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A little background:
I'm longing for a place to have high-caliber intellectual discussions. The people on this forum are naturally a cut above most forums like the utter tripe found on big sites like politicalforums.com or "debate"forums.com or where pseudointellectuals hang out like philosophyforums.com or Reddit.
That's because:
a.) People have to actually be able to write a proper paragraph in English to make it on here and
b.) They are interested in computers, technology, and often stuff like programming/code/IT. This requires an above average IQ. I would be interested in seeing the proportion of members that could qualify for Mensa versus the regular population (You have to score in the top 2% -- on a Mensa IQ test to get in).
I imagine that it would be significantly, but not tremendously higher.
The point is that this is one of the more intelligent forums that I have been a member of, and I like those.
The Problem, in my mind
There is a total sparsity of activity in the Brain Stew section. It has no life of its own, since I've been a member of this forum, and is generally reserved for when someone wants a more serious discussion, related to torrenting (the theme of this site, so its to be expected).
I would like to change this. It's not unusual, in 2015, for most active forums to have an active Miscellaneous discussion section.
My Motive, in Formulating (open to refinement) these proposals
I like this community, and want to be more active in it. However, it lacks in the active discussion that makes a forum lively
I do this professionally, and for example, am intimately familiar with plugins like this -- Admin Edit: Link removed
Which, can do pretty much anything you can think of, and make this site explode. NOTE TO Admins/Dave -- Give me a separate subdomain at community.torrent-invites.com (with the forum being the sort of "Inner community), and I'll take 100% responsibility for it, to volunteer to develop ad admin it. I promise, that I have big ideas, and it'l do wonders -- more in another Suggestion thread.
or any other subdomain (with its own separate sub-folder, install, and FTP access on the server)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The point of all the above is that I would be willing to do the above far, far, far more, if this site had the forum discussion environment I long for, and no longer wish to do on a "discissionforum.com" type of environment where any rabble can sign up.
That isn't a community, and I want to discuss with people in this community.
And I'm sure that if there was lively discussion, fueled by the changes how I will proceed to propose, that we would see far fewer memebers with 11 posts over 2 years, that was just to get the invite they wanted -- or members participating just to get 33% or 55% to get access to higher sections. Or contributing what little way they can, just to get to 55%, just so they can post more thoughtful posts (A pretty backwards model, to have section where you can contribute thoughtful, intellectual posts blocked until you have more posts!)
My background to qualify me to do the legwork for being responsible for this change
I have over 10,000 posts on the Religion and Politics (lots of technology/science/philosophy/economics discussion took place there) from 2007 (when the campaign for Ron Paul 2008 started) till 2012 -- as well as 2,700 posts there under a new username.
This was one of the most brutal debate forums on the web. It was also one of the highest quality, despite the self-effacing nature of most members -- leaps and bounds ahead of anything found on say, politicalforums.com, and lightyears ahead of any comments found on say, Fox News, Huffington Post, or CNN stories.
This was a site where content from sites like Mises.org, Cato.org, or Sciencedaily.com or PhysOrg would be discussed regularly and with respect to the first site (Austrian Economics and Scholarship) -- debated and defended almost religously.
It is a site where the work of Christian PhD Philosopher William Lane Craig, and the superiority of Orthodox Christianity over Protestantism and Catholicism is debated by amateur scholars of the field -- and heatedly as you can expect.
It was a forum back in the day where members (especially myself) would insult each other almost as a matter of routine, and make a point of "calling out" other posters they didn't like or had beef with. Some of the most annoying and recurring trolls were a matter of routine.
The mods at T-I could learn a thing or two from the mods of the R/P about "internet-detectiving" dupe accounts, as people would invest serious time and energy to start posting again in the R/P to get into the debate again on their pet peeve topic, including even getting a VPN through at their new work, making a whole new internet persona -- just to sign up and start attacking the same people over and over (while spending 1000 posts to build up to it, just to not be too transparant)
My reputation as a member of a discussion and debate section as intense and heated as this speaks for itself. I refer to the following 2 threads as evidence from that community, where me as a poster is the topic of the OP, and where I am "voted for" by several, other respected posters, in the thread.
