The EoFF Debates.

Imagine this like the current Presidential Elections. First, I will probably act like the moderator, unless someone wants to take care of that. Next up, I will like several volunteers to act if this was taking place during the actual EoFF Elections which is normally in the first few months every year.

So, first off, who will be our "candidates" to participate in the EoFF Debates? The max will be up to five candidates. Also, if you want, you can affiliate yourself with an EoFF "political party" such as "Goatsecs Party"

I don't know who would debate for the BAoTW party -- do we want a nonsensical master debater (Psy), or a sensible master debater?

I guess either I or Psy would debate for the BAoTW party...unless there was an uprising and somebody really wanted to, bladder about explode in tow.

I'm confused. Sign me up.

chaos: We will sign up as nominations or something.. although we are as confused as ZeZipster. As for the name, we'll make Trowa President!!!

Trowa: *Sits and stares and sits and stares and sits and stares*

One of the topics should definitely be "UNBAN HOOT!". :D

Political debate, ew. A different kind of debate might be fun though.

I want to debate.

Ok, I'll make the deadline for the candidates to speak up by tomorrow and we'll probably get this "debate" started by tomorrow, while I come up with several questions to ask.

I will not represent BAoTW :D because I dont wanna debate. *votes for PG or Psy*

I'll do it! Someone just invent me a political affiliation, and I'll be ready to go.

Ill sign up

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Originally Posted by Immortal

I don't know who would debate for the BAoTW party -- do we want a nonsensical master debater (Psy), or a sensible master debater ?

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OMFG!!!!!!!! I had to say something. LOLOLOLOLOLOL

chaos: I suppose Trowa's signed up right?

I will Debate and I will bring back the party I created from the dead! Rulers for evea!

I would be the best debater ever. My opinions are controversial and exciting, and I am not afraid to speak my mind.

Sign me up.

It gives me something to do... if there's any room left, add my name to that list.

Or if you need people to ask questions, I wouldn't mind bein' one of them, either. :D

Besimudo has started posting again, so I'll undoubtedly be participating in a lot of lively debates whether you like it or not :p

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Originally Posted by edczxcvbnm

I will Debate and I will bring back the party I created from the dead! Rulers for evea!

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Oh man. Good times. That was one big rush of memories right there. I remember I was anti-swearing so I would go around saying Fork It. Shame we can't have the actual slogan thrown around these days. =x

Ok, I suppose we have our candidates, which total up to 10, if you want to be affiliated to a different party that I've assigned you, please let me know asap.

Immortal - BAoTW Party
ZeZipster - Bored Party
Seiken - Rubey Party
eestlinc - Bruckner Party
foa - Independent
Carnage - Independent
edczxcvbnm - The Rulers Party
Earthworm Jim - Independent
Strider - Brett Favre Party
Big D - Mod Party

Now, let's start with the first question that each one of you shall answer.

1. What is your stance on the possible redesign of Eyes on Final Fantasy?

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Originally Posted by Agent Proto

edczxcvbnm - :skull::skull::skull::skull: Party

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Just so you know, I'm pretty sure it was the Rulers Party. Or just The Rulers. I can never remember which.

I'll debate for the BAoTW

I love thme like I love the cuddly walrus of never

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Originally Posted by Jack

I'll debate for the BAoTW

I love thme like I love the cuddly walrus of never

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DING DING! Too late boy! Which is sad, because I wanted to debate too. :(

A vote for eestlinc is a vote for COMMUNISM

t-shirts on sale now. (forward thinking that is)

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Originally Posted by Maxico

A vote for eestlinc is a vote for COMMUNISM

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*votes for eestlinc*

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Originally Posted by Maxico

A vote for eestlinc is a vote for COMMUNISM

t-shirts on sale now. (forward thinking that is)

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That is my quote *Takes quote back*

The ciddies is coming up and I can't have all my material dated by you :tongue: However I will have one of those hot-dogs :D

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Originally Posted by Agent Proto

1. What is your stance on the possible redesign of Eyes on Final Fantasy?

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This is an issue I've been rather torn on. I'm by no means an oldbie, having been here just over a year, but I can say I have developed a certain attachment to this look. I've honestly experiemented with the other vB skins for the site, and while they're all very well done, there's a certain attitude about the classic/default look. It just says EoFF to me.

