Individual Members' Topics at Parfumo?

Today, Dolby asked me if it would be possible to have Individual Members' Topics here at Parfumo similar to the respective forum section at Fragrantica.

So, I had a look over there to find out what it is about. For my understanding, it means that users feel responsible for a thread that they open in this particular section, and that they look after it as „owners“. This includes that they specify the topic, maybe set rules that the participants are asked to follow, and that they moderate the discussion. These threads are marked as Individual Member Topics by simply putting the thread owners nickname into the title, i.e. „XY's sports car corner“, „AB's general politics thread“ . The topics can cover everything, they do not necessarily have to be perfume-related.

Please give me a feedback so I will know if my understanding is correct.

I discussed this with Don, and we both think that it is a great idea to have this kind of threads at Parfumo as well.

Some things I would suggest to do differently here. I do not think we need a separate forum section for it, at least not at the beginning. I suggest you open these kind of threads wherever they fit in – this means non-perfume-related topics belong into the Off-Topic-section, and perfume related topics into the respective perfume section. Putting your name into the title should be clear enough.

There is one thing I find a bit funny. At Fragrantica, there is a catalog of rules at the beginning of this section, specifying the correct behavior in those threads, and they even have detailed ideas about sanctions that they want to impose upon those who disrespect the thread owner's specification.

I do not think we need anything like that over here. So far, people at Parfumo treat each other politely and respectfully (Thanks for being such a wonderful community!), and the general netiquette that we all follow should enable us to take part without any problems. If necessary, we can always explain the idea of Individual Member's Topics to new users.

So, can we do it like that? (I am already curious about your threads)

Well, IF you're going to have a member topics section, it's really all in the moderating and rules, imo:

At Fragrantica, the thread owner (in that section) calls the shots, sets the rules etc. If the owner decide he/she does not want a specific member to post on his/her thread, then that rule stands.

I'm ok with that. BUT... There is another rule that makes no sense, at Fragrantica:
Say a fight breaks out on your thread, and you can't moderate it because you're away from your computer. If that happens, Zoka comes in, deletes the thread and BANS the thread owner from the member topics section.



Um, that makes as much sense as throwing a car owner in jail because his car was stolen.

I would love to see a member topics section here as well, but the thread owner's head shouldn't be on the chopping block for members infractions, especially if he/she's away from a computer! That would imply that the thread owner is obligated to babysit the thread 24/7, which is absurd. Zoka may not have a life, but people do.

So that's my input.

Hm. Rough manners.

Do some users at Fragrantica dislike each other that much that they would want to exclude somebody from one's own thread? Is this really happening?

So far, there are no "fights" between users at Parfumo, and I hope we will not experience that. If any problems should occur between users here, the moderators will discreetly help clarify the misunderstandings if we are asked for support.

I agree that a thread owner cannot be held responsible for anything somebody else did.

Apicius, Fragrantica is a hot bed of cat fights, backstabbing, hypocrisy and lies all rolled into one forum, lol. And the thing is, no one likes to be openly lied to, no one likes to have their intelligence blatantly insulted by people who are obviously making up stories that no one believes. Waste of time, space and energy, you know? It's annoying. But at Fragrantica, while the trolls who descend on the board with their bullyish style and outlandish claims seem to always get away with it, the members who react and call them up on their BS are the ones who get in trouble.

Then there are those who either openly or passive-aggressively attack someone, and when that person fights back, he/she is the one who gets in trouble.

It's like a dysfunctional middleschool run by a kindergarten kid on hallucinogenics, seriously. Nothing makes sense, over there, the moderation is not consistent, we never know how Zoka is oing to react, damned if you do, damned if you don't. So of course, that creates a lot of tension. It's nearly impossible to trust anyone on Fragrantica. The only ones who do end up leaving...
... And now we're here!

LiliumLibido, then I hope Parfumo will provide a different experience to you!

I have joined Parfumo.de 3 years ago, it was very small then, but at some point it seemed to be necessary to have a team of moderators. If a community becomes larger, some conflicts may occur, and also, not everybody comes with good will. Actually, moderation of internet forums is not taught at school, but by now, I think we have gained some experience.

Anyway, don't bother about unwelcome people answering your posts, just start having fun!

Oh I am!
This place is nothing like Fragrantica, thankfully.

Too funny!

Another classic--you are hilarious!

*takes a bow* Thank you, Ma'am!

As long as the creator of the thread is taking into consideration the general rules of Parfumo for their thread posts, I see no harm in them moderating their own subject. The problem that might erupt is when the moderator of the post needs moderating themselves.

I would be interested to why Parfumo thinks this type thread format seems valid or necessary.

