What Price Success? Improving Posting Quality on HPfGU

[cubfanbudwoman]

I'd like to follow up a bit on points Becky & Tim [Dumbledad] have 
raised today.  I'm also a (new) member of the elf team but am 
shedding my elfy attire and postin' nekkid right now as Siriusly 
Snapey Susan.


CLOSING MEMBERSHIP
First off, I'd like to reiterate that I am not for closing off access 
to HPfGU to new members post-HBP release.  Someone suggested a daily 
limit on new members, but I think that's still problematic.  How does 
someone who gets up 8 time zones later than others in another part of 
the world ever get a shot first thing on a new day?  

Besides, how can you argue with such a beautiful comment as the 
following from Tim?? :-)

>>I am also against periods where we do not accept new members. I have
a bad feeling that JKR will one day find herself at a LAN party with
Philip Pullman, the Pope, the Dali Lama, and <insert your favourite
thinker here>, and they all decide to sign up to an HP discussion
group together. Finding ours closed they move on.<<


PITFALLS LIST/POSTING GUIDELINES
Becky suggested a couple of possibilities today.  I do think an 
updated FAQ or "pitfalls" area of the site could be helpful.  On the 
other hand, when a new member signs up, s/he receives a notification 
which directs her/him to The Humongous Bigfile.  It really *is* the 
member's responsibility to become familiarized with that.  I know it 
can be overwhelming -- it's a Humongous Bigfile! -- but the 
*personalized* welcome letter which each new member receives from 
her/his elf also offers some tips about posting, some suggestions for 
success, and several links to helpful locations inside the HPfGU site.


REMODDING DEMODDED MEMBERS
Barring any really compelling forthcoming argument, I am adamantly 
opposed to the random or rotational remodding of old-time posters.  
This is not to discount the point *at all* that some of the old-
timers are sloppy posters or can have tone issues.  What would work 
better, imo, and what would be a much better use of admin's time, 
would be to consistently and quickly remod those old-timers who have 
begun breaking posting guidelines/gotten sloppy regarding one-liners, 
OT posts, "me, toos" and the like.  

Admin will have its hands full this summer anyway.  Adding to that 
load by remodding old-timers, especially when they've done nothing to 
warrant it, would be a tremendous waste of a limited resource...and 
might royally p*ss some people off, too.


TWO-WEEK BREAK/HOT QUESTIONS LIST
I would still love to hear more feedback on a two-week "off" period 
(not a moratorium on joining but on posting) after HBP's release, as 
well as thoughts on Becky's suggestion of a just-before-going-live 
list of expected-to-be-FAQs for the new book.

Siriusly Snapey Susan