Personal feelings aside, I think it's important to focus on WHY a redesign would be good for the site overall. Will it bring more long lasting members to the forums? Will it give us a more professional look and perhaps attract more game developers to cite the webpages in magazine articles, and invite the staff to functions like EA Games did? I think these things should be considered in discussion of the redesign.

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Originally Posted by Agent Proto

1. What is your stance on the possible redesign of Eyes on Final Fantasy?

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Eyes on Final Fantasy's forum community strikes me as very easy-going, and very welcoming of new members. Consequently, we are constantly filled with new faces, who within time become valued members of our collective whole. Constantly renewing the image that we present to new members, it is only fair that we continually renew the image we give to those who visit for one of the most comprehensive collection of Final Fantasy information there is on the net.

The reason for this, I shall argue, is simply that "newer is better". Using a parallel with our members, as old members leave and new members replace them as regular posters, the perception of the Eyes on Final Fantasy community changes, and it has always been the case that the change was for the best. Likewise, a visual revamp of the front page will do well in presenting Eyes on Final Fantasy as a site which not only is high informative, but also strives to stay up-to-date and trendy, to meet and exceed the most critical of tastes. A new front page will boost morale, increase productivity, and serve as a reminder to all of us of how manificent Eyes on Final Fantasy can be.

Also, as with almost all areas of production, the webpage design will be spearheaded by members of our community, showing that Eyes on Final Fantasy not only values the input of our members, but gives them the opportunity to become equals with the maintainers. A new layout will confer great status to the winner, and motivate production towards finishing and maintaining the Eyes on Final Fantasy encyclopedia of information. I daresay that this initiative is of utmost importance in our goal to showcase comradery and equality among our ranks.

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1. What is your stance on the possible redesign of Eyes on Final Fantasy?

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Waste of time and completely unnecessary. The fact that they are holding a contest for a redesign says we don't want to change anything at all but we want to look different. The design is simple, easy to read and very accessible to anyone. The color scheme is very nice and pleasing to the eye.

The only reason I can see for a redesign is if the registration numbers have gone down and stayed down from an average a year ago. If none of these types of things are occuring then there isn't really a problem and it makes no sense to redesign.

Maybe its just to have a contest for all I know. I like the site the way it is because it is easy to access. If it is mearly cosmetic changes like I believe it is then why bother? Its nice to have a site with loads of information with low load times. Most websites people go to it and if they can't find what they are looking for in under a 30 seconds...screw it. There is another one out there. This site does the job in 5 seconds. It comes on and tells you all the sections on the side bar. Want FFVII info? BAM! Right there. Loads up quick on the next page even for those with dial up. Its nice and it is friendly and very simple.

Any redesign to make it look cutting edge will probably use more graphics and make load times worse as well as eat up bandwidth from the site. I am not for the redesign.

Now this is interestnig and worthwhile. Right up my alley. *reads with interest*

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Originally Posted by Agent Proto

1. What is your stance on the possible redesign of Eyes on Final Fantasy?

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I say if it ain't broke, don't fix it. White Raven made a thread recently about how the main site recently passed 50 million hits, which I would say implies that a lot of individuals around the world like our site. If you run a Google search on "final fantasy," this site is third on the list. It shows that whatever we've been doing for the past few years is working.

It doesn't matter if the site looks slick or not. There are plenty of sites on the Internet that look neat, but have nothing behind those looks to make it worthwhile. Eyes on Final Fantasy has no such problem, judging from the numbers. If anything, fixing the color of the text on the pages would be the only rational change (anyone who has seen or read Maddox knows what I'm talking about; slightly darker text on a dark background such as this is easier on the eyes, especially at night), but other than that, I say follow the KISS mentality.

