Attention all Members: Please read this before posting any news

[Dorothy_Marie]

Dear Members,
I would like to have your attention regarding about posting news, rumors, tabloids, etc. Also about the prefixes that you see when posting a new thread.

I have being seeing a mulitude of members posting news that has no reliable source (i.e. rumors) and/or tabloids (i.e. The Sun). These two areas need to be dealt with immediately due to the seriousness of MJJCommunity policy in keeping our news up to date and in delievering the most accurate news. We have lots of people who come to this site because of those two reasons I named above. Please review these steps before posting any news:

1. When posting news you need to make sure who the source is so please make sure you have a link to the direct source before you post it in our news and mentionings thread.The source has to be a RELIABLE source. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to pm me or another staff member if you can't determine if the source is reliable.

2. Please don't post ANY tabloid articles in the main forum or in the news and mentionings thread. There is a place called Tablid Talk Forum, which can be found here : http://www.mjjcommunity.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=75

3. When posting news after doing the first two steps you have two places to post them and that is in the 1) in the most recent news and mentionings forum 2) in a thread by itself if the news is breaking news or something that really needs som attention to.

4. News staff or other staff members who have been assigned to do the news threads are the only people who can start a thread. You may contribute to the news thread after one has been made.

5. Please do not use the news prefixes as they are for the news staff or staff members who have been assigned to do a news thread. If you think you might need to use the Breaking News prefix then use your best judgement or ask me or another staff member.

Please follow these simple news posting rules as much as possible. Thank you for your time!

 

[L.J]

Re: Attention all Members: Please read about posting news etc.

Yes!

People this is important.
MJJC is a fabulous source for Michael News but we need to keep it real, and not start posting tabloid rubbish and speculative rumours.

"so and so said that michael might be at such and such" is not a reliable source.

"a friend of a friend told me..." is also not reliable.... those sentences are for tabloid magazines I'm sure you've all seen the line... "A source close to the star said..."



I've moved a large chunk of threads recently, so if you've started a thread about MJ news ... look for it in recent News & Mentionings threads, or if you have supplied a source or link for a thread of news posted... go look in the Tabloid Talk section cause that's where I move unsourced stuff.


Thanks folks lets raise the bar for MJJC

 

[Momma Shannon]

Re: Attention all Members: Please read about posting news etc.

:yes: Push the bar up! Some tabloids have a place just not the front page

 

[Dangerous Incorporated]

Re: Attention all Members: Please read about posting news etc.

Thanx for this. Well needed.

 

[damien shields]

Re: Attention all Members: Please read about posting news etc.

existing threads by non staff/news people will stay open right? like my collaborations threads?

 

[L.J]

Re: Attention all Members: Please read about posting news etc.

That thread will stay Damien, it's the threads people are making to post every little bit of news... everyday we end up with about 6-10 news articles posted as different threads.... we as staff then have to merge them with the appropriate daily news thread.


Also while we are at it, repeat offenders who consistently post rumours or news as individual threads, will be given an infraction.

Some people are consistently being lazy and just posting their threads in this main forum section and then adding the tag line "Oh mods can move this if it's in the wrong section"

(the main culprits have been members for a while too and post around the forum, so they're not newbies who are lost)

 

[eternitys_child]

Re: Attention all Members: Please read about posting news etc.

That thread will stay Damien, it's the threads people are making to post every little bit of news... everyday we end up with about 6-10 news articles posted as different threads.... we as staff then have to merge them with the appropriate daily news thread.


Also while we are at it, repeat offenders who consistently post rumours or news as individual threads, will be given an infraction.

Some people are consistently being lazy and just posting their threads in this main forum section and then adding the tag line "Oh mods can move this if it's in the wrong section"

(the main culprits have been members for a while too and post around the forum, so they're not newbies who are lost)

I needed to calm down before replying to this thread and also needed to find time to respond carefully. It sounds so big brotherish, particularly the lead post and I am always surprised to see you jump on board L.J.

