The future of this forum

[TSandM]

The DIR forum lost its initiator and its overseers with the departure of Uncle Pug and Snowbear. I've seen it get diluted and unfocused, and I take some responsibility for that, because somebody really needs to stay aggressively on top of the threads and the answers, and vet each of them for correctness. Sometimes I don't know what the "real" answer is, and sometimes I'm just not eager to delete posts because they're not "quite right".

With the advent of sites like DIR Explorers and the 5thD-x forums, do we really need a forum on SB for DIR answers? If we do, does anybody have any suggestions about someone who is knowledgeable enough to make sure the answers are correct, and who has the time and energy to go through the posts and threads and make sure they're on track? Because I don't feel as though I'm doing a good job of that.

 

[PfcAJ]

Yes, we do need this forum. Honestly, without SB, I wouldn't have found DIR, GUE, etc, and that would have been a shame.

All the answers don't have to be "correct". This is a discussion forum. However, I feel that we need to keep the discussion about DIR. Personally, I'm getting annoyed at anti-DIR folk trolling about and turning threads into a pro/againt DIR quabble.

SB has some knowlegable and experienced GUE trained divers who can offer insight into the whys and hows of DIR. I don't think that needs to be placed on a single person. The problem is the antagonistic posts that seem to be more and more common.

 

[jeckyll]

I just commented in another thread here. I think one move toward improving this forum is to change it to opt in only.

How many times do people respond to thread here without realizing they are in the DIR forum, just because they spotted a post in the New Threads list. Makes no sense to me...

Just my $0.02

Edit: Maybe even make it a requirement that people who post here have in their profile the level of GUE / DIR training received and passed.

 

[MBH]

I also believe that we need to keep this forum. Granted that the occasional troll comes through every now and then, but for the most part this forum is well moderated, and fairly well self policed.

 

[Marvel]

I just commented in another thread here. I think one move toward improving this forum is to change it to opt in only.

How many times do people respond to thread here without realizing they are in the DIR forum, just because they spotted a post in the New Threads list. Makes no sense to me...

Just my $0.02

Edit: Maybe even make it a requirement that people who post here have in their profile the level of GUE / DIR training received and passed.

just a comment from a non-DIR diver. If you make it opt in with the added requirement of having GUE/DIR training, you will be excluding many divers with a legitimate interest in learning more about DIR. Do you really want that?

 

[TSandM]

just a comment from a non-DIR diver. If you make it opt in with the added requirement of having GUE/DIR training, you will be excluding many divers with a legitimate interest in learning more about DIR. Do you really want that?

Definitely not. Scubaboard's too big a source for people's first information about DIR to close it off like that. On the other hand, that's one of the reasons for this forum . . . So people can come and ask, "How do DIR divers do 'x'?" and get good answers, and not have to justify WHY they want to know. Making it opt-in but kind of an automatic opt-in would at least make sure people knew which forum they were posting in before they did it.

 

[matt_w]

Definitely not. Scubaboard's too big a source for people's first information about DIR to close it off like that. On the other hand, that's one of the reasons for this forum . . . So people can come and ask, "How do DIR divers do 'x'?" and get good answers, and not have to justify WHY they want to know. Making it opt-in but kind of an automatic opt-in would at least make sure people knew which forum they were posting in before they did it.

Might also consider a label like the womans issues forums, so every post would have a line saying "You are in the DIR Forum". (I do not know how hard that would be to do ).

I have only been here a short time time but I have caught myself right before posting at least twice when I did not realize the thread was in the DIR forum.

 

[nadwidny]

The DIR forum lost its initiator and its overseers with the departure of Uncle Pug and Snowbear. I've seen it get diluted and unfocused, and I take some responsibility for that, because somebody really needs to stay aggressively on top of the threads and the answers, and vet each of them for correctness. Sometimes I don't know what the "real" answer is, and sometimes I'm just not eager to delete posts because they're not "quite right".

With the advent of sites like DIR Explorers and the 5thD-x forums,

DIR Explorers is a joke. I refuse to go there anymore as do some others that I know.

do we really need a forum on SB for DIR answers?

Yes

If we do, does anybody have any suggestions about someone who is knowledgeable enough to make sure the answers are correct,

How about a GUE Instructor?

and who has the time and energy to go through the posts and threads and make sure they're on track?

or two GUE instructors

Because I don't feel as though I'm doing a good job of that.

Despite your limited training with GUE you're doing a much better job keeping things on track than the gaggle that runs DIR Explorers.

 

[WJL]

The DIR forum lost its initiator and its overseers with the departure of Uncle Pug and Snowbear. I've seen it get diluted and unfocused, and I take some responsibility for that, because somebody really needs to stay aggressively on top of the threads and the answers, and vet each of them for correctness. Sometimes I don't know what the "real" answer is, and sometimes I'm just not eager to delete posts because they're not "quite right".

With the advent of sites like DIR Explorers and the 5thD-x forums, do we really need a forum on SB for DIR answers? If we do, does anybody have any suggestions about someone who is knowledgeable enough to make sure the answers are correct, and who has the time and energy to go through the posts and threads and make sure they're on track? Because I don't feel as though I'm doing a good job of that.

You are too hard on yourself. UP and Snowbear greatly contributed to this forum but it can and will continue without them. You in particular are a great asset here. You think logically and you write clearly and well.

My opinion is that you should not worry overmuch about dilution, focus, or even correctness. The average level of good information in this forum is reasonably high, and that's the best anyone can hope to achieve realistically. Trolls happen, and that's just a fact of online life. It's really quite benign compared to what used to go on with DIR on SB.

People new to DIR get a decent overview from lurking around this forum. If they "get it" at all they will realize that they can't learn it all online, and will pursue some actual DIR training from an actual DIR instructor in an actual DIR class.

Meanwhile, I for one think you are doing a great job. It's not broken, and you don't need to fix it.

 

[JeffG]

With the advent of sites like DIR Explorers do we really need a forum on SB for DIR answers?

Snort, cough LOL

If we do, does anybody have any suggestions about someone who is knowledgeable enough to make sure the answers are correct, and who has the time and energy to go through the posts and threads and make sure they're on track? Because I don't feel as though I'm doing a good job of that.

Why worry about it? Let the herd decide, and drop the heavy moderation of the forum.