Keep it simple, sir.

The things I miss by living in a different timezone. Heck, I don't think there are any Europeans on there. For shame, Proto, for shame. :greenie:

And I'd debate so well :whimper:

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Originally Posted by Psychotic

The things I miss by living in a different timezone. Heck, I don't think there are any Europeans on there. For shame, Proto, for shame. :greenie:

And I'd debate so well :whimper:

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Who Says you have to be on the list?

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Originally Posted by Eyes on Final Fantasy

1. What is your stance on the possible redesign of Agent Proto?

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The front site, you know I had to actually look at it to answer this question, and it looks a mess, I know that sounds mean but it does, but not because of its layout, I went onto Final Fantasy VIII I think and I had to click through a large amount of links before I even got anywhere other then, this is Final Fantasy 8, worship this game. Now I'm not saying this isn't a good thing but there must be an easier way to organise it, or at least organise the menu in an imaginative and easy to use way, which I have to admit only BoB's design actually tried to do, yes it failed spectacularly because people whined about Javascript, but it was the only effort in that department, the rest have just been new images or different colours, a good start but their not addressing the problem. Also why is the Derge of Cerebus a tottally different layout, it makes no sense. I'm hoping if we ever did get a redeisgn that Cid liked (As no-one elses opinion really counts for much as it is his site and his money) I would hope that the Site Staff would start from the ground up and remake all the menues, the way things connect and integrate everything into the same layout and site. I'd also hope they went part way into integrating the forums into the front site, not completely because we would then become too like other sites but maybe a latest member or latest post thing would be cool :P

Thats enough ranting for me, probably won't join in with the rest, only if they interest me, time to pick me apart people :D

I think that Cid's choice to redesign EoFF was a good idea so long as it turns out well. To follow that,

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...ccat/drugs.jpg

I may be repeating my self when I say COLORS == HAPPY, but dagflabit, it's true. I may also seem indirect, but that doesn't stop me from finishing this sentence. My point has been made. What that point is, I leave you to define. But don't use a dictionary when defining it, that's cheating :mad2: .

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Originally Posted by Baloki

Who Says you have to be on the list?

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Agent Porno :whimper:

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Originally Posted by Agent Proto

1. What is your stance on the possible redesign of Eyes on Final Fantasy?

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Trowa: I'd say that I wouldn't mind too much if they changed the site, although, I am quite used to this look, and even if it is just slightly changed, part of me would mind a lot. Although, once that new look stays for about a year, or so, it will probably grow on to me, as well as a lot of other members.

chaos: If we were to make a direct choice, we'd like to keep it the way it is. Simple, yet, still satisfies us. So, in our opinion, leaving EOFF the way it is will be what we, along with many other members, and visitors too might like.

Rubedo: Although, if everything blends in at the end, for example, the different pages of Square-Enix games, then, the look might even be better. Even if it happens, we should learn to embrace change.

We still have yet to hear from eestlinc, Carnage, and Earthworm Jim.

Ok, moving along, for those three who missed the first question, you should also answer the first question.

The following question is to be answered by each candidate.

2. If you were to remove one forum from the EoFF Community Forums, besides the forums for the Final Fantasy series, which forum do you intend to remove and why?

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Originally Posted by Agent Proto

3. If you were to remove one forum from the EoFF Community Forums, besides the forums for the Final Fantasy series, which forum do you intend to remove and why?

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I'm assuming you missed out 2 on perpose?

hush you.

