What Is This?

This ATRL Town Hall thread will help provide feedback and discussion for upcoming or potential changes that may or may not happen to the site, as well as giving users a way to communicate directly with the administration and moderating team. Let us begin!

 

Follow Up and Feedback from January Town Hall:

 

 

Outdated Rules

We will be reassessing the way warnings for flamebait, nicknames and off-topic are issued based on the feedback from the community. This will be part of an upcoming rules overhaul that will see things streamlined including the removal of redundant warning categories and/or outdated policies.

 

What this means so far: We've reduced the amount of warnings for "light" shade and general criticism that usually led to flamebait warnings. A higher threshold will be necessary to warrant warnings for what is generally considered flamebait. Abuse of nicknames in threads will be classified as disruptive, as will abuse of threads going off topic.

Additionally: Writing "OT" in a post that is 95% off topic does not make your post on-topic.

 

 

Quality of Threads

You may have noticed mods posting "all criticism is not necessarily flamebait" in some threads. That was done in an attempt to facilitate a more in-depth discussion. Members made it clear they want to be able to have better quality discussions without their threads being derailed or closed prematurely. This is still a work in progress.

 

AGENDA

1.      Server Updates: Changes Are Coming

2.      Zero Tolerance Policy/Feedback

3.      New Moderators

4.      Rules Revamp

5.      Movie Threads

6.      Actor Base Threads

7.      New Thoughts on Member's Lounge

8.      Open Discussion

 

Server Updates

In the near seven months we have been admins, we have tried to tackle all of the ongoing issues with ATRL by prioritizing what needs to be done. Quality of life issues that could be immediately addressed were done, and then we set about doing a deep dive into our code. Frequent HQ visitors will know Ryan has been transparent about what he could/could not do.

 

The trap we found ourselves in was trying to recreate features from the old forum that don't really serve a purpose on ATRL as it exists now. To be blunt -- it was not working. These issues were magnified due to our inability to do critical updates on the live forum due to old/outdated plugins that could render the forum unusable (worse than the 503s). A lot of our issues are coding related and it’s hard to keep up with the constant changes in Invision’s code with each major update.

 

The reality is ATRL is broken. We cannot continue to focus energy on old features (reported/already reported/warning received) that aren't meant to exist on this software. What we decided to do was find what features we want ATRL to have in 2019 and onward. At present time, our test server has been brought up to the most recent software update and we have begun work on what will ultimately be implemented here. We will be working with Invision tech support to address any improper configurations and any there factors that are resulting in the 503s.

 

We have an internal timeline, but we are not announcing it yet. This will initially lead to a stripped ATRL, one that will be rebuilt with new features. And you will have a direct hand in what some of those will be. In the coming weeks, we will be inviting members to beta test on the updated forum and give us feedback before we bring it here.

 

Toxic Environment Leads to the Zero Tolerance Policy

One of the consistent themes mentioned in the January town hall was the rise of offensive and racist behavior within the community. We took your feedback and tried to reign in this behavior but unfortunately it continued to spiral out of control. In April, we implemented a zero-tolerance policy concerning hate speech that specifically addressed the most recurring kind of awful behavior.

Unsurprisingly, this has been a little tricky because sometimes it's difficult to ascertain the intent of the post. When is an offensive post one that is due to ignorance (ie lack of education or cultural differences) or blatant trolling (see the Little Mermaid thread)? There's also some basic ignorance over transgender subjects, pronouns, etc.

 

We're asking you guys to meet us halfway while we refine the policy. The ZTP has been and will continue to be a work in progress. We hope you will utilize the new town hall thread to give your feedback on the policy and what changes if any need to be made.

 

What we don’t want: This to turn into a revisiting of the whataboutisms and reverse racism that some of you tried in the policy announcement thread. Bigotry in all forms is unacceptable and shouldn't be a part of this community.

 

New Moderators

We will open applications for new moderators to assist the team in the near future. Stay tuned for more information.

 

Rules Revamp

As mentioned earlier, ATRL staff will be updating the rules for the community. Some of the rules are inconsistent and contradictory. We strive to have rules and guidelines that reflect the ATRL of today. We look forward to hearing suggestions from the community.

 

Movie Threads
There have been some issues with members hoarding threads early for upcoming TV Shows or Films. Please refrain from doing so. If a sequel to a major film franchise has been announced, do not edit your thread for the original movie to be the "main" thread for the new project. 

 

Actor Base Threads
As requested, we are considering allowing base threads for actors. If it's implemented, there will be a A-Z database created for your convenience.

 

(NEW) Thoughts on The Member's Lounge
The Member's Lounge is a new development on ATRL. Although there is a current thread for it, we would like to gather feedback about what you believe could make this space better or improve upon its potential.

 

Open Discussion
This is your opportunity to talk directly to the admins and fellow members and post any new ideas, complaints, suggestions, etc. that you may have about ATRL.

 

One last thing: Please be sure to visit the ATRL FAQs created by your favorite moderator @Juanny.

Eaux wow it’s finally here 

We love it. Thank you, daddies.

 

Edit: Make an announcement banner for this thread too.

5 minutes ago, ATRL Administration said:

The reality is ATRL is broken.

tbh I can't imagine this site without the 503s 

hi

 

bring back a new Currently Browsing  and Warning Received 

7 minutes ago, ATRL Administration said:

The reality is ATRL is broken.

Yes we know

 

But in reality, other than the 503s, it’s fine.  I know some members miss stuff from the old forum but honestly the only thing I miss is seeing what has been reported, other than that we don’t really need blogs or other stuff.