Admin Edit: Link removed
Admin Edit: Link removed
-- please note that I was "hypo-manic" at this time
I think that I am at the character limit, or getting close to it, so I will dedicate the next post to my proposal, which starts with me, a member who worked with Shadowbuild way back in the day as regular members (the point being, I have been active on this community a long time, and I think, earned my stripes), and earned my VIP through working in the Intro (I didnt buy it -- and as one mod from a private tracker pointed out to me "If T-I is a site where you can pay to be VIP, I would reconsider giving invites there" --- After he said it, I GET, totally get, why trackers hate T-I... consider switching do donation only -- no VIP motivation to donate. I wouldnt pay a dollar for VIP, but I'd donate a $1-5 per month, GLADLY.)
The first quick bullets, before I take the time to craft my proposal are
- Remove the 55% requirement -- get a dedicated mod to deal with the inevitable spam, insults, trolling, etc
(I'll gladly volunteer, and I would gladly refer to ZenBowman of the R/P -- mod for a $100 million company, as a reference to my suitability for a subforum just as this)
- Remove the ban on certain kinds of post -- allow discussion on anything, and leave it to the dedicated mod, official or unofficial (I DONT want to be Pink or Red, PLEASE. Too much responsibility. Rather, I will lead by example and by influence, i.e. rather than ban/infraction, I will use the self-reserve developed through 1000s of posts of experience in formal and mostly heated informal debates to help people become better posters.... just like we would do in the good old-school R/P... through thick and thin)
Please note that after my own R/P addiction withdrawl (that most old-school members went through), and even signing up all over again as a new account (Bhavasita87 - the 2,700 post account -- which is known to certain members there), I have had enough of that place and finally called it quits.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bringing what I learned there to my internet home (here) the torrenting community, would be something I would be passionate about.
- Integrate the Brain Stew session with a dedicated Blogging platform (Wordpress), to allow posters like myself to have a semi-private section on a semi-closed community like this, of their own (Sorry, but the blog section on VBulliten does NOT do it for me. Not even close. Get a dedicated blog platform -- Wordpress has been the leader for years -- free and Open Source [Ill supply the WPMUdev plugins and themes and admin experience and hours of legwork -- Ill be the unofficial coder -- and I'll set it up so that Dave/Shadowbuild (please, not TankGirl, as I cannot have someone who is anti-Wiki to be the admin of an Open Source software platform -- a Mod, sure -- Admin, no... besides this is mostly a technical responsiblity) are the SuperAdmin (preferably someone who is an official Coder would be the Super Admin of this Wordpress Multisite [it takes about 5 minutes to install -- Wordpress is famed for its simplicity and ease of use... PHP exp is NOT required to be a Super Admin -- just IT competence and the time)
I would gladly serve as it... I'm just saying that If Im not trusted by staff -- which is fine as I have not earned my stripes as a Red member and want to keep my Blue and Gold status on the forum -- I would gladly just want to be the software admin of the Wordpress site.
To be clear, I'm volunteering as
- the UNOFFICIAL leader/mod/guide to the new and improved Brain Stew 2.0 which I will be proposing a guiding framework for,
- AND to be the SOFTWARE Admin of the Wordpress Install that I am propsing as a way for this new, budding sub-forum and its members to have a way to say:
............ "hey man, I posted a review of the paper we're discussing on this thread at my sub-blog at community.torrent-invites.com/blog/authors/mtguy8787/my-new-post-here ............