I don't think I have had anything removed recently but that is because I have to some extent given up on posting news and I for the most part do a search on google to see if there is anything new on MJ rather than look for a news thread here. The news thread is ofter started very late in the day. I am not saying that to bash the news team... they have lives too, but to point out that it may often be the reason members add threads with news to discuss. For me those contributions are valuable.

Another thing is that I believe one of the people that precipitated this lecture is learning disabled and should just be given independent guidance from time to time. They mean no harm. Length of time as a member is meaningless in their case.

I would also like to point out that you rarely see major discussions take place in the news thread. There will be the list of news articles and then a bunch of posts saying thank you for the news. Members treat it like it is sancrosynct and the bullet statements in red only contribute to that. It doesn't pay to keep checking the thread because most of the replies are just thankyou's. Occasionally when I have found something particularly interesting that I would like to see a discusion on and the news thread is not posted yet I have put it in the prior days thread (of course according to the bullet statement above that would not be allowed either since it would be for the wrong day) but it rarely gets noticed. Later someone may start a thread on it and it really will start a major discussion going making me wonder if I should have started a thread for it. It is a shame to have a discussion board that is hampered by a bunch of rules for submission of news.

The news thread is also not conducive to discussion because if a discussion does start you have to try to follow several discussions merged together.

I don't know how much work it is for mods to merge threads and I know I have seen members request it sometimes when we get two discussions going. I don't have an answer to that. Maybe all robust discussions should take place outside of the news thread rather than fight the natural tendency of the members.

Last, I have been a member a long time and am still not always sure when it is okay to post a thread on the main forum or not. I have not been on the board consistantly lately so I am not sure what types of threads have been moved or who you might be considering a problem but I do know that some long term good members still use the trial and error method. If members want to foster discussion and find something we think will do it, we post on the main board. I personally just don't write "move this if you see fit" because I know it creates negative attention from mods and I don't want them to move it regardless.

If you really want to keep the smaller articles from popping up as separate threads perhaps the news thread should be posted the evening prior so members can add news as they find it. Of course that doesn't mesh with the tone of the first post which comes off as territorial whether it was meant that way or not.

Oh... and red does not only initiate the aggressive instincts of bulls. It does for people as well.

 

[moonstreet]

Re: Attention all Members: Please read about posting news etc.

I would also like to point out that you rarely see major discussions take place in the news thread. There will be the list of news articles and then a bunch of posts saying thank you for the news. Members treat it like it is sancrosynct and the bullet statements in red only contribute to that. It doesn't pay to keep checking the thread because most of the replies are just thankyou's. Occasionally when I have found something particularly interesting that I would like to see a discusion on and the news thread is not posted yet I have put it in the prior days thread (of course according to the bullet statement above that would not be allowed either since it would be for the wrong day) but it rarely gets noticed. Later someone may start a thread on it and it really will start a major discussion going making me wonder if I should have started a thread for it. It is a shame to have a discussion board that is hampered by a bunch of rules for submission of news.

The news thread is also not conducive to discussion because if a discussion does start you have to try to follow several discussions merged together.

I totally agree with this!! The news and mentionings threads really bug me and I too hardly ever read them!! maybe the mentiongs bits could all stay in the same thread but for the news I really think they should not all be lumped together. All the relpys are only "thanks for posting" and no discussion on the actual news and what people think about that particular piece of news. Also what if a member finds some news, say for example tickets going onsale, and it hasnt been posted by the "official" news poster then the members of MJJC miss out while the rest of the mj forums are discussing this piece of news!!

sorry if I seem abit hostile, but sometimes I find mjjc abit too heavelly moderated and in danger of becoming the way MJJF used to be!!!

 

[eternitys_child]

Re: Attention all Members: Please read about posting news etc.

I totally agree with this!! The news and mentionings threads really bug me and I too hardly ever read them!! maybe the mentiongs bits could all stay in the same thread but for the news I really think they should not all be lumped together. All the relpys are only "thanks for posting" and no discussion on the actual news and what people think about that particular piece of news. Also what if a member finds some news, say for example tickets going onsale, and it hasnt been posted by the "official" news poster then the members of MJJC miss out while the rest of the mj forums are discussing this piece of news!!

sorry if I seem abit hostile, but sometimes I find mjjc abit too heavelly moderated and in danger of becoming the way MJJF used to be!!!

