MikeC
Admin
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Posts: 4635
Loc: Orlando, FL
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I put up the Hurricane Graveyard forum to move bad posts into. It's hard to come up with a general ruleset for the forum. But generally if it's alarmist, it goes there, if it's a "gut feeling" it belongs in the Forecast Lounge, if it's a sweeping generalization (You wishcasterz lol!) good candidate for a graveyard.
I dislike deleting what people wrote, even if it's bad, so we very rarely actually delete something (even then it gets archived).
Fact of the matter, we try not to wishcast. If anything I'd hope they would all spin fish and head out to sea. You'll find the main articles looking at it from the standpoint of why something won't affect land, rather than why it may.
Intensity is a different issue, and that's hard to judge. I usually suggest preparing for one category over what is projected, just in case. As we saw with this year, a sudden jump in strength can come along with a sudden drop in strength. But preparing for the Cat 4 approach was prudent.
Sometimes things get moved to the graveyard that were probably ok, we apologize in advance if this is you. We have several moderators, and each has their own threshhold. it's pure judgement, but if there is a doubt, I tend to leave it as is.
Repeatedly getting graveyarded will probably result in a posting probation, usually 6-24 hours where a speicifc user cannot post. Beyond that, an outright ban. Obvious trolls will be ground up and the banhammer will be applied.
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RedingtonBeachGuy
Moderator
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Posts: 342
Loc: St. Cloud, FL
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Mike -- how about adding a 'Message Board Guidelines' link a few places like the welcome header, signup page, and even a little icon in each message at the bottom.
The Guidelines could be a simple popup with the basics:
Use of appropriate content is required. Abusive, profane and vulgar language will not be tolerated.
Personal attacks on other users will not be permitted.
Advertising, solicitations and chain letters are prohibited.
The cutting and pasting of copyrighted information is prohibited.
The posting of e-mail addresses and/or phone numbers of others is prohibited.
Use the "Notify Moderator" button in the message section to report all violators.
Wishcasting and alarmist posts are prohibited.
Any violation of the Guidelines could result in messages being edited and/or removed and the violator being warned or banned.
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MikeC
Admin
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Posts: 4635
Loc: Orlando, FL
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I added the "Rules" link at the top of all forum areas and modified the Rules to be a little more clear. Hopefully not overly complex.
Edited by MikeC (Sat Aug 06 2005 08:11 AM)
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Ed G
Weather Hobbyist
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Posts: 77
Loc: Clermont, Fl
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MikeC:
I have complete faith that the moderators will not find the new rules overly complex and that the moderators will comprehend them clearly. 
You guys do an awesome job. Thanks for providing a great site.
Ed G
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Lysis
User
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Posts: 451
Loc: Hong Kong
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Hopefully this doesn’t grant me entrance into ‘the graveyard’.
…but I must ask, would it not be easier to just delete the bad post rather than having to make a new thread and transcribe exactly why the post was sent to the graveyard? What purpose it there in archiving these posts anyway? I think it also serves to humiliate ‘repeat offenders” so to speak (or is this intentional?). It is pretty cool to have something like that, but it must be a lot of work for you guys. At any rate, you guys are doing a superb job, and I have learned so much here the past few months. Why not let it be a little easier on yourselves?
-------------------- cheers
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Clark
Meteorologist
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Posts: 1710
Loc:
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It's actually not that much work, Lysis. The post gets sent there automatically out of the thread with whatever comment we desire, so there's little work on our end (thanks to Mike). The purpose of the Graveyard is to serve as an example towards what posts should not go in the forums; those that are really, really bad get canned straight-up, but those that just violate the rules get Graveyarded. The intention isn't really to humiliate posters, just educate everyone as to what is okay and give examples as to what is not.
-------------------- Current Tropical Model Output Plots
(or view them on the main page for any active Atlantic storms!)
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danielw
Moderator
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Posts: 3527
Loc: Hattiesburg,MS (31.3N 89.3W)
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We have another, non-viewable area that we can put posts. But Like Clark said. It's meant to be an educational tool...not a shame-on-you tool.
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Spoken
Weather Hobbyist
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Posts: 64
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Ideally my submissions are intended not 'for my own glory' but instead to be helpful and/or to learn something. If you remove one of my submissions then by that I might learn that someone didn't much care for something I said. And thus feel free to do with my submissions as you please. And thanks for doing so.
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MikeC
Admin
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Posts: 4635
Loc: Orlando, FL
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Deleted or Graveyarded it gets automatically archived. Either stuffed into a admin only forum or the public Graveyard. There is no transposition or re transcribing involved. Flhurricane uses a heavily modified (and I repeat heavily) version of ubbthreads. Some parts I've rewritten.
The way it works for a mod, is the "delete button" (The one you can see if you try to edit your own posts) is clicked, then there is an opportunity to add a comment or not and one of two choices, to delete it (actually move it to a mod/admin only archive) or to graveyard it (archive it publically) When they do, all the work is done for them.
I don't count anything against anyone for getting graveyarded, it's mainly for violating the new ruleset. It's just an attempt to clean up things, and make it easier to find relivent information. The other forums aren't going to be moderated as heavily. The attempt is just to try to keep things relativly high quality. Asking a question about the storm isn't going to get it graveyarded. Being new won't either, or even being wrong. The main point of the graveyard is to give a measuring stick of what consists of bad posts or not.
If there is any doubt we won't do anything to a post. I don't like moderation, but to keep things from becoming painful to read, it has to be done. And even then sometime we make mistakes too, so archiving it makes sense for that as well.
I beefed up the moderation tools on the site recently. I might also put up a public list of folks banned or put on probation with a link as to why. I figure the best way to clean it up is to let you see what happens when it gets bad, to see why we do moderate it. And the graveyard is the way to do it for us.
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MikeC
Admin
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Posts: 4635
Loc: Orlando, FL
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I added a new rule today, it should be obvious, but here it is anyway (it's also in the forum rules as well):
Deparment of Redundancy Department: If a poster continually makes the same post, or nearly the same post repeatedly on the same point, it will likely be put in the graveyard and the poster be put on timed poster probation.
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Ryan
Storm Tracker
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Posts: 281
Loc: Long Island, NY / Stuart, FL
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you mods do a good job holding up this site..i mean for some if it wasnt for the site, some peple would be "running around with a bucket on their head screaming hurricane."..great site..keep up the great work.
.Ryan
-------------------- 2006 Atlantic Season Summary:
Bad, But Not AS Bad.
Life's a Storm, Watch Your Back
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Lysis
User
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Posts: 451
Loc: Hong Kong
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Hey... Kudos to whoever put the music in the hurricane graveyard (which just scared the hell out of me, as I couldn't figure out where it was coming from). A little sadistic... but genius never the less 
EDIT: By the way, could you tip me off as to the name of the song? I could use that in a future film.
-------------------- cheers
Edited by Lysis (Sat Aug 27 2005 08:30 PM)
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Clark
Meteorologist
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Posts: 1710
Loc:
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It is "The Hurricane Song" by Tom Glazer, available at http://www.acme.com/jef/science_songs/
-------------------- Current Tropical Model Output Plots
(or view them on the main page for any active Atlantic storms!)
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