Ovas.ca Announcement

[mseguin]

To all OVAS members and ovas.ca forum users:
Due to recent events, as well as shifts in the focus of the club and this website, the OVAS executive voted to pass a number of changes in the content, look, and moderation of this forum.

-   Addition of a more complete set of rules
-   Removal of the off-topic Lounge forum
-   Modification of the Classifieds ad forum so that only members will be able to post

OVAS.ca is an extension of The Ottawa Valley Aquarium Society and all posts on the forum project an image of the club and its membership.  Lately the image that we have been projecting has not been one of a welcoming fish club willing to help out our fellow aquarists.
Over the past few months, there have been an increasing number of posts that have reflected poor judgment, bad manners and friction over non fish-related topics.  A growing number of threads have had to be deleted and users have had to be reminded of the forum rules.  Unfortunately, these actions have not led to any improvement.  The site is entirely monitored by volunteers whose time available is limited and patience in dealing with this has been exhausted.
It is unfortunate that the actions of a handful of people affect everyone, but we felt these actions were necessary to protect your fish club's reputation.

The most significant for us moderators is the new rules that will be implemented shortly. The goal of these rules is to enable the moderators to have a clear set of guidelines to refer to, as well as establishing clearly for all members and forum users what is acceptable behaviour on this forum. These rules are there for the protection of all forum users, regardless of membership status.

We also voted to delete Off-Topic Lounge Forum. Over the last few years the popularity of the website has shifted the focus of the club away from the monthly meetings and the aquatics, and towards the website itself. While this has had the benefit of increasing the visibility of the club, it has also hurt the club's most important aspect, the meetings themselves. While we appreciate that many like the social aspect of the lounge, we feel it has detracted from the monthly meetings, which to us are the much stronger social connection. This shift to the website has been especially noticeable in the Lounge. After all, this is a hobby club. The first priority to us will always be what the website, as an extension of the club, contributes to the club and the hobby themselves. Lately, we feel that the club has become lost in the website, and that is unfair to the members who regularly attend the meetings, as well as the dozens of volunteers who spent years building up this club. Additionally, the moderation requirements of the Lounge in particular have become a strain on all the moderators, and we believe removing this troublesome area will help restore some peace to the club and the forum. Our goal is not to alienate people, but rather to invite them to join in the camaraderie that can be found at our monthly meetings.

The final change is that posting in the Classifieds will only be available to OVAS club members. Forum users who are not club members will be able to view the Classifieds as well as pm members who have listings, but will not be able to post their own listings. As soon as one becomes a club member, that benefit (as well as many others) will be opened to them. Again, the goal is not to push away people, but rather to reinforce that this site is an extension of a community of hobbyists.

We know that some will be upset with these changes. All we ask for is your patience and understanding. Everything we do, we do for the benefit of the club and its members. It is unfortunate that we have had to come to these decisions, but we believe that they will lead to the greatest benefit for the club, and for you.

Matt Séguin
OVAS President

[fischkopp]

The changes are applied and active immediately.

Please take your time and review our new Forum Rules.

By continuing to use our forum, you agree to abide by these rules.
If you have any questions regarding the forums or how things work, please contact a moderator or webmaster with your question.
We will answer these questions as promptly as possible.