With the belief that desperate times call for drastic measures, I give you the following plan I began writing up this weekend (when the times seemed more desperate) to return the AllSpark to the state of near-oneness it has prospered under for so much longer before. The entire plan does not have to be implemented; sections can be created & enforced by themselves. Feel free to improve upon, change, or disagree with any of the ideas I present below.
Remove all bans
Yes, thats right. One of the reasons I was behind the banning of Deszarus & Kalidor was because I felt that the AllSpark would be a better place without them. Obviously, that was not the case. (The mass resignations & departures are another concern altogether.) Now that Deszarus & Kalidor have had their bans lifted, lets free everyone else, including Combat Hero Optimus Prime, whatever aliases Renaud has used, even Richard Nixon, & everyone else. It is time to start over & begin anew. It does not mean that the decision to ban any of these individuals was incorrect; it only means that the AllSpark needs to prove to all of Transfandom (not to mention itself) that reports of its demise have been greatly exaggerated. If you feel that anyone previously banned somehow threatens the AllSpark, then you must probably also believe that they will eventually find a way to get themselves banned again. The AllSpark needs a new method of banning people that includes the entire populace, which leads us to...
How Decisions are Made
Any major decision made by & for the AllSpark, whether it is the inclusion of a new feature (EZBoard is bound to come up a controversial addition sooner or later) or whether or not to ban a certain individual should be voted on in a new Voting Forum made open to the entire populace of the AllSpark. Every member of the AllSpark would be able to vote once on whatever subject is made available for voting on at the time. Voting procedure will be as follows:
1) 5 AllSparkians notify the CoE through e-mail or on the Ask the CoE forum of a problem. I say 5 (this number can be changed) in order to make certain mass trips to the Voting Forum do not take place at the whim of a few.
2) The proposal to be voted on is placed in the Voting Forum. The CoE or ACC can give a once a week update as to what will be voted on. For example, 1 such update may read, You have until Saturday to vote upon this & that & this...
3) Everyone gets 1 & only 1 vote. Ideally, the voting should be anonymous, but if there is evidence of tampering we might be forced to change the voting to posts. Then, obviously, no one can use his or her alternate names. (Due the possibly that AllSpark-haters might cast their vote for what they think would not benefit the AllSpark, we may want to require that people must post their vote & that they must have been visiting the AllSpark for at least 1 or 2 months.)
4) Clearly state the time allowable for the voting & when the polls will close. 72 hours to a week should be long enough for any vote.
5) Total the votes. In the case of a tie, I can think of 2 alternatives. a) the decision goes to the CoE or b) the situation remains as is was before (likely the no vote)
6) Implementation. Do it. Perform the task the AllSpark wishes to be done.
7) BANNING: Along with the 6-step system I just detailed, we only ban people if they violate EZBoards rules of conduct, thus avoiding any conflict with what may be interpreted as incorrect or faulty rules created by the CoE.
8 ) In the case of any vote, allow supporters of both sides to defend their position, especially if banishment is being threatened.
9) Kyle/Optimus87 & Shockwave can override any decision at any time. That is their right as owners & founders of the site. Of course, their willingness to listen & follow the will of the AllSpark would be the best option to avoid problems.
Include Vector Sigma in the Cyber-Corps
If Vector Sigma (formerly Kalidor) really cares as much for the AllSpark as he says he does; if his foresight to obtain the .com address was actually done with good motives; if his seemingly constant badgering & attempts to keep the CoE & ACC on their toes are actually without malice, then its time his concern was tested. Invite him to work for the AllSpark in the ACC. If he refuses, the CoE & ACC cannot say they have not tried, & perhaps have proven just how much he really cares about the AllSparkcriticism is easy, action is difficult. If he agrees to join & works half as hard as the CoE & ACC have been doing for the AllSpark, then we all benefit. The other extreme would be to...
Eliminate the Cyber-Corps
To the best of my knowledge & memory, the original reason for the ACC was to take the place of the CoE in attending to the AllSpark. The CoE would then be free to work on improving Transfandom as a whole, specifically & partly with the United Transfan Alliance. Now, Im not too clear on the fate of the UTA (fill me in Skywarp) now that Maximal General Proudwolf has taken leave of the AllSpark, but if the CoEs role no longer includes implementation of the UTA then the usefulness of the ACC is in doubt. Now, the CoE, with its present numbers, may still feel the need at times for more help. If so, they can ask for help for certain tasks. For example, when it is time for the Matrix Challenge IV, the CoE could e-mail Manacial1, Teletran, or whoever (or post a Who wants to work on the MC4? thread) & ask them whether or not they would devote the time & effort into a new website. A temporary password-protected forum could then be set up for just that purpose.
Reduce the Number of Official Moderators
The AllSpark needs to return to a time when everyone acted as a moderator & everyone checked up on 1 another to make sure that the AllSpark did not suffer & no feelings were hurt beyond repair. When I was made moderator of the Matrix Challenge III, I noted a strong desire to press the delete & edit buttons just for the heck of it. It wore off not much later, but these powers are not necessary to effectively moderate. Proper & sensible discussion & communication is the most necessary skill of an effective moderator. Of course, we will always need to administrators to handle the technical aspects of the AllSpark, & the role of the official moderators will be largely to move off-topic threads to their correct forum. Talk your way out of problems, just dont hit a button or post a warning label & be done with it.
