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Post by gary on Aug 8, 2016 22:20:01 GMT -5
As most of you can guess, once I discovered this board, I was all in 100%! But, I agree with ALJD and Pixie! This board was created as a better alternative to "TOB" (the other board) and to give everyone the ability to ask questions and learn the process without the vicious attacks from others on "TOB"! (most of you do not know about "TOB" and it's NOT important to know in 2016, thanks to ALJD and Pixie. The "powers that be" (PTB) DO check this board on a regular basis so I can see how some applicants are SHY, but so long as you don't act like Funkyodar did in the "Great Board Wars" of 2013/14, unprovoked, I might add , you can ask questions and engage with fellow Attorneys and ALJs about the process, so it is just fine the way it is! This is my opinion. Tiger What happened in the "Great Board Wars," of 2103/14? Who won? You do realize Tiger was counting on someone asking, don't you? Funky is leaving after September so Tiger won. However Tiger has already left. Several times. So Funky won.
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Post by sealaw90 on Aug 8, 2016 22:27:46 GMT -5
How do we judge whether someone participates sufficiently to avoid the dreaded lurker label? Do we go by number of posts, quality of posts or some other measure? Personally, I don't post frequently, I "like" a fair number of comments, but I check in daily because I enjoy the conversations on all threads even if not directly applicable to me. This community is interesting, have or are going through shared similar experiences, provide support, commiseration and respectfully disagree when they must (if not, we'll all feel the Pixie). I agree with you on how the board can judge sufficient participation, particularly as to quality. Who would determine the quality of a post? For example, a recent high quality post in my estimation and that of my family members, is a post of funkyodar, pertaining to SSA face recognition software. It made me laugh out loud. More than once! I shared it with my husband and he thought it hilarious, as well. He insisted I share it with our kids. They thought it was way, way funny. What is the "quality" of that post? It did not focus on the hunt for ALJ, but our family thought it was high quality. Every day I read files about pain and more pain. A little laughter just makes life better. Arrghh, don't ask that question! Tiger was exiled and Funky self-exiled. It was not pretty.
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Post by sealaw90 on Aug 8, 2016 22:29:56 GMT -5
You do realize Tiger was counting on someone asking, don't you? Funky is leaving after September so Tiger won. However Tiger has already left. Several times. So Funky won. Of course, I love these two. There must be a backstory. Are they one and the same and Funky must leave, so his alter ego Tiger can appear? No, they are very different.
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Post by gary on Aug 8, 2016 22:34:23 GMT -5
You do realize Tiger was counting on someone asking, don't you? Funky is leaving after September so Tiger won. However Tiger has already left. Several times. So Funky won. Of course, I love these two. There must be a backstory. Are they one and the same and Funky must leave, so his alter ego Tiger can appear? You just managed to insult both of them.
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Post by bayou on Aug 9, 2016 7:37:28 GMT -5
What is the difference between a lurker that doesn't sign up and a lurker that signs up to view the board but doesn't participate? I see little difference. Perhaps requiring them to sign up would make them more inclined to participate but I doubt it. Plus, I expect that Pixie and ALJD get some type of revenue from ads based on traffic level. For all the yeoman work put in running this board, may as well leave it open to keep traffic level at its highest and maximize rewards for them. Yeah, right! I will give you all of my share for the next couple of years. Pixie Really? I guess I once again have proven the old saying about assume. Bummer. I actually feel bad that you have to put up with us for nothing.
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Post by anotherfed on Aug 9, 2016 9:17:30 GMT -5
Pixie, the check is in the mail.
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Post by Mjǿlner on Aug 9, 2016 11:58:22 GMT -5
I for one am glad that registration was not required in order to look at this board when I first came across it. I've forgotten why or how I came across the board, but it was when I was looking for something else and read most of the stickies about the application process and life is an ALJ. The posts been me think that the position of being an ALJ was something that I might be interested in and may be realize how screamingly important it is to take advantage of when OPM decides that it is going to open up the register, so that when I saw the notice from OPM earlier this year, I understood its importance, completed the initial ALJ application and joined this board. Who knew that they only open about the ALJ registry about once every presidential term? Before joining the board I would have guessed that it had to be at least once every Congressional term.
If this board required that I sign up, before I could read it, chances are pretty high that I would of passed by the useful information that was available to me a year ago, as I am hesitant to sign up for most things that require disclosing my email. Who amongst us has not regretted the spam that we have to deal with daily as a result of giving our email address to some news site, vendor, big-box store or other online merchant that we had some temporary infatuation with?
This board has been very successful over the past and I for one attributed to the efforts of the people who are here before me and their policies and I am not one to lightly suggest changing something that has been so successful and obviously helpful to many people who have gone on to become ALJs.
