Where do we go from here?: Thoth Forum Poll

Which forum do you prefer?

  • Mystic Readings

    Votes: 5 14.7%
  • Tarot, Tea, & Me

    Votes: 9 26.5%
  • Tarotsphere

    Votes: 20 58.8%

  • Total voters
    34

thorhammer

Are all of these places a bring your own moderator situation? My biggest concern, if we can't talk Zeph into staying on, is that the moderator understand the issues that the Thoth tarot might bring, including the occult and Crowley himself. This will highly influence my vote.

This is a fair and salient point. Between them, Greg and Zeph brought astonishing order and civility to a fraught subject and those of us who remember what it was like before that....we know we don't want to go back there. It doesn't serve anyone.

I reiterate my willingness to act as mod in a new place. I hope the group chooses wisely. I can't see this group flourishing in an environment of overt new-agey-ness or cutesy phrasing.

ETA: my offer to mod isn't out of a desire for glory or even thanks - just necessity. There are probably a dozen people who'd be better than me and I'll rejoice if any of them wants the position.
 

BrownBear

I thought the poll was to say, anonymously, which forum we prefer.

I've joined them all, but there's definitely one I prefer. I voted.
 

Dogs&Coffee

On Tarot Tea and Me, aka Little Fang, you first sign in to read and post to boards. On Mystic Reads, you need to sign in to read and post reading exchanges, while elsewhere guests can view, and it lets me compose a reply as a guest. On Tarotsphere, everything is readable by guests, and it lets me compose a reply as a guest.


That may change, but it's one of the differences I noted, if you have a preference.


(Though I know nothing on a forum is private, I prefer the login myself.)

Chiming in...
I will eventually change certain boards to member only posting. Membership will remain free, but this way it gives some control over trolls. I just wanted people who migrate and have trouble signing up to still have a way to participate.

A little birdie told me you want to appoint your own mod, and yes! Please do! I'll be posting a call to mods on tarotsphere today so we can organize and make sure there is coverage with whomever volunteers. I also wanted to wait until I had rules finished and posted so you knew what was going on as mods.

I will also be expanding Thoth boards today per Earthairs suggestions. If you need more boards later I will add them.

As far as size... yeah it's a long forum.. some boards may stay some may go, some may be re-organized and subbed under others. My first concern was ease of navigation and range of subjects, and organization of subjects.

As someone who has just started a spiritual journey, I've long been unhappy with the only somewhat active "beyond tarot" subject dump that was here. I'm hoping to encourage more talk on subjects by highlighting them. Worst case, it's a failed experiment and we consolidate. :3

I just think with the closure of AT there is an opportunity to expand, grow, and be better...
 

Dogs&Coffee

This is a fair and salient point. Between them, Greg and Zeph brought astonishing order and civility to a fraught subject and those of us who remember what it was like before that....we know we don't want to go back there. It doesn't serve anyone.

I reiterate my willingness to act as mod in a new place. I hope the group chooses wisely. I can't see this group flourishing in an environment of overt new-agey-ness or cutesy phrasing.

ETA: my offer to mod isn't out of a desire for glory or even thanks - just necessity. There are probably a dozen people who'd be better than me and I'll rejoice if any of them wants the position.

My Thoughts on mods:
Ethical Mods need to
1. Understand the subject enough to keep the board organized
2. Be able to be impartial about what people are posting.
3. Be discreet about handling member issues that may arise.

Number two may be most important in Thoth.... As long as posts don't violate forum rules, they stay, despite how the mod feels about subject matter.

If someone here can do all three, you're welcome to volunteer to be a mod.
 

AJ

should be some thought to firing mods. We've had a few at AT that wasn't suited to modding. Whoever is in charge/owns forums needs to realize they'll have to deal with some unpleasant jobs also
 

Dogs&Coffee

should be some thought to firing mods. We've had a few at AT that wasn't suited to modding. Whoever is in charge/owns forums needs to realize they'll have to deal with some unpleasant jobs also

I own a small business and before that I was in charge of new hires for the firm I worked for... I've hired and fired more than several times. I know how to recognize and foster people doing well in their positions, and I know how to recognize when a position is not a good fit.

