Board Guide

[Puffer Fish]

Nice comments guys... we will be adding several non-instructor guides in specific areas that take special skills.. like say photography or Filming.. with the objective being to provide help from people that can help.

Right now we have some very, very talented guides to assist people...

 

[The Chairman]

If they ever tell me I'll let you now............

GOOD answer! He's right... we're making this up as we go along. Consider it a social experiment.

Seven, eight or is it nine years ago I became the proud owner of the world's largest community of divers: www.ScubaBoard.com. Wow. I was so excited, but there was a lot of chaos and we only had 2,000 or so users. So I came up with the concept of Advisors and moderators. Advisors were to help develop policy and also to help guide the moderators in doing their job. Unfortunately, an adversarial role developed between mods and users (and sometimes advisors) and I saw this as counterproductive to what we were trying to be accomplished. SO, a few years ago we enabled a major re-alignment of both the Advisor and Moderator staff and we began adding some support staff to help out. Our GOAL was for ScubaBoard to become THE friendliest place on the internet and not lose it's relevancy. It was tough demoting friends, and frankly some have never forgiven me, but the result was great... but not great enough.

So we have tried a few experiments to bridge the gap between staff and our users. Mods tend to be seen as peeps with power, and often well intentioned advice is seen as a demand rather than a suggestion. So the Advisors and I devised a group to be made up predominantly by gentle instructors who not only know diving, but who also know the ins and outs of social media and ScubaBoard in particular. Their mission is to make sure no question goes unanswered and that the Basic and New to Scuba forums are incredibly friendly and inviting for even the timid user to post a question.

Is it working? It sure seems to be. Hijacks in those two forums are at an all time low! Just think, if we had these guys around a couple of years ago, we probably wouldn't have a MOF LXI (or what ever iteration they are on now). But really, the answer lies with you, the user. Do YOU think it's working? We sincerely want to know!

 

[kilo_fox]

Thanx a lot guys for the explanations!

 

[letterboy]

Nice comments guys... we will be adding several non-instructor guides in specific areas that take special skills.. like say photography or Filming.. with the objective being to provide help from people that can help.

Right now we have some very, very talented guides to assist people...

Is that why you got "promoted" from being a guide?

 

[The Chairman]

Is that why you got "promoted" from being a guide?

That was one of several reasons I asked Puff Daddy to be an Advisor.

Advisors are my confidants. Most are quite dissimilar in their approach to life and even diving. There are only one or two who agree with me most of the time. They are the Senate and Cabinet rolled into one, and very rarely will I veto their decision, even if I don't like it. After all, this is a community and there is no way ONE PERSON could cater to the whole community with any effectiveness.

 

[Rick Inman]

Advisors are my confidants. Most are quite dissimilar in their approach to life and even diving. There are only one or two who agree with me most of the time. They are the Senate and Cabinet rolled into one, and very rarely will I veto their decision, even if I don't like it. After all, this is a community and there is no way ONE PERSON could cater to the whole community with any effectiveness.

Still trying to figure out how you got all this wisdom changing tires.

 

[BDSC]

But really, the answer lies with you, the user. Do YOU think it's working? We sincerely want to know!

Don't know what it was like in the early years but it's definitely working now. I've said this to other people before but I'll say it again, it is by far the best dive/scuba site on the net. Since I've gotten into video I've learned a lot by just reading what the more experienced people have to say. And people's trip reports are also one of the best things on here. Really helps in deciding where to go, stay, and whom to dive with.

 

[The Chairman]

Still trying to figure out how you got all this wisdom changing tires.

On my honor, I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.

A Scout is:

• Trustworthy,
• Loyal,
• Helpful,
• Friendly,
• Courteous,
• Kind,
• Obedient,
• Cheerful,
• Thrifty,
• Brave,
• Clean,
• and Reverent.

My dad died when I was only 9. My male role model was my Scout Master, Fritz Dahlstedt who passed away just this past year.

 

[The Chairman]

Now that I look at it... those are the attributes we look for in any staff member.

 

[letterboy]

That was one of several reasons I asked Puff Daddy to be an Advisor.

Advisors are my confidants. Most are quite dissimilar in their approach to life and even diving. There are only one or two who agree with me most of the time. They are the Senate and Cabinet rolled into one, and very rarely will I veto their decision, even if I don't like it. After all, this is a community and there is no way ONE PERSON could cater to the whole community with any effectiveness.

So what you are saying is you are the Nancy Pelosi of Scubaboard

Now that I look at it... those are the attributes we look for in any staff member.

I am def screwed