Moderators

[bushrat]

Note to Moderators,

I'm seeing some new moderators...wonder if some of you could introduce yourselves as there is not info in your bios. And hopefully you can get it so the avatars of us regular folks show up as it does for the mods.

Mike S., I don't know about Alfred E. Neuman for an avatar <grin>.

Best, Mark

 

[AlaskaHippie]

Avatar works for this lowly peon....

 

[bushrat]

Thanks

Thanks

Thanks AKhippie, hadn't seen the avatar fix for it but just found it. Hope you're having a good summer. Skeets are horrible today here with cooler cloudy weather.
Best, Mark

 

[AlaskaHippie]

Summer is going great Mark, thanks for asking. Smoker is running on overtime with all the sockeye...Same weather and "squitoes" as my 2 yr old puts it.

Take care.

-Mike

 

[Michael Strahan]

My buddy...

My buddy...

...Mike S., I don't know about Alfred E. Neuman for an avatar <grin>.

Alfred who? That's my high school yearbook photo, man!

 

[Webmaster]

Moderator team

Moderator team

The moderator team, as it now stands, consists of:

• Adison Bush flying
• AKmud ATV, snowmachine, fishing
• B_M Hunting, bowhunting
• Linda Johnson Fishing, dipnetting, flyfishing
• Michael Strahan Rafting
• Murphy Shooting
• Snyd Outdoor gear
• Steve Hunting, bowhunting
• Webmaster Everything else

I am encouraging the moderators to add a little information about themselves in their profiles -- but that's really up to them.

We're a pretty diverse bunch, but all with a serious interest in developing an online community that is helpful and fun for those interested in Alaska outdoors pursuits.

I'm grateful for their willingness to help make this possible. It has grown past the point of my being able to handle it all.

David

 

[Snyd]

I'm one of the new mods around here. I have found these and the old forums a great source of info and also know David from a few years back. He asked me if I'd be interested in being the mod for the Gear Forum so here I am to give it a shot. I have lived in Fairbanks for 15 years. Grew up fishing and hunting in western Montana.

I am quite giddy now because my hunting partner and I drew DS203 Delta Controlled Use Area walkin sheep hunt this year! I went with another friend on the same hunt 3 years ago. He got his ram and I got the sheep hunting bug!

Perry Schneider- Snyd

 

[bushrat]

Thanks for info

Thanks for info

Perry, thanks for the info/bio, and thanks to David for the info as well. I was confused and thought we now had a whole bunch of mods for the hunting forum, as I hadn't seen Mike S's "moderator" tag (or yours Perry) on the hunting side before.

David...any way you can make it so they only show up as mods in the forums they moderate?

Good luck on your sheep hunt Perry. And thanks to all the guys who volunteer for the thankless task of moderating.
Best, Mark

 

[Webmaster]

David...any way you can make it so they only show up as mods in the forums they moderate?

I don't think so...I looked into it and could not find a way to do this. But I'm finding things all the time....like avatars. <grin>

But, you can go to the bottom of any forum main page (where all the recent threads are displayed) and you will see a list of moderators in the lower right corner.

David

 

[Steve]

About me

About me

Greetings!

I am one of the fairly newly appointed moderators - hunting and bow hunting forums.

I am a 45 yr. old male, married with a great wife (17 years), and have two outstanding kids (10 and 14). We've been in Alaska for 4 years and came here from Colorado where we had been for 15 years (or so). My background is high tech - I have a BS in Computer Science, and have working in software for roughly 22 years. My wife and I own Blue Bear Website Design, which is a website design business based in Wasilla (see below) that we started a couple of years ago.

When I can get away (which is pretty limited) I love to hunt, fish, camp, hike, and fly (I fly and own an Arctic Tern - N62AT). I wish I could get out more, but life (work, family, kids soccer, etc.) keep getting in the way ;')

My priority in taking game is a) the experience (being out, the challenge, the experience, and the camaraderie) b) meat and a long ways down the list is c) horns and hide. I have a variety of rifles, but prefer my 338 for most Alaska outings - although I am really anxious to shoot a moose or bear with my 450 Marlin. I also hunt with muzzleloader (54 caliber Hawken) and bow (Hoyt Raider). I wanted to set up a bait station this spring, but work got in the way again - dang it!

I've hunted a lot, but compared to most of you I know little. There is a LOT for me still to learn. This forum has been an incredibly great source of information for me.

Other than the odd question from me, and the occasional response from me, I'm hoping you won't know I'm here.

Please feel free to email or PM me. I'll help where I can and freely admit when I don't know.

Take care and happy trails.

Steve

 

[Michael Strahan]

Moderators

Perry, thanks for the info/bio, and thanks to David for the info as well. I was confused and thought we now had a whole bunch of mods for the hunting forum, as I hadn't seen Mike S's "moderator" tag (or yours Perry) on the hunting side before.

David...any way you can make it so they only show up as mods in the forums they moderate?