I'll make sure mods are comfortable and supported doing their jobs.
 

Zephyros

I thought the poll was to say, anonymously, which forum we prefer.

I've joined them all, but there's definitely one I prefer. I voted.

The poll was so that people who are interested in discussing the Thoth could see where their fellow people were going, so as to try identify a trend. General Tarot forums abound, but it's difficult to find a good Thoth forum.
 

Aeon418

I reiterate my willingness to act as mod in a new place.
I have no objection. In fact I think you would be a great choice for Mod. But only if you really want the position. There's nothing worse than being forced into doing something just keep other people happy.
I hope the group chooses wisely.
As do I. Which is why I rule myself out.

I can hear a collective sigh of relief and the loosening of clenched sphincters throughout Aeclectic. :laugh: ;)

I think I would be totally unsuitable for the position due to my obvious and unrepentant partisanship and my willingness to call out Thoth/Thelema/Crowley related B.S. and misinformation. I recognize that this has made me unpopular in some quarters, but I've never tried to be a "popular poster." I believe I would be a divisive choice and a little too "Marmite" for a Moderator.
I can't see this group flourishing in an environment of overt new-agey-ness or cutesy phrasing.
Amen to that! :thumbsup:

I'm sure some of us still remember when it was virtually impossible to start a serious discussion without a hand grenade being thrown into each new thread. How many times did we have to rehash the same arguments? :rolleyes: I doubt anyone wants to go back there again.
 

Zephyros

Well, I can safely say that one thing they don't tell you about being a mod is how fun it is. Sure, there are days when it's a chore, and there are all kinds of unpleasant situations the can crop up here and again, but all in all it's really enjoyable, especially if you're in it for ideological reasons like I was, or how thorhammer seems to be. I was very jealous and protective of my realm, treating it as my little kingdom (although not in a dictatorial way). I think that's an important quality for a mod, to believe in what you're doing and that it has merit. But if you're in a good community, you really get into the thick of things and see how it all works behind the scenes, and it's fascinating.

But as far as practical work goes, Thoth was practically non-existent, so much so that I ended asking for more to do, taking on one of the busiest forums on AT, Talking Tarot, plus Spirituality, Divination, RWS and Marseilles. But even if you don't want to do that or don't have much time, we're talking about a few minutes a day to read new posts (which you probably do anyway). In Thoth this would translate to about one active thread at any given time, so a moderator's main job would be to be there when needed, which isn't often. The job is more to keep the "spirit" of the forum far more than anything practical. That's important, of course, but it doesn't take a lot of time to do.

And should things go in the direction they seem to be heading, I will give you, thorhammer (or anyone else) a full explanation of what is to be done, little tips that will make life easier, etc. In fact, I even recommend that the new guidelines of the new forum be those of this forum, which Grigori wrote, and that I then copied, made slight adjustments and shamelessly signed my name on. I suggest this not because of ego, because I didn't write them, but because they work, especially the paragraph that says

Being a controversial man, Crowley frequently attracts debate and criticism. This section of AT is intended to be a place for interested people to further study his work or explore using the many approaches to working with the Thoth deck. Debating the merits of his deck or magick does not belong in this forum, as it tends to derail efforts to actually study the material. Which after all is what this forum exists for. Debating the validity of a magical approach to tarot or similar discussions, are better suited to the general sections of AT, such as the Talking Tarot section.

which basically says that discussion is about the subject matter, and that if anyone wants to talk about whether or not Crowley was a Satanist, evil or just full of crap, Talking Tarot is the place for it, not here. Of course, a new moderator in a new forum might have their work cut out for them, setting down new rules and boundaries to a new set of people who aren't used to AT's ways and customs.