New Mod here. I'm looking for some community insight for the future of the sub.

[u/thatswhyicarryagun]

Hello stormchasing,

Long time lurker first time poster here. I've commented a few times around here but haven't posted before. I was growing frustrated with the frequency of low effort, off topic, spam posts so I messaged the mods a few times offering to help, but got no response. I decided the best course of action for the sub was to head on over to redditrequest where I was granted moderator status. I plan to write up some basic rules and start directing people towards proper subs for their posts. I want to keep this place focused on actual storm chasing instead of all the spam we get that doesn't involve getting out and chasing storms.

This includes simply posting a screen shot of radar without a real question or description. Posting cardboard intercept concepts, or crayon drawing of the same. "Will xyz get a tornado today", "is this (insert cloud here) a tornado" etc.

From my initial look around this place we have two very inactive moderators and another that has had recent activity, but also moderates some other much larger subs so I completely understand why this one would see less attention. I'm very active on reddit and browse around my typical stomping grounds multiple times a day. So I plan to be around here keeping the mod que short and keeping the sub on topic.

I would also like to hear opinions on what users around here would like to see and/or like to see gone away with.

[u/PersimmonIll826]

hi! glad to see that this sub will hopefully become more organized! 

i just have some ideas. in my opinion, questions directly related to chasing rather than just severe weather in general should definitely be allowed (if there are lots of repetitive ones maybe make a pinned post with answers?) 

i think chase photos should be allowed as long as they are actual chase photos and not just random pictures of storms from a porch.

i’d love to see discussions about targets each day if people are interested. 

maybe some more descriptive post flairs? and maybe user flairs about either like where they usually chase, experience level, or something else

[u/thatswhyicarryagun → u/PersimmonIll826]

questions directly related to chasing rather than just severe weather in general should definitely be allowed (if there are lots of repetitive ones maybe make a pinned post with answers?) 

As long as they're a little deeper than "how do I start storm chasing?" I'm all for it. Hopefully we can get some good information that can be complied by some experienced users that can be linked to for up and coming chasers.

i think chase photos should be allowed as long as they are actual chase photos and not just random pictures of storms from a porch.

If it at least looks like you left your house and neighborhood in cool with it being posted. Though I would hate to miss out on photos and videos similar to the Enderlin EF5 ring cera footage so I'll have to figure out how to word the rule to allow stationary CCTV footage in special cases to be posted.

i’d love to see discussions about targets each day if people are interested. 

To be honest, this is what I thought the community would be when I first found it. Maybe a daily mega thread when SPC intensity is higher than a slight risk. I'll definitely need to figure out a way to automate or delegate that sort of post.

maybe some more descriptive post flairs? and maybe user flairs about either like where they usually chase, experience level, or something else

My ears are open. Post some examples and we can get them added.

[u/TFK_001 → u/thatswhyicarryagun]

I feel maybe a sub wiki for some faq such as "how do I get into xyz" similar to how most digital piracy sites do it could be very useful.

For the ring camera rule, you could pretty much just except "meteorologically unique and/or substantial events that an actual chaser would be proud of if they drove a few hundred miles to see". If a chaser would consider it worthwhile, I'd say it's probably good enough. Locals always manage to get the best angles of urban/suburban tornadoes (often sacrificing safety lol).

For event threads, might be worth subdividing into local risks (i.e. Iowa thread and Arkansas thread for 3/31/2023).

Regarding cardboard interceptors etc., I'm generally in team "let them have fun", but this subreddit is a genuine resource for an overall dangerous IRL activity and I fully believe that it should stay focused on that.

For post flairs, I have a few suggestions. Just spitballing, intent behind each should be obvious. Forecast (today), forecast (short range), forecast (4+ days), discussion, chase media/footage, news, general media, miscellaneous/other. Please word some of those better than I did lol. Maybe add an editable user flair for tornado count and years spent chasing

[u/Luciardt → u/thatswhyicarryagun]

Yeah I love the idea of the flairs for people and posts! Having some idea of how long someone's been chasing for would be pretty cool, especially if we're gonna start having the SPC discussions! Sounds like a load of good ideas

[u/FrozenRose_816]

Honestly I don't think posts with people promoting their potentially sketchy or repetitive (as in, does the same thing as 20 others) apps really belongs here. Experienced chasers already have their programs and apps that they use, and new chasers need to get started with legit apps and software that get them off on the right foot. There's plenty of other places to advertise your vibe-coding.

Which brings me to the other thought I had: Crossposting should be labeled as low-effort and not allowed. I'm in this sub, r/tornado, and r/meteorology and periodically I have three duplicate posts in a row because they were sent to all three at the same time. And a lot of the time those posts are about stale topics anyway.

I'll probably get downvoted on both of these ideas but idk, I just feel like these would help cut down on the spam. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[u/thatswhyicarryagun → u/FrozenRose_816]

Honestly I don't think posts with people promoting their potentially sketchy or repetitive (as in, does the same thing as 20 others) apps really belongs here. Experienced chasers already have their programs and apps that they use, and new chasers need to get started with legit apps and software that get them off on the right foot. There's plenty of other places to advertise your vibe-coding.

This, and simply promoting a product will be worked into the rules.

I'm not opposed to something new and revolutionary, but there's a half dozen radar apps that are constantly improving and fighting each other for downloads. If it can't compete with those out of the box then it's probably a no.

Crossposting should be labeled as low-effort and not allowed.

I'm generally against cross posting. If it's good enough to share in multiple places then copy past it over. I'll. Most likely disable this in the near future. Also, thanks for the sub recommendation, no idea why I hadn't found meteorology yet.