Good luck on your sheep hunt Perry. And thanks to all the guys who volunteer for the thankless task of moderating.
Best, Mark

Mark,

I was asked to moderate on the hunting forum as well, but I declined because I have some pretty strong opinions and was worried that some folks would think I was singling them out because of differences we have. So I'm just doing the rafting one for now. For the most part folks are not getting too out of line there, and the job has been easier than I thought. It seems to be working out.

I think we have a pretty good team of moderators and with the explosive growth this place has had, I think we've still been able to maintain the sense of community. Our "Where are you from?" poll still shows over 60% of the folks here are Alaskans, and I think that helps keep it the way it's always been... helpful, and filled with local knowledge, perspective and attitude. Outdoors Directory still remains the single best place on the internet for discussions of Alaska hunting, fishing and related outdoor topics of concern.

-Mike

 

[cold zero]

diversity and moderators

diversity and moderators

they level of diversity of the group of moderators can be increasd and new prospective gained by having a mod' who is not an ak. res' , who also has extensive hunting experience and can give guidance and info' about hunting in ak. from his experience and the perspective of a non-res' who must hire and guide and all that goes with that. there are many highly exp' non-res hunters on this web site to draw from, as a recent poll here showed.

i think that such a person could provide an angle of assistance to the many members from the lower 48 states. until you have tried hunting in ak. as a non-res' who must hire a guide, you don't know the pitfalls until you learn it. m.h.o.

 

[Steve]

Where from...

Where from...

Cold zero,

Given that the task of a moderator is generally to look for inappropriate content, I don't think it really matters where a moderator is from. The fact that most of the moderators currently reside in Alaska doesn't really have anything to do with anything.

Take care,

Steve

 

[cold zero]

diversity

diversity

Steve:

i have been to and like wasilla, b.t.w.

looking for inappropriate content, is but only a part of what a moderator does. a moderator should also be experienced, knowlegable and able to express that well in writing, as well as other tasks.

i would think that it would be hard for the ak. resident moderator to share his experience and give input into hireing of guides and other related necessary tasks to set up an ak. hunt if the mod has never done that? many of the exp. non-res have gone thru the process many times over a period of many years.

diversity, is not something to be feared, it can be a good thing and add to the discussion.

regards;

c.z.

 

[Bill S.]

You'll never find a moderator completely knowledgeable in ALL aspects of Alaska hunting whether resident or nonresident. There is to much variety and different circumstanses. I've never seen a lack of ressponse to different questions to include experiences on non resident and guide requirements. Besides, you don't actually have to do something to be able to gather information concernig the endevor. The moderators should be thanked for volunteering their efforts and time to do it instead of being chastised for lack of exerience. I'm sure if a nonresident with good qualification came forward to volunteer, David would certainly give it proper consideration.

 

[Steve]

What a moderator does...

What a moderator does...

C.z.,

There seems to be a general misunderstanding about what a moderator does in the forums here at OutdoorsDirectory.com. Perhaps David would like to chime in but in the meantime...

My understanding is that the function of a moderator is to insure that the discussions are civil, vulgarity free, and generally non-commercial. Our defined function is not to provide wisdom, expertise, or suggestions. We can do that , but that's not done as a moderator.

The content for these forums comes from members. The overall outdoor experience, expertise, and advice the members provide is what makes this forum work. As moderators, we do commonly respond to threads, but when we do that it's as members not moderators.

Personally, I do the moderator thing for two reasons a) I feel like I'm helping (in a small way) promote something I feel passionate about and b) I generally try to keep up with the forum activity anyhow so why not make my browsing more useful? This way I can tell my wife I wasn't just poking around the internet but instead I was "working".

Steve

 

[Brian M]

You pull the "working" angle too, eh Steve? My wife is starting to wise up to it, but it at least gets a smile and half-laugh out of her!

-Brian

 

[cold zero]

mods

mods

steve;

it was just an observation/idea. no drama here.

if you can get your wife to beleive that , then you have a good line of b.s.

c.z.

 

[AKmud]

"working"

"working"

Steve,

My wife still hasn't bought the "working" aspect. Any pointers? ) She just thinks the moderator thing is simply to help justify my time on the forum! (imagine that!)

 

[Webmaster]

The role of a moderator on these forums

The role of a moderator on these forums

There seems to be a general misunderstanding about what a moderator does in the forums here at OutdoorsDirectory.com. Perhaps David would like to chime in but in the meantime...

My understanding is that the function of a moderator is to insure that the discussions are civil, vulgarity free, and generally non-commercial. Our defined function is not to provide wisdom, expertise, or suggestions. We can do that , but that's not done as a moderator.

Steve hit it right here. When I look for moderators, I'm mainly looking to find people to be part of a team that can help keep this community running smoothly. All of our moderators have some expertise, of course, and some have huge expertise, but that's not the main criteria.

My vision is that if we can keep our community operating in a civil manner, we'll attract a wide variety of people that have expertise, they will share that expertise, and we all benefit. It's also important to me that these forums be family friendly. I'd like for the parents that visit here to be able to say to their pre-teen children that they can visit these forums -- because they know the kids won't have their eyes burned by material that isn't good for any living thing, let alone young children.

The moderators make this possible. These forums are more than I can handle alone, so I am grateful for the contributions the moderators make to this community.

David