Trowa: Well, I personally would remove The World of Eizon, not because it is the forum that I hate, but, the other ones seem to be extended ahead of it. Also, in some cases it is barely used. This site is supposed to be one for Final Fantasy, and the interact forum idea hasn't been used too much by members. The other forums, ie. the lounge, General Chat are way more important, to either blow off steam, talk about a game that you just want the whole world to know about, or start a wacky topic that grows to be quite popular. The World of Eizon, is although, a great forum, and is liked be me and many others, the only thing is, it hasn't been around for too long, apparently, so, the members haven't gotten too attatched to it. Although, it seems to be a great experience anyhow, and the "shiny titles" given, sure can make you smile. So, the Eizon forums would be the ones to bite the bullet if we ever had to make a decision like this.

I would remove General Chat, for no apparent reason except for to see people's responses.

For the sake of ensuring that Eyes on Final Fantasy remain a spam-filled and happy paradise of wonderment, I will definitely have to remove the 'Eyes on Each Other' (and thusly the World Events forum as well) from the list of available forums to post in. This will ensure freedom of all members of Eyes on Final Fantasy to post anywhere they wish without the restrictions imposed by a forum to be 'serious' or 'coherent'. Coherency is overrated and we at BAoTW do not support nor endorse coherency.

Omfgaslwtfsarsstdhobbitsexapplepielolbrb

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Originally Posted by Agent Proto

2. If you were to remove one forum from the EoFF Community Forums, besides the forums for the Final Fantasy series, which forum do you intend to remove and why?

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I find this rather perplexing, as I believe defining the forums clearly has something to be gained. While I do believe that random SPAMness is fun, I also believe that people build friendships because of this forum, and I believe people trust these friends enough to seek advice and discuss the ups and downs of their lives. Therefore, EoEO is a keeper in my book.

At first, I was going to suggest that World Events be the forum that goes bye bye, as I thought it could become part of EoEO. But then I realized that while world events do affect our mood and lives, they affect it in a very different way. So in my eyes, WE deserves it's place as a separate forum.

I think The Lounge is the best candidate for removal. I think the topics that are covered in The Lounge could easily be fit into GC, as I suspect things of the media oriented nature that is found in The Lounge were probably discussed in GC way before my time. I think discussion of movies, music, and sports can be considered very general, and while I think on a site of this size they DO need their own forum, I also believe it would be the easiest abscence to adapt too.

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Originally Posted by Agent Proto

2. If you were to remove one forum from the EoFF Community Forums, besides the forums for the Final Fantasy series, which forum do you intend to remove and why?

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I don't know that I would, but if I absolutely had to, I would eliminate the General Gaming Forum. You could easily fit pretty much all of the threads from that forum into The Lounge, since that forum already covers TV, music, movies, etc. It's all relative, simply connected by the theme of "entertainment".

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Originally Posted by Agent Proto

2. If you were to remove one forum from the EoFF Community Forums, besides the forums for the Final Fantasy series, which forum do you intend to remove and why?

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Now, if I HAD to get rid of a forum then it would have to be world events. Everything that is talked about in there could be talked about in general chat or in eyes on each other. People were complaining about too many topics at the time dealing with Iraq and things of that nature. It was important to a lot of people and everyone had an opinion on it. There may have been too many at the time but now there isn't really a problem of over flooding any forum. It was a problem at the time and that time has passed. Want to talk about the debates that are currently going on right now? It was on TV so throw it in the lounge. Want to take a poll to see who would vote for who? Throw in general chat. Polls and things that a lot of people would vote in are not getting voted in because not everyone cares enough about politics to go to a forum about it on the off chance a poll might be there or an issue they care about might be there.

By eliminating World Events would could enrich the culture of General Chat, Eyes on Each Other and occasionally The Lounge. I say the time for action is now.

I think we moved to question 2 too quickly, especially considering the monumental importance of question 1.

The most important job of a frontsite is to attract new visitors to return. Obviously we have great content which helps, but the visual appearance of the frontsite makes an immediate impression. No matter how great your content, if it doesn't look amazing, many will be turned off.

