Tazzu Blog

One of the unique characteristics of Tazzu is the importance placed on maintaining a safe and fun environment for the members to network.

Previously, as a Moderator at a different networking forum, I watched helplessly while, over the course of 6 months, the forum became unhealthy and sadly deteriorated.

That particular forum was subjected daily to copious amounts of spam, trolls who incited members to absolute frustration, and bouts of all-out verbal war.

This situation could have been prevented if some basic rules and guidelines were not only set in place but also wisely, carefully and respectfully enforced.

While, the over-policing of a forum will suffocate members and lead to a forum’s demise, the opposite is also true. With no one to protect the membership from the inevitable spam, trolling and flames, a forum has little hope of surviving.

It is our goal at Tazzu to ensure that the forums are a SAFE and FUN place to network.

One of the first measures implemented to protect members from spam and spambots was the incorporation of a phpBB MOD to the Tazzu Forums called Textual Confirmation.

In order to register for Tazzu membership, one must first retrieve a registration keyword by launching a pop-up box, which contains that word, and enter it into the correct field. Spambots are unable to retrieve the confirmation word, so their registration attempts fail.

With this set in place, the forums are protected from over hundreds of spambot registration attempts weekly, with this number rapidly growing as the forums become more popular.

The designation of Moderators at the launch of Tazzu was also an initial measure. The Moderators were appointed to oversee the forums and to make sure that spam was removed, to report anonymous memberships and ensure the overall quality of the forum.

In this task, the Moderators have done an excellent job. Sure, sometimes we err on being too lenient, and other times, maybe we act in haste – but there is no doubt that the Moderators have played a vital role in maintaining a safe networking environment in the Forums.

As a third measure, Rastin and I felt it would be advantageous to the Forums to bring clarity and definition to the Tazzu Rules and Guidelines – for the protection of the Membership and Moderators.

With much thought, and consideration for the diversity of Tazzu’s present and future members, we present what we hope is a well-balanced approach to protection of the members.

As always, our goal is single-minded: that the Tazzu Networking Forum will remain the “safe and fun place to network� that it has set out to be.

Thank you to all the Tazzu Moderators and Members for your part in maintaining a professional networking environment in which new members feel welcome, and safe, and longstanding members can participate without attack and prejudice.

Long live Tazzunauts!

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