Changes to PSD area

[Kirsten]

I think we are finally nearing completion of the new PSD area project.  I hope to have the project in operation sometime this weekend.

Here's how it looks right now:

1.  There will be two PSD areas, a public one that anyone who has cleared the initial forum-wide troll screening can access, and a private one that requires individual approval by the private PSD board membership committee.

2.  A new questionnaire was developed for prospective members to fill out as part of a request to join the private area.  This questionnaire is more comprehensive than our old membership requirements.  The intent is to weed out known trouble spots as well as do further screening for trolls.  The questionnaire will be available on request by sending an email to a certain email address which will be published when the PSD boards re-open.  Sending of the questionnaire is automated (no human is involved), so it is possible to review the questionnaire privately and decide membership whether membership is wanted after all without any commitment.  A second address will be included in the questionnaire directing where the answered questionnaire should be sent for review by the human membership committee.

     a.  Many existing members have never posted or have barely posted.  They are basically lurkers.
     b.  The new screening process is more in-depth than the old one.
     c.  Therefore, ALL old members (including moderators) will have to reapply the same as any new member to rejoin the private board.

3.  A committee has been formed whose job it is to review the questionnaires, request additional information as needed, and make decisions about whether or not to accept an applicant into the private area.  This committee is elected by the membership of the private PSD area and will be replaced periodically, probably annually.  Questionnaire answers will be archived out of view of the committee once a decision has been reached one way or the other to protect the privacy of applicants.

4.  In addition to filling out the questionnaire, applicants to the private area must also have made at least 25 posts in the public areas of the forum and must have been a member of the forum for at least one month.  Since each application is reviewed individually by the committee members, there is little point in puffing one's post count with "me too's" or other obvious attempts to inflate post count.  There is also little point in joining and then coming back in a month without logging in at least periodically during a full month prior to applying to join the private PSD area.

5.  Membership in the private PSD area can be revoked for failure to abide by that board's rules.  Specifically:  for flaming or attacking another member, threatening suicide, or bringing known hot topics into the peaceful environs of the private PSD area (anti-task rants or discussion of tethering, for example).

Our goal is to provide a private haven for those who have faced persecution elsewhere on the Internet either for being mentally ill, or for actually task training their PSD.  Increased security is imposed for their comfort and sense of safety and not as a way to play favorites or create a clique.  Please bear in mind that there is no totally secure part of the Internet and that anything you type or access could potentially be monitored by people unknown to you.  We can attempt to make an area more secure with these policies, but no area will ever be completely secure.  Anyone claiming otherwise is either naive or dishonest.

[Kirsten]

The renovation of the PSD area is complete.  Access keys for all former members of the private PSD board have been removed.  A new semi-public PSD area is available to all members with at least 5 posts.  The objective is to prevent fly-by trolling by requiring people to make it through the newbie moderating period before being able to read in the PSD area.

A new private area has been established, but no one, including moderators, has been grandfathered in.  All must submit a completed questionnaire in order to gain access to that private area.  Details can be found on the semi-public PSD board located in the Disability Specific area of the forum.

Please be gentle with our new questionnaire system.  It is nervous at being such a newbie and may dash away in fright if mishandled.  It is currently running slow (about half an hour for a response).  Patience is the key.  If you do not receive a questionnaire in response to a request within a day, something has gone terribly wrong and you should contact a human for assistance (a moderator might be a good choice).  I feel this cautionary note is necessary considering the violence perpetrated on our poor little chatbot when she got nervous and chatted too much and too stupidly.  Shot gun blasts at computers can be very messy indeed.