Shark's - Replies and Ideas for improved involvement of ALL

[LRM]

shark wrote : seriously, we have to put a little order in the lagoon. The posts are increasingly numerous and the rules are not precise enough. The proposal of qbv8 is interesting because it uses the game which is the stuff of the lagoon.
unfortunately, I am not the forum programmer but only an user of " aceboard.fr ", a supplier of free forums.I am not able to modify the registration process.
I admire the patience of Arnulf which moves the threads when they are badly placed or of LRM which tirelessly repeat that the newbies have to introduce them self and to read the existing threads before to create a new one.
I have less patience and I often destroys new topics which do not comply with the rules.
I think that we have to think to specify certain rules (for example: is a rapidshare link a direct link?) and to apply them with rigor, perhaps with a more important moderators team .
All the ideas are welcome and I invite qbv8 and LRM to be taken part in this thought

qbv8 wrote : Hi Shark
Thank you for sharing with us your thoughts about this forum. I see this as an appreciation of our efforts and an invitation to develop ideas on how to improve the life of us all in this forum, along the technical constraints of the organization and the spirit of the lagooners. Having said this, I need a few days now to make up my mind and see if I can propose a concept for improvement, so that we could have a basis for further discussion.

And to remain within the lines of the rules, I would post my thoughts under a new thread with a more specific title

Regards,
qbv8

Squeeky wrote :

I am uncertain where I placed a similar comment, but I had suggested some weeks ago doing either one of two things or both:
1. Place a significant link directly above the Forums Index Board eg, in a frame "Need Game Help?" to which you are taken to a Forum Thread for advice.
2. Place a Forum Thread "Need Game Help?" directly below Introductions to which only you, Shark, and the moderators can add/modify. Here you list:
Where to find:
A. Shark Games (so we get a direct link to "Sexy Games")
B. Milly
C. Pusooy
D. (continue list as necessary).
Hints to Play:
A. (and build a similar list which might include linking to already existing threads.
B.

Moderator team? If I read you correctly you are considering a possible extension in moderator size? You already have 3 who seem to work well. You also recognize the value of gbv8 and LRM. My thought here is that you do not go beyond 5! And only then should those extra places be filled with someone who has, and don't consider this completely definitive, but those should have have at least two languages to offer but Eng, French and German would seem to one of the two so moderators might inter exchange comments (anymore would probably become a hindrance - and I am not putting my hand up for one of those, my French barely gets me by).

I'm not certain there is a solution. Stickies pointing posters in the right direction is perhaps a useful tool but I don't see that as a solution.
I like the game idea; kudos qbv8.
I belong to the "ArboristSite" too. A much larger site that has many of the same problems we have here with people asking the same questions repeatedly, they haven't found a solution either. I do think navigation on that site is easier and maybe worth looking into. The members list is considerably easier to use than this one.

Shark, I'm climbing atop my soapbox momentarily... You have no rule against posting a walk through... regulars are aware of a 2 - 3 week no post period out of respect to you. Newbies are not aware of this tradition and are seeking a boost to their ego. Please put this rule in writing!!!
I think the majority of people that post here are (young) males... we don't understand subtle hints!!! If you want something done spell it out please.
Stows soapbox
L
Thank you for the recognition.

[qbv8]

On behavioural guidelines for this Forum
Following the discussion around this topic (and swimming here in the lagoon for a while now), I would like to present my thoughts about this topic to you in the hope, that it could help as a basis for further exploring this matter and finally improving the current status. And I would like to structure the topic along a set of requirements that from my understanding are implicitly valid in the lagoon.

1. Comply to legal regulations
Each country has it's own laws that have to be respected, and the regulations usually vary between countries. As this forum is operated and owned in France, it has to respect the legal regulations of France.

As I don't know much about law, I have just looked up what big companies in France usually do. As an example, just take the french website of HP (an international computer company with enough lawyers to know what they do). This website provides a link in very small letters, even below the bottom line of the page, that says "L'utilisation de ce site implique que vous en acceptiez les conditions". The link points to a legal text in french http://welcome.hp.com/gms/fr/fr/sz6/termsofuse.html (with the known charm of legal texts). Translations to other languages are not necessary, and this seems to be sufficient to get the provider and the owner of the site out of trouble, and thus fulfills the requirement 1. stated above.

