Ok. Clara and I have been in charge of approving/declining groups for awhile now. You may notice that the wait time for approval has been cut drastically as we try to do it at least once a day.
We get about 10+ requests a day and there are a number of reasons why I decline them. Clara seems to be a bit more open-minded so you can always roll the dice and hope she get to your request before I do.
The Black List (Moratorium on new group acceptance)
Specific Band, Movie, Video Games, TV Shows or Books*
Specific Person (i.e.; Courtney Love, Brad Pitt, Barrak Obama, et al)
* Note: Any existing group most likely pre-dates the moderator approval process or has proven exceptional worth via forum discussions.
Here are the top reason I decline groups.
Reason why this group should exist
because it doesn't already exist is not a valid reason. I almost always decline requests that list this as the justification
because 'a' has a group so 'b' should too is not a valid reason. I know this place can be juvenile at times, but this didn't even work when you were 6.
I know a lot of people that are really into 'x' is not a valid reason.So we should just take your word for it? Please cite a thread or something so we know that your idea of 'a lot of people' is more than you and the three people on your friend's list.
I couldn't get into this random group so I'm starting my own is not a valid reason. There was probably a reason you can't get in. For that reason, I will not approve you for a duplicate group. Plus, how annoying would it be to have duplicate groups? Pretty annoying, me thinks.
Regional Groups
If you haven't been a member for more than six months, I usually will not approve you for Regional Group ownership. Regional Groups require an active member who has established trust within the online community.
Duplicate Regional Groups will not be approved. End of story (see above).
When starting a regional group, please do a little research and do a members in your area search on the hook up page to let us know how many people are in your particular area. Post this number in your request. We don't have time to do it.
Group Whores
If you apply for 5 groups in one swoop. I will most likely deny all of them. A group is your baby. You have to cherish and nurture it or it will die. So keep a narrow focus.
Addendum: if you do not have any journal entries and do not actively particpate on the site, I will usually decline your group even if I think the group is a good idea.
Question to members who want a group for an individual band or artist:
Why do you guys request these groups? They do get approved, so I'm not saying that you shouldn't, I just don't understand. It seems that mostly you want to have a place to say "_______ is very cool!" and have others agree with you. That's neat and all, but wouldn't a thread accomplish the same thing? Do you ask for the groups simply because you want to be in charge of something or do you have a broader vision for the group?
Clara said:
Question to members who want a group for an individual band or artist:
Why do you guys request these groups? They do get approved, so I'm not saying that you shouldn't, I just don't understand. It seems that mostly you want to have a place to say "_______ is very cool!" and have others agree with you. That's neat and all, but wouldn't a thread accomplish the same thing? Do you ask for the groups simply because you want to be in charge of something or do you have a broader vision for the group?
this is a good point. while i am a member of some individual artist groups (ani difranco, rasputina, dresden dolls), there is almost no conversation - what is there is usually limited to "what's your favourite song by ____?" & "tour dates!"; not very exciting. at least with the groups devoted to a genre there can be debate, recommendations, yadda yadda. maybe individual band/artist groups should be sort of.. phased out?
Gala said:
maybe individual band/artist groups should be sort of.. phased out?
I admit that this is what I was thinking of. That doesn't mean it will happen, just that I was thinking it might be better that way.
Actually, I think there should be sub-groups of groups. It makes no sense for the band/artist idea, since that falls under music and a thread makes more sense to me, but maybe a "zodiac" group that has 12 sub-groups in it, one for each sign..
walkswithbears said:
also, if a group is declined once, does that mean it is declined forever, or can a better justification win over the mods? (i'm thinking of niobe's linkin park group)
I dunno how to answer this question without making our jobs harder. People occassionlaly reaply for a group like a week later and that pisses me off to no end. I don't want the forums overrun with threads trying to justify groups.
mary_says said:
So, I tried to create a group, and had a pretty lame answer for the raison d'etre. I found this board, read the guidelines, and tried again, making (what I thought) was a damn good argument for why it should exist. Rejected again! Am I on probation? Any advice out there for me?
Maybe wait a month or so. Perhaps try starting a few threads on the boards to show that your group would have people interested. Think about your group in the mean time, and make a kick ass reason for it to exist. Then try again?
Lacey said:
why can't our group names start with 'SG'?
The reason that regular groups are not permitted to start with SG is because half the applicants want their group to be named, for example, "SG HotDog Lovers" and it makes it incredibly hard to find in alphabetical order.
Only location based groups are permitted to have SG in front of their names because they all already did anyway.
10
LinkIsMyHero
USA
February 2005
JUN 06, 2005 07:08 PM
MrDaft said:
I got declined on a group where there was interest shown already by the SG's and other on here....what do I do now ?
As I said in the hall of fame thread, it is a big help if, before applying for the group, you start a thread on this board about your idea, asking if people would be interested. Then if a lot of people are interested, in your group application you include a link to that thread to show the group approval mods (lil_tuffy and Clara) that there's sufficient interest.
