Exclusive Senior Member Forum? Possible?

[jp5065]

With all the talk about trolls and new members and the such would it be a good idea to have a forum/sub forum for only senior members? I'm not even sure if this is possible with the forum software, but just an idea.

Or maybe some kind of premium membership where if you show proof that you donated to the campaign you have access to the forum.

Just ideas.. anybody else have these thoughts?

[cicatrice]

Well I don't know what others think but it may really turn off new members (I just joined this month for instance) because it's alienating. I'm not sure if we could alleviate the tensions popping up lately...

[Arek]

They probably can setup a private forum that you can enter only with a forum password. I know back when I used UBB it had this option.

[shepburn]

Dumb idea ... just think about it for a minute.

We can always spot trolls. We can always defeat them in any arguement. We'll never be swayed by lies. We always want new ideas.

Besides if all of us senior members we in a seperate forum, the trolls may infulence our newbies.

[Mental Dribble]

Yea, its not the best way to welcome new members...

Kinda sounds like you want to form your own congress ;) and we all know how great of a job they are doing!

[garrettwombat]

i have thought about this a lot and i want this if it is possible

for people with over 300+ posts or something

it would be for stuff we dont want the public to see.

[N13]

Messin' with the market are we?

Noobs

[leipo]

nahh, that doesn't seem very welcoming.

[Shink]

I think this is a bad idea. Who decides who's "in" the little club? Exactly the problem. We need to just work together, stop being so suspicious of new members (I never am, I wait to read their posts before screaming, "COINTELPRO.") Ron Paul isn't just for some 'elite' group, he's for everyone. So should be this site.

[jp5065]

I am not even a senior member yet
I know that a lot of forums have hidden sub forums that only admins can access
Just thought it would be a good place for private discussion with no distractions

Not saying that people with access to them wouldn't post in the public forums as well

[garrettwombat]

it wouldnt be a forum to exclude all the new people... it would just be a forum to post things that the we dont want the general public to see.

the grassroots would still be the main forum

[Ron Paul Fan]

ABSOLUTELY NOT! Someone proposed this in the feedback forum and I shut him up pretty quick! A system designed to protect INIDIVDUAL LIBERTY gives no PUNISHMENT to any group and no PRIVILEGES to any group! Why cut off communication to a lot of forum members? Aren't these people Ron Paul supporters too? Even though I would gain access to this forum, I must strongly oppose it in the name of individual rights and individual liberty. We are not a bunch of groups supporting Ron Paul, we are a bunch of individuals supporting Ron Paul.

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=60849

[BlueGecko]

Please no, then we would be like hucks *fascist* forum


*A form of political behavior marked by obsessive preoccupation with community decline, humiliation or victimhood and by compensatory cults of unity, energy and purity, in which a mass-based party of committed nationalist militants, working in uneasy but effective collaboration with traditional elites, abandons democratic liberties and pursues with redemptive violence and without ethical or legal restraints goals of internal cleansing and external expansion." [Robert O. Paxton, "The Anatomy of Fascism," 2004]

[xexkxex]

No. Bad idea.

[nist7]

Ummmm....and what would the purpose of such forum be except to create a new "elitist" class and alienate the "newbs?"

[RonPaulVolunteer]

It's the people with the highest post counts that are very usually the most negative, argumentative and abusive on here, so I think it would be a great idea to get rid of some of them to their own board! Do it. The trolls I will live with.

.

[allyinoh]

But you also have to think that there are people (trolls) who could possibly push themselves over the limit to be able to see that...

I like the idea though.

[mmink15]

I see why you want a senior member forum, to raise thje bar of discussion and prevent trolls, but the responsible members here are needed to catch this stuff in the bud so new voters aren't exposed to it without rebuttal

[evandi]

If so, I will be like many and post "yep, I like that idea" to hundreds of posts and get Senior Member in a few days.

Post-count democracy: Amazingly stupid. The only form of government where only you get to vote on whether you win the election, and you can vote as many times as you want.

[Ron Paul Fan]

Don't you know that when you give up LIBERTY for SECURITY that you LOSE BOTH? That's what's happening on this forum! There is but one special interest that we should be working for that would solve just about all of our problems, and that is our LIBERTY! NO SPECIAL RIGHTS FOR ANY GROUP! INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS FOR ALL!!!!!!

[Pimpin Turtle Dot Com]

bad idea

[son of liberty]

i wouldn't like it.

