MikeC
Admin
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Posts: 4544
Loc: Orlando, FL
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Here is a place to comment on the Site's direction.
When things like that (it seems Texas is not a big a draw as the east coast for reasons I really don't understand either) things are quiet. After 2004 and 2005 went into a permanent lockdown.
In 2005 we had such problems with endless misinformation posts and people looking for information were getting confused (and sometimes scared for the wrong reasons) by bad information.
So we turned up the moderation some, it's still allowed, but on the subforums. Since 2005 there hasn't been nearly as much activity, and the moderation style is a bit much for it. But again, its better than endless debates over if a invest in the Atlantic is a Tropical Depression and things like that. We don't delete anything, almost everything (excluding vulgar) is either left alone, moved to another sub forum, or sent to the graveyard.
is here for the long term, the main focus is still hurricane information, with a damper on the hype. We aren't everything, in fact I'd recommend checking out other sites too (check out the links). There are other sites that do a better job with certain types of back and forth discussions on the storms, but we aren't trying to do that!
We still welcome discussion and questions here. But the focus remains on information on the storm and keeping the official data as out there as possible with a focus on keeping the National Hurricane Center the final word. The saving grace of our format only becomes more obviously useful when things get crazy. (And it hasn't since 2005)
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Robert
Weather Analyst
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Posts: 364
Loc: Southeast, FL
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Thats Interesting? I mean if i wanted information i would go to the proper athourity's not you guys, i come here for more in depth talk about things that are not easily forcasted and things that are out of the box. If i cant do that then there is no reason for me to come here. I think i will check the other links then so i can found what im looking for. I understand that people get scared buy bullish hype and when a storm is making landfall listen to the they are the best at what they do, but the invests converstion is what i come here for if you dont want hype about invests then why even bother talking about them?
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MikeC
Admin
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Posts: 4544
Loc: Orlando, FL
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Quote:
Thats Interesting? I mean if i wanted information i would go to the proper athourity's not you guys, i come here for more in depth talk about things that are not easily forcasted and things that are out of the box. If i cant do that then there is no reason for me to come here. I think i will check the other links then so i can found what im looking for. I understand that people get scared buy bullish hype. but the invests converstion is what i come here for if you dont want hype about invests then why even bother talking about them?
We're here for that, the is king always, and I have that at the bottom of the page. We aren't here to spread misinformation, that's the big difference. A few places that are more lax are places like Hard core weather or Storm2k but the down side to that format is it gets too confusing when things are really happening. Different sites, different focus. However I'm more lenient than Ed, for example. I am trying to keep posts on the front page a little more open this year, however I think we are still a little trigger happy from 2005. So we'll change it again.
(Just clearing up a little erroneous info.) 
Edited by Ed Dunham (Tue Aug 05 2008 05:06 AM)
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M.A.
Weather Guru
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Posts: 108
Loc: Vero Beach, Fl
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The Mods here do a great job keepin the mumbo jumbo in the proper locations, and correcting the misinformation as needed. There are a lot of intelligent individuals on this site that lend insight, and make this site head and shoulders about the others.
Thanks guys for a job well done.
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jcvitte
Registered User
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Posts: 7
Loc: Dade City Fl
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well, it might not mean much coming from a "lurker" , but this is the first site I go to. I learn something everythime I visit. Now a question, is there somewhere I can go to find out the meaning of the abbreviations? Keep up the good work, I will be making my donation asap. Thanks again
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and in the end, the love you take
is equal to the love you make
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MikeC
Admin
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Posts: 4544
Loc: Orlando, FL
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Quote:
well, it might not mean much coming from a "lurker" , but this is the first site I go to. I learn something everythime I visit. Now a question, is there somewhere I can go to find out the meaning of the abbreviations? Keep up the good work, I will be making my donation asap. Thanks again
The general info on the left will give you some, others if you just hover the mouse pointer over the word will give you the long version.
Thanks.
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weathernet
Storm Tracker
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Posts: 296
Loc: Elsewhere
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Mike,
I honestly had decided for myself that I just simply lost the interest to further contribute any of my own thoughts to your site's forums. Sure, there may be thousands of "lurkers" who religiously check up on your site for not only trusted advisories and updates, but also greater insights by others who share an interest in Meteorology. Of the thousands however, how many are contributing? In recent "talkbacks" that date back to July 1 2008, not one even exceeded 100 replies. Of those which elicited replies, I imagine that more than half were by moderators themselves. Whether others or not choose to contribute is a decision that only you ( and other admin's ) can make. My guess is that if one feels that they will be admonished or embarrassed by their contribution, than better to be that lurker. That all said, I do not own or administer this web site. Nor do I necessarily share the percieved purpose of this sites forums. If this site were simply a Tropical Weather Blog, than I'd come here to read, digest the information, and leave. If this site were what many people would consider to be an interactive forum, than many would participate. Yourself or Ed may believe your site is in fact such an interactive forum, but I would disagree. If you choose to call "interactive", discussion among 10-20 people, than so be it. I thnk a better definition would be an example such as Storm2K, where at least hundreds seem to participate. Is their's a better web site? A better site for forum discussion? Tell you what....., this is your web site and I for one respect that. You need choose and decide what it is that you want your site to be and how to operate. Whether or not that serves my greater interests or those of others really is secondary. I believe that your conundrum lies with wanting to have it both ways.