Infringement of these rules is punished by law.

2. Respect the code of conduct (mandatory)
This is a very different topic. Where in point 1. above, we assume that everybody basically knows the limitations of law, in addition to that we expect a certain code of conduct of all our members that lies beyond the legal regulations. And this is of more practical importance for our activities here, as this code of conduct constitutes the "culture" of the forum and makes the difference between an environment where you feel comfortable and are part of a community, and an environment where you just rush inside, grab everything you can get, and leave as quickly as possible.

This code of conduct, to my opinion, comes in two flavours where the first one is composed of rules that are mandatory to be obeyed. This topic includes such rules as stated in the "Rules of behaviour" of the "Introductions" section, namely respect of legality (= translate some aspects of the "legaleze" from requirement 1. into understandable language), respect of the property and, respect of the members. Every member of the lagoon has to behave according to these rules, otherwise he is in the wrong lagoon.

Infringement of these rules is punished by Shark and the moderators.

3. Respect the code of conduct (desirable)
These are rules that should be obeyed to be a "good member of the community". In our real life society these are rules such as to offer your seat in a tram to an old lady, greeting a neighbour if you meet him on the streets, or simply saying "Thank you" if you get something. For us here this would have the character of a collection of hints and "traditions" of this forum such as, not posting a walkthrough within 3 weeks of appearence of a game, say "thank you" if someone helps you out with a technical solution to your problem, et cetera. Shortly formulated: be nice, then the sun shines brighter for us all.

Infringement of these rules is punished by the community.

Implementation
Now how can we make sure that every member of the lagoon knows these regulations and interprets them within a certain degree of tolerance?

The simple and true answer is: we can't.

So: what can we do about it?

Regarding rules of category 1, the simplest way would be to just have a small link somewhere on the first page (see example from HP France). To get the illusion that people really have read it, another approach would be the proposal of co90921 in http://sharks-lagoon.aceboard.fr/p-2153 ... tm#id90927 to introduce a simple user interaction element during the registration process such as a button. But we all know these "License agreement accepted" buttons from standard software installations: has anybody ever read the license before clicking "OK"? (... and I don't dare to add "and understood the implications")

Regarding the rules of category 2 and 3, the idea I proposed was to "teach" these rules in a game, i.e. have a small game that states each of the rules, gives practical examples and counterexamples, and presents all this in an agreeable, humorous way with small sexy "rewards" after each lesson. This game shall not inhibit the registration process, but it could in a certain way be proposed to the new member, such that there is some motivation to "play" it and gain a maximum number of points. A possible scenario could be:
[*]Registration process remains unchanged as it is today (possibly revise the wording or add a short sentence in the sense of "yes, I will comply to the regulations of category 1" if necessary).
[*]On every login, the now registered lagooner gets a small popup window that tells him "Do you want to play the regulations game now? YES/NO". This will come up until she or he has "won" the game at least once. This popup window of course can be clicked away, but I assume that after a certain period of time everyone will try to accomplish this game to get rid of the window. And of course we have to expect frequent questions in the forum that ask "How can I get rid of the popup window". This depends on the software of the forum and on the company that owns and operates this software.
[*]Ideally, the game would be of such a quality, that nobody wants to miss it, not even the "old" lagooners. That depends on the small "rewards" in the middle e.g., Nanny explains the rules, and the rewards are that Nanny remembers situations from her last holiday, pleasing herself in a lonely lagoon being only observed/joined/helped out by a mermaid ... or other of these numerous ideas that have been brought up in the different threads of this forum .

Another effect of this game would be, that we can get rid of the "legaleze" language that usually governs such behavioural rules, and "translate" them into normal, clearly understandable language, enriched with examples. I would also add some explanation of the reason behind each of these rules, so that people can better judge whether a certain action is in accordance to what is really meant or not.

