A simple poll

[Henna]

Just wanted your feedback, if you want some changes or improvements in this forum, this will be a good time to share your opinions and views.

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[aphistis]

More moderator presence--Not even in a policing capacity necessarily, just a little participation to let us know you're here.

 

[Henna]

ok

 

[Dr.BadVibes]

Other than what Bill said, this forum is great!! No complaints here!

 

[Bickle]

Dont be so quick to close threads. Unless the comments are incredibly offensive, some heated debate is a good thing for this forum.

 

[busupshot83]

Originally posted by Dentaldream
Dont be so quick to close threads. Unless the comments are incredibly offensive, some heated debate is a good thing for this forum.

I don't find the threads closing here as quick as they do in the other forums.

 

[Henna]

I appreciate all the feedbacks, keep them coming.

 

[trypmo]

I'd have to disagree with Dentaldream on this one. I think we can all be civil, even though it might seem a bit of a conservative approach to ask it of everyone.

I agree with aphistis; a moderator dropping in here and there would add more flavor to the mix (esp. given that moderators often have the most experience!).


Would there be room on the server to make all our avatars a little bigger, like they are on DT?

Would people like to have a dental-specific chat room, and if so, would it be feasible? Just a thought.

Thanks!

 

[predentchick]

My only concern is with the whole AZ thing. A few things were said about it and the whole entire thing shut down. I found that a touch too excessive and it kind of reflected bad on those who pushed it to that point. Just my opinion, which doesn't mean squat..... but I just wanted to get it off my chest.

 

[Dr.BadVibes]

Good point predentchick....I forgot about that.....THe Arizona conflict was dealt with in a very harsh, immature and extreme manner.

Temple constantly gets insulted for things that for the most part are misinformed, so I am on here to clear those things up. Have you seen the Temple interview feedback? There are some harsh negative feedbacks that make no sense, but would it be right to delete the whole Temple feedback??? No

 

[Henna]

If you want me to look into any particular thread please provide me with the link ( will be much appreciated ).
I also think that it would be better if we didn't dwell too much into the past, if we can focus on how to improve this forum -
-by adding more threads of a particular nature ( admissions, loans, etc)
- helpful stickies
- MCQ's
it would be more organized and less redundant.


(My focus is mainly to help the pre-dents here with everyone's help of course)

 

[Bickle]

Originally posted by trypmo
I'd have to disagree with Dentaldream on this one. I think we can all be civil, even though it might seem a bit of a conservative approach to ask it of everyone.

Thanks!

Personally, I thought that last thread about the DAT was closed too hastily. Now, I know I dont speak for everyone, but if someone calls me an "dingus" or something along those lines on this forum, I rarely take offense to it. Who cares??

I know there are people out there who dont agree with me, and some that do.

 

[comatose]

yeah. make gavin moderator. you're not around here enough to have the title. no offense.

 

[comatose]

oh sorry. bill beat me to it. frequent visits would be appreciated.

 

[predentchick]

Originally posted by Henna

it would be more organized and less redundant.


The problem with that is when new people come, they are very excited to get some answers to their questions. They post a question to some common issues and within minutes they get replies. However, these replies are harsh and impatient saying "Do a search cause this has been discused." Whenever I read that I just think to myself, "Is it really that big of a deal?" There are nicer ways of saying this. These people are NEW and they are not familiar with the SDN site. Cut them some slack and be nice! When the SDN people jump all over them and make them feel stupid for asking a "common question" it doesn't put us in a friendly environment for a first impression. Just a thought....

 

[sxr71]

I think that instead of closing down threads it is better to give offending posters short "vacations." The 2004 stats thread was a useful thread that got shut down due to few people using it as their personal battlefield. Looking forward it might be better if those people are warned not to post in that thread again and if they do they get a week or two away from here. This is just a suggestion.

 

[Henna]

Thanks again for all the feedback, keep them coming.

 

[critterbug]

Originally posted by comatose
yeah. make gavin moderator. you're not around here enough to have the title. no offense.

Actually , Henna is around quite frequently. She is one of the few dental moderators who do make an active contribution, as opposed to lurking in the shadows.

Keep up the good work Henna

 

[DcS]

Originally posted by comatose
yeah. make gavin moderator. you're not around here enough to have the title. no offense.

