According to the attached link, it's only some boards that will be changed, not all and not the Chicago board.  Well at least not initially.  It sounds like they may be trying out the idea on a couple of boards.  Hopefully it fails miserably and the Chicago board won't have to worry.

In case you were not aware, here is what TER is proposing:

http://www.theeroticreview.com/discussion_boards/viewmsg.asp?MessageID=148620&boardID=16&page=1#148620

Personally, I think it is very lame.  The Chicago board was fine as is.  The mods did their best to stimulate posting on the board.  Not sure why this emphasis on making TER 'fun'.  I'd like it to be more informative than fun.  

Thank god these 'Cruise Directors' will not have moderating powers.  Talk about conflict of interest.

I wonder if ownership thinks they can stop the Titanic from sinking by rearranging deck furniture? It just seems desperate to me. The nice thing about this board on TER is that there has always been some veterans around to give advice to newbies, or lend the mods a hand. I realize that every board here doesn't have that same support, but ownership is out over their skis with this move.

So I would not attend the rock climbing event or Beauty and Beast costume party.  This thing is too diverse for something like this.

the reference to "new ownership" by ft61??????

First, the two posts are a little confusing. Sounds like they may be rotating CDs in one post, and that they may also be rotating moderators, or the CDs have moderating powers, in the second. Not sure if they are rotating mods, but I expect CDs will not be able to moderate (though I suppose a current mod could become a CD, too??).

Assuming moderation is going to be separate from Cruise Directors, is it really a big deal? Seems to me a few posters, Sin and the perfessor come to mind, have already acted as Cruise Directors here for some time. They post funny stuff, try to stimulate conversation, etc. So the big change is that they get titles (and some form of remuneration like an extra ad or a few days of VIP?).

Mostly, people who like to bitch about things are using this as an excuse to bitch about the things they normally bitch about, connecting the dots no matter how little real connection there is.

As for the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" argument, that is a perfect business plan to be next year's Internet road kill. TER has to keep rolling with the times. That is how I see it anyway. Gotta try new things - some will work, others not.

And, truth be told, the forums are not very welcoming to newbies. That is always a problem with forums. You have to have teflon skin to make it through the initiation by flame. Since they want to increase traffic (always), they need to figure out a gentler way to initiate noobs.

zig

Probably not here but I am sure something good always comes out of change...

Giggity!!!

It seems odd to me, in light of the fact that the review board is almost useless if you are not a VIP, another ploy to get more revenue? Will allowing wild posts from cyberpunks really stimulate interest or just drive the existing user base away? I'm guessing the latter, years ago I was on a board that got overrun by punks just looking to spew. It wasn't much fun after the first 5 minutes.

Good moderation is like water either extreme leads to trouble, I guess that speaks to the root word of moderation.

Only time will tell how this will shake out.

From what I have read, being a moderator requires three hours a day on the board with VIP membership as a reward.  The Chicago Board has been honor by having excellent moderators, but other boards may not have been as fortunate.  Seeing that they are looking at "CDs" to serve for a week at a time, not to moderate, but lead discussions.  Again, we have plenty of discussion leaders on a variety of subjects, jokes and fun stuff on our board

Haven't been around much lately and this will probably kill my interest once and for all. Hope the Europeans enjoy the Chicago culture... talk about clueless.

As for being more "fun", all they really want is more posts.

Thanks, Zig. I'll take that as a compliment, but NFW!

I have not the time nor talent nor inclination. Sin, on the other hand, would be perfect.

I hope that instead of instituting changes and then leaving them in place, the new management will review the results and will survey the membership on a regular basis.

If changes are needed, either tweaks or the complete abandonment of the policy, or anything inbetween, management will have the wisdom to see it and the courage to institute the changes needed.

I have seen other boards come and go as the owners imposed unwanted changes. I hope it does not happen to TER.

Egos can be dangerous things.

I'm not sure why TER is going in the direction of 'fun' and 'events'. For me this board has always been a place for me to do research and gather information. My social life exists outside of TER so I don't come here for camaraderie.

And you would make a good CD, but I understand your hesitation to make that extra commitment.

zig

I agree.

If TER wants 'events', will that create more visibilty to LE?

Also, notice it sounds like they are doing away with moderators, if this is the case then FT is right, it will be a free for all.

So I guess we'll have to wait and see.

TER is a "for profit" business venture, so I'm assuming that the owners will do whatever they can to maximize profits and find ways of bringing in new revenue.  If newbies and lurkers are getting the impression that the TER forums are hostile environments, I'm sure they will think twice about signing up for paid memberships which is potential lost revenue for TER.  As that old saying goes, "You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar."  So, that could be the reasoning behind why they're trying to turn the boards into a "fun" place to hangout.

I became a paid member of TER for the information and the key is "Paid Member".  Considering that this hobby isn't exactly legal, quality info and hobbyists helping other hobbyist stay safe is what I thought the backbone of TER was all about.  It'll be interesting to see what happens on those boards that are undergoing the proposed changes.

As for the Chicago board, I've always thought that we had one of the best regional boards on TER ...great moderators and a blend of both informative and fun threads.  Yeah, we do have an occasional train wreck, but that comes with being a community of diverse folks with varying opinions ...LOL ...but our mods have always handled those situation very well.

Trying to squeeze more profit out of this venture is going to be a problem. Once something becomes too big or too public, LE's great "Eye of Sauron" focuses its attention like a spotlight on you. Before that, they mostly consider you a nuisance.

The agencies that generally get in trouble are those that have thrown caution to the wind, dealt drugs, etc. If TER becomes a free-for-all then the new members become careless and start violating some rules. (ie: Chicago has always been more careful than other boards regarding responding to aliases, listing exact hotels, or giving certain types of advice publicly) There's reasons behind everything, just like reasons behind TER's long-standing policies.

Creating a more "friendly" environment shouldn't be the goal here. The goal here is to create a "safe" environment for the exchange of information. Keep the hobbyists and providers safe, and TER prospers. Leave "fun" to the LPIN boards, or areas where the hobby is legal.

I see disaster along this path, just like when there was discussion on the GD about BBFS becoming a possible topic. The more profit hungry the ownership gets, the more LE will be looking to bust their ass and the butts of anyone that shines too much on the TER boards.

What is a "cruise director". I just lurk here. What will they do. Will there be mods and cruise directors?

Guess I should lurk more.

And any other references. As a basic summary, it appears there will be "a mod" but one that sits outside the US and has no knowledge of the country and/or the city. (imagine, your mod is now outsourced customer service) Cruise directors will then pretty much be social activity facilitators.