Please keep in mind this......., when it is expressed to me that responses to "Talkbacks" should not really be "apples and oranges", and the very title of such Talkbacks are: TS Dolly Over Cancun, Cristobal Drifts NE, Bertha Now ....., or Bertha Near Bermuda, Watching Wave East of Lesser Antilles..., don't you think that by definintion the header is in fact less than defined on one solo topic? And so, for myself ....who I consider to be fairly well educated ( but a really crappy speller ), one who has successfully chased and intercepted hurricanes for a number of years, and a long time student of Tropical Meteorology, what is either the fun, inherant need, or self indulgent purpose for myself ( or others ) to need to contribute, when told my response is kind of "apples and oranges" with regard to the talkback topic? Forecast Lounge???? Yes, one can simply post their thoughts in a Forecast Lounge; One in which perhaps one may elicit 3 or 4 responses. Now, there's a great sharing of thoughts and opinions, right? Not really.
I applaud Sue B for simply bringing up the issue, though sad that it is true. Simply put, many others may have shared in the past, but they were in one way or another encouraged to do so elsewhere. That, or to certainly "mute" their input. I may join Sue as a lurker myself....., at least until lthe day that I find simply little left to "lurk at".
Guys, I don't know how your gonna deal with it, but its hard to write about recon data, satellite loops, upper air reports, model concensus, etc. without using phrases like "I bet", "I think", " I imagine", "it might", "may be", "should be", etc. I do wish you a lot of luck doing so - I imagine its not an easy job.
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MikeC
Admin
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Posts: 4544
Loc: Orlando, FL
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The lounge was intended for those who really don't have much to back it up but want to talk about something, the main reason for it was to keep it a little separate from the main conversation and keep it from confusing the newer folks with potential misinformation. Talking I think, I i bet, etc is fine if there is reasoning for it. I think that's where the biggest issue with the current moderation lies. Lounge was more for Yep i'm from so and so and we never get hurricanes so it's not coming here, type of thing.
I think most of those should stay on the front, especially when volume is low. What I don't like is removing posts that I or moderators don't agree with, I'd rather just reply and explain why I don't see it the same way. Because chances are if one person did see what the first person saw, then there are others too.
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IMTechspec
Verified CFHC User
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Posts: 18
Loc: Orlando
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Sure, there may be thousands of "lurkers" who religiously check up on your site for not only trusted advisories and updates, but also greater insights by others who share an interest in Meteorology. Of the thousands however, how many are contributing?
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Admittedly, I am one of the "thousands".
Admittedly, this time of the year I do a quick "drive by" a couple of times a day and then move on.
True, it sometimes appears that there is not as much collaboration here as some of the other sites. However, in my opinion, the information that appears here is often of higher quality and better "qualified".
I like the structure here and I think that the bunch have kept a good balance. Some people need the structure. Some of us just like to see it... Or maybe we just need therapy! 
Putting things in perspective... I check a hand full of status reports every day. None of the them are directly Wx related, although most everyone here knows that Wx affects everything. This time of the year, is also part of my daily status check routine, when I can make time to look.
There are plenty of other forums or sources of this type of information, but I know that I can count on this one to pretty much stay on message and provide concise information and commentary regarding Tropical Systems. I think that is a good source for information that is additional and complimentary to information. That may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it works for me, and seems to work for some other folks I know who also work for Public Safety and / or Emergency Management / Response agencies, who also keep an eye on the information here.
As far as contributing to the information flow -
A - My agency does not allow it, while on their network or using their computers (I am at home now, on my PC), and I am one of the people tasked with enforcing that policy. Of course, that does not mean I cannot look at it a few times a day.
B - Any time I think I know something about the weather, the regulars here illustrate that I am still way out of my league and that I just need to read and learn. Ultimately that is a good thing and speaks well for the following that this site has.
C - These types of opinions are about the only thing that I can contribute, based on the previous two items.
As far as contributing financially -
I think that I can speak for just about everyone who is employed by a government agency. Sorry, we can barely afford to get to work each day.
Hopefully the contributions of time away from our jobs and families and the sweat that many of us generate during the response to the land falling storms (and other incidents) is worth something to the group here. I suspect that it is.