I disagree. The key to being a moderator is to be unbiased. As much of an important contributer as Gavin is to SDN, he is way too opinionated to be a moderator. Imagine the whole Arizona thread, before it got out of hand, being shut down because of ties involved. I think Henna staying behind the scenes is the way it should be.

 

[critterbug]

Originally posted by DcS
I disagree. The key to being a moderator is to be unbiased. As much of an important contributer as Gavin is to SDN, he is way too opinionated to be a moderator. Imagine the whole Arizona thread, before it got out of hand, being shut down because of ties involved. I think Henna staying behind the scenes is the way it should be.

I agree. Being unbiased is essential.

But I DISAGREE with your "behind the scenes comment". I'll give you an example: Desidentist is the moderator of the DAT forum. I have nothing against him, he seems to be a great guy with a wealth of information. AND I'm not saying he doesnt come around SDN often. But I did a search, and he has only made 3 posts this month, and it was January since he made any before that. And none of them were in the DAT forum!!

*In my opinion* the DAT forum should be run by someone who NOT ONLY has a wealth of information to share, but who ACTUALLY shares it! *And* is actively trying to make it better. Henna does a great job with this. She is always posting threads such as this to make SDN Dental forums a better place.

Look at the Financial Aid forum. A guy/girl named "mpp" is the moderator over there, and he/she answers probably about 75% of everyones questions. I like to read the posts that he/she makes, since he/she seems to be very knowledgeable on most financial aid subjects, and I trust the information that is provided.

Yes, a moderator must be unbiased and fair.....but they should also be willing to contribute to the forums in which they are moderating. Especiallly the DAT forum, since it is about one topic, and one topic only......THE DAT!!

 

[UMDeeMan]

i love vanessa carlton, killer icon henna. you know of any concert info?? i'm seeing DMB at alpine in august, but that's it for concerts. always wanted to see carlton perform.

 

[wimmcs]

Originally posted by predentchick

Originally posted by Henna

it would be more organized and less redundant.


The problem with that is when new people come, they are very excited to get some answers to their questions. They post a question to some common issues and within minutes they get replies. However, these replies are harsh and impatient saying "Do a search cause this has been discused." Whenever I read that I just think to myself, "Is it really that big of a deal?" There are nicer ways of saying this. These people are NEW and they are not familiar with the SDN site. Cut them some slack and be nice! When the SDN people jump all over them and make them feel stupid for asking a "common question" it doesn't put us in a friendly environment for a first impression. Just a thought....

I agree with this post. We have lots of people who have found this forum for the first time and they post a question and they get "yelled at" for not doing a search. Not sure what you, the moderator can do about it. But it sure doesn't give many people the freedom to post questions without being afraid someone will jump all over their case. For example, just recently someone posted a thread regarding some new program AZ has called "Hometown"; he got so much grief. Many people told him to do a search and find info on AZ... but as Gavin indicated, this subject, even though there was a lot of info regaring Arizona on many threads, Hometown specifically was never discussed, therefore he probably would have never found it. As predentchick indicated, a lot of people need to take chill pills and not be rude. If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all. There are sometimes that I have discussed my situation on a number of occasions while trying to help a fellow pre-dent. It can get a little tiring, but it's worthwhile trying to help out. I know I have received a wealth of information on this forum and I appreciated everyone who has contributed. Let's keep this place civil where we share meaninful information among pre-dents.

 

[Henna]

I do agree with wimmcs, I think the best way to handle this would be to
- post a link of the thread so the OP can read it up ie if it was recently discussed ( it will be only a couple of pages away so wont be a tough search for you )
- or atleast give then the name of the thread so that they can do the search
- or Place a link of such threads in the "links of interest thread" and just refer then to that thread that way they won't have to go around in circles looking for the info.

On another note, if you'd like me to open up a few of the closed threads and if its within reason I'll be glad to do it, but keep in mind that, this will cause a few posts on those threads to be deleted and if some of the users continue to post just to provoke others, their acc's will be placed on hold.



Henna

 

[aphistis]

Originally posted by Henna
On another note, if you'd like me to open up a few of the closed threads and if its within reason I'll be glad to do it, but keep in mind that, this will cause a few posts on those threads to be deleted and if some of the users continue to post just provoke others their acc's will be placed on hold.

That'd be the best way to address problems. It's much more selective, gets the miscreants out of the mix, and permits the rest of us to continue discussion.