I have also seen that when I have peeked in on other forums and it really made me question if using the news thread the way we do here is the correct way to go. I know that MJJF and this forum as it's heir wished/wish to be known for the accuracy of its news but perhaps the news thread could be news only for archiving (no thank you's to weed through so people know when something new has been added) and discussion take place elsewhere.

I think in the past (on MJJF for instance) people add a thank you just so they would get notification if the thread was updated. I discovered that when someone added a "bump" when a thread was already on the top. When asked why they expained.

 

[Momma Shannon]

Re: Attention all Members: Please read about posting news etc.

That's interesting - I'm finding it isn't moderated enough. Is it possible that the news threads have been so heavily overrun with crap tabloids as of lately that they have lost their purpose and appeal? We don't have much staff so by the time we get things clean it's frustrating that members don't use basic sense in posting rules. Be them strong or not our reactions are a direct result of member actions.

We need to remain focused and reclaim our balance. People aren't happy with the news threads - why?

They are late in the day for the other half of the world - conclusion maybe you would like to join the news team to help ensure news is posted earlier since your time zone is ahead of ours? That would at least provide a jump on the day for everyone.

The mentionings are in the way of the news? Are you recommending a separate place for them separate from the news thread?

What other concerns can have a simple resolution without involving "bulls"?

 

[moonstreet]

Re: Attention all Members: Please read about posting news etc.

That's interesting - I'm finding it isn't moderated enough. Is it possible that the news threads have been so heavily overrun with crap tabloids as of lately that they have lost their purpose and appeal? We don't have much staff so by the time we get things clean it's frustrating that members don't use basic sense in posting rules. Be them strong or not our reactions are a direct result of member actions.

We need to remain focused and reclaim our balance. People aren't happy with the news threads - why?

They are late in the day for the other half of the world - conclusion maybe you would like to join the news team to help ensure news is posted earlier since your time zone is ahead of ours? That would at least provide a jump on the day for everyone.

The mentionings are in the way of the news? Are you recommending a separate place for them separate from the news thread?

What other concerns can have a simple resolution without involving "bulls"?

you raised some interesting points here, maybe you do need to do something about the time zones, as that would solve some of the problem.

yes I think the mentionings should be separtate from the news. While it is great to see the MJ mentionings , it kinda takes away from the news.

I realise putting together the news and mentionings thread everyday is a big job and hard work, Im not trying trash the hard work that goes on behind the scenes, but as MJJC continues to grow, maybe it is time to change things around abit.

 

[Momma Shannon]

Re: Attention all Members: Please read about posting news etc.

Now that a resolution can be discussed acknowledging the problems are just the first step - we need a news crews from the other side of the world to volunteer to make it better.

Who's stepping up?

 

[moonstreet]

Re: Attention all Members: Please read about posting news etc.

unfortunatly Shannon, you are about 6 months too late with the offer, I am now involved with another site, the baby sister to MJJC otherwise I would have loved to be involved. I havent got the time to help out at both mjjc and the other site

 

[Momma Shannon]

Re: Attention all Members: Please read about posting news etc.

You aren't the only one sharing in the problem moonstreet and I already knew you are over there :yes: awesome lol.

So this goes to everyone on the other side not like we only have one member who is fussing about the time of the news threads...who's gonna help make MJJC the best? Can't complain too much if you aren't willing to be a part of the solution.

 

[eternitys_child]

Re: Attention all Members: Please read about posting news etc.

That's interesting - I'm finding it isn't moderated enough. Is it possible that the news threads have been so heavily overrun with crap tabloids as of lately that they have lost their purpose and appeal? We don't have much staff so by the time we get things clean it's frustrating that members don't use basic sense in posting rules. Be them strong or not our reactions are a direct result of member actions.

We need to remain focused and reclaim our balance. People aren't happy with the news threads - why?

