Future of the Forum

[Skeptic Ginger]

A small quibble. While not nearly as large, and these days, shrinking, The Skeptic Friends Network is the longest-lived skeptical forum on these interwebs.

And, even though I left the SFN a while ago, I can attest that it is one of the best skeptics forums on the Net.

I may just have to come back, tell you guys about the sci-fi book I'm writing.

 

[Klimax]

...

UPDATE TABLE user
set email = null
etc etc

for everything but userid and password before ownership of the site is transferred from JREF. As you likely know, JREF has a contract that forum admins are required to sign that I'm told includes privacy clauses. If it's decided I need admin access to the forum before the transfer (it would be useful in troubleshooting the problems, but I'd rather avoid this), I too will need to sign that contract.

Forget scrapping email. Would break software and prevent any use of account or asserting its ownership.

===

BTW: There is number of companies which are specializing in identifying people and gathering information on them. Don't know how good they are, but they do exist...

 

[Damien Evans]

You can console yourself with the fact that the ten years you spent working voluntarily for Randi's benefit has not gone unnoticed.

Dude that is one weird looking Elephant in your avatar.

 

[Francesca R]

What keeps coming back to me is:

Given that

1--There is at least the scintilla of possibility of legal liability to the JREF if it voluntarily transfers post content to a third party, arguably outside the authority of its non-exclusive licence which does not allow this

2--There is zero positive payoff to the JREF at all (we believe) in transferring the forum content, rather than--say--deleting it all

. . . Then there is no way I can make the cost/benefit part of "move the forum" come out as being superior from the JREF point of view to "burn it down".

At this stage I will therefore be rather surprised if the forum and all its content does not disappear

 

[zooterkin]

Icerat -

I'm not understanding why you would scrap e-mail addresses. That's the only way a member can really assert ownership of an account. What happens when somebody forgets their password?

I'm not clear on the rush that would require it belonging to one of your companies for the interim. Is the JREF that anxious to disassociate the forum? If so, do you know why? What's their advantage? I would think the legal advantages would be minimal.

Like you I think a new entity should be created to own and manage the forum. I think the JREF owes it to everyone associated with the forum to at least consider the nature of that entity before handing over the metaphorical keys.

For example if the community feels very strongly that it should be member run with a charter, clear procedures for changing rules, granting admin/moderator rights, spending money, etc, then that should be in place while the JREF has control. If the community feels it should be handed over to a small group that calls the shots like the JREF did, then the JREF should ensure that happens.

Curious.

Join Date: Jul 2014

 

[Damien Evans]

I'm playing catch-up, so sorry if this has already been answered - but if the person approving registration thought that your name was fake, you would not have been allowed to register and you would've been told that you had to produce photo ID proving your identity.

This happened with many posters, particularly ones suspected of being socks. But if it had been a blatantly fake name, it would've happened with you, too.

There's fake names and then there's fakes names though, if you get my drift. Say someone registers as Nigel Williams. Now that may be a fake name, but it's a plausible one that's many people have in real life, unlike, say Heywood Jablome, which is an obvious and very old joke name.

 

[Damien Evans]

I've certainly posted things, sometimes when drunk, which I certainly would want not my family, friends or employer to know. I also had a member who attempted to find out my address from other members in order to, I believe, threaten me. He posted a fairly accurate description of my street (he was immediately banned).

I don't feel particularly concerned about my privacy, and I doubt that any new ownership would release identifying information. But I sure understand the concern of others.

I remember that. Didn't he also get a google earth picture of your backyard or something like that?

 

[lionking]

I remember that. Didn't he also get a google earth picture of your backyard or something like that?

He claimed to. He never posted them (possibly because he was quickly banned), but he did describe my street quite well. I even reported it to the police, but didn't pursue it. He contacted Akhenaten asking for my address so he could "send me a Christmas card".

So privacy can be a real issue.