If you want to reapply DO NOT do it for at least a month or two. It irritates tuffy and Clara to see a group they just declined, plus it helps to take that time to think about what you need to do to improve your chances.
But really, communicating your idea to others is key in getting approved. They may even make suggestions that improve your chances even more.
Groups are not a safe haven to talk about things that you can't talk about in people's journals or on the boards. The same rules apply to groups whether they are public or private and any request for a group whose charter states an intent to circumvent site rules or terms of service will obviously be denied.
Groups are not a safe haven to talk about things that you can't talk about in people's journals or on the boards. The same rules apply to groups whether they are public or private and any request for a group whose charter states an intent to circumvent site rules or terms of service will obviously be denied.
[Edited on Jun 23, 2005 by lil_tuffy]
Does that mean the Sick & Twisted jokes thread in Jokes ought to be deleted? I've posted quite a few things there that I would not repeat on the boards or to my mother.
Groups are not a safe haven to talk about things that you can't talk about in people's journals or on the boards. The same rules apply to groups whether they are public or private and any request for a group whose charter states an intent to circumvent site rules or terms of service will obviously be denied.
[Edited on Jun 23, 2005 by lil_tuffy]
Does that mean the Sick & Twisted jokes thread in Jokes ought to be deleted? I've posted quite a few things there that I would not repeat on the boards or to my mother.
That's a gray area. It's probably an appropriate place for it.
Overtly racist or hurtful language will not be tolerated. If someone reports it, action will be taken.
baybepurple said:
It's been over a week does it sometimes take longer? who should I contact ?
Sometimes a couple of months, sometimes more. sometimes less. I think the idea of "contacting" anyone usually just gets a denial that much faster. Be patient. Groups are meant to be here for the long haul, so should the person who wants the group approved. You've been here 6 months. I've been here almost 2 years. I'm just now thinking about asking for a group. I'm sure lil_tuffy even knows what the group request will be for, since he's "in the thread" already.
baybepurple said:
I applied for a "america's next top model group" and it was denied why?? we have a soaps and a Xbox group I think my group would have been super popular. but iif anyone can tell me it wouldn't hae been let me know or if any staff can give me details on why it was not approved?
perhaps because theres a reality tv group that covers top model?
Groups that are regional versions of other groups will not be approved.
Examples:
1. The REAL New York Group - for people that can't get into SGNY becaue they're assholes
2. Pittsburgh Boobs! - a group for the best bobs in Pittsburgh
3. PSWUK - Plus sized women in the UK
All of these will be declined...
1. Because we're not going to duplicate any regional group
2. Regionalizing something like a physical feature seems kind of dumb... feel free to start a gallery though!
3. No matter how plus-sized the ladies of SG get, there will always be room for all of them in the PSW group!
wow. i had no idea that "because this group doesn't already exist" was not a valid reason to start a group! now i'm off to think of a better way to word that so i can start the tom waits group i always wanted.
zoomusikgrl said:
wow. i had no idea that "because this group doesn't already exist" was not a valid reason to start a group! now i'm off to think of a better way to word that so i can start the tom waits group i always wanted.
thanks for bumping this!
Is there not a Tom Waits group anymore? I know there used to be.
if there is, i can't find it anywhere. and it was denied a second time. the automated reply doesn't offer much explanation, but i'm not about to be pushy about it. i would still love to start one...
You're probably being denied since there used to be one, and it was probably closed from inactivity. It's really hard to keep a group about one artist or author or whatever active enough. There's only so much to say.
i applied for a group for support for people who have suffered miscarriage or infant loss. it was declined so after reading this whole thread, ive put up 3 different threads for people to show their support if they think its a good idea. then after a while.ill re apply and put the links in the reason section.
is this the best thing to do?or will it just get declined straight away because it has already been declined before?
XkillerX said:
i applied for a group for support for people who have suffered miscarriage or infant loss. it was declined so after reading this whole thread, ive put up 3 different threads for people to show their support if they think its a good idea. then after a while.ill re apply and put the links in the reason section.
is this the best thing to do?or will it just get declined straight away because it has already been declined before?
thanks
alice
xxx
Yes. As stated elsewhere... this is the worst thing you could have done. You've started discussions about it in four different places (not counting your blog) generating multiple places for us to try and follow a discussion (not to mention the slew of private messages) creating even more work for the moderators.
from the other thread:
ive read that thread....and thats why i made this thread.....cos in it people advised to rally up support and interest to show the mods when re applying.
It's not something to do AFTER you submit the group... it's something you do before. If there is a pre-existing thread (or threads) that show a vast interest in a particular subject by a large number of people then that should be cited in the reason for the group but in no way guarantees approval.
Furthermore, a thread about the subject that creates a discussion is of much more use than a thread that just asks "are you interested in x?" followed by a page or two of "yes/maybe/totally." The latter does not provide us with any indication of whether or not the subject warrants a group discussion.
lil_tuffy
MODERATOR
San Francisco, CA
AUG 31, 2004 09:23 AM