They are late in the day for the other half of the world - conclusion maybe you would like to join the news team to help ensure news is posted earlier since your time zone is ahead of ours? That would at least provide a jump on the day for everyone.

The mentionings are in the way of the news? Are you recommending a separate place for them separate from the news thread?

What other concerns can have a simple resolution without involving "bulls"?

I pretty much covered the things I thought were problematic already but in direct reply to your questions I would like to state again (and perhaps explain better) that perhaps mods could open the thread the day before as a place holder. That way when members start waking up and seeing news for the new day, wherever they are, they can add the pieces they think are interesting to the news thread. It is much more participatory and uses the strength of the community. People like to participate and feel they have contributed. You can see it. Members find something first and are proud to have been the first to post it. Instead of making the news thread sound like it is only for mods (even though the first post didn't say that it has that feel - like the librarian who gives you the evil eye when you touch her books) encourage participation. The really breaking news type things have always come from the members who aren't mods or news staff just because we are in greater numbers. It is impossible for news staff to catch all breaking news.

On the other hand, if you really want to keep a very formal thread for the news team to put news in for archive purposes that could be valid too, but then you need another thread or threads for discussion and member contributions.

I do not believe that lack of attention to the news thread is because of the tabloid articles. That is a whole different issue and probably most of the 'tabloid' articles are deleted before I see them so I am not aware of them. The only one I saw recently was the stuff about MJ supposedly not showing up and we got the Cowell comment saying not true. I think that should have gotten its own thread and let people then talk away about all the tabloid articles. It would have been a good education.

I know some mods are hurt when they aren't thanked for the news articles but I think it should be assumed we all appreciate the work that goes into maintaining this board, even all us bitchy folk. I just don't think thank you's belong in the news thread if you want people to go there first for new news. Every time I get sucked into checking the news thread because I think something has been added and find a thank you :doh: I am conditioned not to go there.

On the other hand a new thread with a title about the new tidbit is of course going to get people to open it.

As to joining the news team, my schedule is too varied and tight to commit although I have often toyed with the idea. I also have some personal reasons for not volunteering. If an empty thread was opened the day before however I would certainly look forward to dropping the new days news in it if something interesting showed up. I just don't think it has to be that strict. What needs to be strict is getting the thread open, even without news and I do not feel I would be able to do that at this time.

 

[L.J]

Re: Attention all Members: Please read about posting news etc.

I needed to calm down before replying to this thread and also needed to find time to respond carefully. It sounds so big brotherish, particularly the lead post and I am always surprised to see you jump on board L.J.

I don't know what you mean by you're surprised to see me jump on board?

Another thing is that I believe one of the people that precipitated this lecture is learning disabled and should just be given independent guidance from time to time. They mean no harm. Length of time as a member is meaningless in their case.

I wasn't referring to members who have learning disabilities, I have been managing their threads and patiently PMing them each time, without incidents or concern. (I'm not a big scary meany)....


I'm referring to people who have been repeat offenders in posting the same news that has already been posted during the day/week/month. In some cases they've even participated in a discussion on a news article (that was in it's own thread for some reason or other)... only to post it again as another seperate thread and try to generate discussion again.

I've even had repeat offenders abuse me via PM when I have merged their thread with an identical thread because they are no longer the thread author, or how dare I move a thread without asking them.... :doh:

 

[eternitys_child]

Re: Attention all Members: Please read about posting news etc.

I don't know what you mean by you're surprised to see me jump on board?




I wasn't referring to members who have learning disabilities, I have been managing their threads and patiently PMing them each time, without incidents or concern. (I'm not a big scary meany)....


I'm referring to people who have been repeat offenders in posting the same news that has already been posted during the day/week/month. In some cases they've even participated in a discussion on a news article (that was in it's own thread for some reason or other)... only to post it again as another seperate thread and try to generate discussion again.

I've even had repeat offenders abuse me via PM when I have merged their thread with an identical thread because they are no longer the thread author, or how dare I move a thread without asking them.... :doh:

I am sorry people are being mean to you. I know you are not a meany. I am glad you are being nurturing. :flowers: I guess I thought that perhaps Dorothy was not aware since she does not usually moderate.

