admin access

[~PQ]

Can I make a suggestion- how about creating an administrative name for all the admin to use when they need to come in and do any admin functions, this way their regular user names are regular member level. I say this only because VB inherently has some attributes that really effect admin user names differently- as an example if I click who is online, I only see those names of people who have not chosen to be "invisible", whereas admin will automatically see EVERYONE, those who are invisible have an asterict next to their name. ST posts could also pose a problem as the IP is viewable and so is every other IP in the threads. I don't think anyone would abuse this of course, but you sort of can't help but see those names, IPs, etc when you're in admin form. It just struck me this morning, an easy way around this would be a user name for Sadie, Anne, Mandi and Debra to share- like "YAAPSadmin" or whatever, when they need to log in to prune, or tweak code or whatever.

[Anne]

Thanks for the suggestion, PQ. This is the kind of thing we'll be willing to look at in a couple of weeks when we all get settled in here.

[retro]

okay now i am really confused. I was under the impression that this was common practice with yaaps administration. Has this changed over since the new forum and with the new admins? I am getting rather confused I thought that what was in place before would stay in place. Is yaaps starting from scratch with everything?

[~PQ]

I imagine (hope) that right now they are just upgraded to make all the tweaks and changes and will then be just "members", honestly- not trying to piss anyone off but this is a big issue for me. Ditto the "read only" admin forum. I really don't want to wait a few weeks to discuss this, because this changes the whole feel of yaaps to me. It's not just a cosmetic or technical change, this is a whole new level of moderation/administration.

I'm probably coming off bitchy about this and I apologize, I don't know HOW to broach this all without stepping on toes or hurting feelings- it just seems like an important enough issue to discuss reasonably, I don't see how we can even get to feeling settled in here until some of these issues are addressed.

I also want to make it clear, I am okay with being told "no thats just the way it is", I can decide to take it or leave it then, I just want to understand how permenant some of these changes are.

[Kari]

I think it would be helpful to keep a running list of ideas like this, so that once everything is "settled down", we can have discussion on these as individual topics and then vote.

I think I'll start such a thread right now, as a matter of fact, LOL.

[Kerry]

okay now i am really confused. I was under the impression that this was common practice with yaaps administration. Has this changed over since the new forum and with the new admins? I am getting rather confused I thought that what was in place before would stay in place. Is yaaps starting from scratch with everything?


When we first started YAAPS, we did have an administrative username because we didn't want our personal usernames to have a funny icon that set us apart from everyone else as administration. However IIRC, when we updated the forum software, the usernames that had administrative access did not look any different from anyone else, and so out of simplicity, we ditched the YAAPS admin username and just gave admin access to the usernames of the administrators.

[Kerry]

I imagine (hope) that right now they are just upgraded to make all the tweaks and changes and will then be just "members", honestly- not trying to piss anyone off but this is a big issue for me. Ditto the "read only" admin forum. I really don't want to wait a few weeks to discuss this, because this changes the whole feel of yaaps to me. It's not just a cosmetic or technical change, this is a whole new level of moderation/administration.


I agree with what you've written here. I feel like there have been a lot of changes, and I personally don't see some of them as positive, or in keeping with the vision that Debra and I had when we started the community.

[Storymama]

In fact, yes, we have had to start from scratch because we lost everything. Maybe we'll get access to our old stuff, maybe we won't.

I really like the idea of an admin login, but didn't create it that way when setting up these forums since it hasn't actually been handled that way at YAAPS for a long time. As was pointed out, it works differently here so it is worth revisiting.

I hope that everyone will continue to offer good will and patience while we sort out bumps like this one, that an imperfect startup creates. I know it must indeed seem like changed practices reflect changed community foundation, but we are ourselves anxious to put things back the way they were, wherever possible.

We will try very hard to get as much back to the way it was, and an Admin login is a very good idea.

[retro]

except that "being willing to revisit this" is far from letting the community decide. Especially with some of the things that admins are privy to with this type of forum format.

Not that people aren't trustworthy...just that we are ALL human.

That is a very valid concern for all, admins and members alike.

[retro]

I am concerned about the same thing.

[Storymama]

Then I stand corrected; I do indeed mean Let the Community Decide. Apologies.

[Debra]

This can definitely be put up for vote to the community.

We stopped using a central login a long time ago, when we upgraded to DCF+ (about 5 years ago I think). It became a situation of accidentally logging each other out when we were both working, and the logging in and out to work on the forums and post was a bit of a PITA. But I'd be happy to put that up for a vote, that's not a problem at all.

[kathy caribe]

except that "being willing to revisit this" is far from letting the community decide. Especially with some of the things that admins are privy to with this type of forum format.

Not that people aren't trustworthy...just that we are ALL human.

That is a very valid concern for all, admins and members alike.

I don't believe that the community decided whether or not Debra or Anne or Kerry had administrative privelidges at the DCF Yapps and yet they did. So nothing has changed. The admins at vB Yaaps have admin access just as the admins at DCF Yaaps did.

[retro]

again..missing the point. It isn't about WHO was admin. It is about the community as a whole deciding on things BEFORE they are put in place. I think Kristy's question is just as valid as whether or not we can put in our own title's etc. The admin along with the fluff should be decided upon as a community like it was before...not done and then voted upon whether or not it should stay or go.


I think that is what is most unsettling to those who have voiced their questions and concerns.

That's all.

[kathy caribe]

again..missing the point. It isn't about WHO was admin. It is about the community as a whole deciding on things BEFORE they are put in place. I think Kristy's question is just as valid as whether or not we can put in our own title's etc. The admin along with the fluff should be decided upon as a community like it was before...not done and then voted upon whether or not it should stay or go.


I think that is what is most unsettling to those who have voiced their questions and concerns.

That's all.

My point is not about WHO is admin but that DCF Yaaps and vB Yaaps have not changed in how the admins work. In both formats the community did not get to decide whether or not there was a generic admin accout or whether the admins added admin status to their own personal account. That has not changed. No vote, no community decision beforehand so I can understand that Anne and Sadie and Mandi never imagined it would have to be voted on since it had not come to vote in DCF format.

[retro]

again, your missing the big picture here.

But I see what you are trying to say.