Responsibility in Information Posting

[standbyme]

It is best to remember that if there were no such policy, this site may not even be here. Many other parks have virtually forced fan sites to close down. It happens...

You would CERTAINLY know better than I…but could you enlighten me.

I have been curious for a long time but have never asked…could the park actually close down this forum just because we were discussing it? As long as the comments aren’t libelous, can’t we legally talk about a business? What IS the difference between a newspaper that might uncover that the park is planning a new ride through an “unnamed source” and a forum?(I can see where there might be copy write issues on the main site where their logo is seen…but I’m just asking about the forum.)

Call me out of the loop

Well…if you insist…

I didn't know about the WindSeeker announcement until the day before when I got a text message about it from a park official.

Which is kind of what I was alluding too…back in the day this site would have been “in the loop”. I guess I’m naive, it seems to me that the park would have wanted to come on it’s #1 fan site and excite/tease us with the upcoming announcement date…nothing specific…just something like “Big news coming August 24^th, keep your eyes peeled”. This site would have had a field day with that…and it would have made the members of this site feel like we were still “in the loop”.

I looked through our moderation logs and no threads involving a 2011 announcement had been removed in the days or weeks leading up to the actual announcement.

But that is what I meant by Catch 22...because of the TOS someone might have known but couldn’t post it because they would have had to disclose their source.

KICentral was, and continues to be, a very unique experience for its users. This is something that has been molded for the better part of a decade by you - the users - not by us. I can not tell you how many hundreds of friends - real life friends - I have made through this site, and many others share a similar anecdote. It's very rare that a site dedicated to one simple seasonal theme park has the numbers to make claims like that.

I agree with MOST of this…the only thing I would quibble with is that it “continues to be”…as much…which is what makes me sad. Like you and many others in the past I have become pretty close to some people on this board…something I never thought could happen over the internet.

In my opinion this doesn’t seem to be happening as much…we have lost a lot of good members. I know what you’re gonna say, people’s tastes change…but I do not think that is the case with quite a few of our valuable members…they are still talking about the park…just not here.

I would also not agree with your “This is something that has been molded for the better part of a decade by you - the users - not by us.” You had a big part in making this site what it was able to become early on…it was a breath of fresh air compared to the earlier KI fan sites.

(Are you ready for the other shoe to drop?!) The problem I see now is that you are no longer on the member’s side…you are more aligned with the park…right or wrong. As a major example…last year during the whole celebrity skeleton fiasco when I and others were voicing our complaints, if I remember correctly your stance was along the line that a lot of us were too sensitive and just liked to complain…now here we are a year later:

The celebrity skeleton display was up for the P&G sellout days (I believe it was P&G) so it wasn't hidden from public view. It was, however, removed before Haunt began.

Also, I'm willing to go as far as saying that the park came out way ahead from it. Was it appalling? Certainly.

It would have been nice back then to know that you yourself did not approve of it either instead of defending the park.

Furthermore, the moderation on this site by almost all accounts is extremely lite.

Part of me says yes, it’s TOO light…the other half says it’s too heavy…and here is what I mean by light…the site is not constantly moderated as it was back when there was a TEAM of moderators…it seemed like at least one of them was on line at all times. That was good because a “personality problem” was quickly corrected before it got out of hand…now a conversation/attack can go on for hours unchecked.

As for being “too heavy”…how many WHOLE threads disappear into the night. It seems rare that a thread is surgically removed of a couple of offensive or TOS violation posts…the whole thread just disappears…along with what is usually a good conversation. I also do not notice threads simply being locked much anymore…in the past I always liked to see what I missed.

Maybe one day in the future when the information isn't relevant any longer I can tell you guys exactly how many people see this site every year.

I TRULY hope this day is not anytime soon…but I fear that if things don’t change you may be handing out those numbers soon…which would make me VERY sad.

[The Interpreter]

Closing a site can most certainly be done. I am not going to go into how here. No need to write recipes for those who may not know how...

[BoddaH1994]

You would CERTAINLY know better than I…but could you enlighten me.

I have been curious for a long time but have never asked…could the park actually close down this forum just because we were discussing it?

They could shut us down in a matter of seconds if they wanted to. We use their names, logos, etc without written consent constantly and they could just pull the plug on that. Things like posting Haunt information before it's released makes that a real danger.

Which is kind of what I was alluding too…back in the day this site would have been “in the loop”. I guess I’m naive, it seems to me that the park would have wanted to come on it’s #1 fan site and excite/tease us with the upcoming announcement date…nothing specific…just something like “Big news coming August 24th, keep your eyes peeled”. This site would have had a field day with that…and it would have made the members of this site feel like we were still “in the loop”.

Up until a few days before the announcement, only a handful of people knew that there was going to be an announcement. Many people will claim they'd known for a while, but it's not true. As soon as I was informed that there would be an announcement, I sent out the Broadtext.

But that is what I meant by Catch 22...because of the TOS someone might have known but couldn’t post it because they would have had to disclose their source.

