Secret Santa 2014 input wanted

[kawaiiwoofs]

Donna, there are tons of lurkers here and lurkers are not an uncommon phenomenon on forums at all. Some people hit the amount if posts they need so they can participate. Like @@meaganola said some people just want to exchange a gift and watch from the sideline. I get that you're upset because your SS never thanked you and never came into the chat thread while we were all participating. I think the issue of thanking is something that needs to be hashed out but I don't see how this issue of "decency and respect" comes in to play for someone who doesn't want to post in the big chat threads. I don't feel like I'm owed the request of someone's presence in the chats just because they want to exchange gifts.

And I don't think the moderators should have to waste their time making sure every person who signs up participates at least once a week, the secret Santa groups get HUGE. Its petty and a huge waste of time when people are busy with school, work, holiday stuff. Etc.

I agree with this 100%.

 

[Dashery]

Could we put the participation requirement discussion on hold for a few days? We're starting to go in circles on this, and things are starting to get close to personal attacks, so I think it's time to put this specific issue aside for now.

Oops. I commented after this. Sorry. And, I second that suggestion! 

 

[tacehtpuekam]

Soooo what else did everyone like or not like?

I really liked the different threads for things! Made it super easy to find what I was looking for. The only thing I'd suggest for next time is a pinned thread with all the dates/timelines! I kept forgetting & had to do a search in the big thread.

 

[jennm149]

Soooo what else did everyone like or not like?

I really liked the different threads for things! Made it super easy to find what I was looking for. The only thing I'd suggest for next time is a pinned thread with all the dates/timelines! I kept forgetting & had to do a search in the big thread.

Oh yes -- that would be a huge help!

 

[kawaiimeows]

Soooo what else did everyone like or not like?

I really liked the different threads for things! Made it super easy to find what I was looking for. The only thing I'd suggest for next time is a pinned thread with all the dates/timelines! I kept forgetting & had to do a search in the big thread.

I think the new forum will make this a lot more feasible because we didn't have pinning as a feature for SS 2013.

 

[DonnaD]

So to your way of thinking, screw the discussion, screw the reveal.  Let's save the mods a ton of work.  No discussion forum, no reveal forum.  Just a sign up forum.  Mods send your person's address and wish list to you and you mail out your present.  Boom! Done.

THAT WAS SO MUCH FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  WEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's a friggin' public forum.  People do this for fun.  You just single-handedly took something that WAS fun and turned it into a prostate exam.

I for real, do not even understand what you are arguing for.  You do understand that I can send a present to anyone here privately, right?  So the point of a formal secret santa exchange for you is the simple act of sending and receiving a present.  THE END.??

What are you arguing for?  You really think that a minimal participation requirement is just so, so horrible?  You really think that it's all about nothing more than giving something and getting something?  Is that how present exchanges go at Christmas at your house?

I'm freakin' baffled here.  I really am.

 

[Dashery]

Definitely would love a thread with dates and times.

Although, I guess I should probably just write them down on a calendar next time.

Also, the roadies, elves, fairies, etc. are the best. Let's never get rid of them!

 

[meaganola]

Yeah, @, I really wish I had bothered to do a FAQ thread with not only the dates but also tutorials. Spoilers, photos, wishlists, signatures, etc. By the time I figured out how to do screenshots for that, it was pretty much too late.

 

[kawaiimeows]

Donna I'm done having this conversation, as @@meaganola said its just going in circles now. You had one bad apple. Its not going to destroy the foundations of the secret Santa group or cause all hell to break loose.

 

[Dashery]

Yes, yes, yes to an FAQ thread!

 

[DonnaD]

Could we put the participation requirement discussion on hold for a few days? We're starting to go in circles on this, and things are starting to get close to personal attacks, so I think it's time to put this specific issue aside for now.

Sure.  I'm getting really sick and tired of being made to feel like I am just a horrible person who is trying to hard-nose  poor, shy members into OH MY EFFIN GAWD!!! participating in a thread on a forum that they joined and have to participate in and post on in order to even be considered to join!  What a F*cking nightmare!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Obviously,  that's just too much work and too much pressure.

For real.  I'm done.  I don't think I'll be participating in further gift exchanges.  Now that I know it's only supposed to be about the physical act of exchanging presents and socialising isn't supposed to be part of it.

 

[kawaiiwoofs]

Donna, I don't appreciate your tone. We will just have to agree to disagree on this. I'm sorry you've been disappointed with the past few exchanges. We, as organizers, cannot force anyone to meet anyone else's specific ideals.