Style 2 has a very dynamic and engrossing appearance. If I came to a site for the first time and saw that layout I would be impressed. I would assume the site had good content because they obviously take their site seriously. While the current frontsite may be fine for us who have been around and come for the forums anyway, to a new visitor, style 2 gives the best first impression. I applaud Cid for taking on this very important and not especially popular task! Also, Hail Bruckner.

As for question 2, the one forum I find most pointless is the Music/TSW forum. I don't understand why topics which are Final Fantasy related but not necessarily specific to a game can't go in General Final Fantasy. General Final Fantasy could be expanded to "discuss the series as a whole as well as other FF related topics like movies and music." Plus, people certainly talk about video game music enough in the lounge (even to the extent to suggest Nobuo Uematsu has own genre of music) so video game music discussion can easily fit in with the rest of the music discussion. The fact that this forum gets so little traffic also indicates few EoFF members see its value. Besides, why discuss any music other than Bruckner's?

Backing up eest's comment, you should stick on #1 for a while - keeping in mind that this is a debate thread, not a speech thread. =]

lol I was thinking the same thing, but Proots is the moderator so he gets to control the planet with his iron fist of doom!

I'm trying to speed things up. If they miss the past questions, they'll have to answer them when they answer the next question, and I usually get to the next question when most of the candidates answered.

Well, the only people not to respond to question 2 is Big D, Earthworm Jim, and Carnage... and both EWJ and Carnage have yet to answer questions 1 and 2.

Ok, I'll move on to Question 3.

For those who haven't answered the past questions shall include them when they answer.

3. Do you support a banning system that'll give a week to three month ban suspension, or do you support the current "banned for life" system? Please explain why.

I'm all for the 3 month system. People make mistakes, people post porn, and people like porn. So, pro-porn.

Trowa: I'd say it varies on the situation if it is a limited ban, or a permanent one. Although, I'd say I support the 3 month ban one more, and if a member gets a limited ban a certain number of times, then give him a permanent ban. Because some of the time, an accident occurs, and someone is instantly banned, without a warning or even a limited one, which is not somthing I support.

Rubedo: So, we support the 3 month ban.

I support permanent bans after a warning or two. Banning should be taken seriously by members and staff alike. I also support Bruckner hailing.

[q=Proto]3. Do you support a banning system that'll give a week to three month ban suspension, or do you support the current "banned for life" system? Please explain why.[/q]I think it's a matter of circumstance and severity. In some cases, a temporary ban could be an effective measure; but then there are instances that almost demand a permanent ban.

Occasionally, a productive and likeable member screws up and goes off the rails a little, becoming spammy or flamey out of boredom or a sense of invulnerability. In such a case, a temporary ban could be seen as "cooling time", to give them a taste of "life without EoFF", an incentive or reminder to get back in order. It's basically what happens now with the EoEO/World Events ban system. An infraction is met with a temporary revocation of privileges. Kind of like a prison sentence, as opposed to the "death sentence" of a permanent ban.

However, a permanent ban is sometimes the only way to go. The internet is oftentimes a nasty place, with plenty of horrible people with nothing better to do than to cause trouble for other people. EoFF's "family friendly" policy is maintained by a fairly strict enforcement of a few simply, easy-to-follow rules. The rule against posting pornogrpahic material, for instance. If the maximum ban was a mere three months, then EoFF would basically be saying to its members, "come on in, you're welcome to post pornography once every three months". This would clearly be unacceptable. "Banned for life" is the only way to deal with those who commit serious breaches of the rules, such as persistent abuse of forum privileges, blatant disregard for the rules on spam and flaming, and the posting of inappropriate or offensive materials. If somebody makes a conscious decision to post something that they know will attract that kind of penalty, then they should be prepared for the consequences. Similarly, if someone does such a thing unwittingly, then a permanent ban can still be justified:
Either (1)they simply have no idea that we have those rules, which is hardly a state of affairs that should be encouraged, or (2)they lack any personal standards of decency and lack any regard for the opinions and wellbeing of others, which again is a sign of somebody who does not belong in a family-friendly forum, or (3)their hard-drive is so full of objectionable materials that they can post something grossly inappropriate without realising it, which is something that could easily be repeated, which serious consequences for EoFF's members and reputation.