Just to clairify - rumors are certainly ok. If you look at the rumors section, there's all sorts of crazy stuff there. The thing that we can not allow is when people state things as fact. As in, "I talked to a park official and they told me that they were going to remove The Vortex next season." No, you didn't. Things like that are what the local media reads and calls the park about, which is a problem in itself.

I agree with MOST of this…the only thing I would quibble with is that it “continues to be”…as much…which is what makes me sad. Like you and many others in the past I have become pretty close to some people on this board…something I never thought could happen over the internet.

In my opinion this doesn’t seem to be happening as much…we have lost a lot of good members. I know what you’re gonna say, people’s tastes change…but I do not think that is the case with quite a few of our valuable members…they are still talking about the park…just not here.

People come, people go. It's part of the business. Any "loyal" member from years ago that disappeared have dropped off. You'll find that the vast majority of the people who disappear go away for one or more of the following reasons: 1 - They were an employee of the park and no longer are so their interest diminished, 2 - They get involved in a serious relationship and/or start a family so they don't have the time to think about or do Kings Island stuff like they used to, 3 - They go to, or graduate college, 4 - They spend so much time at KI and on KIC that they ultimately just get burnt out. That, at least, is what our research has shown. Sure, there are a few who disappear because they don't like one thing or another about the site, but that's just a small percentage.

It would have been nice back then to know that you yourself did not approve of it either instead of defending the park.

I didn't mean that I found it appalling. I still think it was funny. It's kind of like watching South Park when you know it's bad, but you still laugh... and gosh darn, you just can't turn it off.

[UnrealNightmare]

Or there are some here like me. Who would rather read than post. I know quite a few people from back when I joined that still read but do not post.

[Diamondback FOF]

But that is what I meant by Catch 22...because of the TOS someone might have known but couldn't post it because they would have had to disclose their source.

Just to clairify - rumors are certainly ok. If you look at the rumors section, there's all sorts of crazy stuff there. The thing that we can not allow is when people state things as fact. As in, "I talked to a park official and they told me that they were going to remove The Vortex next season." No, you didn't. Things like that are what the local media reads and calls the park about, which is a problem in itself.

I agree with MOST of this…the only thing I would quibble with is that it "continues to be"…as much…which is what makes me sad. Like you and many others in the past I have become pretty close to some people on this board…something I never thought could happen over the internet.

In my opinion this doesn't seem to be happening as much…we have lost a lot of good members. I know what you're gonna say, people's tastes change…but I do not think that is the case with quite a few of our valuable members…they are still talking about the park…just not here.

People come, people go. It's part of the business. Any "loyal" member from years ago that disappeared have dropped off. You'll find that the vast majority of the people who disappear go away for one or more of the following reasons: 1 - They were an employee of the park and no longer are so their interest diminished, 2 - They get involved in a serious relationship and/or start a family so they don't have the time to think about or do Kings Island stuff like they used to, 3 - They go to, or graduate college, 4 - They spend so much time at KI and on KIC that they ultimately just get burnt out. That, at least, is what our research has shown. Sure, there are a few who disappear because they don't like one thing or another about the site, but that's just a small percentage.

To address that first part: So, let's say I knew back in March about WindSeeker being new for next year. Rather than starting a thread saying "I talked to a park official and blah blah blah" and making it sound as fact, could I start a topic saying it'd be cool for KI to get a 300 foot swing set for 2011? Or something to that effect (better than that simple statement I said) so the info is stated, but not stated as fact? Because I don't see how that could be done because don't you have to state a source. (I think I just made this more confusing than needed...)

I disappeared for a really long time due to a few reasons: 1. School. Plain and simple my schoolwork load increased and I didn't have much free time. 2. I did get slightly burnt out, and found this site less interesting. 3. This summer my life was busier between athletics, some schoolwork, relaxing, etc, and some of the extra time I did have I just didn't want to spend it on here.

[Coney Islander]

I disappeared for a really long time due to a few reasons: 1. School. Plain and simple my schoolwork load increased and I didn't have much free time. 2. I did get slightly burnt out, and found this site less interesting. 3. This summer my life was busier between athletics, some schoolwork, relaxing, etc, and some of the extra time I did have I just didn't want to spend it on here.

I hear you there. Homework at Walnut Hills High School is unbearable. I've been forfeiting sleep time for KICentral, Dafe, park blueprinting, and whatever else I find productive towards getting a career in the field... Actually, I've been getting (more or less) 6 hours of sleep every school night. But I've been happy, keeping good grades, and having new ideas, so life is great!

As for KICentral, people have been rather insufferable, lately. A few things I'd keep in mind:

When someone posts something against the Terms of Service, the first member to reply should have the right to correct them. Whole pages commenting on a single post... People get fired up and mean to each other. Must I say irrational thought takes place?

Respect should be given to every poster, no matter his or her history.

Every single member has the ability to keep this a positively wonderful place. (Yes, that means you! )

Edit: Wise words from a significant poster on this site...

