I think I see smiris’ point. The original post was made in the #general topic, presumably to ensure it could reach the widest possible audience and gain maximum input from other members, new and existing. It did seem to attract some new commentators including smiris.
But this morning the group was changed which could be seen as an effort to limit discussion. Smiris no longer can participate in a thread they had already contributed to.
There’s probably good reason to limit this, and in hindsight this may have best been a lounge topic.
Chris decided to removed all my trust levels a few months ago because I posted something he didn’t agree with or like the look of (even though it was meant to be temporary). If one of the mods could look into this and let me know where I stand then please let me know as I would like to contribute to the thread.
Thanks for replying Foresthillnick.
I have to say the phrase “only trust level 2 and above can create and reply on Local Politics. The is mainly to stop BRAND NEW MEMBERS wading in” will really put off any brand new member from bringing their contributions to the forum as a whole.
Although I’m not a brand new member this is exactly the sort of thing that has put me off contributing in the past. Why can’t brand new members wade in as you put it? Are brand new members not to be trusted until they prove themselves with some sort of badge of honour?
It’s a very ‘members’ club’ mentality which I really don’t like (personal opinion) and I haven’t seen on other forums. Surely a local forum would be much better if it was open to all?
There is another local forum that is owned and moderated by one person. A lot, including me, came here as banning and post deletion were common place with no explanation given.
Whilst .Life is not perfect it tries hard to look at all options hence why there are a number of mods, not just one.
Finally, the trust level is only to stop “hit and run” joiners. If you are Verified you immediately move up on trust levels. So far it has worked well but suggestions are always looked at.
A small barrier for entry for new members? Why? Honestly, it makes me want to just take my contributions such as they are elsewhere. Shame. Thanks for the feedback though.
Just to combat repetitive spam and disruptive or provocative comments made by hit-and-run accounts. This is just my opinion, though I’ve seen other forums (not local forums, other matters) suffer greatly from such problems by having totally open access.
@smiris - we really welcome your input on this and of course on the forum in general.
It is really as @ForestHull noted to prevent spam and provocative posts by drive by accounts.
Politics generates a lot of heat and it was thought best to at least get to know folk a little before getting into debates with them. It is an effort to take some of that heat out of the forum which can be off putting if it is on the public face of the site.
I take your point though and we have talked in the past about opening it up - we will look at it again.
I’ve had a chat with my fellow mods and we’ve put you back up to normal member status, which I think means you should be able to access everything you could before. Any issues let us know.
This seems to be conflating two issues. One is how to deal with local politics.
Another is a thread which relates to the functioning of this site and its relationship with the community. This isn’t local politics. It is about the forum.
Thanks again Foresthillnick for the feedback. But I have to say I’ve been rather put off this forum. As some others have suggested on other threads it feels a bit overmoderated.
It also seems particularly odd when I hear on another thread that other moderators have used sockpuppet accounts - it feels like it’s one rule for the powers that be on this forum (fake accounts, choosing who can be verified, deleting posts like mine), while the rest of us lowly occasional users have to ‘earn stars’ before we are deemed worthy enough to post on local politics threads. I’m now at ‘basic’ woohoo! Why not give people the benefit of the doubt first? You could always delete posts if people break forum rules.