Take a real-life analogy: posting bills on a public noticeboard. If somebody posts a bill that is controversial, that raises the ire of a few people, they might be censured for doing so and temporarily blocked from using that noticeboard. This is the equivalent of a temporary ban, a reasonable and justifiable step. However, if somebody uses a public noticeboard to post explicit, objecitonable material, then they should never be permitted to use that board again, ever - even if the dodgy bill merely got mixed up in what they had intended to post. Such negligence should not be treated lightly, since the effects for other people are exactly the same. Permanent banning may seem harsh, even unfair in some circumstances, but it is certainly not without a strong, unshakeable foundation of reason.

I for one do not support the current banning system. If you slip up and post something you shouldn't have then you are screwed. Sorry I clicked on the wrong file but I am only human. I am not perfect and I don't pretend to be perfect. Instituting such a rule would mean that you obviously are arrogant enough to believe you are perfect. No one is perfect and they should pay a price.

The price they pay isn't going to be a 1 week or 3 month ban. Every case should be reviewed and then be given a punishment worth of the crime. Just like the legal system certain rules should have certain ranges. 1 week to 3 weeks depending on the outcome of the trial. Everyone can appeal and be judged by their peers on a randomly selected jury.

Its not like it would be take that long for each trial. Everyone gets 1 post to defend themselves. Then the jury gives out the verdict and the judge(admin) dishes out the sentence.

I am not saying the system is perfect by any means. I don't know its feasibilty as bans and things like that are kept in the dark here. Under this new system things will be out in the open in a 'legal' archive for people to pull up past cases and rulings to help defend themselves.

Of course in extreme cases there would be no due process. A board attack? They are not members but mearly terrorists and evil doers. They have no rights.

The time for change is now! If you vote for anyone other than the Rulers you are voting for a tyranny!

[q=edczxcvbnm]If you slip up and post something you shouldn't have then you are screwed. Sorry I clicked on the wrong file but I am only human. I am not perfect and I don't pretend to be perfect. Instituting such a rule would mean that you obviously are arrogant enough to believe you are perfect. No one is perfect and they should pay a price.[/q]I disagree. Bannings for accidental slip-ups can be justified on numerous grounds:

Bans aren't just about punishment, they're about prevention. If someone's negligent enough to "accidentally" attach the wrong file or link to the wrong image, then banning that person's account removes a threat of the same thing happening again. If a poster takes a reasonable amount of care, such errors should not occur. Banning people who do slip up in that way prevents a recurrence. Of course, minor infractions don't warrant an outright ban, and they don't receive it either.

Also, honesty is a crucial factor. Who decides whether a violation was deliberate or accidental? Anyone can attach an inappropriate image than say, "OMG! I thought the filename was 'my new car' when it's actually 'yaoi with cucumbers'. Sorry, my mistake, won't happen again." Similarly, someone who flames could go ahead and plead innocence - "I didn't mean to say that the Admins prefer goats, honest! Just a typo."
A "trial by jury" format, like you suggest, also has shortcomings. The 'popularity contest' principle can apply too easily, with members rallying to support a 'fan favourite'. A legendary figure like HOORJ or HOOTERS would be unlikely to receive equal treatment compared to a new or unknown member.

Allowing the defence of 'honest mistake' would create new avenues for abuse, with devious and dishonest members "inadvertently" committing serious breaches and getting away with it. There are few reliable ways to assess the honesty of someone's mistake; in the interests of protecting the forum, outright bans are the only way to go for members showing a blatant disregard for the forum's rules.

