AusDD Ideas, Opinions, Direction

[drug_mentor]

^ It isn't really a new suggestion but I am pretty baffled after all these years all the Australian news articles get posted in here. I don't venutre into North American DD or European DD very often, especially now I have less time to spend on BL, but I NEVER noticed an abundance of news articles in either. There is a forum called "Drugs in the Media" it isn't called "Drugs in the Media everywhere but Australia." Maybe it is just a pet peeve of mine because I used to mod DiTM but it makes no god damned sense to me. It isn't as if the majority (if any) of them serve a true HR purpose anyway, so if you ban social threads and stuff its pretty illogical to me to keep that around.

Threads like this one http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/showthread.php?t=505408 need to be closed imho. That serves no HR value whatsoever and paves the way for a bunch of banter and speculation that really goes nowhere.

Maybe its because I am spending less time on here it seems like it is being moderated less, but from where I sit it does seem like the mods have a bit more laid back attitude than a few months ago and this is definately a good thing overall, although some threads like the one I linked above as well as some of the numerous reminising about MDMA type threads could do to be closed in my personal opinion.

I definately would say that lately there has been more of HR value in AusDD than there was a few months ago, although I was never as dissatisfied with the direction the forum was heading in as certain others were. The main thing I would change about AusDD is take down the fucking MDMA discussion a notch, there are plenty of other worthwhile drugs out there and I am as upset as the next guy the shit is nowhere to be found but how bloody long can we echo the same shit before it gets mind numbing and boring? There are just way too many threads about MDMA these days that all boil down to an almost identical discussion.

 

[Jabberwocky]

^I've always wondered the same as well DM, why Australian Articles are almost exclusively posted in here - it was a problem a while back as the pages were rampant with them, which i'm glad to have seen what changes were made to remedy that.

while i agree with you for the most part the honest truth is not a lot of ausdd posters post outide of this focus forum for whatever reason, i don't understand. while i do see a few aus article in DiTM from time to time i think they serve well in here.

would it be much of a problem to cross post such articles into DiTM, moderators?

Nah Man if anyone should get "modded up" it should be Mr Blonde, he often speaks words of wisdom when needed most lol

dude, blondey being my little brother who was modding OD with me as a virgin mod back in the beginning of 09 so if he were to come back anywhere it'd be there but no, i agree with your sentiments about blondey, he's an awesome guy with a huge heart and interest in wanting to help others but i don't think he'd be ready to come back to mod duties just yet

As for AusDD I think the current mods are doing a great job! I honestly don't think we need any change of leadership in this forum at the moment

couldn't agree more. lil (and i'm sure you others do as well, it comes with the territory) cops so much shit for unwarranted reasons, if only you guys knew the half of what she does behind the scenes on BL, she is such a great assett and you guys just need to give her a break, seriously.

because of the recent additions to moderation and more informative posts (thank you PD for stepping up, i've been told some great things about you from mr blonde, and you've been missed around these parts.) i see this forum progressing in a more positive direction than the past years i've refrained from posting.

i think what a lot of posters over the whole of bluelight forget this is a HARM REDUCTION SITE first and foremost - particularly in the focus forums. there are social forums like DC where you can speak about drugs until your heart is content as well as many other outlets. the worst path this site could take is becoming a social site, leaving HR somewhere in there amongst all the banter.

 

[drug_mentor]

I don't see the point in double posting articles in DiTM and here. I do acknowledge a lot of AusDD posters don't venture outside the Aussie forum but they should and maybe posting the articles where they belong would encourage AusDD regulars to explore a tad more.

I agree there is nothing wrong with the mod team at all, and I also agree some moderators have copped unneccessary flack and people find it easy to ignore that mods are volunteeringtheir time for the good of this site. For that reason I pay respect to anyone holding a mod stick.

There are plenty of posters worthy of a mod stick but there are no management issues at the minute so why change anything.

 

[taita]

Why fix something that aint broke?? This sub forum has been much the same in the last 10yrs ive been here %) Sure the social/drug talk has been taken out, but for good reason! Much respect to the mods who look after this place

 

[Jabberwocky]

I don't see the point in double posting articles in DiTM and here. I do acknowledge a lot of AusDD posters don't venture outside the Aussie forum but they should and maybe posting the articles where they belong would encourage AusDD regulars to explore a tad more.

I agree there is nothing wrong with the mod team at all, and I also agree some moderators have copped unneccessary flack and people find it easy to ignore that mods are volunteeringtheir time for the good of this site. For that reason I pay respect to anyone holding a mod stick.

There are plenty of posters worthy of a mod stick but there are no management issues at the minute so why change anything.

well, why not compile them into a mega thread like there are for the "sports stars" that get busted and the "mega aus busts" and whathave you. another possible solution is put another announcement at the top of the forum to visit DiTM for aus drug related articles

they're just my suggestions. really, it doesn't bother me too much but there's too much off topic shit in those threads and they need closer moderation (reporting for starters) imo

 

[drug_mentor]

^ I definately agree, thats the main thing that used to annoy me about it and I admit it has gotten alot better lately but you used to have a lot of articles about small meaningless busts and they would stay on the front page for ages because people would constantly feel the need to comment just how useless the bust was or whatever. It just serves no HR purpose whatsoever and I don't get why AusDD is the exception to DitM. Its not overly important anyway, I just don't get it.

