If You Were A Moderator

[ChrisJTurner]

I find it ironic and hypocritical that you feel this would be pompous, yet you created a very similar thread about gym rants, starting with:

I am mildly honored that you took your time out to find my other post that you thought was pompous, in fact ill rep you for that.

On reflection, I think we all can be pompous, hypocritical, angry... etc etc. Including yourself, Mr Perfect.
My thread about gyms could be seen as pompous, or like I called it "fun off-topic gym rant", I guess it depends on your definition.

However, this is a forum where people express their opinions, and my opinion still stands, regardless of whether you think its ironic or not.
Does my "pompous" thread make my point less valid?... ermm no.

 

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[Supa]

5) Total rep earned? Would this make people more likely to give rep? Knowing the remaining rep is their "profit"?

This would be pretty good tbh.

 

[SlowlaneJay]

From all the posts, here's where I think the most difference can be made. A few of my own ideas tossed in near the end too:

* * *​

Cut down on the amount of forums. It's not always easy deciding where to place a new topic. The only way I view the forum is by new posts.

you'd see just how complicated a simple category selection is for most people.

I'm never quite sure where to post. I think the problem is the categories we have available. They never seem to match with the thread I have in mind.

Here's a wild thought: let's get rid of categories and instead go to tags. Kind of like Twitter.

You could see the trending tags, and some stickied tags, and you'd be prompted to select one or two for your post. This way the users are creating the categories— meaning a better reflection of what we actually feel our thread is about. Instead of being forced to choose from someone else's category choices.

Yeah, it's probably not supported by the current forum software. But it would be an awesome way to organize a forum. Especially if you could subscribe to tags, build authority around certain topics, etc.

* * *​

1. Ignore thread function
Some threads just make you bang your head to the wall after reading the first 3 posts. I don't need to see that thread ever again.

100% yes. And if someone I'm ignoring creates a thread, I'd love for it not to appear in the newest post thing on the main page.

I forgot to quote it, but I love the idea of showing users how many people ignore them. How else will they learn?

* * *​

Combine these:

Find a way to limit the newbie noise. I get it, we all started out as newbies...but there has to be some kind of process to limit the noise.

Maybe add a pop-up before new threads are created with a simple reminder of places to check for answers before posting a question that's been posted a hundred times.

If your like to post ratio is less than 1:1 you are most likely providing no value and you would need to get your likes back up by helping people before you could have access to a certain forums, threads or be able to create new posts etc.

Into the following:

1. Track ratio of likes : posts
2. Pop up appears on every new thread until a member has 2:1 ratio
3. In the pop up, have a link to a common questions thread operated only by mods. The thread would have answers and links to common questions, each post being a different answer. The first post of the thread would be a table of contents that links to each answer in the thread.
4. Also in the pop up, remind them:
   1. No politics/religion
   2. No dudebro bullshit (we have a large female population here)
   3. Google first.

* * *​

I would shrink and clean up the top part of the forum.

From this:

To this:

'nuff said.

* * *​

Post of the Day

Most liked new post within the last 24 hours.

Genius.

* * *
​

Here's one I haven't seen.

I'd love to see a Fastlane blog, written by members of the forum. These members would be invited by MJ to post whatever they'd like. This would be a win–win all around:

• More exposure for Fastlane Forum
• More exposure for/better return on writing time for the blog post writers

I could see folks like GlobalWealth, AndrewNC, Andy Black, and others making full use of something like this.

Because while this forum can be used to build credibility amongst its members, it doesn't do much for you outside of its walls. With a blog you give new users a reason to post higher quality posts (so they can be selected for the blog), and you reward users who are already posting great stuff.

AND… you get more exposure for the FRICKIN' FORUM!

You win. I win. The forum wins. Win-win, man. Win-win.

* * *
​

Here's a tiny one:

When I'm writing a post, I want to be able to use cmd+k to add a hyperlink. Right now it adds a numbered list. But everywhere else cmd+k is hyperlink. Is it changeable?

* * *
​

Once a month/week/whatever, use some of that INSIDERS cash to turn a particularly good post into an animated video or infographic.

Again, this gives us a reason to put our heart into every post (it might get picked for embellishment). It also doubles as marketing for the forum, giving you easy content marketing on Youtube or Facebook video.

* * *​

Make feedback more important.