 

[Damien Evans]

I'm not sure it's THAT FAR ahead of things. So far, we have an entity... "The Forums" and apparently that entity is going to have a home or host. But that's sort of like having a kegger that everyone knows about but doesn't know who's actually throwing the bash and who's in charge. Great for a Friday night party, but not so great for a forum that's at least had a sense of direction and unity in the past.

I think this is what Lionking's also referring to. As I said, I'd be happy with a "board" that consisted of yourself, Darat, Jeff, and Terry if he's really been re-drafted and wishes to belong. The "mission statement" as it were could be the old banner from these forums as far as I'm concerned: A place to.... etc...

But if Admins and Mods need to be signed on to some sort of "agreement", they need to be signing with some entity, not carrying one forward from an entity that doesn't seem to know its ass from its elbow in terms of forum management.

If I was doing this in my former employment, the first thing is to establish the management team - the "board". You can do that concurrent with the pressing IT issues of moving the forums, but it should be worked on immediately.

As to the IT issues, particularly the migration of personal data, I would go with (I believe it was) Jeff's suggestion of sending out an immediate opt-in email. Opt-in may lose us a lot of the 35,000 (or however many there are) members, because they joined, logged in once and never returned. It's just an inflated body count. It may also lose us a member or twenty who do not want to have their actual name and email address handed over to any entity other than the JREF. So be it. But legally, an opt-in covers the old forums/JREF and the new forums. (And anyone who doesn't opt in could just join later if they're not comfortable with things being sketchy at present.)

It also loses a few who've changed email addresses since signing up.

 

[lionking]

Curious.

It's one of the poorest attempts at sockpuppetry I've seen. Ever.

 

[Damien Evans]

Incidentally Forum Management section seems to have vanished.

 

[lionking]

Incidentally Forum Management section seems to have vanished.

Still there for me. But there are only mods, no admins. So sockpuppets can run free....

 

[Klimax]

Still there for me. But there are only mods, no admins. So sockpuppets can run free....

Well, there is on JREF Admin, but I doubt he can get them.

 

[Damien Evans]

Still there for me. But there are only mods, no admins. So sockpuppets can run free....

It's back again for me. Strange.

 

[JoeMorgue]

The forum is not getting dissolved.

At this point isn't that rather a "Ship of Theseus" sematic quibble?

You can get the same teams together and play at the same stadium the very next day, but you can't call it the Superbowl again.

 

[Kil]

And, even though I left the SFN a while ago, I can attest that it is one of the best skeptics forums on the Net.

I may just have to come back, tell you guys about the sci-fi book I'm writing.

Please do!

 

[lionking]

At this point isn't that rather a "Ship of Theseus" sematic quibble?

You can get the same teams together and play at the same stadium the very next day, but you can't call it the Superbowl again.

Well said. A good analogy.

 

[lionking]

Please do!

I might give it a crack. I'm less than impressed with Talk Rational, still less with Skeptical Community. I feel dirty even thinking of the latter.

 

[Totovader]

What keeps coming back to me is:

Given that

1--There is at least the scintilla of possibility of legal liability to the JREF if it voluntarily transfers post content to a third party, arguably outside the authority of its non-exclusive licence which does not allow this

2--There is zero positive payoff to the JREF at all (we believe) in transferring the forum content, rather than--say--deleting it all

. . . Then there is no way I can make the cost/benefit part of "move the forum" come out as being superior from the JREF point of view to "burn it down".

At this stage I will therefore be rather surprised if the forum and all its content does not disappear

^ This makes a lot of sense.

 

[Meed]

What keeps coming back to me is:

Given that

1--There is at least the scintilla of possibility of legal liability to the JREF if it voluntarily transfers post content to a third party, arguably outside the authority of its non-exclusive licence which does not allow this

2--There is zero positive payoff to the JREF at all (we believe) in transferring the forum content, rather than--say--deleting it all

. . . Then there is no way I can make the cost/benefit part of "move the forum" come out as being superior from the JREF point of view to "burn it down".

At this stage I will therefore be rather surprised if the forum and all its content does not disappear

PR and/or sense of decency are the things that would tip the scale in the other direction. But deleting the forum wouldn't be unprecedented.