OK OK. I guess I'm just having flashbacks to an early post I made where I was trying to give some first hand observations and apparently put it in the "wrong forum" and was told I should watch it because people don't like it when people don't follow the rules. It made me feel unwelcome.

Teachable moment?

That makes two of us. Not saying anyone in this thread has done anything wrong (no one has), but one of the reasons I long prefered KIExtreme to KICentral was that, despite being a smaller community (and one that is frequented by small post counts) I never felt "stupid." You'll notice that I "joined" five years ago (just like Miss Molly), though my post count doesn't reflect that. It's because, every time I decided to post here, for the first 100 posts or so, everyone most people some people treated me like I had no idea what I was talking about and I was useless. My post quality has remained the same; only my quantity has increased. And now, I'm no longer treated like an idiot (and a few lost souls out there may actually respect some of the things I have to say). So was it just because I was new? Not fair, and not conducive to creating a lively, fresh, interesting discussion board.

There are little details that simply come with time as you grow and adapt to a new board - for example, if Miss Molly hangs around til she gets 500 posts, her topic titles will not be as long; she will bump a thread instead of starting a new one; these are things that one must learn (and be taught) and do not come naturally. I plead with you all to be accepting of new members and to try to make them feel welcome. Everyone (yes, everyone) started with 1 post. And how different would this place be had The Interpreter, or coaster_junky, or CincyMan98, or Beast1979, or standbyme been so offended by their intial treatment, that they did not return? Who knows if we've lost incredible contributors just because we were not welcoming? It's a shame...

To answer your question (as others have, but I'll verify), yes, your pass will get you into Halloween Haunt. At Kings Island, the Halloween event is not a separately ticketed event - you can come during the day, and stay into the evening when the "festivities" begin at no extra charge. Not all Cedar Fair parks offer that, but Kings Island's does.

Goodyellowkorn182, this site wouldn't be the same without you. I, and I'm sure many other people look forward to your posts.

KirkSheppard, I hope your time on KICentral has improved completely since your first few weeks of posting. And great new site, by the way! I do not go to Kings Island very often, so barely ever have the pleasure to experience any part of Kings Island's entertainment sector. Most fan sites seem to shy away from discussing their home park's entertainment.

In conclusion, as The Interpreter has said, "Things are more like they are now than they were when I got here."

So very true...

[Kirk Sheppard]

KirkSheppard, I hope your time on KICentral has improved completely since your first few weeks of posting. And great new site, by the way! I do not go to Kings Island very often, so barely ever have the pleasure to experience any part of Kings Island's entertainment sector. Most fan sites seem to shy away from discussing their home park's entertainment.

I love it here. I've met some very nice people as a result of being here and was recognized in the park today by someone from here. I also was recognized by the aunt of one of the performers who complimented my pictures....and then was recognized by two different groups of guests who know from my work in local professional wrestling, which is so weird... but I digress. Anyway, thanks, yes things have been great!

[BoddaH1994]

To address that first part: So, let's say I knew back in March about WindSeeker being new for next year. Rather than starting a thread saying "I talked to a park official and blah blah blah" and making it sound as fact, could I start a topic saying it'd be cool for KI to get a 300 foot swing set for 2011? Or something to that effect (better than that simple statement I said) so the info is stated, but not stated as fact? Because I don't see how that could be done because don't you have to state a source. (I think I just made this more confusing than needed...)

Exactly.

Of course, you can't be an idiot about it either.

[Outdoor Man]

To Ryan (whom I've seen but never met) and to Dane (whom I've met a time or two)- this is one of the most intriguing and "functional" volunteer/free sites. You could go through and list any negatives you want to- but the positives will far outweigh them. I check into KI Central when I need a break from reality in the middle of the day. Kings Island is something that me and my family do for pure recreation and fun... we did it today.

I've thoroughly enjoyed my interactions on this site- and appreciate the moderators providing this platform to talk and exchange opinions. Even those who I've had profound disagreements with- no harm no foul- it's just banter in the middle of the day.

And Ryan, you can't be an idiot about it- so in the famous words of Mr. Dwight Schrute: "when I'm about to do something I think- 'would an idiot do this?' and if they would I do not do that thing."

[LongLiveTheSmurfRide]

As a long time member, I gotta say, you guys rock.

I've been guilty of throwing the "big brother" tag around a bit, but I wasn't looking at the big picture at the time. This place offers so much that other park fan sites either don't or can't, and if it means that you have to adhere to KI policies, then that's what you gotta do. There are so many perks to being a member here that far outweigh issues where you can't post information early. Information, I might add, that's going to come out eventually anyway.

We live in a society now where everyone needs to know stuff early or they need/want to be recognized as the one who found something out before anyone else. It's not really a big deal. If you need to break a story about the park, go to Screamscape and do it there where they'll post just about anything. Just don't be surprised if you can't post that information here.

[The Interpreter]

And vice versa...don't be surprised if days or even weeks later Lance Hart posts information found long ago here...and calls it news....unless it later becomes not accurate, in which case he usually calls it "gone."