 

[L.J]

I know some mods are hurt when they aren't thanked for the news articles but I think it should be assumed we all appreciate the work that goes into maintaining this board, even all us bitchy folk. I just don't think thank you's belong in the news thread if you want people to go there first for new news. Every time I get sucked into checking the news thread because I think something has been added and find a thank you :doh: I am conditioned not to go there.

ah I've never been worried about thanks or no thanks for the posting of the news. Mind you I do appreciate those who do say thankyou but if I don't get a thanks I know that most people are already thankful and just wish to jump straight into discussion which is fine

I am sorry people are being mean to you. I know you are not a meany. I am glad you are being nurturing. :flowers: I guess I thought that perhaps Dorothy was not aware since she does not usually moderate.

Dorothy moderates News threads as needed because she is the News Team Leader for MJJC. Also because we are low on staff she has been graciously helping out the moderation team.

 

[MJJChichi]

Re: Attention all Members: Please read about posting news etc.

like,what is going on ??
**flips hair**

O M G ... Can't we all like, just like, totally get along ... or something, even
**picks goo out of eye**

 

[eternitys_child]

Re: Attention all Members: Please read about posting news etc.

like,what is going on ??
**flips hair**

O M G ... Can't we all like, just like, totally get along ... or something, even
**picks goo out of eye**

**flips hair back**

**bats eyes**

I made good points..... and, er, I don't like red.

 

[L.J]

Re: Attention all Members: Please read about posting news etc.

red is one half of my football teams colours so I do like red ^_^

 

[Dr.Zoidberg]

Re: Attention all Members: Please read about posting news etc.

red is also the colour of my beautiful shell ^_^


me thinks eternity's child just has a personal issue with Dorothy Marie :yes: just by reading the responses and what not :yes:

see I see these comments being made all over the news threads by this eternity's child :yes:

I saw it but thought it might be considered tabloid and since you are cracking down I let it slide. It was actually written up last night already in one of the trashy papers before it was in Norm's column.

:no:

 

[Fayik]

Re: Attention all Members: Please read about posting news etc.

I'd like to be apart of the News Team!

Go Fayik!

 

[MJJC Moderator]

Re: Attention all Members: Please read about posting news etc.

Fayik we need loads of help! Please send Dorothy_Marie a private message about helping her!

 

[Dorothy_Marie]

Re: Attention all Members: Please read before posting any kind of news

*Bump* Please read this before posting any kind of news!

 

[SunsetDriver]

Bump.

:flowers:

 

[mello1]

Re: Attention all Members: Please read about posting news etc.

I needed to calm down before replying to this thread and also needed to find time to respond carefully. It sounds so big brotherish, particularly the lead post and I am always surprised to see you jump on board L.J.

Well, I'm glad you were thoughtful enough to calm down EC. But let me remind you and everyone else here that this is a moderated forum. That has always been the case -- that's not new. Lately we've been inundated with threads in this area of the forum that has had to be merged or moved to the appropriate location. A lot of these threads are started here because most members come here first and some members want attention to be paid to their threads.

However the purpose of this thread is news and discussion:

"This is where you can find and discuss the current news and events surrounding Michael Jackson. This forum is for more serious discussion only. Please remember, no trolling, no spamming, and be respectful. Be sure to read our READ THE RULES & FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS before posting. HAVE FUN and BEHAVE!!"

Now I realize that there is not much going on in the world of MJ at the moment and it is at this time that we get a lot thread clutter. We try to keep the section as organized as possible for the enjoyment of all members here.

Also, DM is the news team leader and all staff concurs with these rules. Not just L.J. So you need not be surprised EC about it.

I don't think I have had anything removed recently but that is because I have to some extent given up on posting news and I for the most part do a search on google to see if there is anything new on MJ rather than look for a news thread here. The news thread is ofter started very late in the day. I am not saying that to bash the news team... they have lives too, but to point out that it may often be the reason members add threads with news to discuss. For me those contributions are valuable.