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Post by owl on Aug 9, 2016 14:53:47 GMT -5
Grudgingly I must admit that ALJD's reasons for keeping the forum viewable without prior registration are all sound, especially the one that notes that freeloaders are going to freeload anyway, even if you make them register first. So requiring registration just would mean more work for the admins - who are all volunteers and to whom we owe a great, great debt - and that would ultimately make them less willing to maintain this forum.
Still, I share privateatty's frustration, even if it does look like the cure would be worse than the disease. This board is an astoundingly helpful resource and amazingly supportive community, and I sure do wish that somehow its benefits could be reserved for those who have contributed even just the merest modicum of value. I'm not even talking solid information. Just a single WAG, sympathetic word, bit of humor, or even a "like" would be enough. Something. Anything.
Therefore, my modest proposal is that nobody should be allowed to register for the sole purpose of announcing they got the job, and as a corollary, any first post by a registered member that announces his/her hiring should be summarily deleted. If you want to reap the benefits of this forum in anonymity, enjoy the fruits of them in anonymity as well.
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Post by anotherfed on Aug 9, 2016 15:00:42 GMT -5
Therefore, my modest proposal is that nobody should be allowed to register for the sole purpose of announcing they got the job, and as a corollary, any first post by a registered member that announces his/her hiring should be summarily deleted. If you want to reap the benefits of this forum in anonymity, enjoy the fruits of them in anonymity as well. Well, that kind of defeats the purpose of encouraging people to report they have been hired and to vote in polls, so that we (and by "we" I mean gary and Gaidin) can compile statistics of how many hires there are by location, NOR, and overall.
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Post by gary on Aug 9, 2016 15:03:01 GMT -5
I want to know about people getting the job, even if they have not contributed to the Board in any other way. It increases the knowledge on the Board about hiring by SSA.
I'm afraid I must disagree with the proposal.
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Post by Baymax on Aug 9, 2016 15:08:26 GMT -5
I'd like to echo mjoiner's comments and many others (like anotherfed and gary). I think it's safe to say that everyone starts off as a lurker here to some extent, but when one discovers the fun, camaraderie and openness of many of the members, it makes one want to become a member. I lurked for a while before I finally joined. I disagree with this proposal.
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Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2016 15:31:33 GMT -5
If only there was a way to build a wall, you know to keep out all the illegal lurkers, you know, to Make this Board Great Again.
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Post by anotherfed on Aug 9, 2016 15:37:07 GMT -5
If only there was a way to build a wall, you know to keep out all the illegal lurkers, you know, to Make this Board Great Again. We prefer the term, "undocumented lurkers"
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Post by privateatty on Aug 9, 2016 15:37:20 GMT -5
I want to know about people getting the job, even if they have not contributed to the Board in any other way. It increases the knowledge on the Board about hiring by SSA. I'm afraid I must disagree with the proposal. First off, I agree with ALJD and Pixie. It is what it is. I'm just not keeping up and should have remembered the "new" registration requirements. Secondly, I heartily disagree with gary. We have a coffee pool at work. We know who contributes and pretty much who sneaks a cup. Little bad Karma transgressions throughout life add up. For the perennial lurker who just takes, when you are in the nursing home late in life you may be surrounded by care givers and fellow old folk just like you.
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Post by Teuful Hunden on Aug 9, 2016 15:38:39 GMT -5
Papajudge had me literally laughing out loud. This is my first post.
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Post by anotherfed on Aug 9, 2016 15:40:55 GMT -5
Papajudge had me literally laughing out loud. This is my first post. Excellent first post! @papajudge generally has good quips. Thank you for coming out of the shadows!
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Post by aljwishhope on Aug 9, 2016 15:44:14 GMT -5
I think folks should be allowed to lurk and should pm a board member with any statistical data (i.e. I have a 60 nor and was hired for a job in Phoenix) I for one may talk too much as a board member. Although many other comments may make me smile All I really want is the great Intel and information from Gary Gaidan and pixie and a few others. Imagine how much ideal chit chat would obscure the real Intel if the lurkers joined and next step commented. Just saying watch what you ask for.
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Post by Teuful Hunden on Aug 9, 2016 15:46:19 GMT -5
I'm an outsider as a solo practicing Immigration. Figured it was better to go through all the the threads and learn the lingo before opening keyboard and inserting foot. I' ve learned a lot, laughed a lot and anxiously awaiting results with everyone else from the class of 2016.
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Post by phoenixrakkasan on Aug 9, 2016 15:59:15 GMT -5
The Board should be limited to individuals who can find it. Kind of like Tortuga Island.
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Post by Gaidin on Aug 9, 2016 16:11:16 GMT -5
Perhaps the single most useful thing many people can post is that they got hired and then vote in the polls. That Intel is vital to our greater understanding of hiring and the hiring process. Some people need to sit quietly until they have something of value to add. I on the other hand cannot sit quietly whether I add value or not. That doesn't mean I am not glad to hear when others think they can add value. They wouldn't have any idea if they added value or not if they couldn't see the Board first.
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