On that note, does this mean that eventually ya'll will be able to re-establish ATRL+ features (albeit I can only imagine, a great deal of it won't really function the same way anymore)? And ofc, it's a given that there's no timeline to that either.

Just now, xDiamondx said:

On that note, does this mean that eventually ya'll will be able to re-establish ATRL+ features (albeit I can only imagine, a great deal of it won't really function the same way anymore)? And ofc, it's a given that there's no timeline to that either.

The only thing plus members would really need is the ability to change usernames, correct?  I can’t remember anything else from when I had it

I think it sounds like a good idea to start over and find out what works and to cut what doesn’t and allow ATRL to find a new and better identity. This website has been broken since before the new relaunch (I want to say that there were also terrible periods in 2013 and 2014) but it has been slowly going down hill even more since. We’ve had pretty much the same community ever since 2015 minus a handful of people that sifted their way through since, which I think has stifled a lot of discussion and given a false glimpse of what is popular now for a popular forum (you would think there would be more Ariana, Halsey, and Billie stans here. Not that I’m all about letting the youth just come in and troll and make me look old but I’m just saying lol). Thank you to the admin team for your hard work and the transparency behind it. It isn’t easy work at all but I’m sure the rewards will be quite satisfying once it is done. Your work is appreciated.

Yay!! I got a q: Have u guys ever thought about doing section mods? I'm only suggesting this bc the Charts section is honestly the most unkempt section on this forum. Way too much thread hogging and people trying to get hit threads. And mods in HQ have already said themselves iirc that they don't monitor Charts as much as the rest of the forum. I think if u hired people who wanted to do the job you would have more people monitoring it willingly

2 minutes ago, jpow said:

The only thing plus members would really need is the ability to change usernames, correct?  I can’t remember anything else from when I had it

Me neither.

 

I will say that I'm happy I still have the ability to change my username at will.  

What features are outdated?

A couple of suggestions: rid of the 503 mess obviously

                                        an easier more intuitive way to find previous threads or posts you've made. (it's hard sometimes to find the receipts)

                                        Warning points still seem to stick after they've expired, not sure if you can fix that but eh figured I'd mention it. 

                                   

 

   I also feel like we need to have equal representation among the mod stans. We need to balance the madge mods with a few mimi mods for fairness. I nominate myself for a mod role. Let me know what I need to do to officially apply, thank you.

6 minutes ago, xDiamondx said:

On that note, does this mean that eventually ya'll will be able to re-establish ATRL+ features (albeit I can only imagine, a great deal of it won't really function the same way anymore)? And ofc, it's a given that there's no timeline to that either.

If we're able to function like a normal forum then yes. Name changes will be in effect as will new features that we will build with the community.

How can we express interest in being a beta tester?

Will all current + members get to be a beta tester like last time? 

New Moderators

We will open applications for new moderators to assist the team in the near future. Stay tuned for more information.

 

 

@Kim Kardashian Now it's your time to SHINE.

 

 

Will the ban list be returning?

 

17 minutes ago, eaucitronnée said:

Yay!! I got a q: Have u guys ever thought about doing section mods? I'm only suggesting this bc the Charts section is honestly the most unkempt section on this forum. Way too much thread hogging and people trying to get hit threads. And mods in HQ have already said themselves iirc that they don't monitor Charts as much as the rest of the forum. I think if u hired people who wanted to do the job you would have more people monitoring it willingly

I want to second this but about the Music section like I said in the last town hall.

Y'all are super helpful when you can be but it obviously takes time & effort with 503s - it's not really feasible to PM a mod every time someone ****s up in there.

There's like 15 threads that are either duplicates, have the wrong title or are in the wrong section on the front page right now.

 

The rules still need to be re-written for clarity.

For example, they still don't reflect the accepted practice of creating MV threads once a YouTube premiere link is available.

I also think the New Track rules are out of date: namely that the song must be available to hear for a thread to be made.

If a song (for example, an album track) is announced with a release date, there's no reason why we shouldn't be able to make a thread - and again this a widely accepted practice but just isn't written into the rules.

 

The Entertainment section could maybe do with one too, I don't go in there much but it's a bit of a cluster**** in my eyes.

I think there's a lack of clarity over what should be posted in there and what should go in Celebria.

There should also be a 'Entertainment News' thread-type - rather than just discussion.

Let us change usernames. I fail to see any reason why we can’t. + membership is nonexistent so it’s not like y’all are saving it for some exclusive perks. We could at least make it so that it only allows one change a year so you won’t have to worry about people getting a new username every hour.

27 minutes ago, ATRL Administration said:

Movie Threads
There have been some issues with members hoarding threads early for upcoming TV Shows or Films. Please refrain from doing so. If a sequel to a major film franchise has been announced, do not edit your thread for the original movie to be the "main" thread for the new project. 

Does this apply for threads of sequels of videogames?

28 minutes ago, Smarticle said:

hi

 

bring back a new Currently Browsing  and Warning Received 

This, and member join dates.

15 minutes ago, Oxygen said:

How can we express interest in being a beta tester? 

this. I have a lot of free time nnn and I was a beta tester for NewTRL too.

I think the Members Lounge should just be the new blog section for members where we can talk about anything. What's the point of having hidden feature for blogs when we have the Members Lounge? We can all create are own thread as our blogs and just update it ,post are own pics  and talk about anything.

 

I would also love top have a vintage sub section for old v shows