You cannot be banned for having a 'bad' opinion. You cannot be banned for doing things outside of the forums. You can ONLY be banned for things you post in the forums. So this presents a very simple solution: give the posters responsibilty to ensure they did not do a slip-up or whatever. If you make attachments, view them yourself. If you make a image post, look at it. In fact, look and review your post before posting (preview option) and after (literally last minute review). Since it's always possible for people to review their post after the fact (laziness or busy-ness is not an excuse), there's no excuse for "screwing up" or "accidentally choosing porn".

Which is why I think the banning style is perfectly fine. No "temporary bans" or "guilty until trial is finished" type of system. It works for EoEo because sometimes we get emotionally heated, and that sort of thing typically only happens in EoEo anyway, so there's no reason to implement it elsewhere.

This is what makes the system so great. You define the penalty and the jury decides. Trials are quick. Person is put on notice immediatly and has 1 day to post a plea to the jury and then each jury dude/dudet posts their verdict. If they miss then guilty. The jury doesn't have to be in agreement either. Majority rules and if a jury person does not show up...no loss. The person in question would also as a result be banned from posting any where else or viewing as such.

The temp banning is also a good idea because it will show the person a world with out EoFF. I KNOW it is hard to imagine such a world and those who go through the process will have a new found view and respect for the forum. They will be grateful they had a second chance. A warning is good but it doesn't teach people much of anything. Kids are yelled at 12 times or more before they go to bed. The warnings are not entirely useless though. They servre the purpose to put those who have been temp banned back in place with out further question.

Now PG...You say its okay to use the temp ban in one forum but not another? Thats FORUM DISCRIMIATOIN! I will not stand for such attrocities. I believe in a world wide web without forum discrimiation. All forums are created equal!

*throws a pie into various political faces*

viva la revolution

PROTEST

PROTEST


THIS IS MY POSTER: :choc:

EOFF NOT SLACK OFF


DOWN WITH BIG OIL

FORUM WAR STARVES THE CHILDREN

Reno speaks for the rest of the Secret Elitist Party.

http://www.symynet.com/online_gift_s...revolution.jpg

NO JUSTICE = NO PEACE
REVOLUTION IS THE ONLY SOLUTION


WHILE CHILDREN STARVE IN ART FORUM, FF7:DoC HAS NORTH KOREAN INDUSTRY SUPPORT, CIGARS SHIPPED IN FROM CUBA
WHAT DO THE DELEGATES HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS FIASCO

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Originally Posted by Agent Proto

3. Do you support a banning system that'll give a week to three month ban suspension, or do you support the current "banned for life" system? Please explain why.

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Would you call the alternative system "Three Strikes" or something? That's what we do here in California. 10-20-Life, you know?

Anyway, I prefer the system already in place. All of this talk of "cooling time" and "life without EoFF" seems a bit silly to me, not to rub anyone the wrong way. If you want life without EoFF, walk away from your computer! If you got into a heated argument with someone online, someone you probably don't know beyond a screen name, don't sweat it! It's someone you don't even know, and it should be easy to avoid retaliation in the form of flaming.

If a given individual makes that mistake, though, then it's up to the Cid's Knight's to step in and do their job. Sometimes, perhaps, maybe just one person giving an individual a warning isn't enough. If it takes four or five or six Cid's Knights to come across with the same message -- Hey, that can't happen again... If it does, we'll be forced to take action and ban you for good, and we really don't want to have to do that -- do it. After a while, they should get the picture and know that what they did wasn't kosher.

I'd take "One and Done" over "3 Strikes".

Alright, that's eight, and Earthworm Jim and Carnage have failed to answer questions 1-3 so I will drop them out.

Fourth Question for each candidate to answer.

4. What is your plan to increase the number of active members to EoFF?

My leadership would use the power of Bruckner to bring back Del Snizz.

Argh, sorry about being so behind.

