New moderators closing active threads

[IanG]

The UK sub forum thread was closed while at an important stage with very constructive comments being made, it wasn't a finished discussion or is this the new intolerance, there was NOTHING contreversial*except Sal's posts).

Ian

[gary mulder]

This is like a play I have seen before. Please don't bite on the hook. I am happy with the forum as it is. Close asap.

[mdm]

Thats why he is a moderator, his job is to moderate. Are you wanting an unmoderated forum?

[Brian Ellis]

I think it's long past time to end the public criticisms and complaints about the way moderators perform their tasks. Nobody forced you to participate, nobody solicited your participation. You chose to participate knowing, I assume, that it's a moderated forum. Few decisions made by moderators of any forum are met with unanimous approval. At some point it seems to me that you or anyone similarly situated should stop the public complaints and either accept the fact that it's run in a certain way or leave. You're well past that point IMHO.

[Struan Gray]

I don't buy the 'like it or lump it' line of reasoning. There's nothing wrong with a bit of meta-discussion.

But Ian, we're well past 'a bit'. It seemed pretty clear to me that members *and* mods didn't much like your suggestion.


Nobody ever takes my advice either. Which is: post the sort of posts you'd like to see posted.


One of the things I love here is that the moderators and owners have refused all forms of payment or contributions towards running costs, even a Christmas tip jar. That doesn't make them flawless or beyond reproach, but it does give a boost to the feel that we're a community here and, for me at least, makes more than a modicum of public wingeing quickly look like peeing in the paddling pool.

[BradS]

What an unfriendly place this has become.

[Sal Santamaura]

What an unfriendly place this has become.I disagree. It's become friendlier since the moderators stopped allowing unfriendly behavior to be acceptable. Overall, for the entire community, strict enforcement of rules governing civility increases friendliness of the forum's atmosphere.

[Sal Santamaura]

...there was NOTHING contreversial*except Sal's posts)...There was nothing controversial about what I posted. Only those whose positions my opinions directly opposed posted anything negative about my inputs.

In my opinion, this entire thread ought be deleted, not simply closed. It only serves to continue the discussion from a thread the moderators closed. Doing that is a blatant gambit to undermine their (appropriately used) authority.

[BradS]

I disagree. It's become friendlier since the moderators stopped allowing unfriendly behavior to be acceptable. Overall, for the entire community, strict enforcement of rules governing civility increases friendliness of the forum's atmosphere.

ever notice how the mods are quick to quash unfriendly rhetoric from a whole lot of folks but you and a handful of others can be as nasty as you want and your insults and bickering posts are left alone? You and a couple of others who just love to bicker and squabble about every thing are the major contributors to the unpleasantness, in my opinion.

[rdenney]

Stop this now. There is no cause for insults or personal attacks, and they violate the guidelines of this forum.

My observation is that less moderation is better, and I have not usually seen removed posts or closed threads because the poster edges onto being brusque. But then I've always brought my thick skin to forums and don't offend easily. There is a difference between being brusque, which is brutal honesty about a topic or a behavior, versus being insulting, which moves to descriptions of a person. Maybe the line is fine, but it's always seemed clear to me.

Secondly, I closed the thread in the feedback section because Ian and I were repeating ourselves unproductively, and it seemed to me that nothing new was to be gleaned from that discussion. As I've said before, if I'm wrong, then someone can raise the topic again in a new thread, and demonstrate that something new needed to be said by saying it. That has not happened in this thread, or in the last thread about which this same accusation was made by the same person. The thread was in the feedback forum, which is there to discuss issues about the operation of the forum. When the issue has been discussed, the thread has no need to continue.

Thirdly, one reason the guidelines are written as they are is to prevent moderators from having to spend hours everyday babysitting people who should know better. I've spent hours today on this topic, to little enlightenment beyond a few nuggets which came out days ago. The alternative would have been to close it this morning, while the moderators discussed it in their own time, as Kirk stated we were doing.

Rick "who will not spend hours on this topic tomorrow" Denney

[Steven Tribe]

The closed thread did start off OK, but lost its way long before it was shut down.

In the light of recent experience, perhaps contributors should impose an hour's delay before replying when there is " an increasing level of emotion" in contributions.

Some of the posts seem almost designed to raise hackles!



Steven "who agrees Rick should have a rest day to-day" Tribe

[IanG]

It doesn't help when it's Moderators themselves posting in threads and there were off topic postings with personal attacks that the moderators should have deleted. And yes one poster was trying to cause problems.

It raises issues of who Moderates the Moderators which should be uneccessary.

Ian

[Sevo]

And yes one poster was trying to cause problems.


Well, as Stalin always said to my grandmother, self-awareness is the first step to improvement!

[Jerry Bodine]

Well, as Stalin always said to my grandmother, self-awareness is the first step to improvement!

+1
Years ago, someone said that when wishing to be critical of another, "just remember that when pointing at him there are three other fingers pointing back to yourself."

[Ed Bray]

+1
Years ago, someone said that when wishing to be critical of another, "just remember that when pointing at him there are three other fingers pointing back to yourself."

But that only makes two :rolleyes:

[hoffner]

ever notice how the mods are quick to quash unfriendly rhetoric from a whole lot of folks but you and a handful of others can be as nasty as you want and your insults and bickering posts are left alone? You and a couple of others who just love to bicker and squabble about every thing are the major contributors to the unpleasantness, in my opinion.

Indeed.

[Sal Santamaura]

I think it's long past time to end the public criticisms and complaints about the way moderators perform their tasks. Nobody forced you to participate, nobody solicited your participation. You chose to participate knowing, I assume, that it's a moderated forum. Few decisions made by moderators of any forum are met with unanimous approval. At some point it seems to me that you or anyone similarly situated should stop the public complaints and either accept the fact that it's run in a certain way or leave. You're well past that point IMHO.Quoted in tribute to the wisdom of our late member, Brian Ellis.

[Michael Mutmansky]

I'm not real active in this forum anymore, so I don't know the back story here, but it appears pretty clear that hoffner is acting the part of an excellent forum troll.

Seriously dude, you are pulling up multiple, multiple-year-old posts to complain about moderation?

Been moderated recently?! Maybe you should look in the mirror a bit to figure out what may have occurred to cause the problems...

[djdister]

Pulling up a meaningless two year old thread, how timely... betcha I could move this thread to being locked.

[Ken Lee]

Done :)