We currently see the urgent need for better explanations of rules in the example "May I post this link?" that has escalated many emotions in the thread "All sexy games" in topic "Hentai High School". But as both parties are good lagooners, this issue has been settled in some PMs, and the lagoon can live peacefully ever after. (This could be used as an example for successful conflict resolution, though).

Content
Having stated above the categories and the "how to", now the next step would be to collect potential content for the rules of category 2. and 3. And this content can be found here in the lagoon. The sources are:
[*]The chapter "Introduction" -> "Forum Rules"
[*]Questions that come up frequently and repeatedly.
[*]Questions that have been discussed controversely (e.g. "may I post this link")
[*](Mis-)behavior that has been "punished" by the community although it has nowhere been explicitly stated as unwanted behavior.

And for each content item we should have
[*]The rule
[*]The reason behind (why)
[*]Positive examples (DOs)
[*]Negative examples (DON'Ts)

We are a pretty international community here in the forum, and what is obvious for one person, can be not obvious for another --- both persons being valuable and repectable members of their own community and culture. Therefore it helps to make things explicit --- without emotion, without fingerpointing: we should just plainly state what is desirable, and what is not. This way everybody can refer to it and look it up in case of uncertainty.

So much for my "two cent"

Best regards,
qbv8

[shark]

I think it is necessary to know the forum members to find a good solution.
for me, there are two kinds of people who are posting on the forum.
first: people who appreciate the games and the lagoon spirit , Often, They observe the lagoon without taking part during a long time and decide ,one day, to register for pleasure and fun
I name them " the lagoon residents" and they do not create any problem. they are the community

second : The players who are suddenly blocked in a game. Their single problem is to obtain a fast response of their question to be able to continue to play. No time to introduce themself, no time to read the rules, no time to read the existing topics, no time to choose the good place for a post, their only concern is to continue the game
their posts are recognizable:
from xxxxx - posts: 1 - pilot fish: " I' m stuck in part where is wrote " shark present" - any hint?

we cannot impose very strict rules to the residents, only in the aim to be protected from the "I'm stuck".

[sharkfan]

I understand and agree with everything that qbv8 stated. I think there is no easy way to get everyone to follow the rules, no matter how simple they are. Some people just won't.

Everyone wants to go to a resort and lay on the beach and eat and drink but noone wants to clean the rooms and work in the restaurant and restock the bar and rake the beach. Fortunately, this resort we call the Lagoon is free and there are several people who do all the necessary but unappreciated work to keep it clean and sunny. So THANK YOU everyone who works tirelessly to make sure my favorite beer is always on hand and the water is always clear.

Unfortunately, any ideas will mean work for these poor moderators who are already over worked, but here is my idea anyway. Maybe whenever anyone tries to post a new topic and their level is Pilot Fish, they will get a message saying that their topic has to be reviewed by a moderator and may take up to 48 hours before it is posted in the forum. Shark has said that this forum is free and he has nothing to do with how it works, so I doubt this can be done but if it could, I think it would eliminate a lot of unnecessary posts.

Or Shark could chain us all up in a dungeon and Cloe could whip us with barbed wire whenever we ask a stupid question.

[qbv8]

sharkfan wrote : Or Shark could chain us all up in a dungeon and Cloe could whip us with barbed wire whenever we ask a stupid question.

This might tremendously raise the amount of stupid questions in this lagoon to incredibly high numbers ...

[shark]

Ok, but if Cloe asks a stupid question,I have priority to use the whip...

[sharkfan]

He he he. Maybe even Mr. Shark and Mr. Arnulf would break the rules if they knew Cloe would punish them. I wonder if Arnulf out ranks Cloe? I imagine the heirarchy here in the Lagoon goes something like this:
1. Mr Shark
2. Mermaids (Cloe and females)
3. Moderators (Arnulf and the others)
4. Lagooners
5. Zombies
6. Rotten Fruit
7. Newbies (HELP HELP!! HOW DO I FUCK HER ASS!!)

[qbv8]

I think it is more appropriate to speak about the chain of food (instead of hierarchy).

BTW: where can I find SFD2 for download?

