New Moderator Introduction (yeah, another one)

[Silentnoise713]

Hello Fellow Mz5 Owners.

You may have noticed theres a new label under my screen name (I would really prefer not to be labeled) so figure I should introduce myself as a new moderator in our forum. We also have Rockin03mp5 but figure I can chip in to help organize our community a bit. We seem to have an uptick in members and activity, and threads/topics are a bit disorganized. My intentions are really to keep discussion relevant and tidy things up. Aside from mandated mod duties, I am just another member with powers (evil). We (ok, most) are a civil bunch as we tend to be family oriented and well mannered. More power to you if you own a Mz5 and dont have kids (eyeballs). Keep on keeping on.

I am very hands on with cars and a car fan in general. Dont hesitate to PM me if you have any questions/suggestions on any topics I can help with. I would expect you to reciprocate the same to others as well. My motto is there are no stupid questions, only stupid people. The stupid people referring to the person(s) with the question but did not ask.



Id like your opinions on a few changes. Others to follow but need to discuss and clarify with the secret society or super mods before I propose them. I believe in democracy -to some extent. Let me know your opinions (yay/nay) on the following:
1) Move all how-to request threads back to the appropriate topic sections. I think the how-to section should be used for actual how-to guides. Request should originate in the appropriate section for discussion and once a guide is available (an actual how-to), it should be moved to the Mazda5 How To. This would help to clean up some of the clutter.
2) Open to suggestions on topics that should be sticky and current ones that should be un-sticky.
3) Add to existing FAQ sticky with test drive review article and from major online publications (technical specs, year-over-year changes, 0-60/breaking times, etc.).

 

[Heat]

1) Sounds good, and add a sticky thread to the "how to" forum with links to all of the different "how to" topics. A directory.
2) In the past the sticky threads were really abused - thanks to whoever cleaned them up. Consider making a limit of, say, three sticky threads per sub-forum.
3) Sure, but keep in mind that your target for this thread would be people thinking about Mazda5s.

And try to get the 2012+ mazda5 forum merged with the '06-'10 mazda5 forum. I understand the reasoning behind the split but the reality is (a) that there really aren't that many differences and (b) there really aren't that many Mazda5 posters. Keep everything together.

 

[thaxman]

And try to get the 2012+ mazda5 forum merged with the '06-'10 mazda5 forum. I understand the reasoning behind the split but the reality is (a) that there really aren't that many differences and (b) there really aren't that many Mazda5 posters. Keep everything together.

IMO, we could have the usual appearance, drivetrain, interior, electronics, how-to sub-forums for all Mazda5s, but could have 3 additional separate sub-forums for things unique to each of the 3 facelifts 06/07, 08-10 and 12+. That way, we are all one big happy family like we always have been, but if its something unique, like the 08-10 gripes about the lack of a covered console cubby or the infamous 06/07 rear camber, the other owners need not wade through the crap we are dealing with.

 

[Rockin03mp5]

welcome to the team silent.

ive had lots of ideas, but no real time to clean things up around here.

 

[Silentnoise713]

1) Sounds good, and add a sticky thread to the "how to" forum with links to all of the different "how to" topics. A directory.
2) In the past the sticky threads were really abused - thanks to whoever cleaned them up. Consider making a limit of, say, three sticky threads per sub-forum.
3) Sure, but keep in mind that your target for this thread would be people thinking about Mazda5s.

And try to get the 2012+ mazda5 forum merged with the '06-'10 mazda5 forum. I understand the reasoning behind the split but the reality is (a) that there really aren't that many differences and (b) there really aren't that many Mazda5 posters. Keep everything together.

-Agree, a directory of some sort is necessary and planned for all sub-forums. Personally, I’ve wanted to look up some old threads for reference and it can be a PITA to search.
-I would not agree to a hard limit on stickies, as long as they are relevant. The hard part is to try and consolidate them into some logical category.
-The idea is to give new members an intro to the car and as THE Mazda5 forum; we should provide accessible knowledge to what we can offer. Forums need new and active members to survive. Without this, this place would be dead.
-I’d like to see all model years grouped together as well. When the topic on the split first came up, there was a thread on people’s opinion. I felt they should not split until there are enough ‘12+ members and posts. Ultimately, the current ‘12+ members voiced that they prefer their own section (more so than not). Aside from strong arming them, what can you do?... Also, if you look at the general layout of mazdas247, this is the common running theme on how they split the years. I don’t think we can diverge too much away from it.

IMO, we could have the usual appearance, drivetrain, interior, electronics, how-to sub-forums for all Mazda5s, but could have 3 additional separate sub-forums for things unique to each of the 3 facelifts 06/07, 08-10 and 12+. That way, we are all one big happy family like we always have been, but if its something unique, like the 08-10 gripes about the lack of a covered console cubby or the infamous 06/07 rear camber, the other owners need not wade through the crap we are dealing with.

All cars and forums have to endure the MCR differences in any given model year. One way I’ve seen in how they dealt with this is they created an icon that designates, for example, 06-07 vs 08-10 that identifies the heading of the post. ‘12+ is a different topic and mentioned above (here’s to hoping the MCR will do away with the silly creases). So, anyone want to create these icons for 06-07 vs 08-10?? This can be proposed and I’m pretty sure acceptable as it does not conflict with the general interest/layout of Mazdas247.

welcome to the team silent.

ive had lots of ideas, but no real time to clean things up around here.

(drinks)Let’s do this (while I have some time now).


Public announcement:
-I’ve asked to add ‘Accessories’ to the Appearance section and will be moving threads on hitches, racks, carriers, and other non-electronic accessories into this section.
-Threads with updates less than 2 months old will have a redirect post; older posts will just be moved going back to start of 2012.
-Let me know you thoughts on anything else. While we own the car, let’s make this place supplement the ownership experience. This only works if we help each other. I see we have a lot of viewers and only responses from the usual suspects (you know who you are).

 

[phunky.buddha]

Hi!

 

[Robotazky]

Cool. Mods are good. Best of luck on managing the asylum.

 

[Rockin03mp5]

feel free to add, update, change, whatever you want to the FAQ i was trying to create. I wanted that to be a starting point for newbies. Just never got a lot of help that i was hoping for.