No More Deleted or Locked Threads
I often use the Internet between the hours of 11:00 PM to 1:00 AM Pacific time. By that time, threads with questionable content have been posted, discussed, edited, deleted & thus I often have no idea what the fuss over some problems is about. I am sure that I am not alone in this regardrecently, I read a post by our resident Englishman, Aardvarktron, complaining about the same lack-of-information problem. My suggestion, as Ive already alluded to recently, is to solve questionable posts through discussion. One of the great advantages of free speech is that if a person is an idiot, he or she can provide others with useful evidence of such a fact, instead of the opposite possibility, which is just to estimate the intelligence & common sense of each individual. In other words, let everyone prove how smart or stupid he or she is without the threat of being blissfully relieved of anyone possessing knowledge of their level of intelligence.
The Inherit Problem of the AllSpark
The AllSpark was originally founded as a haven from Bottalk, a discussion board many Transfans hate, & controlled by a person many Transfans hate. The AllSpark would also not be possible without Beast Machines, a show & toyline many Transfans hate, written by a team of writers many Transfans hate, animated by an animation studio many Transfans hate, & created by a toy company many Transfans hate. Although none of these subjects are worthy of such a strong emotion as hate, the sad fact is that until the Transformers toyline, show, & Internet community take a dramatic upswing, problems will always be around the corner. We still have to deal with 2 Green Saturdays, 1 this weekend, the big 1 coming a little over a month later, a World Series to debate about (Ill handle that
), & the horrors of the November election, all before the real millennium begins. Considering that much of Transfandom will settle for nothing less than G1 characters with BW/BM articulation, not to mention a reversal of the events in the last episode of Beast Machines, the real fun & games seem far, far away. We need to remind the AllSpark of the virtues of patience, hope, & action; & remind them that in order to communicate with Hasbro you must speak their languagedollars & cents.
Explain We Are One to Those Who Dont Get It
I always thought the AllSpark motto simply referred to the famous Transformer Till All Are One phrase, & that We Are One was a variation of the most repeated saying in Transfandom. It shocks me that so many people have forgotten the phrases roots & now believe it is some sort of attempt to create a fascist form of groupthink. Lets remind everyone that we can agree to disagree & still be united.
Im not expecting you all to agree with all of this, its possible that you might not agree with any of it. However, I hope that it will at least further discussion of ways to improve the AllSpark so that the events of the past week or so never repeat themselves.
If you've read all this, you don't need glasses.
Remove all bans
Yes, thats right. One of the reasons I was behind the banning of Deszarus & Kalidor was because I felt that the AllSpark would be a better place without them. Obviously, that was not the case. (The mass resignations & departures are another concern altogether.) Now that Deszarus & Kalidor have had their bans lifted, lets free everyone else, including Combat Hero Optimus Prime, whatever aliases Renaud has used, even Richard Nixon, & everyone else. It is time to start over & begin anew. It does not mean that the decision to ban any of these individuals was incorrect; it only means that the AllSpark needs to prove to all of Transfandom (not to mention itself) that reports of its demise have been greatly exaggerated. If you feel that anyone previously banned somehow threatens the AllSpark, then you must probably also believe that they will eventually find a way to get themselves banned again. The AllSpark needs a new method of banning people that includes the entire populace, which leads us to...
How Decisions are Made
Any major decision made by & for the AllSpark, whether it is the inclusion of a new feature (EZBoard is bound to come up a controversial addition sooner or later) or whether or not to ban a certain individual should be voted on in a new Voting Forum made open to the entire populace of the AllSpark. Every member of the AllSpark would be able to vote once on whatever subject is made available for voting on at the time. Voting procedure will be as follows:
1) 5 AllSparkians notify the CoE through e-mail or on the Ask the CoE forum of a problem. I say 5 (this number can be changed) in order to make certain mass trips to the Voting Forum do not take place at the whim of a few.
2) The proposal to be voted on is placed in the Voting Forum. The CoE or ACC can give a once a week update as to what will be voted on. For example, 1 such update may read, You have until Saturday to vote upon this & that & this...
3) Everyone gets 1 & only 1 vote. Ideally, the voting should be anonymous, but if there is evidence of tampering we might be forced to change the voting to posts. Then, obviously, no one can use his or her alternate names. (Due the possibly that AllSpark-haters might cast their vote for what they think would not benefit the AllSpark, we may want to require that people must post their vote & that they must have been visiting the AllSpark for at least 1 or 2 months.)
4) Clearly state the time allowable for the voting & when the polls will close. 72 hours to a week should be long enough for any vote.
5) Total the votes. In the case of a tie, I can think of 2 alternatives. a) the decision goes to the CoE or b) the situation remains as is was before (likely the no vote)
6) Implementation. Do it. Perform the task the AllSpark wishes to be done.
