As part of my larger point about more transparent moderation I think that this site needs to make some major steps to bring the average user age back into the 20's and actually appeal to students.

Right now this site provides very little appeal to a new student posters. new posters are repeatedly run out by power-posters and the moderators do nothing to stop it. New female posters on this site are routinely harassed, and if we want new users to stick around there needs to be tougher moderation to control that.

After the paintings, there is always a surge of new registered users except very few of them post and almost none of them stick around. This website really needs something to appeal to students.

The first thing that should be done is to fix the book exchange. A working book exchange, advertised on campus correctly, could bring a lot of users in. In the same way that many of us started posting here because of the photo gallery, new users can start posting because of the book exchange. Instead of cramming all of the textbooks into a single, unorganized thread in classifieds, the book exchange should be brought back to working condition and the classified thread should be closed and people referred to the book exchange. 2 years ago they said that this was coming, it never has.

Second, fix school tool. This may not be relevant until users start with the book exchange because right now few posters are students so no one has schedules to upload. A place to rate professors would be great, I chose many of my classes based on this site when things actually worked. Maybe even pair it with grade distributions.

Finally, moderators. Moderators need to step back from this friends vs. outsiders things and step in when new posters are being driven away. That's the only way this site has a chance of new people sticking around. In the past, there were other things to convince people to stick it out, but now there isn't really anything else for them.

6/10/2011 9:14:32 AM

both of those utilities were being fixed... or so i thought

6/10/2011 9:16:16 AM

http://brentroad.com/message_section.aspx?section=10

not

message_section.aspx?section=9



[Edited on June 10, 2011 at 9:17 AM. Reason : ]

6/10/2011 9:16:26 AM

^^ yeah, they said that years ago

6/10/2011 9:17:34 AM

was ken the owner then? no.

6/10/2011 9:18:22 AM

Things that we need: money, clothes, weed (indeed), hats, food, booze—essentials. Credentials.

6/10/2011 9:18:59 AM

when he bought it, years ago, he said it would be fixed soon

6/10/2011 9:19:10 AM

6/10/2011 9:19:56 AM

there are a few users here that the site would be better off without. i'd post more in chit chat, but there literally is too much shit to wade through.

other than that, the site is more than fine. if you're still here, can you really complain all that much?

now fuck you guys, i'm going to get married.

6/10/2011 9:39:18 AM

^what shit is still remaining? looks like 90% of the old shit people used to complain about is gone.

6/10/2011 9:59:01 AM

stuff that doesn't appeal to my personal interests. that's completely 100% subjective. it's just my opinion.

6/10/2011 10:03:38 AM

WOOT go cody!

6/10/2011 10:05:55 AM

I think the whole moderator clique thing is blown way out of proportion.

The only other mod i've even so much as had a beer with is CarZin. I've never even met any of the others IRL.

and as far as I can tell, I don't really think (m)any of the mods are all buddy buddy to each other either.

6/10/2011 10:07:50 AM

I can say that I hate BobbyDigital's desi ass with a passion

Not really though. I'd probably buy him a beer and take him to lunch.

6/10/2011 10:10:11 AM

Quote :

"when he bought it, years ago, he said it would be fixed soon"

there are two things wrong with this statement.

6/10/2011 10:12:22 AM

now let's not bring facts into this, punchmonk

6/10/2011 10:13:27 AM

Everybody knows Ken bought this site in 1997. Pffft

6/10/2011 10:14:17 AM

damn qfred is the best thing to happen for this site in years and y'all still complain. give the dude some time. i hear site3 is around the corner.

6/10/2011 10:14:50 AM

i've had beers with lots of mods... and the owner...

i completely compromise the integrity of tww its all me.

the only right thing to do here is kick me to the curb :-(


[Edited on June 10, 2011 at 10:17 AM. Reason : .]

6/10/2011 10:17:08 AM

I have also said this before, coding from the ground up is a difficult thing to do when there is already a precedence established. Legacy code is not the best beast to tangle with and better suggestions are always welcomed. You would not believe how much time he has spent putting this site together, be it actually coding or finding and learning a new language that will not Oh Shit all the time and connect like legos. I do hope he can finish it up before users do leave. You would not believe how much he cares for this site. Go to another forum and you will not always find the owner so involved. Just saying. Not bitching, I promise.

6/10/2011 10:18:49 AM

♥ the royal TWW family.

6/10/2011 10:20:43 AM

gotta love a girl when she talks coding and all

also i believe in qntmken!

6/10/2011 10:22:05 AM

less of the pizza guy, merbig, & pryderi

6/10/2011 10:23:35 AM

MOAR GIBBONS!

6/10/2011 10:28:18 AM

Did he not buy it two years ago? Maybe it was a year ago then. All I know is that at the time he said school tool and book exhange would be fixed soon.

They are not fixed.

This site is great for us who know everybody but there is nothing for new posters. People saying, "this site is fine" are looking at it from a perspective of being an established poster and already knowing how things work and don't understand that's not how new users see it. Itd great if you are almost 30 and recognize all the different users and get the jokes, but for a freshman who sees the painted tunnel this site is terrible.

6/10/2011 10:30:04 AM

freshmenz are dumb, who cares.

6/10/2011 10:31:19 AM

Sir, a messageboard is only as good as it's users. I would like to know what you, rbrthwrd, are planning to bring to the table here?

6/10/2011 10:32:24 AM

Well the site needs new users, so someone should care.