[jp5065]

Im not saying this is a great idea or it is how it should be, but it is an idea that came to me so I thought I would bring it up for discussion.

I don't really buy into the concept that this would infringe on anybodies personal rights or liberties.

I also don't see this idea as creating an "elitist" forum

It is not terribly hard to get senior member status here, and I agree that this wouldn't get rid of all the "trolls" but that wasn't really the idea either.

I think if it kinda like earning your stripes or paying your dues, you have to put your time into all the other forums, be in the community for awhile, before you can post in the "senior member" forum. Have to play in the minors before you can play in the big leagues.

The main forum gets very busy sometimes, too full, I would say.

[NewEnd]

I like the idea of a forum with confirmed donors only, allthough I am not sure how we could confirm donations.

I bet things would still be just as heated.

[garrettwombat]

some of you guys are insane... all it would do is be a place to post things we dont want the public to see or reporters to see...

its not making an elite group of ron paul forum members... that is stupid.

[me3]

In my experience, forums that have post count driven privileges, tend to encourage more weak posts. People are driven to make the count, just so they can "peek" at the hidden content.


ABSOLUTELY NOT! Someone proposed this in the feedback forum and I shut him up pretty quick! A system designed to protect INIDIVDUAL LIBERTY gives no PUNISHMENT to any group and no PRIVILEGES to any group! Why cut off communication to a lot of forum members? Aren't these people Ron Paul supporters too? Even though I would gain access to this forum, I must strongly oppose it in the name of individual rights and individual liberty. We are not a bunch of groups supporting Ron Paul, we are a bunch of individuals supporting Ron Paul.

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=60849


Don't you know that when you give up LIBERTY for SECURITY that you LOSE BOTH? That's what's happening on this forum! There is but one special interest that we should be working for that would solve just about all of our problems, and that is our LIBERTY! NO SPECIAL RIGHTS FOR ANY GROUP! INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS FOR ALL!!!!!!
I was going to channel you in this thread, until I saw you posted twice already.

But you didn't get my point across, so please indulge me.

We need more privacy for individuals, and less secrecy in the forum!

:D

[PatriotOne]

I vote nay on a exclusive board. Everyone needs to be focused together. What I do think is that there needs to be full-time mods on this board who can take immediate action against the trolls and other infractions. It really is out of control here and people spend more time arguing with the trolls than getting anything positive done. Of course that the purpose of the trolls. There's a huge difference between free speech and allowing someone to come on this board for the purpose of causing problems intentionally.

We are coming up on a very important phase of this election (the primaries). We can not afford to get distracted now. This board is going to be an important focal point for many of us. I say the mods need to go nazi on the troll's asses right now. They need to make some people mods who know a troll when they see one and start giving out infractions and if they persist...boot them and their IP's.

[jp5065]

In my experience, forums that have post count driven privileges, tend to encourage more weak posts. People are driven to make the count, just so they can "peek" at the hidden content.


That is a very good point.

What about a forum that everybody could see and only senior members could post?

I guess that would still have some of the same problems with people trying to up their post count... Although there have been a lot of pretty weak posts lately when the forum fills up.. good thing there are a lot of good posts to push them down! lol

[amy31416]

I think that if you need a forum to discuss things in-depth with a select group of reps from here to do more functional things for the campaign, out of the eyes of people who may try to harm the campaign, that's fine. But I think that it should be done outside of this site and that it should have several representatives from each group or "type" of Ron Paul supporters, even if it is a small group.

The groups underrepresented by Paul's supporters such as African Americans, Muslims, Jews (I'm forgetting some, I'm sure) would do well in a group like this, as long as it's very functional, educated and informed on all issues, both inside and outside the campaign. You could discuss how to inform and possibly get more people from these small groups as well.

I say to not limit the campaign to the grassroots. I'd like it if there were someone in the group tied to the official campaign. The only thing is I don't know how you'd go about picking who would be part of this group.

It could help address some of the shortcomings in a few people in the official campaign. I have no problem with us getting a higher level to further the campaign. I think though, that at certain intervals, you guys should give the rest of us a synopsis or report of what's going on with you guys.

I understand the dissent fully about having a "special members" section and agree that it would be a bad idea.

[thumbto]

I got huffy when i thought I couldn't respond to a poll because I didn't have enough posts. [turned out I wasn't logged in]......

So, no. Even if you had special access, and I reached the magic number of posts, I wouldn't go in there, because I don't like cliques.