This thread is a great start, but what if there was suggestion box that worked like the reddit system (heck, you could even use a subreddit for this). Essentially we would make suggestions and they could be upvoted by other forum members.

That way you can always see how your users feel about your product.

Which, by the way, is a damn good one. The forum rocks, MJ. You done good. Sure, there's room for improvement, and I'm excited to see how much of this thread you take to heart and implement.

But even if you say "F*ck it" and let the forum be… it's already the best one out there.

My 2¢

 

[wade1mil]

I am mildly honored that you took your time out to find my other post

Felt this way right after you posted it, as you can see by my response to that thread.

 

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[Mattie]

I think having a chat would be nice of some kind. Would make it easier to connect with others and meet people, and more friendly to have conversations about business or some kind of sharing live communication, but maybe just an option for those who would like to use it.

And I vote of course for keeping Toxic peeps out, just cause we all want to stay focused and positive.

 

[ChrisJTurner]

Felt this way right after you posted it, as you can see by my response to that thread.

Wasn't even aware that other comment on that thread was about me, though you're entitled to your opinion, I respect that.

I guess I said the wrong thing by going against the opinion of an "INSIDERS", thus leaving myself open to be attacked.
The more I think about it, the more immature it sounds.
You can have an opinion, if we agree with it.

Anyhoo, I wont hijack this thread any further, there's better things to read on this thread.

 

[Yoda]

How about a formal way to merge mentors and pupils.

Pupils could submit an 'application' of sorts, and established members who are looking for new relationships could have access to them. Let's say a particularly strong pupil applied, and a mentor found some sort of advantageous symbiotic business relationship there, they could take the person under their wing.

This would give those who are actively looking a way to showcase their strengths and truly earn the help they need/desire, while simultaneously giving mentors a chance to help someone they know isn't a total fluke (obviously the chance is still there, but diminished somewhat).

 

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[Vigilante]

We are discussing all of these comments in the back room… A lot of good ideas posted.

 

[wade1mil]

A lot of good ideas posted

After seeing the landfill, it made me realize there's much more going on behind the scenes than we're probably aware of. It made me think of crowd sourcing some of the stuff you mods do like banning threads. I'm not sure if realistic or even a good idea, but the idea may spark another one that works.

 

[theag]

I volunteer for that "smacking newbies into shape" idea. Its a perfect fit for my suggestion.

 

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[Dami-B]

I want to thank all the moderators for the outstanding work they do, to whip this forum into shape.

Anything that fosters and improves our relationship and communication in the fastlane family, will contribute to the success of the forum.

We should have a Moderators day, where moderators get to do something creative for themselves.

Also Awards for outstanding individuals.

We can also increase the frequency of the guest AMA'S, the ones we had this year were very inspiring and informative, but if we can get more guest AMA'S in addition to the forum members invaluable AMA contributions, I think that will increase the quality of the forum.

And if we can bring back INSIDERS call, that will be nice.

 

[Sunscreen]

I would like to be able to delete messages from private conversations (haven't worked out how to if it's possible). I have said a couple of cringey things I would like to forget about...

 

[safff]

Not sure if it's been mentioned, but a newbies forum to keep the usual fly-by's from posting in certain forums until they've reached a certain post level / time frame? with read access only so they can still get some value and hang around instead of being put off too quickly?

Maybe an insight to a portion of the INSIDERS for people past a certain point or a discounted but restricted trial or something?

 

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[PureA]

Delete the Tai Lopez thread.

 

[edward222]

1. Name the best contributor of the month, whoever gives the best ideas or gives the best answers of the month will get something in return, like rep transfer or even real money transfer. In this way we can lessen the spammer's and will make the forum members give more informative ideas and will give more informative answers.

2. I think its still the best if we can somehow withdraw some of our rep.

 

[Andy Black]

Delete the Tai Lopez thread.

Noooooooo.... That's like the Hydra! Cut it's head off and we'll get three more in it's place.

 

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[luniac]

For better or worse when i see someone with low Rep post advice i just feel like "how do i know this person knows what he/she is talking about?", while for high rep people im all ears because i know theyve been around awhile and most likely aren't giving inexperienced advise.

But from my understanding is that there are many low rep people on this forum that are successful in business with great advise but just haven't been on the forum long enough or didn't create a GOLD thread or something to accumulate large REPs.

