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Mods and banning (split from 'what color are you')

There's definitely a point there - you're right. But, that said, you can't blame the mods for taking each and everycomplaint seriously. That's our job.

But I, too, think people can figure out a whole lot more among themselves.

Cheers
 
Martin said:
There's definitely a point there - you're right. But, that said, you can't blame the mods for taking each and everycomplaint seriously. That's our job.
Of course they should take them serious, I'm just saying that it would be better if people tried working it out before leaving it to a mod.
 
I'd like to discuss Wabbit's post about being a moderator sometimes, and a member at others. I quite enjoy you, Wabbit, but I have to disagree here.

I am a teacher, which means that not only do I have to conduct myself in a certain way at school, but I must conduct myself in a certain way in the community. I can't be going around partying and acting crazy when I'm outside the school, and say that "I was just being a community member, the label teacher only applies to me at school." That's just not so. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the label you have labels you all the time, not just some of the time. Teacher is a label that isn't visible upon me, but moderator is a label that is visible at all times. I think it is necessary to respond to posts in an objective manner. I'm not saying that you can't have fun and participate, but you do have to hold yourself to certain standards of objectivity. If you visible loathe a member, who then gets banned, it does seem that that is not an objective move. You have to remember that people are going to make inferences from your previous statements and behaviors that may or may not be true about a given situation. You can't remove a label simply because you want to, a label is there to stay.

I do think our mods do attempt to make their decisions in an objective manner, and I do think they try to do their best with this forum. Maybe mistakes have been made, I'm not one to say. I enjoy it here and haven't run into any problems, myself. I do think that the biggest problem of many members is from thinking that our mods do not always move objectively. I think its good that both sides air out their worries, frustrations, etc, but I think both sides also need to keep a cool head about the matter and not make personal attacks upon one another. Frustration doesn't solve anything, but a level-headed discussion might move things in a positive direction.
 
blueboatdriver said:
RainbowGurl,
Is there any chance of explaining the pictures beneath your signature?
Just a bit unnerving that's all.
Its just a signature picture of my link to my website. Its part of my body :eek:
 
Irene Wilde said:
I have been assured by Darren (TBF Administrator) that he is looking into the concerns expressed in this thread.

What about the other related threads? i.e. Guidelines for Moderators.
It would be nice if he could dignify me with a response too.
 
I'd have thought you had plenty else to be getting along with in the mean time Stewart. How's the Koran?
 
Stewart - what would you rather, the Mods give you a quick answer, or that they discuss it amongst themselves and come up with a consensus and hopefully something that will put an end to this quibbling? I imagine the latter is going to take some time, allowing for time zones, work schedules and in depth discussion.

Just my $0.02 from the wardrobe.
 
Again, just quickly...no connection between the Secret Rebel Base and the Australian/Canadian wardrobe of Kookamoor, though I do like the idea of wardrobe. Maybe I could get a pack of mules to cart one up the mountainside.
 
I'm moving this to the feedback forum where it is more appropriate.

I'll post my feelings on these matters later.

Darren.
 
I just wanted to make this one comment: I just noticed that at the bottom right hand corner of each one of Stewart's post has a warnings currently issued level. I don't know when this came about.

I don't think I agree with it. I don't see what this is trying to achieve. When there are new members on board, and Stewart engages them in friendly debate and chitchat, what does the tag supposed to signify? And how are new members supposed to react when someone with 'a warning' is talking to them? Would it affect the quality and the essense of their responses?

And when we have more than a couple of members with these, and they continue to post and be active, wouldn't it look strange, to new comers? Every other thread has a post from a member with a warning level.

I for one think we could do without these tags. And I'm sure Stewart doesn't need to be reminded.

ds
 
Hi. This warning tag is something Stewart has chosen to add to his signature. We haven't added it and there are no plans to make warnings public. I personally think that they are a private matter.
 
I stand corrected. Apologies everyone.

I thought for sometime if he could have added it himself as a sig, but decided that he probably couldn't put in a right-aligned bold text due to vBulletin limitation.

Sigh.

ds
 
direstraits said:
I thought for sometime if he could have added it himself as a sig, but decided that he probably couldn't put in a right-aligned bold text due to vBulletin limitation.

If you click on someone's name (top left of each post) and select View Profile then you'll be shown the person's profile. The person's signature is also shown here - isolated from any other component.
 
phil_t said:
I think many forum members have a tendency to develop a 'them and us' attitude to Moderators that can set them apart a little from the general members. This is not necessarily a bad thing, only when certain groups seem to imagine that there is some kind of 'Mod Conspiracy' against them.

I am an Admin on another forum, which is partly the reason I am not around here anymore - now I started in that forum as a member, then moved up to Mod, Global Mod and finally Admin. I think that at each stage you move up the 'chain of command' you do have a tendency to become a little shielded from the general member base, however much you like to joke around with them, you get pushed up on a certain higher plateau as to how you are meant to put yourself across. As an Admin I find that I must watch what I say, how I post, what sort of subjects I post on - it sets you apart and I think it is a different experience from being just a normal member. Is it necessarily a bad change? Of course not, but it does make you different.

Part of the problem this forum has currently, has always had to be honest, is that the most influencial members of staff, Darren the Admin and the senior mods, are (with the exception of Martin) not very visible on the forum. Now I realise the Darren, Ell and Ashlea may well be extremely busy with other things, and this is not a criticism, but when those setting the rules are not generally around to make sure they are adhered too, they are forced to lay those responsabilities off onto others.

Phil

Phil, thanks for your informative and honest opinion.

For my part, I have been away from a computer for the last 2 weeks, and preoccupied with other things the prior 4. I came back to over 3000 posts to catch up on. I've gotta say a lot of it reads like a tragic soap opera gone awry.

I am truly sorry that so much *hit has hit the fan in the last couple of weeks (not that I think things would have proceeded differently if I 'd been around).

I think there's a general misconception that the senior mods have more say in setting the rules. Rules are discussed by all mods and Darren always has the final say. The major difference is that the senior mods have been around longer and have access to moderating tools across multiple forums.

I hate to think there is a "them" vs "us" attitude between members and mods, but I realise that the very distinction in titles promotes the idea. I do think moderators need to view themselves as moderators first and members second and conduct themselves accordingly. That doesn't mean we don't slip up from time to time and post something in haste that we're sorry for later.

At any rate, I'd like to echo Darren's point about contacting us via pm or e-mail over concerns about individual members or posts.
 
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