I'm glad that you appreciate the hard work and the time that our news team puts into the news thread. I can personally tell you that it is very time consuming -- probably one of the most time consuming functions that staff does.

But perhaps you have not been around lately to note that we have also beefed up our news staff to the extent that the N and M thread has started much earlier than in the past. These members had to undergo training and they have just started and are doing a wonderful job. They have taken a great deal of pressure off of DM who is only available to do the threads when she gets home from work and only after she has had a chance to interface with her family. I'm sure that you can appreciate priorities and the fact that all staff are volunteers here. However, we have been fortunate to secure new news staff members in different time zones to help with getting members the news as quickly as possible.

Another thing is that I believe one of the people that precipitated this lecture is learning disabled and should just be given independent guidance from time to time. They mean no harm. Length of time as a member is meaningless in their case.

Actually you are incorrect. There are many reasons this discussion has started and it's not directed at one particular member -- disabled or not. Actually the abilities of any member here is totally irrelevant to this discussion.

I would also like to point out that you rarely see major discussions take place in the news thread. There will be the list of news articles and then a bunch of posts saying thank you for the news. Members treat it like it is sancrosynct and the bullet statements in red only contribute to that. It doesn't pay to keep checking the thread because most of the replies are just thankyou's. Occasionally when I have found something particularly interesting that I would like to see a discusion on and the news thread is not posted yet I have put it in the prior days thread (of course according to the bullet statement above that would not be allowed either since it would be for the wrong day) but it rarely gets noticed. Later someone may start a thread on it and it really will start a major discussion going making me wonder if I should have started a thread for it. It is a shame to have a discussion board that is hampered by a bunch of rules for submission of news.

You are one of many members who have different views on what may interest them on a particular day. What's important to them may not be important to you. Yet what's important to you may not be as important or interesting to others. As I stated above, we often get a number of threads started by members that doesn't constitute as 'serious' fare because there is nothing going on with MJ at the moment. We also get a number of repeat discussions of topics already covered. We on the mod staff have to make judgment calls from time to time in consultation with admin on how much leeway will be allowed.

The news thread is also not conducive to discussion because if a discussion does start you have to try to follow several discussions merged together.

There is not much that can be done about that. We aren't going to have multiple threads on the same topic EC. A lot of members who do this is because they don't take the time to check the N and M threads or any of the threads in this section first before posting their own thread on the same topic. They just hit 'New Thread' button as soon as they get online because they are excited or they think that they are the first to cover the topic.

Often times, they are not the first. So they will be merged.

I don't know how much work it is for mods to merge threads and I know I have seen members request it sometimes when we get two discussions going. I don't have an answer to that. Maybe all robust discussions should take place outside of the news thread rather than fight the natural tendency of the members.

It's A LOT OF WORK EC.

Last, I have been a member a long time and am still not always sure when it is okay to post a thread on the main forum or not. I have not been on the board consistantly lately so I am not sure what types of threads have been moved or who you might be considering a problem but I do know that some long term good members still use the trial and error method. If members want to foster discussion and find something we think will do it, we post on the main board. I personally just don't write "move this if you see fit" because I know it creates negative attention from mods and I don't want them to move it regardless.

You can save yourself the fretting and contact staff first if you are so confused.

If you really want to keep the smaller articles from popping up as separate threads perhaps the news thread should be posted the evening prior so members can add news as they find it. Of course that doesn't mesh with the tone of the first post which comes off as territorial whether it was meant that way or not.

I think that I touched on this already.

Oh... and red does not only initiate the aggressive instincts of bulls. It does for people as well.

Just for you EC, I edited DM's post and changed the color to green, although perhaps you read too much into the color.

If you have any other comments or ideas EC, I would like to recommend that you visit our new MJJC Community Ideas Forum located here:

http://www.mjjcommunity.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=151

It was set up for this very purpose. Thanks for you comments.

My replies to your comments are in bolded above.

 

[mello1]

Members: This is a thread from January that was bumped up by staff as a reminder. Carry on!

 

[mello1]

Please read post #1 before posting news here. NO TABLOIDS!

 

[rockstar]

thanks for telling us :yes: