Mizzou Board - Please Read

All, these team boards are all relatively new. Having admins is even newer. Semo and myself are even newer than that. There are going to be growing pains involved with the team boards as new issues come up. Add to this, the growing interest in Mizzou with the season the team has been having so far and there is more interest in our board. All we hope to do is help make it an enjoyable place for Mizzou fans and those interested in Mizzou to be able to talk about the team, the school, the state. We do believe certain types of threads and issues take away from that enjoyment and so we're going to try to make some changes to make it more enjoyable for everyone. The changes aren't because anyone did anything wrong or improper, but because there was no other option before.

One of the issues that has been a source of discussion has been how or what criteria to use when admitting new posters. There have been a lot of suggestions talked about and they all have their pros and cons. It has been suggested by those with a higher pay grade than myself or semo that there be a move away from casting votes in a thread on the board. I'm sure most of you have already seen or even commented on the move away from that approach.

So on admitting new posters:

First, some are granted access by others besides semo or myself and they are usually claiming to be Mizzou fans. Second, moving forward, semo and myself will try to use our best judgment on who should or should not be granted access. If the person claims to be a Mizzou fan, they will be granted access immediately. We recognize that some could be alters but those can and will be weeded out and access revoked. If an alter only contributes legitimate discussion, then there's no worries anyways. As for posters from other schools, contrary to the popular beliefs of some, not just anyone and everyone is admitted. Typically, they are asked about their interests or ties to the university. At times, their post history is reviewed. Generally speaking, if those things are satisfactorily answered, we want to be welcoming to others as long as they are respectful of our board.

We are also cognizant of the numbers. We are both Mizzou fans and don't want the black and gold to be the minority. It's no where close to that to date. A vast majority of posters from other schools don't even post on our board. A smaller group posts infrequently and even a smaller group posts somewhat regularly. I will also add that all of the current posters have been respectful of our board and have contributed in a constructive way to many discussions. On the one occasion that this was not the case, it was corrected with relative ease and promptness. That is the process at work and it shows that the process works.

Having said that, we also keep in mind that this is a Mizzou board and is for Mizzou posters first and foremost. While we have always preferred a relatively speaking "open doors" policy, we have also been adamant that it won't be at the expense of Mizzou posters. We also don't want to be the sole arbiters of the board. So the question becomes how to handle a situation where it is nearly unanimously felt that someone was granted access that should not have been granted access.

It is our belief that having threads that only sling mud, whether at a new poster or at each other, detracts from the board. Also, if the only way one can question another poster is by doing so publicly, it may discourage that Mizzou fan from voicing their opinion. Therefore, semo and I have created an email account where ANY concerns can be sent. Whether it is a recent addition to our board, complaints about the board or it's admins, or any other comment, it can be sent to mizzourant@gmail.com. Suggestions on improving our board are obviously welcome. We'll do our best to get back to each as soon as humanly possible, even if a final answer can't be found as quickly. While this may create a bit more work on semo and my end, we hope it makes it better for everyone overall.

There will no longer be threads on the board for these issues. Any that are created will be anchored and/or deleted. All they tend to do is create unnecessary drama, detracts from the board and potentially dissuades others from joining the board.

Hopefully this will make the board more attractive and more enjoyable for everyone. That is our only goal.

Thanks

Semo and Reedus