Hello ATS community!
I have been given the honor of serving the community as Forum Subject Matter Expert (FSME) for the Other Current Events forum, while that is the
technical term for the position, I like to think of it in another way,
A Friend Serving the Membership Everyday !
I am here to help.
I have been here since June of 2004 and have seen the board, the content, the features and the membership explode! And one thing that I really enjoy
is the fact that while our numbers climb, We grow as a community. The combined knowledge of this membership astounds me and I know that when I come
to ATS, I will learn something new each and every day.
My goal as FSME is to help make Other Current Events one of the MUST view forums for every member!
How can
we accomplish that?
First and foremost is the content, I challenge the members to take pride in your threads and posts, inform us, teach us, talk to us. We are
listening. Every member has something to offer, some may have more, some less, this matters not, as a community, we all benefit, we all learn, which
makes the community stronger.
Other Current Events is one of the more difficult forums to decide what belongs and does not belong, so please review this thread when you get the
chance. This will help guide you on where a potential thread should be posted.
Appropriate Current Event Topics - ALL MEMBERS READ
The best part of my newly assigned position is the ability to APPLAUD the members in the OCE forum.
I look for very well written posts, well sourced (when appropriate), nicely authored threads, etc. I have already been fortunate to reward many
members for their fine contributions! Just to be clear, I look for quality posts regardless my position on the topic, I may not agree with all points
of view, but I can recognize quality!
It puts a smile on my face to click that little button
:
I have also applauded members who were on either side of a potentially emotional issue.
Why?
Because both members, while on opposite sides of a fence, showed excellent decorum and respect for one another. I really appreciate members who can
discuss difficult topics without resorting to emotional rants which we all know end up ugly
Think about how bland it would be if we just hung out with people who agreed with us on every topic? Ever tried to watch grass grow? B-O-R-I-N-G....
I like the way ideas are tossed back and forth here at ATS, I like the diversity, the cultures, the camaraderie, the willingness to listen to just
about anything. We are not afraid to ponder the question, What if?
One bit of advice, coming from the
King of duplicate threads 
, try to make it a habit when you want to open a new thread, use the search
function, to make sure your time and effort is not wasted, there's nothing worse than taking 20 minutes to gather sources, type up an interesting OP
(original post), then find out that another member has already started a discussion. Oops! It happens to all of us every now and then but using the
search feature will help to keep the clutter down and the board looking clean.
For the newer members, WELCOME, this site can be overwhelming at first glance, so many topics, so many threads, so many ways to communicate your
ideas. Relax and enjoy, take your time to cruise through all that ATS has to offer. Make sure to read and understand the
Terms and Conditions, alot of unnecessary grief will be eliminated by becoming familiar
with the TAC. There is a FAQ button on the toolbar above^^^ which takes you to the ATS handbook. There is a
Freshman Forum dedicated to helping you get accustomed to the workings and resources
we have here. If all else fails, we have the Board & Business forum for you to ask for assistance.
If you have any questions, feel free to U2U me and if I don't know the answer, I will do my best to find one for you. By all means if you have a
suggestion that could make Other Current Events better, U2U me or submit one through your member center suggestions submission.
We are always looking for new ideas to make your time here more enjoyable!
Let's work together to continue to make Other Current Events and AboveTopSecret.com, the place to be for CUTTING EDGE DISCUSSION on wide variety of
topics, without the attacks and disrespect found elsewhere, here, we respect each other and can agree to disagree with class.
I thank ATS for the opportunity and look forward to serving the members as their FSME.
My favorite line to keep
myself focused when participating here is this simple phrase.
DENY IGNORANCE is what we do...
It's how we
think. It's how we
talk. It's how we
listen.