We could have a mega thread but I guess my question would be why? If I want social talk I am expected to open a social forum, if I want to talk about relationships I got to SLR, I don't see it unfair to expect if someone is interested in reading articles that they open the relevant forum.

I don't really have a problem with the way things are now, and I would have even less with a mega thread, its more a lack of understanding than a real opposition to how it is being done. It is something I have just NEVER understood.

 

[Mr Blonde]

Sup guys I was just searching BL for my name being mentioned and this thread popped up.

Maybe it's just a year away from BL with heavy drug use and psychotic delusions but the forum doesn't seem that dissimilar to what it was like before, apart from a little tighter on things due to increased media and LE presence. This was never really a social forum and frankly I don't really care for a lot of those social antics or what not. The focus of this forum has always been harm reduction. We tried a social thread in OD and it didn't really work out for various reasons, people just take it too far and we didn't want to have to deal with it. Our job was to ensure the information in the forum was correct and people were following the rules, creating a social thread just added more trouble then it was worth.

Maybe you guys could make a thread in The Lounge for Australians.

^ Yeh Mr blonde used to be a Mod and a good one at that. Not sure if it was here, Other Drugs or both. If he wants to step up to the position again I have no doubt he will

AusDD and OD and I was a senior Mod. Yeah I suppose I COULD do it again, but why settle for that when I could achieve my ultimate dream of OWNING Bluelight? :D

 

[Sykik]

The media issue is being discussed again in the MEGA SECRET MOD thread, any more input about the topic, I like the idea of a stickied MEGA THREAD, or just shipping them over the DitM.

Only media relating to HR in aus should be allowed to be posted in a new thread.

 

[Busty St Clare]

Needs a nudie thread imo....

 

[Sykik]

Feel free to open one busty, i'm sure you can spin some HR into that somehow.... :/

 

[Busty St Clare]

Bit hard to plunge a needle into your vein if you have one hand on your cock wanking.....

 

[belarki]

^ and hard to do either if you're fully-clothed (well with long-sleeves). Hence the need for more nudity!

 

[Sykik]

Now back on topic *waves my mod stick*

 

[MazDan]

Personally i was a great fan of having the news items here in AusDD provided they pertained to Aus.

I think they provided some good discussion and i am dissapointed that most of them dont seem to get a run anymore.

I think the forum is poorer without them.

I understand the argument that there is a Ditm forum already and I believe they should also be posted there.

While i accept its probably not necessary to have every single drug bust given its own thread, I do think a lot can be gained from most of the other types of media and drugs.

In ED we try to include news items of interest whenever we can although it is an area we need to be more vigilant on and hopefully the gathering of such items will be picked up by one of our other mods with a bit more time on there hands.




I look at ED as being a business and our business is to get a message across to as many as possible and I like to encourage any activity that will help to keep our posters active within the forum and encouraging them to make it there home forum on the internet.

 

[phase_dancer]

So MazDan, what HR value so you see in such media stories? This is what we're trying to accomplish; reduce the noise, and most news articles are just that imho.

 

[drug_mentor]

Mazdan you could use the same excuse of keeping posters active to argue for a social thread. Not trying to kick that discussion up all over again, just pointing out that in the past it has been determined that isn't enough reason to allow non HR related shit to stay in the forum.

I really don't see how reading about drug busts and shit promotes HR at all, it really just prompts comments about the size of the bust and often off topic conversation. I mean ofcourse if there are articles talking about relevant drug trends or a dangerous batch of pills doing the rounds or something that serves a legitimate HR purpose, 95% of articles posted in AusDD you couldn't say that for.

I am glad the mods are re examining this, obviously its not of any urgency if they change the policy but personally I am for it. Really don't have any other suggestions, like I am happy with the way the forum is going personally, apart from all the bitching about the lack of the MDMA but I am sure the majority will disagree with me.

P_D illustrates my point, when half the shit on page 1 is articles about mediocre busts it makes people less willing and less likely to happen upon the HR on the site. I really enjoy news articles in relation to drugs, that is why I modded DitM, but the fact is the majority don't serve a HR purpose and therefore should be subject to exclusion from this forum. I just don't see why if you make exception for that but not off topic posts or social chatter, it seems to me there is either room for some non HR related shit to slide or there isn't. If you decide there isn't then enforce it across all areas.

 

[MazDan]

So MazDan, what HR value so you see in such media stories? This is what we're trying to accomplish; reduce the noise, and most news articles are just that imho.

In order for the business to succeeed I believe you need to strike a balance between HR and other related topics.

We specially highlight stories with drug stupidity, death, illness or stories about problematic pills etc. The idea is that hopefully it will make people think a little bit more about what they are doing.

Lets be brutally honest here though............its all very well to make great claims about the "HR" side of things but how much of AusDD really is actually dead set HR and how much is just "noise" as you call it.