[Ron Paul Fan]

In my experience, forums that have post count driven privileges, tend to encourage more weak posts. People are driven to make the count, just so they can "peek" at the hidden content.


I was going to channel you in this thread, until I saw you posted twice already.

But you didn't get my point across, so please indulge me.

We need more privacy for individuals, and less secrecy in the forum!

:D

I'm glad that you're FINALLY starting to see the light! Maybe there's HOPE for you yet. I just wish the rest of the forum would also realize that I'm usually right about these things. I think that the OP's intention is to drive a wedge in between the forum. The INDIVIDUAL rights of each and every forum member should be protected. If there is trollish behavior by a non established member, it should be dealt with. If there is trollish behavior by an established member, it should be dealt with. Let me remind everyone again that we are well defended against all enemies FOREIGN. We should be much more careful about defending against all enemies DOMESTIC.

[Keith]

I am for more freedom rather than less freedom and I am not a collectivist so I think that a super secret forum for first class members is a bad idea. That is my personal opinion though. The great thing about the internet is that you can go start a top secret forum and invite people that you want to it and they are free to join. I hope we never lose that freedom.

[RonPaulFever]

"We have always been opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths...."

-JFK

[Chomsky]

With all the talk about trolls and new members and the such would it be a good idea to have a forum/sub forum for only senior members? I'm not even sure if this is possible with the forum software, but just an idea.

Or maybe some kind of premium membership where if you show proof that you donated to the campaign you have access to the forum.

Just ideas.. anybody else have these thoughts?
Posts: 82
self'd

[Meatwasp]

I am not that much of a joiner. Never was until I found this forum. I like the open feeling it gives and if you start selecting who should be able to join and who not your no better than the Bilderburgers. Ha!

[yongrel]

So we want to put LibertyEagle in his own subforum?

Cool idea ;)

[Meatwasp]

So we want to put LibertyEagle in his own subforum?

Cool idea ;)

Liberty Eagle is a SHE1

[Meatwasp]

Liberty eagle is a she

[jp5065]

OK so it seems that most people are taking this stance:

We should not:
Have a place for discussion outside the main forum that includes only known Ron Paul supporters, or people that have at least been active at the forums for more than a few days.

Instead we should:
Leave the forums how they are now, delete peoples threads we don't agree with and ban their IP's because they are trolls.

[klamath]

Bad idea. This is not susposed to be an exclusive club. I really want it to grow to over 50 million new member. Some people are thinking this as some kind of exclusive gentlemen's debate club.

[Ron Paul Fan]

NO! I'm saying that we should take our MARCHING ORDERS from the FORUM CONSTITUTION! We should NOT throw people with less than 100 posts(which ironically includes yourself) to the curb! We should welcome them with open arms! You don't put people into groups and give them special rights and privileges! You get rid of people who are exhibiting TROLLISH behavior, you don't eliminate a whole class of people! The FREEDOM message BRINGS US TOGETHER, it DOESN'T DIVIDE US!

[user]

Bad idea, this is usually how a movement stops getting bigger.

[evandi]

OK so it seems that most people are taking this stance:

We should not:
Have a place for discussion outside the main forum that includes only known Ron Paul supporters, or people that have at least been active at the forums for more than a few days.

Instead we should:
Leave the forums how they are now, delete peoples threads we don't agree with and ban their IP's because they are trolls.

No one gets banned here just because any "we" you might try to define doesn't agree with them. Nor should they.

[FreeTraveler]

ABSOLUTELY NOT! Someone proposed this in the feedback forum and I shut him up pretty quick! A system designed to protect INIDIVDUAL LIBERTY gives no PUNISHMENT to any group and no PRIVILEGES to any group! Why cut off communication to a lot of forum members? Aren't these people Ron Paul supporters too? Even though I would gain access to this forum, I must strongly oppose it in the name of individual rights and individual liberty. We are not a bunch of groups supporting Ron Paul, we are a bunch of individuals supporting Ron Paul.

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=60849

I agree the separate forum is a bad idea. Given that, however, I have to say you have some very funny ideas about Liberty. There's nothing anti-liberty about having a group with restricted membership. Part of liberty is the freedom of association. I'm free to form any organization or business I care to, and admit or not admit whoever I care to.

[CelestialRender]

This would make the quality of the public boards go WAY downhill.

Nay, IMO.

[Matt Collins]

http://www.slashdot.org has a Karma type of system setup so that fellow users can rate your posts. It works awesomely!


See this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slashdot#Moderation