The problem is that everyone obviously doesn't.

But I guess its time for traditional TWW bandwagon gang up against me and common sense .

6/10/2011 10:33:38 AM

You are being heard, rbrthwrd. Just an fyi, Ken checks feedback forum often.

6/10/2011 10:41:32 AM

Moderators need to have finite terms. This mod for life concept has gone far enough.

6/10/2011 10:43:08 AM

Well I was hoping this could turn into a discussion about suggestions, not the type of conversation generally in feedback forum. I should have expected a bandwagon response though.

6/10/2011 10:44:39 AM

Why does the site need new users? This message board provides some of the best Raleigh specific information you can find. It has a very active user base.

Are you just looking for some college aged e-poon to harass?

6/10/2011 10:45:16 AM

how is what punchmonk said a bandwagon response?

6/10/2011 10:45:31 AM

i'm gonna roll my eyes at you up in here. consider that my "bandwagon response," rbrthwrd

6/10/2011 10:47:19 AM

I honestly think that having a section centered on female topics would bring in more female posters, and they'd probably be more inclined to stay because we'd be way more welcoming there than in chit chat.

i picture them eventually lurking and posting in other sections, too.

6/10/2011 10:48:00 AM

i picture you lurking right now, egyeyes.

6/10/2011 10:49:10 AM

Quote :

"MORE FEMALE NUDITY"

6/10/2011 10:49:14 AM

why do we want more female posters?

6/10/2011 10:49:41 AM

we want more posters, period.

but i honestly think it'll help increase our user base

6/10/2011 10:52:23 AM

Quote :

"some college aged e-poon to harass"

6/10/2011 10:54:08 AM

6/10/2011 10:59:50 AM

In response to the women section, how about something like a lifestyle question that guys can use to for similar types of discussion?

6/10/2011 12:18:04 PM

lol if they made a female section....


Real Name : sumfoo1
AIM Name : nahh
Age : 25
Sex :M F
Hometown : Charlotte
Class : Alumnus
Major : MexManical Engumnearin

Lol it would be about as accurate as the rest of that data.

[Edited on June 10, 2011 at 12:23 PM. Reason : alumnus is the only thing accurate there.]

6/10/2011 12:22:10 PM

titties

6/10/2011 12:26:07 PM

We've been over this guys

It's practically impossible to attract younger folks to this board nowadays.

a) most of the users are much older, it just doesn't work
b) most of the users are huge fucking douchebags to new people
c) who the fuck uses a message board nowadays besides people who grew up on them? we're all legacy....very few kids in college today would give it a shot.
d) fuck them, who cares?

[Edited on June 10, 2011 at 12:29 PM. Reason : agreed on the titties part.]

6/10/2011 12:29:18 PM

iop1
also, why don't we have ncsu ad sponsorship of some sort? I know this place is considered a cesspool, but still...

6/10/2011 12:29:34 PM

Quote :

"In response to the women section, how about something like a lifestyle question that guys can use to for similar types of discussion?"

right now thats the Beach Body Thread - which is a very masculine-based thread at the moment. although it goes through swings where the females in the thread post more than the males.

I agree, a Lifestyle area would be good for fitness/health related stuff. And it would appeal to both male and female users.

Quote :

"Finally, moderators. Moderators need to step back from this friends vs. outsiders things and step in when new posters are being driven away. That's the only way this site has a chance of new people sticking around. In the past, there were other things to convince people to stick it out, but now there isn't really anything else for them."

i think i mentioned this once or so ages ago but i feel like i'm a really lenient mod - ie: i don't really do any moderating. then again i moderate The Lounge which pretty much moderates itself. normally if someone accidentally posts a thread in The Lounge that is intended for another place, they'll PM me and i'll move it.

i also would like to say i was given this mod position back when CrazyJ and Joe were the owners of the website. i was acquaintances with them and after much convincing when they decided to bring in more moderators (originally it was just a small handful of them moderating all the sections), i was one of the ones chosen. hell, i used to be the mod for both The Lounge and Chit Chat but i didn't have time to do both so they gave Chit Chat to someone else.

Quote :

"New female posters on this site are routinely harassed, and if we want new users to stick around there needs to be tougher moderation to control that."

damn son all about the ladies, huh? i will say when i joined in 2001 - i was harassed just like new female users are harassed now. it's something that's been going on for a very long time. i agree it's kind of lame but it obviously hasn't completely turned away the entire female population who finds this board. there's actually more active female posters on the board now than there were in the early years.

[Edited on June 10, 2011 at 12:31 PM. Reason : damn yall are quick - or i type too slow. ]

6/10/2011 12:30:39 PM

the only reason i joined this site was to give kissy faces to CassTheSass and she is a mod

does that blow your mind or what

[Edited on June 10, 2011 at 12:34 PM. Reason : two more kissy faces for good measure]

6/10/2011 12:34:12 PM

This site is very cliquey. I don't know if there's any way around it though. It's just how it is when the user base is mostly in the same area and have known each other for years. For me, I seriously don't post here a lot because I'm not "tww cool" anymore and so I feel basically ignored. It's just the way it is though. I haven't hung out with twwers since I lived in Raleigh eight years ago.

6/10/2011 12:36:42 PM

well as far as ladies tww equality goes, it's the internet's fault...shit is the same or much worse on other sites...at least here, Ken would help out with harassment to some extent.

6/10/2011 12:45:02 PM