|
|
Improvement of Discussion Boards
Posted:
Jan 12, 2009 11:23 PM
|
|
On Saturday January 10, 2009 a meeting was called to discuss the growing concerns surrounding the ASQ Discussion Boards. As Chair of the Division Affairs Council I chaired the meeting. My reason for doing so was due to the large number of Discussion Boards directly related to Divisions and their effect on the success of the Global Strategy. Further as a leader with the Board of Directors I could have a strong impact on the Board for any actions required by them.
It was suggested that the meeting could have been held virtually. However, I felt the face-to-face session was necessary to have the full effect of the give and take necessary to get to the best solutions possible. This method did require as small a group as possible. Invited was a representative of the Section Affairs Council (a Board member), a Board member at large active on the discussion boards, a past Board member active on the discussion boards, a member of the ASQ headquarters management committee, ASQ staff assigned to the discussion boards, and a moderator who had many concerns over the past few years regarding the activity.
In general the agenda included the following points, although the meeting bounced between them frequently as the discussion ensued:
• Concerns, Past Difficulties, Attempted Solutions
• Role of the Moderator
• Management of Discussion Boards (Commencing, Deleting, Censorship, etc.)
• Volunteer Role vs Staff Role
• Ethical Conduct Management
Over the past several months I was alerted to a great deal of activity on the discussion boards where a number of concerns relative to the adequacy of the management and support of the boards had been questioned by several moderators. Further, there appeared to be a significant level of angst regarding comments made by some participating on the boards. Finally, brief surveys or inquiries of participants on the boards indicated the level of satisfaction deteriorating not only due to the concerns raised but in the manner in which they were raised. In short, the discussion boards had become troublesome to the point of turning participants away, regardless of their affiliation or of their position on the issues.
At the meeting we first discussed all of these concerns and tried to get out all the frustrations that were in play. It was clear that all parties in the meeting had arrived at similar points, albeit from different directions, as to what the issues were with the management of the discussion boards. This provided all with a platform on which to find solutions. The issues noted included:
• Lack of leadership response to postings
• Role of the moderator
• Role of staff
• Role of member leaders
• Flaming and respect
• Impact on staff time dealing with difficult situations on the discussion boards
• Movement of discussions to appropriate board
• Dual role – member leader and moderator, which hat is being worn
• Dissenting opinions
• No one with authority to move posts around
It soon became clear that ASQ had embarked on this activity without a properly clear strategy. Processes and defined management were not in place to provide an environment for the boards to be used as effectively as possible. Further, promises were made by past leadership without the necessary follow-up with the change of ASQ leadership throughout the years. Several moderators and staff tried to meet the perceived needs of the discussion boards, however when differing views of what managing the boards meant inevitably occurred, division of thought ensued and ultimately the frustrations manifested themselves into troublesome relationships, some of which spilled over onto posts on the discussion boards.
The discussions at the meeting were at times heated and this was expected. It would be inconceivable for such hard feelings over a long period of time to be quickly let go in one day. But I can say that all parties work very hard to get past such feelings to finalize the heart of the issues and the possible solutions.
The agreed-upon solutions are as follows:
• Moderators for all boards
Although there are only a few discussion boards without a moderator, it became clear that a more proactive management of each of the boards was necessary. This also will help minimize the growth of the number of boards in that an active moderator would have to step forward. Timeline for Completion-February 2009
• Discussion board oversight
It was decided the discussion boards are considered a vital component to several growth strategies of the Society. Therefore a more structured oversight is necessary. I will be contacting President Roberto Saco to request a member of the Board of Directors be assigned the ongoing task to manage the discussion boards with a committee composed of volunteering moderators and headquarters staff. Time for Completion-February 2009
• Review and evaluate current board to Consolidate, archive, reorganize/order
As a casual user of the discussion boards it was clear to me they are not presented in a manner that is as logical as possible, with a number of boards possibly discussing similar topics, public boards harder to find, and inactive boards being prevalent. Some of these points will be corrected as new software is implemented. Also a review of the boards is underway to eliminate inactive discussions and to find ways to organize them better. In addition some reorganization is possible now. Finally, the newly-formed management committee will be able to apply longer term strategies. Timeline for Completion-May 2009
• Development and training of moderators, self directed learning
As the moderator will become more pivotal in the success of the discussion boards, it was felt training and development would be advisable. The newly formed committee will be tasked with the development and delivery of this training. As the outcome necessary here is unknown, we cannot set a timeline for this now but will report the expected date of rollout when the committee meets.
• Explore moderator eligibility for RUs with the cert board
As stated earlier, moderators will have a pivotal role in the success of the discussion boards. Therefore it is desired to provide incentives for the moderators such as recertification units for participation for those moderators who are members of the Society. Again, the formed committee will have to be tasked with this action.
As you will note above, there was little discussion of the software suggested by some on the threads in the discussions. Updated software has been purchased and is undergoing IT review for delivery. As you may imagine, there are a number of issues when new software is to be installed and this is being considered. The updated software is designed to provide for a more pleasant atmosphere and management of the discussion boards. However, it was felt early on in the meeting that most of the pressing issues were not software related but management and process related. Therefore, without corrections, even updated software would not have eased the current concerns.
In addition, the issue of ethical conduct regarding the discussion boards was discussed. This is increasingly necessary as it is possible for non-ASQ members to not only post on the boards but could even become moderators. Once we reviewed the current terms of service and moderators guidelines, it was determined these should be sufficient for the time being and a more active method of agreeing to these terms would be explored prior to someone posting.
I cannot state the meeting and its conclusions will solve all the issues and concerns once and for all. There is much history and time will heal. However I am very pleased with the outcome and will continue to work, with the appointed leader from the Board of Directors, to make the discussion boards a strong component of the Society.
Steven Wilson
Board of Directors
Chair, Division Affairs Council
|
|
1 pts
]