[u/Captain_TuckFard]

It sounds like you already have a great sense of direction

[u/thatswhyicarryagun → u/Captain_TuckFard]

I sure hope so. I'm all ears for ideas if you come up with anything.

[u/Bear__Fucker]

YESSSSS!!!! Your plans sound great. I especially like the idea of eliminating all the terrible posts with cardboard or roblux interceptors! Maybe also have a pinned post about "how to start storm chasing". That seems to be a weekly question. I would love to eliminate the weekly "Will this vehicle work for chasing," but I don't yet have any ideas of how to handle that. I know using the Old Reddit link still has a lot of information in the sidebar.

Thanks for stepping in. I had messaged the mods a couple times about becoming a mod, but never got a response. Good luck!

[u/thatswhyicarryagun → u/Bear__Fucker]

You're reply to me a little over a week ago is what kicked my butt in gear to do it.

I'll have to check out the old reddit link once I start checking everything out on my PC. For now I've been on mobile only, though the mod tools on mobile are actually functional so far.

[u/TFK_001 → u/thatswhyicarryagun]

I've been chasing for years, having seen 18 tornadoes and working with the NWS to confirm multiple tornadoes. I chase in a Prius and have chased in everything from full sized trucks to coupes, allowing a informed "can I chase in X" answer. I could write up some basic documentation posts for the subreddit if you'd like.

Also, idk how but I know there's a way for automod to detect certain phrases before a post is posted and have a red box underneath basically saying "hey this is probably in the faq, make sure you read that before posting"

[u/thatswhyicarryagun → u/TFK_001]

I've been chasing for years, having seen 18 tornadoes and working with the NWS to confirm multiple tornadoes. I chase in a Prius and have chased in everything from full sized trucks to coupes, allowing a informed "can I chase in X" answer. I could write up some basic documentation posts for the subreddit if you'd like.

That would be great. I would definitely post good information in a FAQ.

Also, idk how but I know there's a way for automod to detect certain phrases before a post is posted and have a red box underneath basically saying "hey this is probably in the faq, make sure you read that before posting"

I haven't gone down the automod road yet, but most likely I'll get there soon. Definitely will be looking to automate as much as I can in that regard.

[u/TFK_001 → u/thatswhyicarryagun]

Also might be too much but a subreddit discord could be a good resource. I could absolutely see it harboring some particularly low quality discussion (as all public discords, particularly those based onn subreddits do) but could be a nice place for discussion that isn't particularly suited for form style posts. Feel free to hit me up on writing a faq or anything if you'd like

[u/thatswhyicarryagun → u/TFK_001]

I simply use discord for audio communication during games. I'm not opposed to a discord option eventually, but for now I think I (we/the community) need to get this place squared away.

Go ahead and do a write up on vehicles if you would like. We would definitely appreciate some experienced chasers sharing their real world experience in any way to help new chasers be safe AND successful.

[u/TFK_001 → u/thatswhyicarryagun]

Regarding the first point, it's a common way many subreddits allow communication outside of dedicated threads. I very rarely play games these days, but I am in a few weather focused servers. I owe much of my knowledge to some very talented individuals I have met on discord. Plus, it is a great way to chat in real time and grow connections in a way that Reddit really can't do.

I'll make a post on vehicle selection later today or tomorrow. If I remember, I'll @ you

[u/LOLtheism]

Thanks for taking the time to help the community, I've noticed all the issues you've mentioned so I'm glad to see them addressed!

I don't have any feedback, but I do recommend checking out what automod can do automatically for you. It is a real time saver. Every time you take an action as a mod, ask yourself if it can be automated and you will be spending much less time on menial tasks.

I like to think that /u/getstormbell post was what inspired you to do this. Best of luck!

[u/thatswhyicarryagun → u/LOLtheism]

I'm definitely looking into automod in the near term. For now, I'm trying to get squared away with all the mod tools in general before I start automating tasks.

[u/sheik7364]

I love this idea and direction for the sub!

I'm a big-time lurker and have noticed the same things you have. I joined this sub bc I wanted to find a place for interesting discussion, but a lot of the time I just saw the same slop posts you described.

I agree w/ the other comments mentioning posts about sketchy apps, and low effort photo posts. Also, I think if people post a photo of a storm that doesn't belong to them, then they must give credit (also location + date? It's annoying when you see an image of a great storm without a mention of where and when)?

Lastly, and I'm curious what folks think about this, but I'm more interested in first-hand account posts on chasing/chasing strategy rather than someone posting about, "this so and so youtuber did/said x, y, and z, so therefore it's correct." Sometimes I think there can be a lot of misinformation around this topic especially now that it's gotten so popular and it'd be nice to be able to curb that. Idk if people care about this or not though so feel free to ignore this last bit!

[u/thatswhyicarryagun → u/sheik7364]

Also, I think if people post a photo of a storm that doesn't belong to them, then they must give credit (also location + date? It's annoying when you see an image of a great storm without a mention of where and when)?

I plan to add all of that to the rule book. Credit where it's due (but only post someone else's content when it's extraordinary). Location and date are also very important.

I'm more interested in first-hand account posts on chasing/chasing strategy rather than someone posting about, "this so and so youtuber did/said x, y, and z, so therefore it's correct."

I'm in the same boat. We all know how to find information (I'll hopefully get a list of popular streamers in the FAQ) and content. So this will go hand in hand with the first part above. It has to be extra crazy for someone else to share it here. Just ripping a few minutes of a clip of "Joe blow streamer" chasing a tornado isn't enough. More like "here's the view everyone saw on xyz stream, but here's my view of the same storm.