Perhaps another form of Credentials is in order for people who volunteer to get it, so their advise can be trusted.

 

[MitchC]

For better or worse when i see someone with low Rep post advice i just feel like "how do i know this person knows what he/she is talking about?", while for high rep people im all ears because i know theyve been around awhile and most likely aren't giving inexperienced advise.

But from my understanding is that there are many low rep people on this forum that are successful in business with great advise but just haven't been on the forum long enough or didn't create a GOLD thread or something to accumulate large REPs.

Perhaps another form of Credentials is in order for people who volunteer to get it, so their advise can be trusted.

Not to mention if you give it away it's gone.

That Tai Lopez thread drives a lot of lost people interested in business to this forum and the book. It's like a public service and free advertising paid for by Tai all in one.

 

[E-Sharp]

I really like the LANDFILL idea, brilliant! This step alone goes a long way towards improving the forum.

1. Ignore thread function
Some threads just make you bang your head to the wall after reading the first 3 posts. I don't need to see that thread ever again..

Yes! Great idea! Aside from cases of egregious stupidity/lunacy, I would rather ignore a thread than a person.

The other benefit of an "ignore thread" function would be the ability to filter out otherwise good content that isn't particularly relevant to a member's interests. Although in that case, maybe a better idea is a "Mark as Read" function or something that still allows you to access the content, but move it lower down on the page. Not sure if that's possible.

Big thanks to you mods -- you do an outstanding job! The day I found this forum there was a lot of landfill-type content front and center. But it was also immediately apparent that the mods were actively involved, and generous. The moderation here is top-notch.

 

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[AndrewNC]

Private area for the real contributors. Invite only. The moment you post garbage - you are kicked out.

This gives everyone the incentive to post more quality and get real results to "earn their way in" and a way to attract more higher-level contributors to visit the forum more.

 

[Equilibrium]

I second the credentials idea on a simplified version. I'd like to see who has actually made it big, and who is fluff. No penis contests. (WTF!?!) Just a simple badge added to accounts that show user has made $30grand or $1mill.

Second I would like to see a information center.
As you build a business you have a large need of other people, be it for launching a call center or looking for experienced coders, many people join the forums because they need something.
Some join for wants, Some join for needs, and some join because they associate speed with income.

But I'd like to see a sub-forum dedicated to providing information, with user submitted tips.
For example, I'm constantly running into website administrator deals for new hosting accounts, something that could greatly help anyone launching a website.

Maybe with this change the next time someone's searching for devil tails they could meet a rubber manufacturer right away?
-
in other news.

Ignore thread function
This exisits. Just unwatch the thread.
http://prntscr.com/9n65iq

Chat System :NO. Chat systems in a forum do two things.
They limit the information shared within forums,because members start using them and they are a pain in the a$$ to moderate.

I want to be able to use cmd+k to add a hyperlink
Fastlane Forum is powered with xenforo. If you visit https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/help/bb-codes
you will see all default BBcodes. It's changeable through admin, but You might be able to do something with AutoHotkey
http://lifehacker.com/5600739/create-a-shortcut-key-to-replace-text-with-hyperlinks-in-any-editor

 

[E-Sharp]

Ignore thread function
This exisits. Just unwatch the thread.
http://prntscr.com/9n65iq

Don't you have to watch a thread before you can unwatch it? I meant filtering threads from the index without going into them. Not sure it's possible...

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

I would put subscribe and INSIDERS blocks somewhere else.

Like the other ads, INSIDERS don't see those.

It could even be a private facebook group that's invite only.

Sorry, not interested in offloading forum traffic to Mark Zuckerberg.

Have a most-liked-posts widget.

Haven't found one. This has been a "want" for years now. Some threads might suck, but there might be ONE gem in the entire thing. I'd be nice to highlight those so they don't get lost in the shuffle. Anyhow, I haven't found that functionality or a plugin that does it. Everything is about threads, not posts.

Ignore thread function
This exisits. Just unwatch the thread.

Not true. A thread must be watched before it is unwatched.

 

[jon.a]

Haven't found one. This has been a "want" for years now. Some threads might suck, but there might be ONE gem in the entire thing. I'd be nice to highlight those so they don't get lost in the shuffle. Anyhow, I haven't found that functionality or a plugin that does it. Everything is about threads, not posts.