Continuing on --

Things I liked: loved the survey for midsummer and I liked that we really instilled the idea of making an about me type page for the summerswappers. I think a FAQ would be helpful. I LOOOVED the "questions" we did in summer swap. At first though I think it was like "woah why is Jess asking a random ass question" but then the ladies got the hang of it /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

Things I would have liked to have seen differently: I know we don't have much control once addresses go out, but I prefer that people stick around-ish to the shipping date. In midsummer people kinda sent a touch earlier and that made me feel really behind in comparison even though I was right in the shipping period (yanno what I mean?).

 

[Kelly Silva]

I liked the questions, the wish list threads people made and put into their signatures, and the two week shipping window I think is good. Good for some of us who ordered last minute things that were delayed or anything like that.

Could be changed: I personally thought the shopping time was a smidge long. Since summer doesn't have as many sales as the holidays, I found myself not picking out things until the end. There are pros and cons to this, but it was over a month for Summerswap? I think a month is good for the holidays, especially when sales are going to all be centered around Black Friday.

 

[DonnaD]

Donna, I don't appreciate your tone. 

Yes, well, I don't appreciate her tone.  You're making it out like I'm some kind of Christmas fun nazi.  None of you seem to remember this is a SOCIAL forum and secret santa iis a SOCIAL OCCASION.

If 2 mods want to take that SOCIAL OCCASION and turn it into nothing more than a dry present exchange, then have at it.  I won't be attending your 'not really a party' party.

It floors me that mods on a social forum are discouraging socialising and apparently are going to see to it that the gift exchange becomes less social and more clinical.   Keep up the good work.

 

[SaraP]

I was the nerd that didn't get the random question! Duh!! Sorry, usofjessamerica!

I love the questions and even when they were just about random stuff, I felt like I got to know my buddy and everyone else too. I'm sure there will be way more people for Secret Santa, so the idea of tags is awesome *and with the holiday craze it would a great way to keep in the loop. BUT not if that's way too much work. Although I'd be willing to help...

 

[kawaiiwoofs]

@@SaraP water under the bridge girlfriend! I liked how people really got into asking their own questions too!

 

[SaraP]

I felt like I could ask a simple question everyone could answer and not have to use a roadie for little things like that. Although having a roadie was awesome!

 

[zadidoll]

At this point, my question is this: who decides what the rules are going to be? Zadi, the mods together, someone else? How does the feedback from the community figure in to the decision?

I am the one who ultimately decides the rules. I have been watching the thread and will take all the comments and recommendations into consideration because to me a community only works when the leader(s) of the community listens to said community.

Some rules might change, some might not. The original intent of Secret Santa - before I became a member, moderator or CM - was for members to swap an item or two in order to get to know each other. When I took it over and created the SS area it became more of a box of gifts with a maximum threshold so more members could participate. It has evolved to where it currently stands and it may evolve even more. As I said the suggestions made are taken into consideration and the moderators and I are discussing certain changes, which at this time I will not discuss with the community until we figure things out more. Once we've discussed the situation I will make the final decisions as I have in the past. Obviously not everyone is going to be happy because as the old saying goes you can't please everyone all of the time however any changes made, if there are drastic changes, will be for the benefit of the community as a whole rather than a few individuals.

Soooo what else did everyone like or not like?

I really liked the different threads for things! Made it super easy to find what I was looking for. The only thing I'd suggest for next time is a pinned thread with all the dates/timelines! I kept forgetting & had to do a search in the big thread.

Now that we have the ability to pin posts - the old Huddler platform did not give us that option - that should be an easy thing to implement.

I will state one thing that I WILL be implementing this fall for Secret Santa - Secret Santas will be asked to use their forum name on the package or in a note so the giftee knows who it came by. While the package may say "Jane Smith" sent it to "Jill Jones" Jill may not know that Jane is really "Candygirl 205" on the forums. It'll make it easier for people to know who sent them the gift that way.

 

[jennm149]

Yeah, @, I really wish I had bothered to do a FAQ thread with not only the dates but also tutorials. Spoilers, photos, wishlists, signatures, etc. By the time I figured out how to do screenshots for that, it was pretty much too late.

This would be great! 

Along those lines, I wish you would make a separate post in the "How To" forum with your tutorial on using Photobucket.  I can't figure out how to keep a link back to that specific post, and I can see wanting to use it often until I have the process down.

 

[meaganola]

@@jennm149 I'll put that on my to-do list! I don't know when I'll get to it, but it will be on the list.

ETA: It was actually already on my list along with posting wishlists, adding signatures, adding spoiler tags, and finding all posts from a specific person. What other tutorials should be on the list?