7) BANNING: Along with the 6-step system I just detailed, we only ban people if they violate EZBoards rules of conduct, thus avoiding any conflict with what may be interpreted as incorrect or faulty rules created by the CoE.
8 ) In the case of any vote, allow supporters of both sides to defend their position, especially if banishment is being threatened.
9) Kyle/Optimus87 & Shockwave can override any decision at any time. That is their right as owners & founders of the site. Of course, their willingness to listen & follow the will of the AllSpark would be the best option to avoid problems.
Include Vector Sigma in the Cyber-Corps
If Vector Sigma (formerly Kalidor) really cares as much for the AllSpark as he says he does; if his foresight to obtain the .com address was actually done with good motives; if his seemingly constant badgering & attempts to keep the CoE & ACC on their toes are actually without malice, then its time his concern was tested. Invite him to work for the AllSpark in the ACC. If he refuses, the CoE & ACC cannot say they have not tried, & perhaps have proven just how much he really cares about the AllSparkcriticism is easy, action is difficult. If he agrees to join & works half as hard as the CoE & ACC have been doing for the AllSpark, then we all benefit. The other extreme would be to...
Eliminate the Cyber-Corps
To the best of my knowledge & memory, the original reason for the ACC was to take the place of the CoE in attending to the AllSpark. The CoE would then be free to work on improving Transfandom as a whole, specifically & partly with the United Transfan Alliance. Now, Im not too clear on the fate of the UTA (fill me in Skywarp) now that Maximal General Proudwolf has taken leave of the AllSpark, but if the CoEs role no longer includes implementation of the UTA then the usefulness of the ACC is in doubt. Now, the CoE, with its present numbers, may still feel the need at times for more help. If so, they can ask for help for certain tasks. For example, when it is time for the Matrix Challenge IV, the CoE could e-mail Manacial1, Teletran, or whoever (or post a Who wants to work on the MC4? thread) & ask them whether or not they would devote the time & effort into a new website. A temporary password-protected forum could then be set up for just that purpose.
Reduce the Number of Official Moderators
The AllSpark needs to return to a time when everyone acted as a moderator & everyone checked up on 1 another to make sure that the AllSpark did not suffer & no feelings were hurt beyond repair. When I was made moderator of the Matrix Challenge III, I noted a strong desire to press the delete & edit buttons just for the heck of it. It wore off not much later, but these powers are not necessary to effectively moderate. Proper & sensible discussion & communication is the most necessary skill of an effective moderator. Of course, we will always need to administrators to handle the technical aspects of the AllSpark, & the role of the official moderators will be largely to move off-topic threads to their correct forum. Talk your way out of problems, just dont hit a button or post a warning label & be done with it.
No More Deleted or Locked Threads
I often use the Internet between the hours of 11:00 PM to 1:00 AM Pacific time. By that time, threads with questionable content have been posted, discussed, edited, deleted & thus I often have no idea what the fuss over some problems is about. I am sure that I am not alone in this regardrecently, I read a post by our resident Englishman, Aardvarktron, complaining about the same lack-of-information problem. My suggestion, as Ive already alluded to recently, is to solve questionable posts through discussion. One of the great advantages of free speech is that if a person is an idiot, he or she can provide others with useful evidence of such a fact, instead of the opposite possibility, which is just to estimate the intelligence & common sense of each individual. In other words, let everyone prove how smart or stupid he or she is without the threat of being blissfully relieved of anyone possessing knowledge of their level of intelligence.
The Inherit Problem of the AllSpark
The AllSpark was originally founded as a haven from Bottalk, a discussion board many Transfans hate, & controlled by a person many Transfans hate. The AllSpark would also not be possible without Beast Machines, a show & toyline many Transfans hate, written by a team of writers many Transfans hate, animated by an animation studio many Transfans hate, & created by a toy company many Transfans hate. Although none of these subjects are worthy of such a strong emotion as hate, the sad fact is that until the Transformers toyline, show, & Internet community take a dramatic upswing, problems will always be around the corner. We still have to deal with 2 Green Saturdays, 1 this weekend, the big 1 coming a little over a month later, a World Series to debate about (Ill handle that
), & the horrors of the November election, all before the real millennium begins. Considering that much of Transfandom will settle for nothing less than G1 characters with BW/BM articulation, not to mention a reversal of the events in the last episode of Beast Machines, the real fun & games seem far, far away. We need to remind the AllSpark of the virtues of patience, hope, & action; & remind them that in order to communicate with Hasbro you must speak their languagedollars & cents. Explain We Are One to Those Who Dont Get It
I always thought the AllSpark motto simply referred to the famous Transformer Till All Are One phrase, & that We Are One was a variation of the most repeated saying in Transfandom. It shocks me that so many people have forgotten the phrases roots & now believe it is some sort of attempt to create a fascist form of groupthink. Lets remind everyone that we can agree to disagree & still be united.
Im not expecting you all to agree with all of this, its possible that you might not agree with any of it. However, I hope that it will at least further discussion of ways to improve the AllSpark so that the events of the past week or so never repeat themselves.
If you've read all this, you don't need glasses.
"The strongest tyrant cannot crush freedom of thought."