Just so I don't think I'm miss-remembering, didn't the old platform have something like that? I thought I read a lot of "most liked" somethings when I first got here. It might have been threads and not posts though.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Just so I don't think I'm miss-remembering, didn't the old platform have something like that? I thought I read a lot of "most liked" somethings when I first got here. It might have been threads and not posts though.

Yes it did.

 

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[Supa]

Haven't found one. This has been a "want" for years now. Some threads might suck, but there might be ONE gem in the entire thing. I'd be nice to highlight those so they don't get lost in the shuffle. Anyhow, I haven't found that functionality or a plugin that does it. Everything is about threads, not posts.

I have no knowledge in creating a forum, so if those links are bs just ignore them:
https://xenforo.com/community/resources/best-posts-uncover-your-top-content.3264/
https://xenforo.com/community/resources/wdb-popular-content.1613/

 

[LateStarter]

There are two camps suggesting improvements to the forum it would seem. 1) Software/Forum improvements and 2) Business/Mentorship needs.

On the software side:

Right now when you go to post a new thread a lot of sections are shown darkened which is really confusing.

View attachment 11395

^^ This


On the Business side:

It would be awesome to have an inner circle of trustworthy businessmen that are actually doing things. I don't disclose my business names to anyone on this forum unless I am friends with them on Facebook and have communicated outside of here. If there were a mastermind that had some harsher requirements I'd be interested in getting into that to have exclusive access to people who are successful and actually doing stuff.

^^ This (I get the anti-FB angle @MJ DeMarco..so don't flame the quote.)


I see a big theme in the threads about a need for a mastermind/mentorship area where vetted people can discuss challenges more transparently without fear of being ripped off or misdirected.

I haven't been here that long but haven't yet built relationships with people outside of post replies (too focused on the business and not the other people I suppose). I'm hoping that will change after going to my first Meetup. Still the need sees common to many.

Ultimately @MJ DeMarco needs to determine if that's the end-goal for the forum or if it simply poses too many obstacles and risks. You can't force mentorships, even virtual ones between forum members. So how do you build rapport and trust in a virtual world of business where other members may be out to eat your lunch? (Rhetorical-ish)

 

[Envision]

Sorry, not interested in offloading forum traffic to Mark Zuckerberg.

Haha good point!

 

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[MitchC]

I used to post on a programming forum where you would have to apply to become a inside member by showing what code(value/action) you had contributed, and the other inside members would have a week to read it and vote yes or no. This could replace the speedway.

They also had different "badges" you could be awarded.

I don't think these would help the forum much though.

The top one is a common one discussed, but a tough one to solve. Personally, the ideal scenario for me would be to post a thread, and like Facebook, have secret categories of members like Facebook has friends. So like on Facebook is work, acquaintances, etc. So when I post a thread I can choose who see's it and who doesn't, but everyone else has no idea who I chose or if I chose public. By doing this, unless you are contributing and doing something and getting noticed, then you won't get to see anyone's secret stuff.

I'd also like to second having less categories. They are so hard to use. I never use them it's too frustrating even when I know what thread I'm looking for. I only ever use the top bar latest comments thing.

To shamelessly quote my own idea, like does anyone understand what I mean? Is it possible? What do people think of it?

 

[Vigilante]

To shamelessly quote my own idea, like does anyone understand what I mean? Is it possible? What do people think of it?

All of the ideas, including yours, are reviewed. So, thanks! Obviously he won't be able to implement them all (nor would he want to) but there have been some good suggestions.

There's not likely going to be anything done that restricts content beyond the private aspects of the forum that are already in place. The learning comes from the public posts and sharing that has made this place unique. If we start putting filters on top of the filters, the content (and SEO) would get diluted.

So that one's not going to be acted on, and the current forum software likely doesn't even make that a simple idea to implement. If the content started being restricted to only the people you wanted to share it with, the public part of the forum would go to shit, and eventually the forum would collapse. What you SHOULD do, however, is make those great connections and then take them OFFLINE or to a different medium, like Skype, Facebook, or elsewhere. Have the best of both worlds without killing the golden goose.

I didn't mean to overwhelm MJ with a laundry list, but all of your comments and suggestions have been interesting as he looks at what the next generation of the forum should look like.

And for ALL, we're not going to be able to comment on each specific idea submitted, but know that MJ and/or the mods have reviewed them ALL and discussed the viable ones.