Conclusion: In terms of anything beyond a Bulliten board forum -- wordpress is perfect for, including VIP and trusted members to have their OWN forum, on their own sub-blog
Or anything that you see at -- Admin Edit: Link removed-- Shop and Choose, basically -- Wordpress is extremely simple and elegant to integrate these -- zero new coding needed to do so. Wordpress is as Plug-and-Play as it gets, and I say this as a Professional in the field.
iMAGINE This folks: -----
community.torrent-invites.com (A single Wordpress Install on a subdomain with its own subfolder and FTP access -- a separete MYSQL database.... therefore zero security issues in assigning someone that you would not trust with the code of the forum to have as even an Super Admin (me) of the Wordpress install)
community.torrent-invites.com/blog -- all 10% members can read it, 33% members can comment, and 55% members can post, and 75% members can have their own author page, with 99% members being able to have their own blog at say
community.torrent-invites.com/mtguy8787
or
community.torrent-invites.com/shadowbuild
(these would be, in essence, a wordpress website of its own, where the themes/skins and plugins and settings are controlled by the super admin through this plugin here -- which I have already purchased, along with all of the other plugins and themes made by WPUMdev --- Admin Edit: Link removed
This is already easy to do in wordpress, and there are already widely used plugins for it. As I said, Im a professional at this, with the Wordpress platform.
To make a free wordpress site to see what "having your own 99% member blog" would be like -- sign up for a free blog at wordpress.com
Basically, having a blog like the free (and premium, if you DONATE (Hint: Dave), to T-I) blog that you sign up for would be what
getting to have a URL like --- community.torrent-invites.com/mtguy8787 (as a long-time 99% member) -- would be like.
Furthermore, you can easily make Wordpress whatever sort of site you want by making a theme (I use -- Admin Edit: Link removed
-- which is technically a theme creator unlike say Thesis for Wordpress -- but it is installed as a theme, and thus technically TECHNICALLY a theme)
I'm longing for a place to have high-caliber intellectual discussions. The people on this forum are naturally a cut above most forums like the utter tripe found on big sites like politicalforums.com or "debate"forums.com or where pseudointellectuals hang out like philosophyforums.com or Reddit.
That's because:
a.) People have to actually be able to write a proper paragraph in English to make it on here and
b.) They are interested in computers, technology, and often stuff like programming/code/IT. This requires an above average IQ. I would be interested in seeing the proportion of members that could qualify for Mensa versus the regular population (You have to score in the top 2% -- on a Mensa IQ test to get in).
I imagine that it would be significantly, but not tremendously higher.
The point is that this is one of the more intelligent forums that I have been a member of, and I like those.
The Problem, in my mind
There is a total sparsity of activity in the Brain Stew section. It has no life of its own, since I've been a member of this forum, and is generally reserved for when someone wants a more serious discussion, related to torrenting (the theme of this site, so its to be expected).
I would like to change this. It's not unusual, in 2015, for most active forums to have an active Miscellaneous discussion section.
My Motive, in Formulating (open to refinement) these proposals
I like this community, and want to be more active in it. However, it lacks in the active discussion that makes a forum lively
Note: (and coincidentally... makes people WANT to be a VIP to support it. Why would someone pay money to be a VIP, when they got the 1 or 2 invites they want? Hint hint to Dave if he reads this? I know that I sure wouldnt, and I sure wouldnt have paid to get the VIP. I would just be a 99% member if I hadn't worked for a month in Intro.
Another note to mods regarding motivation. I know that I myself would not have worked in Intro, were it not for wanting to get free VIP, and get access to the VIP forums to see if there was anything interesting there. Note -- there isn't, save for the hot women pictures thread, which I do check regularly, even if not obsessively)
I want to have a viable dicussion forum where people can follow the formal rules of scholarly debate (yes, there are such a thing), as well as have regular discussions where the only guidelines are common courtesy and human decency. This would provide the element that someone like myself, and probably others, need in order to be extremely active in the forum, and would WANT to donate to it.
