[Lemon]

Ⓐ

I don't like the idea, anyway. I see it as pointless and a hindrance. The administrator/moderator system works perfectly fine when both are active and care, with a decent community.

[Lord Dave]

I have to echo Lemon's sentiments.

We shouldn't be trying to form anther Flat Earth Society.  Let Daniel do what he does.  If people want to learn about FES, they'll eventually find themselves here.  Then, the only difference between this forum and the old one is that we won't get updates on what Daniel announces.

[Tom Bishop]

I like the idea of a Zetetic Council. It solves a lot of the problems with a dictator-like system.

A nice feature would to a way to conduct votes and make the results of who voted for what public. I'm not sure if there's a plugin for that.

[Shane]

I think it would be a vary good idea to have a zetetic counsel to reduce coruption and bring democracey to the FES. How would once aply to become a member of thus counsel?!

I suspect the initial members will be people who have been at FES for several years. Over time they will then vote in new members that they feel can enhance the Council.

I have been here longer than most.

[xasop]

I don't like the idea, anyway. I see it as pointless and a hindrance. The administrator/moderator system works perfectly fine when both are active and care, with a decent community.

For the forum, yes. This is about the Society.

We shouldn't be trying to form anther Flat Earth Society.  Let Daniel do what he does.

We tried this approach. Daniel refused to budge from his position by a nanometre, which means there will be no cross-pollination between the communities. It's either allowing the FES and the forum to become distinct entities, which fractures the community, or creating our own alternative Society.

More importantly, though, people have free will. I don't care to run the Society, myself, but if others do then I'm more than happy to let them at it.

A nice feature would to a way to conduct votes and make the results of who voted for what public. I'm not sure if there's a plugin for that.

Technical problems can be solved. If a particular feature is needed for the website, it can be found or written.

[squevil]

I fully support this idea. We know who will be members already, or at least the ones who should be part if it.  My only suggestion is that the council be more of a novelty than a game breaker. Just like thork suggested already really. But the council wouldn't have much say over the forum ideas. They should have a read only forum with news bites and flat earth events. The council can be something members will look up to. The people at the helm of this fine society.
Ultimate control over the forum will always remain in the hands of the admins, but it would be nice to have the respected members have a position of respect and have more input into the flat earth message.

[Lemon]

I don't like the idea, anyway. I see it as pointless and a hindrance. The administrator/moderator system works perfectly fine when both are active and care, with a decent community.

For the forum, yes. This is about the Society.

Except you're not the FES, Daniel is (or, he runs it). This is a forum.

[xasop]

Except you're not the FES, Daniel is (or, he runs it). This is a forum.

Some people don't like Daniel's FES and want to run their own. I'm not going to stand in their way, and since I'm now in charge of the forum they are posting on, I'll do everything within my power to help them make it a success.

[Lemon]

Except you're not the FES, Daniel is (or, he runs it). This is a forum.

Some people don't like Daniel's FES and want to run their own. I'm not going to stand in their way, and since I'm now in charge of the forum they are posting on, I'll do everything within my power to help them make it a success.

It's unfortunate that they couldn't make it under a new name. I guess I can sympathise with people that potential members won't google "Planar Earth Society."

[Saddam Hussein]

It's not like "Flat Earth Society" is trademarked.  We can call ourselves whatever we want.

[xasop]

It's not like "Flat Earth Society" is trademarked.  We can call ourselves whatever we want.

Do you understand how trade marks work?

[Saddam Hussein]

I do.  We just went over them in my intellectual property class, in fact.  Because I go to college and shit.

[xasop]

I do.  We just went over them in my intellectual property class, in fact.  Because I go to college and shit.

Then you know that Daniel could make a legitimate claim for "Flat Earth Society" being a trade mark.

[Excelsior John]

It's not like "Flat Earth Society" is trademarked.  We can call ourselves whatever we want.

It isnt? Are you sure cuz I thought daneil would trademark it. Then again I see other sites that calls themselfs the flat earth society but its a parodey

[squevil]

Kinda pointless laying claim to a society after most of the active members leave. The society is the people in it, not the leader.

[Thork]

I do.  We just went over them in my intellectual property class, in fact.  Because I go to college and shit.

Then you know that Daniel could make a legitimate claim for "Flat Earth Society" being a trade mark.

Its part of the common venacular. Even Obama uses it as a figure of speech. A trademark attempt would fail if based purely on the expression. He could trademark his logo, but we aren't using it anyway.

[Excelsior John]

Kinda pointless laying claim to a society after most of the active members leave. The society is the people in it, not the leader.

Agreed. I respec Mr. President vary much but FET is a view of the people! Why should one man lay claim to a 150+ year old society?

I do.  We just went over them in my intellectual property class, in fact.  Because I go to college and shit.

Then you know that Daniel could make a legitimate claim for "Flat Earth Society" being a trade mark.

Its part of the common venacular. Even Obama uses it as a figure of speech. A trademark attempt would fail if based purely on the expression. He could trademark his logo, but we aren't using it anyway.

Well thats good to know!

[Thork]

We know who will be members already

Right, the forum staff have been announced and so lets crack on with this bit.

We've 3/4 of the vote in favour.

Lets start with a quick list to discuss and we can bash it into shape. Prelimery list below purely because at some point someone has to name names ... so here goes.

Thork
Tom Bishop
PizzaPlanet
Blanko
Saddam
Junker
Crudblud
Squevil
Rooster
Hoppy
Lord Dave
Irushwithscvs

I've deliberately avoided going too heavy on the mod team and have tried to add people who have a history of generating things (wiki, art, research data etc) so that the council is a bunch of people who look to get things done and are people who are ever present so that voting for stuff isn't a pain. If I've left people off, its because I just forgot them.

Let the squabbling begin.

[xasop]

We're going about this backwards.

Let's first determine how the decision for inclusion is going to be made. There's no point rattling off lists of names until we have established that.

Personally, I would be in favour of election by all official FES members, but then there is the question of if an "official FES member" is different here from what it is on the old site. Once we have worked that out, I would determine what number of votes is required for entry to the Council.

Then, and only then, I would call for nominations, with nominees required to either be official FES members themselves, or else be nominated by official FES members.

Throwing lists of names around the place is not the way to conduct an election.

[Thork]

We're going about this backwards.

Let's first determine how the decision for inclusion is going to be made. There's no point rattling off lists of names until we have established that.

Personally, I would be in favour of election by all official FES members, but then there is the question of if an "official FES member" is different here from what it is on the old site. Once we have worked that out, I would determine what number of votes is required for entry to the Council.

Then, and only then, I would call for nominations, with nominees required to either be official FES members themselves, or else be nominated by official FES members.

Throwing lists of names around the place is not the way to conduct an election.

We are going to have a vote on every single member? That will take weeks.

I think we have a pretty good idea already, don't we? Can't we just start with a list and argue until people don't care anymore?