Anyway, I disagree with the current banning system in place. I believe that in some cases it could very well cause harm. If a productive member slips up and does something they find funny, and believe others will, though it is controversial, they should be banned, but not permanently. Additionally, I think the severity of the material posted should be what determines the length of the ban. I understand why the current rules are in place, but I do feel that in some cases, these rules can cause more harm than good, especially to a relatively "good" member.

And to up the forums members, I shall endeavor to become even cooler AND nerdier than I am right now. And I'll mention the place after I'm a famous gazillionaire.

[q=Agent Proto]4. What is your plan to increase the number of active members to EoFF?[/q]I don't believe that there is need for a "plan", as such. Trying to artificially increase the membership through cunning ploys or marketing would just result in a lot of disappointed newbies.
Thus, I believe that the best way for the forum to grow is through natural processes. Our frontsite, eyesonff.com, has undergone remarkable growth in the last few months. It has been gaining relatively widespread recognition and publicity. An interesting feature of the frontsite is the way it links to the forums. The latest threads on each game are listed in each section of the site, which will undoubtedly draw more viewers to the forums. It is this kind of exposure that will increase the number of forum members - people who're encouraged to view the forums out of curiosity or interest, rather than blatant promotion. As EoFF continues to grow in size and popularity, so too will the forums attract more members. This way, people who are genuinely interested will find and join the forums, whereas a widespread promotion would result in bored surfers finding the place and joining without having anything to contribute.

Encouraging new members to stay is a slightly different matter. Every forum has unique protocols and traditions; it can take a bit of getting used to. The moderators and regular members have an important role to play in ensuring that newbies feel welcomed and supported, while also being patient and ensuring that new members 'learn the ropes'.

EoFF's population should grow naturally, rather than as a result of any initiatives or publicity drives. the EoFF forums can benefit from EoFF's overall success, attracting dedicated fans and enthusiastic posters.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Agent Proto

4. What is your plan to increase the number of active members to EoFF?

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Why not encourage our current members to spread the word to friends and acquaintances in their neighborhoods or whatever? It seems to be that the traffic through our site is already pretty strong, but I believe there's no better way to increase it than through word of mouth.

Put a link in your AIM, MSN or Y!M profile. Tell your friends about the site, even if they aren't interested in Final Fantasy; there's plenty of people who don't play the FF series anymore and still post here in the forums because it's a good place to discuss whatever's on your mind. Just a couple of suggestions.

The BAoTW federation, sponsored heavily by the PG "free the newblar" foundation, with contributions by various unmentionable parties has funded the following announcement:

It is simple to gain members into EoFF. In fact there are many ways. Let us discuss some. First, EoFF has consistently gained members. According to this moment, maddhatter962995 is the newest member, with a user ID of 12264. This implies that EoFF has florished from a few members (Cid, Dr Unne, etc) to a mountain of bodies at over twelve thousand. Since EoFF forbids double accounts and rarely bans people, it is likely that the majority of the twelve thousand are potentially active members. Truly, the EoFF army is supreme and ultimate, and BAoTW suggests that anybody who so wishes to join our ranks come forth and sign up.

Of course, if we want more members, it shows that our staff is quite capable of handling even more than twelve thousand EoFF members. So there is no need to change the set up of the moderating team. So let us go forth and figure out how to gain members. A search on Google for Final Fantasy puts our happy webpage at number four. "Final fantasy" puts us at number six. So it is no secret that most people who play final fantasy will find our board. So advertisement is almost unnecessary, as search engines are sufficient.

However the link only goes to the front page, where information is abound and glorious. It is there where we will make our move to subdue hapless browsers. Putting an emphasis on the forums will give visitors a "heads up" on the existence of our forums, and may incite them to join. I suggest that we bold face the link to the forums, and put updates periodically telling visitors to enjoy our happy forums.

And if worse comes to worse, I'll publicly strip and dance for quarters.

To draw more members to the forums there could be a porno board and an online gambling board. This would increase membership dramatcially as people searching for free porn will draw them in. Gambling forum could be used to help pay for the server cost.