In fact, if this forum had this element, I would WANT to donate my time to "coding" (I have more of a A+/Network+ and open source admin background (Primarily Wordpress, but could easily migrate to things like Drupal, Apache MYSQL admin, FTP account admin, etc)
Another note to mods regarding motivation. I know that I myself would not have worked in Intro, were it not for wanting to get free VIP, and get access to the VIP forums to see if there was anything interesting there. Note -- there isn't, save for the hot women pictures thread, which I do check regularly, even if not obsessively)
I want to have a viable dicussion forum where people can follow the formal rules of scholarly debate (yes, there are such a thing), as well as have regular discussions where the only guidelines are common courtesy and human decency. This would provide the element that someone like myself, and probably others, need in order to be extremely active in the forum, and would WANT to donate to it.
In fact, if this forum had this element, I would WANT to donate my time to "coding" (I have more of a A+/Network+ and open source admin background (Primarily Wordpress, but could easily migrate to things like Drupal, Apache MYSQL admin, FTP account admin, etc)
Which, can do pretty much anything you can think of, and make this site explode. NOTE TO Admins/Dave -- Give me a separate subdomain at community.torrent-invites.com (with the forum being the sort of "Inner community), and I'll take 100% responsibility for it, to volunteer to develop ad admin it. I promise, that I have big ideas, and it'l do wonders -- more in another Suggestion thread.
or any other subdomain (with its own separate sub-folder, install, and FTP access on the server)
NOTE TO ADMINS AND DAVE: I proposed the Wiki idea before, which I don't know why it got shut down, because Tank Girl (no offense) doesn't understand the community that is behind a wiki, and how the MediaWiki software (which is behind wikipedia) is designed to and has years of refinement in making administrating it easy. I even volunteered on IRC to be the one to do all the heavy lifting in regarding to putting hours in to administrate it -- but TG told me on IRC that she "hates wikis".
Admin Edit: Link removed
---------
This firm has 36 out of 37 5 star ratings on the business review sites I've checked, and powers sites like edublogs.com. Five Star plugins that work seamlessly with Wordpress Multisite -- Which by the way, is exactly what T-I needs to be able to simply, ELEGANTLY, and seamlessly integrate any sort of thing it wants.
(Which is used by 3 million teachers and students at leading universities). They have 140+ plugins, which can do almost anything with a Wordpress site.
It is the ONLY source for plugins that I currently use. I already have paid and downloaded all of their plugins and themes, so I would be THE PERFECT -- coder/admin for a subdomain installed on the Apache server that TI is hosted on (I really, really, really, really pray and hope that it is hosted on a Linux/Apache system, and not a Windows Server. For security sake, I hope), with its own FTP access... separate from the VBulliten install.
Admin Edit: Link removed
---------
This firm has 36 out of 37 5 star ratings on the business review sites I've checked, and powers sites like edublogs.com. Five Star plugins that work seamlessly with Wordpress Multisite -- Which by the way, is exactly what T-I needs to be able to simply, ELEGANTLY, and seamlessly integrate any sort of thing it wants.
(Which is used by 3 million teachers and students at leading universities). They have 140+ plugins, which can do almost anything with a Wordpress site.
It is the ONLY source for plugins that I currently use. I already have paid and downloaded all of their plugins and themes, so I would be THE PERFECT -- coder/admin for a subdomain installed on the Apache server that TI is hosted on (I really, really, really, really pray and hope that it is hosted on a Linux/Apache system, and not a Windows Server. For security sake, I hope), with its own FTP access... separate from the VBulliten install.
The point of all the above is that I would be willing to do the above far, far, far more, if this site had the forum discussion environment I long for, and no longer wish to do on a "discissionforum.com" type of environment where any rabble can sign up.
That isn't a community, and I want to discuss with people in this community.
And I'm sure that if there was lively discussion, fueled by the changes how I will proceed to propose, that we would see far fewer memebers with 11 posts over 2 years, that was just to get the invite they wanted -- or members participating just to get 33% or 55% to get access to higher sections. Or contributing what little way they can, just to get to 55%, just so they can post more thoughtful posts (A pretty backwards model, to have section where you can contribute thoughtful, intellectual posts blocked until you have more posts!)
