Mods? Staff? Focus Groups?

[TheDPQ]

Anyone here have a focus group? Do you just do things without comment? What about mods? Do you have staff members who aren't mods but just help out?

I have a focus group which is publicly called 'yaXay Think Tank' but i called the forum 'Council of the Illuminati' (Cause... I Think its funny). The theory would be --Plan -> Mod Review -> Focus Group Review. It didn't exactly work out that way, but i did stop jumping around AIM so much when i could do a simple post and then just harass people to review it. This way its not public but i can get some user's input.

[UKJosh]

once again.. you made me laugh..
"Cause... I Think its funny"
hehe
well me to..
your a randomly funny person :D
maybe ill take after your idea and steal your Illiminati..
or maybe i wont ... :)

[SoftWareRevue]

"Focus groups" are a great place to bounce things off of members before you bounce them off of members. :D

I like 'em.

The only part I don't like about them is, some members are offended by not being a part of it. So, if that expands into many members, a focus group may not be a good choice.

It all depends on the community.

[TheDPQ]

*shifts eyes* Right!

Go ahead. Also, you should read up on them. Interesting stuff. (Just Illuminati). I don't believe in it, i just like the idea of it. The name is so awesome.

The only part I don't like about them is, some members are offended by not being a part of it. So, if that expands into many members, a focus group may not be a good choice.

It all depends on the community.
Depends on the admin. I would never let my staff/users get away with 'i'm in THE club and you aren't' crap. I pick people i can communicate with (aka...babble) not because they sucked up to me. Maybe i'm just lucky. Even with a name like that i never got crap for having a focus group.

[UKJosh]

lol
i think focus groups are a good idea. but i also agree with SWR for once.. :jawdrop:

[TheDPQ]

I dunno by that reasoning you shouldn't have mods because people might be mad they weren't picked even though they were popular.

On that note, i'm gonna write about mad monkey nazi mods and how they work if they do their job even if they aren't popular.

[SoftWareRevue]

I dunno by that reasoning you shouldn't have mods because people might be mad they weren't picked even though they were popular...Isn't there a difference between focus groups and mods? Or are you talking about only use moderators for the group?

My statement had to do with a community as a whole. If you can't have a focus group that the community supports, what would be the point of the group?

[TheDPQ]

There is a difference in what they do, but the main complaint would still be 'why didn't i qualify'.

The focus group doesn't need the community's support. The point of a focus group is to test ideas on, to support the admin's plans. Have you seen this blow up before? I can't imagine it would be a problem unless the users in it were causing problems about being 'in teh know'.

[UKJosh]

yes i suppose.
maybe it would be best to keep this sort of thing down to a minimal level.
and not go crazy with them..
say 1 focus group per 6 months.
try to include new member to make them feel wanted and valued.

[Tyler]

We offer premium membership, and normally the ideas start at the higher levels, and goes down the ladder to premium members finally before the idea is released to the public as an actual conception and not an idea.

[TheDPQ]

Is that a level of users who pays for better access?

[Tyler]

Is that a level of users who pays for better access?

Yes sir. :D

[Scott]

Can't really see what a focus group offers that is different from moderators. If I planned to make a change, I'd discuss it with moderators for a while, if they supported it I'd bring it to the entire community to discuss.

I feel everyone should be entitled to have their say, not just specific group members.

Perhaps it does depend on the forum, but I don't really see many benefits :think:

[UKJosh]

i kind of agree scott.
maybe it would be more useful to get everyones opinions.
you could end up with choosing a group that all think the same.
theres no wrong opinion. but you could get the majority wrong.

[TheDPQ]

Can't really see what a focus group offers that is different from moderators. If I planned to make a change, I'd discuss it with moderators for a while, if they supported it I'd bring it to the entire community to discuss.

I feel everyone should be entitled to have their say, not just specific group members.

Perhaps it does depend on the forum, but I don't really see many benefits
Ever tried that on a bigger community? The results are nothing if not disastrous. People go in different directions, then get pissed off and cause problems because 'they aren't being listened to' and then trying to convince everyone else the staff is just ignoring the users.

Honestly I'd rather have a plan already and then just DO IT or announce it. If its already planned then you get fewer hecklers and still have that one last go at anyone spotting anything obvious. If someone does a good suggestion (even if we don't use it) then they get noticed and probably added to the group.
As it is there are plenty of things i don't want the users to know about it before i do it. Contests, events, small changes, changes the users frankly don't have a say in.

Perhaps it just works for me. I pick people who have a good though process, and a few random people who just realllllly want to help out. I get the good opinions, and the random insanity, and take it into consideration.

I don't have time to take 300 different opinions into consideration then hold half of their hands because i 'won't listen to them'

This is also why i do forms for surveys rather then public threads. I can lead the people a bit better in what I'm really trying to find out, and i don't have to spend hours babysitting a post from getting out of hand.

Why are the users entited to ANYTHING? The SMART thing to do is get opinions, but i would never say the users are entited to know what i am going to do before i do it.