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Ed Dunham
Former Meteorologist & CFHC Forum Moderator (Ed Passed Away on May 14, 2017)
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Posts: 2565
Loc: Melbourne, FL
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Here are some statistics that I shared earlier this evening with the Moderators - thought that some of you might find them interesting ...
Through the fifth storm of the season:
Graveyard: 31 posts this year; 40 posts last year
Deleted: 24 posts this year; 75 posts last year
Probation: Nobody this year; 5 occurences last year
The Moderators have been making an extra effort this year (including me) to put posts in the proper Forum AND to put a reason for the move OR send the poster a PM of explanation (sometimes both). I personally think that the Mods have been far more tolerant this season. The stats support that - and I thank them for their efforts to get individually involved with site Users in an attempt to resolve an issue offline. Remember, they all donate their time and effort in an attempt to make your visit here an informative experience - and I'll admit that there are times when that might not happen for an individual User - but we try anyway. This thread is a good example of that.
The site rules/guidelines have been honed for over a decade now, but without them, this place would be just another disorganized chat room - but I don't think thats what you folks want when you visit here. Its not an easy effort, because someone will always be dissatisfied no matter what approach you take.
Its true that the post count has been down, but probably because nothing serious has happened yet - and I hope that nothing does.
Cheers,
ED
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MissBecky
Weather Guru
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Posts: 112
Loc: Ft. Myers, FL
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As someone who is more a lurker than a poster, I have to say that part of the reason for that is I feel too intimidated to post here. When I have a question, I'm simply too afraid to post it, for fear that I'll merely be told to send a PM. And that's fine, I understand the desire not to clutter threads, but who exactly should I PM? Not to mention, if I have a question, chances are someone else is thinking the same thing. So why shouldn't we be allowed to ask questions here, so the answers from the knowledgeable people can benefit us all?
I've lurked here for years, and while the quality of the posts remains high, the quantity sure has gone down. I miss the lively debates that used to take place here. Strict moderation is all well and good, but not at the expense of frightening off your posters.
Just my two cents. Back to lurking.
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Ed Dunham
Former Meteorologist & CFHC Forum Moderator (Ed Passed Away on May 14, 2017)
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Posts: 2565
Loc: Melbourne, FL
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You bring up an excellent point - and one that is tied directly to the purpose of this site - which is education. We have many knowledgeable posters who are not meteorologists, but they have great insight into meteorological processes. I'll try to clarify for you and others who may be wondering about the same thing.
If you have a question for a particular individual that has posted something, i.e., what did you mean when you said that 'the highest surface winds appear to be located at a considerable distance from the center of the storm?' you should direct that question to the individual that made the post using the PM capability. That individual is probably the one that can give you the best answer.
But if you have a question that concerns a specific storm, i.e., 'with Edouard the highest reported wind speeds seem to be in the Lake Charles area which is quite a distance from the storm center. Why is that?' - you can ask that question directly in the thread that is covering that particular storm.
On the other hand, if you should have a more generic question not associated with any storm, i.e., 'How does the determine the highest surface windspeed when a hurricane or tropical storm makes landfall?' then the Hurricane Ask/Tell Forum is the best place for those questions of a more general nature. Also note that any weather related question can be asked in the Hurricane Ask/Tell Forum. Remember that the primary focus of the site is Atlantic tropical cyclones, so questions about other weather events or processes may not get answered as quickly.
Never feel nervous about asking a question - its how we learn (and that includes all of us). My personal philosophy is that there is no such thing as a stupid question. If you put it in the wrong place, we may move it but we'll never delete it as long as its not inflammatory. Hope this helps.
ED
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weathernet
Storm Tracker
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Posts: 296
Loc: Elsewhere
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Mike/Ed,
I had received a PM from a fellow member, simply discussing "The State of the Site". What began as a reply to this member, developed into quite a ramble as to how I believe this new General Discussion Forum Board MAY work to serve everyone's interests. I realize this is a little long, but I do offer some specific suggestions and concerns. Though I imagine the following posting itself could be admonished for not having been directed as a PM, I did not do so in light that I thought "this" Site Update - Site Discussion" forum, was in fact established for this very commentary and discussion. Secondly, I thought that input by others who may share similar sentiments, might further contribute to the topic.
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Ed Dunham
Former Meteorologist & CFHC Forum Moderator (Ed Passed Away on May 14, 2017)
Reged:
Posts: 2565
Loc: Melbourne, FL
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Nope - you are absolutely correct. The intent of this thread (and this Forum for that matter) was for the sharing of your suggestions. I think that in the past it probably suffered the same fate as the other Forums that are further on down the page, i.e., out of sight/out of mind. No PMs needed here unless you'd rather yell at me in private. 
Cheers,
ED
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