My background to qualify me to do the legwork for being responsible for this change
I have over 10,000 posts on the Religion and Politics (lots of technology/science/philosophy/economics discussion took place there) from 2007 (when the campaign for Ron Paul 2008 started) till 2012 -- as well as 2,700 posts there under a new username.
This was one of the most brutal debate forums on the web. It was also one of the highest quality, despite the self-effacing nature of most members -- leaps and bounds ahead of anything found on say, politicalforums.com, and lightyears ahead of any comments found on say, Fox News, Huffington Post, or CNN stories.
This was a site where content from sites like Mises.org, Cato.org, or Sciencedaily.com or PhysOrg would be discussed regularly and with respect to the first site (Austrian Economics and Scholarship) -- debated and defended almost religously.
It is a site where the work of Christian PhD Philosopher William Lane Craig, and the superiority of Orthodox Christianity over Protestantism and Catholicism is debated by amateur scholars of the field -- and heatedly as you can expect.
It was a forum back in the day where members (especially myself) would insult each other almost as a matter of routine, and make a point of "calling out" other posters they didn't like or had beef with. Some of the most annoying and recurring trolls were a matter of routine.
The mods at T-I could learn a thing or two from the mods of the R/P about "internet-detectiving" dupe accounts, as people would invest serious time and energy to start posting again in the R/P to get into the debate again on their pet peeve topic, including even getting a VPN through at their new work, making a whole new internet persona -- just to sign up and start attacking the same people over and over (while spending 1000 posts to build up to it, just to not be too transparant)
My reputation as a member of a discussion and debate section as intense and heated as this speaks for itself. I refer to the following 2 threads as evidence from that community, where me as a poster is the topic of the OP, and where I am "voted for" by several, other respected posters, in the thread.
Admin Edit: Link removed
Admin Edit: Link removed
-- please note that I was "hypo-manic" at this time
I think that I am at the character limit, or getting close to it, so I will dedicate the next post to my proposal, which starts with me, a member who worked with Shadowbuild way back in the day as regular members (the point being, I have been active on this community a long time, and I think, earned my stripes), and earned my VIP through working in the Intro (I didnt buy it -- and as one mod from a private tracker pointed out to me "If T-I is a site where you can pay to be VIP, I would reconsider giving invites there" --- After he said it, I GET, totally get, why trackers hate T-I... consider switching do donation only -- no VIP motivation to donate. I wouldnt pay a dollar for VIP, but I'd donate a $1-5 per month, GLADLY.)
The first quick bullets, before I take the time to craft my proposal are
- Remove the 55% requirement -- get a dedicated mod to deal with the inevitable spam, insults, trolling, etc
(I'll gladly volunteer, and I would gladly refer to ZenBowman of the R/P -- mod for a $100 million company, as a reference to my suitability for a subforum just as this)
- Remove the ban on certain kinds of post -- allow discussion on anything, and leave it to the dedicated mod, official or unofficial (I DONT want to be Pink or Red, PLEASE. Too much responsibility. Rather, I will lead by example and by influence, i.e. rather than ban/infraction, I will use the self-reserve developed through 1000s of posts of experience in formal and mostly heated informal debates to help people become better posters.... just like we would do in the good old-school R/P... through thick and thin)
Please note that after my own R/P addiction withdrawl (that most old-school members went through), and even signing up all over again as a new account (Bhavasita87 - the 2,700 post account -- which is known to certain members there), I have had enough of that place and finally called it quits.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bringing what I learned there to my internet home (here) the torrenting community, would be something I would be passionate about.