The truth is that there are a few links at the top of the page and also some stickies.

Most active threads are not much more than "noise".

Soooooo what makes them more important than some Aus drug news? Was there a correlation in what you feel is unnecessary and what your posters feel is unnecessary? were the number of views of the news threads sooo much less than those of other threads hence indicating they were of no interest?

I should point out that I am not trying to suggest that everything should be HR. That would be a huge mistake and would probably kill the forum overnight. I just dont think the argument of not HR is one that can be used in terms of content. Other content is important to keep your learned posters arround because they are the ones who will help to educate the newbs and take them under there wings.




In regards to the social threads that someone up there raised................... Thats one single solitary thread and while its up to the mods here to determine if they think its worthwhile or not. There is a Aus soc forum immediately next to this one so probably not. I do however think that the two forums should be working closer together and doing some cross promotion between them instead of appearing to be poles apart.

We have a social thread in ED and it works brilliantly and is a great assett.

ED is however slightly different to AusDD whereby about 90% of our posters are newbies and so we have to work hard to keep the older heads arround longer so they can help in the education process which gets boring after you have helped explain to the hundredth poster why they need to use a test kit or helping them learn how to find our major HR tool which is our Directory.

I keep track of view rates constantly so that I can monitor how well we are going in terms of HR. Its rough but its better than nothing. Our view rates have almost doubled in 2 years and is still going up so that indicates we are doing something right.

Bottom line is that its all about balance.

 

[drug_mentor]

I don't see how a social forum is a reason for not allowing a social thread but a media forum isn't a reason for not allowing news articles?

I don't think I will ever understand the opposite point of view on this issue, but its hardly a major issue anyway. I have said my piece about it in here more than once so unless I think of more suggestions I will keep my trap shut.

 

[MazDan]

I don't see how a social forum is a reason for not allowing a social thread but a media forum isn't a reason for not allowing news articles?

I don't think I will ever understand the opposite point of view on this issue, but its hardly a major issue anyway. I have said my piece about it in here more than once so unless I think of more suggestions I will keep my trap shut.

Quite simple my good man.

A social thread is hardly HR or drug relevant but many news stories can be HR relevant.

Its also a forum supposed to be about Australian Drug Discussion.

 

[drug_mentor]

^ Haven't you gone and just thrown this: "I should point out that I am not trying to suggest that everything should be HR. That would be a huge mistake and would probably kill the forum overnight. I just dont think the argument of not HR is one that can be used in terms of content. Other content is important to keep your learned posters arround because they are the ones who will help to educate the newbs and take them under there wings." then?

Sorry bro, going to have to agree to disagree. I like your posts and I pay respect to senior members and mods but in my mind you are being a tad contradictory. I mean on one hand you say social interaction is good to engage members and they stick around for the HR message, next your saying social shit shouldn't be allowed because its not HR and news articles should be because some (very few I might add) have some HR value?

Even if it does have HR value that doesn't mean it belongs here anyway. This whole site practically is dedicated to HR but guess what, if I ask a cannabis related question in OD you can bet it is getting moved to CD quicker than I can smoke my next bong. Keeping shit in its place isn't against HR, its just being tidy and sensible. If an American came over to AusDD and started asking about some meth that he had, ANY Australian meth user could probably give the guy some advice, but you can bet it would be moved to OD, BDD or N&S AmericanDD depending on the exact nature of the question and the moderator who moved it. Does this mean the thread posted by said American was not related to HR values at all? Ofcourse not! It simply means this site is categorised into sub forums and shit runs better if you keep the relevant shit in its relevant sub forum. Why was DitM created in the fucking first place I would ask? I don't know 100% but I have a fair idea its because the regional forums had a general consensus that news was cluttering up their forums and it would be easier to create a place specifically for news articles. That shit seems logical to me. Keeping the shit here just goes against any real logic and keeps the majority of AusDD posters in the little bubble of bluelight they are in where this is the only forum they even check.

"Its also a forum supposed to be about Australian Drug Discussion" - I fail to see how social discussion about drugs by Australian's isn't 'Australian drug discussion,' sounds like it to me! You say the social thread isn't drug relevant but the actual reason they banned it is because of people talking about drugs too much! That is pretty "drug relevant" in my view.

Funny thing is, I am not arguing for the social thread. We tried it, it didn't work out and thats cool. I personally think the forum is probably better off now without it, but is equally better off for having had the little run because it did create a more tight knit community. What I am saying is that if social chatter is off topic and belongs elsewhere then there is no way you are going to tell me anything different about news articles. There are a select few with a clear HR purpose I would obviously expect would be made exception to but the overwhelming majority of news posted does not relate to HR even slightly.

I know I said I wasn't going to get started on this shit again. I just feel as though you have contradicted yourself MazDan and wanted to point that out. You are entitled to your view, it just so happens on this occassion mine is quite different. You know, it really isn't the end of my universe if the news articles stay here, I just know that shit ain't logical and if people start trying to tell me it is I am going to disagree.