stop and think before you post. Actually, I'm surprised you would stoop so low. You know full well that Babe the Blue Ox wouldn't serve on any board revolving around geocaching. Ever since Babe stepped on Paul Bunyan's Oregon 550T and broke it it's been a sore spot for Babe to even think about geocaching. You owe Babe, and Paul by association, an apology for dredging up bad memories.

Seriously, though, it is obvious there is a diverse group of people even in discussing the board. Personally, I think that if you don't think the forum needs a board then you're getting off easy, just don't vote. If you support the board, you've got to look at all the "candidates" and decide who you'll vote for.

I support having a board because I have been involved in other areas of the internet for a number of years and know that some places, like the forum, deserve moderation. I threw my hat into the ring and would serve on the board in support of anything and everything that promotes and supports geocaching here in Maine and beyond. I also agree with having a board to moderate in the event of any user abusing the guidelines for use of the forum. One person making decisions that are perceived to be negative makes it look like a vendetta, one against another. A board's actions to sanction an abusive user is a consensus type action.

My $0.02 worth.

[WhereRWe?]

I support having a board because I have been involved in other areas of the internet for a number of years and know that some places, like the forum, deserve moderation. I threw my hat into the ring and would serve on the board in support of anything and everything that promotes and supports geocaching here in Maine and beyond. I also agree with having a board to moderate in the event of any user abusing the guidelines for use of the forum. One person making decisions that are perceived to be negative makes it look like a vendetta, one against another. A board's actions to sanction an abusive user is a consensus type action.

Just for clarification, the Advisory Board is not involved in moderating the forums. The Advisory Board may set general policies as to how GCM.org is operated, but moderators are appointed by the webmaster, and are responsible to him alone.

[cano]

Personally, I think that if you don't think the forum needs a board then you're getting off easy, just don't vote.

And this will help me getting rid of the board exactly how? Could you explain it please?

[TRF]

If the scope of "The Board" is to oversee these forums then voting or not voting is moot as this is a private site and exist on Rick's sufferance. If the scope of the "Board" is to represent geocachers in the State of Maine then, obviously, every geocacher has a bigger stake in the election results regardless of using these forums or not.

So far, I've agreed with everything that everyone has posted but personally can't decipher what direction the Board is going. Public/private. I've read the mission statement and find nothing wrong with it but it seems confined to these forums and from what I can determine it has been followed conscientiously by the Moderators/Board. They have done a great job.

Maybe it is the definition that needs clarifying. Are moderators up for election or is there going to be a broader public focus.

[WhereRWe?]

Maybe it is the definition that needs clarifying. Are moderators up for election or is there going to be a broader public focus.

I repeat: Moderators are appointed by the webmaster, and are responsible to him alone. There is no relationship between the Advisory Board and forum moderators, other than that a person may be both a moderator and a member of the Advisory Board. The functions are separate.

[JustKev]

Just for clarification, the Advisory Board is not involved in moderating the forums. The Advisory Board may set general policies as to how GCM.org is operated, but moderators are appointed by the webmaster, and are responsible to him alone.

I was remembering the "Wikileaks" posts a while back where the board discussed some things that shouldn't have been posted in an open forum. My apologies there.

Still, the moderator(s) should feel free to discuss that exact kind of thing with the board members with the provosio that Rick would and should have the last say or the only say in any and all instances.

[JustKev]

And this will help me getting rid of the board exactly how? Could you explain it please?

If you want to get rid of the board, start a seperate thread calling for a vote to remove the board. It's that simple.

[TRF]

.......... The functions are separate.

OK, then what is this separate function that you allude to. Your clear on your one point but completely fail to address the other.

[tat]

The GC.org website is owned by Attrol. As owner, he has asked the forum users to find a way to provide a consensus opinion in a timely manner when there are options to choose from.

The site's forum guidelines were developed by Advisory Board. Before we had a procedure, moderators were frustrated by a lack of a common yardstick to measure their responses. Anyone that has visited this site surely knows two things: We are too divers a group to all agree and We do not all agree how strictly the forums should be moderated.

If you do not wish to have an Advisory Board, please present an alternative method to provide advice to the site owner.

The site's mission statement is also another Advisory Board accomplishment. http://www.geocachingmaine.org/index.php?page=gmmission. If you haven't had read it recently, it may help to understand what the GCMaine.org site is and isn't.

The fact that the Advisoy Board is seen as a "do nothing" board is actually a good indication that it is functioning properly. The advice they are providing the web site owner to follow our mission statement seems to be working.

Personally, I do not favor changing what we are not: "Let's start with what we are NOT. We are not an official governing body. We are not rule makers or enforcers. We are not the geocaching gurus of Maine."

I do support concentrating on what we are: "We ARE a group of fun-loving, outdoor-minded people who like to geocache and want to help others do the same."