- Integrate the Brain Stew session with a dedicated Blogging platform (Wordpress), to allow posters like myself to have a semi-private section on a semi-closed community like this, of their own (Sorry, but the blog section on VBulliten does NOT do it for me. Not even close. Get a dedicated blog platform -- Wordpress has been the leader for years -- free and Open Source [Ill supply the WPMUdev plugins and themes and admin experience and hours of legwork -- Ill be the unofficial coder -- and I'll set it up so that Dave/Shadowbuild (please, not TankGirl, as I cannot have someone who is anti-Wiki to be the admin of an Open Source software platform -- a Mod, sure -- Admin, no... besides this is mostly a technical responsiblity) are the SuperAdmin (preferably someone who is an official Coder would be the Super Admin of this Wordpress Multisite [it takes about 5 minutes to install -- Wordpress is famed for its simplicity and ease of use... PHP exp is NOT required to be a Super Admin -- just IT competence and the time)
I would gladly serve as it... I'm just saying that If Im not trusted by staff -- which is fine as I have not earned my stripes as a Red member and want to keep my Blue and Gold status on the forum -- I would gladly just want to be the software admin of the Wordpress site.
To be clear, I'm volunteering as
- the UNOFFICIAL leader/mod/guide to the new and improved Brain Stew 2.0 which I will be proposing a guiding framework for,
- AND to be the SOFTWARE Admin of the Wordpress Install that I am propsing as a way for this new, budding sub-forum and its members to have a way to say:
............ "hey man, I posted a review of the paper we're discussing on this thread at my sub-blog at community.torrent-invites.com/blog/authors/mtguy8787/my-new-post-here ............
Trust me when I say that this will not only be NEEDED, but valuable, for trusted (55% and above and/or VIP) members to be able to have "their own little domain" where they can post in an Adjunct manner to forum thread discussion. The question "What is wrong with just threads" is totally invalid from an IT perspective. VBulliten is NOT designed for most things that I could envision, and things like Thread Catalouges -- asked in another thread. Wordpress is a full blown CMS (Content Management System) in its Post Version 2.9.2 (now at version 4.1) stage, and can easily be hardened (Its reputation for being insecure is only with poor use and open-to-the-general-public usage --- its permission systems are Par Excellence)
Or anything that you see at -- Admin Edit: Link removed-- Shop and Choose, basically -- Wordpress is extremely simple and elegant to integrate these -- zero new coding needed to do so. Wordpress is as Plug-and-Play as it gets, and I say this as a Professional in the field.
iMAGINE This folks: -----
community.torrent-invites.com (A single Wordpress Install on a subdomain with its own subfolder and FTP access -- a separete MYSQL database.... therefore zero security issues in assigning someone that you would not trust with the code of the forum to have as even an Super Admin (me) of the Wordpress install)
community.torrent-invites.com/blog -- all 10% members can read it, 33% members can comment, and 55% members can post, and 75% members can have their own author page, with 99% members being able to have their own blog at say
community.torrent-invites.com/mtguy8787
or
community.torrent-invites.com/shadowbuild
(these would be, in essence, a wordpress website of its own, where the themes/skins and plugins and settings are controlled by the super admin through this plugin here -- which I have already purchased, along with all of the other plugins and themes made by WPUMdev --- Admin Edit: Link removed
This is already easy to do in wordpress, and there are already widely used plugins for it. As I said, Im a professional at this, with the Wordpress platform.
To make a free wordpress site to see what "having your own 99% member blog" would be like -- sign up for a free blog at wordpress.com
Basically, having a blog like the free (and premium, if you DONATE (Hint: Dave), to T-I) blog that you sign up for would be what
getting to have a URL like --- community.torrent-invites.com/mtguy8787 (as a long-time 99% member) -- would be like.
Furthermore, you can easily make Wordpress whatever sort of site you want by making a theme (I use -- Admin Edit: Link removed
-- which is technically a theme creator unlike say Thesis for Wordpress -- but it is installed as a theme, and thus technically TECHNICALLY a theme)
NOTE TO CODERS/ADMIN -- the "/blog" subURL would be a Wordpress -- Admin Edit: Link removed
-- subsite, and for all intents and , a completely separate wordpress site. I.e. one could be an admin on /blog, but not say /staffblogs or /vipblogs or /privateblogs etc etc
-- subsite, and for all intents and , a completely separate wordpress site. I.e. one could be an admin on /blog, but not say /staffblogs or /vipblogs or /privateblogs etc etc
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