That's a good question, Flaconneur, especially in view of the fact that Parfumo provides members with a blog function. The members' threads sound to me a lot like an informal blog (which is not available at Fragrantica...), no? Or perhaps they provide more visibility than the blog entries? Now that we can view the running community blog entries, people could start using their own personal Parfumo blog for a "member's thread", couldn't they?

That is the very reason I posed the question, Sherapop. I personally feel that the Parfume Blog can be used for members to start conversational type thread. Those members can monitor the back and forth without the creations of additional rules or having moderators monitoring moderators. In Parfumo's Blog, the member has the ability to delete any comment from their entry they feel inappropriate to the conversation.

OMG, I'm an idiot: I hadn't even noticed the blog function!
I guess that renders the need for an IT section completely obsolete, then.

I believe that the Parfumo Blog will fill this need nicely without complicating thread post.

I need to go look at the blog section... I have never had a blog, I only yesterday created a FB account, lol. I'm a total rookie, for this stuff, it's frightening.

Excellent point, actually!
My only question is in the blog format, can the members post back and forth or they can only comment on the blog entry?

And also, are there forbidden topics or can we discuss anything we like?

The Parfumo Blog format allows a running line of conversation just as a thread normally would. The only thread feature that cannot be replicated is the ability to quote from a previous comment.

If you find the blog section suitable for individual members topics, then please use it!

But I am not sure if the reply function will suit all your needs. You can reply to a blog entry, but there is a limit of 500 lettres for a reply, and also, the typeset is smaller. Actually, the blog was intended for free use of the blog owner with the possibility for short replies and statements below. But sometimes, a good discussion spins off from a blog entry.

Apicius, just to give you a fresh example, the latest huge mess in the individual topics on Fragrantics erupted just a few days ago. And, ironically, it happened in Zoka's own thread. In the midst of our peaceful discussion of fitness and sports nutrition, one of the nutjobs all of the sudden flew of the hinges and decided to make a nasty comment about the way I look. Just to clarify, I am fitness competitor and have my competition photo as my avatar on Fragrantica. So to cut the long story short, a lot of people got outraged by this inappropriate behavior, and the thread turned into a fistfight and went down the toilet. A good moderator could have easily nipped it in the bud, by reprimanding/warning/banning the initiator of the fight and removing all the related posts. But instead, Zoka not only decided to lurk around and let it roll downhill for a few days, he even posted there a few times playing dumb like nothing was happening....and then he had the balls to insult other members' intelligence by saying they were disrespectful to the jackhole who was trolling the thread. By the time he figured out that he screwed up royally an finally took the appropriate measures and publicly announced about banning the troll..... it was a little too late, because everyone left the building. Sometimes I wonder, if the moderators there like to have fun at the members' expense by letting the fights escalate to the point of no return. It's not hard to figure out that they are aware, because of the deleted reported posts, them showing online, and zapping other threads with lightning speed.

Another screwed up rule there is " time-out" or temporary ban from the Individual Topics. After a while, the nutters return and eventually go back to their usual behavior.

Anyway, that's my 50 cents, and the reason I am moving here.
I think it's normal to have heated arguments in a huge community, whether it's personality conflicts, or strong polarizing opinions, or simply because some people don't have much of a life in a real world and come to the forum to stir up trouble just for the hell of it, but with a good team of moderators there is no reason for all the mess getting out of hand.

No, of course not! You can discuss everything.

Then why don't we give it a try in the off-topic section?
I love the idea of Individual Topics because it either sets up a theme of a conversation or unites a group of people with similar interests and personalities.

Thank you!

The blog section is unfortunately not tailored to accommodate all that goes on in an individual member’s topic besides text.
Members often share videos and pictures related to the ongoing exchanges (or not) and these cannot be posted on the blog.

I second Olga in that it is a nice little corner where likeminded people can hang out, have fun, and relax, while having the rest of the boards to mingle with everybody else.

No harm in giving it a shot and see how it goes.

Olga1780, thank you for your statement. I think it finally dawns on me why you all are so much interested in that individual members topic issue. You had bad experiences at the Fragrantica forum with disrespectful behaviour and even insults, and you were not able to get them deleted soon! And so, you are looking for a kind of thread that you can control yourself and if necessary, delete any insults and inappropriate statements on your own. Okay, now I understand this!

I will have to think about it and discuss it with Don.

Without having this background, Don and me liked the idea of people feeling a little bit responsible for the threads they open, and i.e remind contributors to stick to the topic. But apparently, this is not the primary intention behind that idea.

For now, I can only ask for your trust. Parfumo.net is a very peaceful place so far, but I have to admit we had some issues at Parfumo.de that needed moderation - and so we gained some experience. If people do not get along with each other well, we help them find a way to cope with the situation so they can both enjoy Parfumo. However, there is no place for trolls. If somebody starts insulting other people we give him a very short time to correct his behaviour, and then, he is out and not allowed to come back. Of course, we delete insults.