[Cloé]

really shark ?

how can I plays SF2 in a french version ? please !!!!!!!!!!!!

[qbv8]

Right, Shark, my annotations above of course relate only to the second kind of people that you mention.

For the "I'm-stuck-and-need-quick-help" visitor why not provide the "I'm-stuck-and-need-quick-help" button that leeds to a navigation page e.g. like the following. [no](I do not have time today to complete all the TBDs, but it should give you an idea).[/no]

Updated: I have completed the links and moved this page to a place where it can easier be found by people looking for help.

shark wrote: ... we cannot impose very strict rules to the residents, only in the aim to be protected from the "I'm stuck".

Of course, I totally understand and agree, and I'm sorry that I might not have expressed myself clearly enough. The best way to get "protected" from the "I'm stuck" is to help them quickly. One way could be this overview page that I proposed and shifted to the section "Doctor shark consultations". And my previous post is not about imposing (new) strict rules, instead it is about making explicit and stating clearly the rules that already are in operation today (no. 1 and 2 in my post above) and giving hints to the willing --- and there are many out here --- on the existing culture of this lagoon i.e., what is regarded as "good behaviour" and what is not (no. 3 in my post above).

[LRM]

digits wrote :

Garrgl! Rules everywhere!
Take care not to turn the beautiful lagoon to a highly restricted marina.

Why not a forum "pillory" (gentle, kind of "bonnet d'âne" one) section?
Admin and mods could transfer there any topic created obviously without even reading posts of past days/weeks/months?
It would give the author a chance to correct himself, and ease the work of moderators: no need to think about the proper answer, or search for previous topics.

This is a good idea!
sharkfan's 48 hour wait also has merit.
qbv8's help page is logical and would stop all but the most avid "I'm Stuckers".
The problem as I see it can be blamed on the Creator... He gave males enough blood to think or to maintain an erection; those guilty of errant posts have no blood going to their brains and are incapable of reason!!!

[Felix]

Why not create a FAQ - WALKTHROUGHS subforum (where only admins can post). With a nice title of the game and a link to the walkthrough and or video walkthrough.

Whenever a newbie asks a question that has been answered before in the FAQ section the admins have the right to ritually sacrifice him/her...

[qbv8]

For the "ritual sacrification" to be real fun, we would need some women in the administrator team ... and then this "ritual sacrification" has to be documented ... possibly in a game ... which would lead to even more "dumb questions" like "How can I become the next to be sacrificed by these cuties?"

[digits]

To keep the atoll's atmosphere of the forum, it could be called "the pass", or "the sea side of the reef" instead of pillory. Something like this could be appropriate, too:

Functionnally, the way I see it is quite conventional nowadays, a trash (or recycle bin, call it as you like, depending of your favorite OS). A folder keeping track of deleted files before the user makes a permanent decision about deletion. Just add a sticky saying if your kickass thread finishes there, its creation wasn't really needed.


Concerning the forum's sections, I always found them disturbing for a newby. Nothing to say till "all sexy games", but the last ones are somehow confusing: get in the shoes of a guy/girl stepping (swimming?) in the lagoon for the 1st time: what's the difference between Shark's games, Shark's lagoon, Dr Shark's consultations & the beach?

The descrïptions help make your mind, sure. But you'll need to read them first. And we all know how difficult that is!

Something could be done easily, and (hopefully) lower the need for newcomers to create a new topic for the latest Shark's game, because they're stuck at the lick, blowjob, pussy shave... scene.
Every time a new game comes out, Shark creates a topic for it, and sticks it (no stickies, I guess, let's say announcements) in Dr Shark's consultations. The rule must be: one game, one sticked thread.
Create another thread about the game in the Shark's games section for well deserved congrats/applauds/cheers, and sing a little mantra to keep the demons of chaos out of it.
If needed, you could go further in this direction: transfer every existing topic inside the consultations to the Shark's games section (except the excellent qbv8's summary). If you can do it with aceboard forums, restrict topic creation in this section to the admin only
(in case of mantra's failure).

[digits]

Something to keep in mind: