12 replies to this topic

[mx123]

While I'm not particularly against the moderators of this site, and some of them seem to be decent people, some of the moderation is questionable and unhelpful to the forum.

From observing what goes on here, it's clear that most of the moderators have the mindset that they're here to 'enforce the rules' rather than 'to help members and the forum.' The latter is a better mindset for moderators to have, creates better relationships between staff and members, allows for more discussion, and is generally better for the atmosphere of a forum.

One example:
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/virgins-u...70#entry2874870

Why was this thread locked? Sure it's not in the right section, but why not simply move it to a more suitable one? (I.E. The Lounge)

It's not my intention to get caught up on that particular example, this is more about the feel I have of the moderation on this forum in general in comparison to other forums I use where the moderators are more relaxed and more helpful. Without meaning to sound offensive, I feel it would be better if the moderators didn't take their jobs so seriously and totally shut off discussions at the first sign of a trivial rule being broken that could easily be rectified. It's a forum, surely moderators should be promoting discussion.

Analogy: If some of the moderators of this forum were police officers, they would arrest people and have their cars impounded for driving 1mph over the speed limit.

Discretion is key.

Edited by mx123, 23 May 2010 - 09:36 AM.

[c'est la vigne]

The reason I didn't move that thread to the Lounge was that the OP doesn't have Lounge access. Had the OP had Lounge access, I would've just moved it to The Lounge and made a post in there saying, "Moved to The Lounge.". I suppose I could've moved it to The Lounge anyway, but since the OP wouldn't have been able to see it there, I opted to simply closed it.

The moderating team made it clear in the thread that I linked to twice in that thread that, with the exception of The Lounge, the boards here are on-topic boards, meaning that the threads started on them need to be related to acne in some way (acne, acne scarring, acne treatments, the emotional effects of acne, etc.). The board descriptions make it very clear what each particular board is for, and that thread was not appropriate to that board.

You'll also notice that, for the most part, the posts that the members of the moderating team make on the boards are made in an effort to help people. We ask questions, offer advice and feedback, and help direct members to other threads, boards, or areas of the site where they can find the information they're looking for.

But, yes. We do occasionally have to close threads or make posts reminding people of the board rules or to help keep threads on track. That's what we're here to do.

There's been a lot of off-topic posting on the Emo board lately, and that's why Brandy posted the thread I linked to. People are still making off-topic threads though, so yeah, actions are being taken.

[lyssa jr]

Okay, I really don't see how the mods are being jerks. Their jobs aren't to be our friends (not saying they can't be obviously lol, also not suggesting they aren't friendly) but to enforce the rules. And when they do that, they're being the bad guy? I don't get it. Can you imagine what this place would be like with NO mods? Hell, it'd be horrible. There'd be an increase in fighting, trolls, and everything you can imagine. I don't get why you think the mods aren't doing a good job here honestly.
While mods DO help people on the forum and are friendly - what makes you think they are the ones that have to? What about the community? Isn't that what this place is all about? I was not informed that only the mods can be friendly and help answer questions. Had I known that, I wouldn't have made any friends on this site.

You also have to take into account that this site is for ALL ages. I'm not saying that just because I'm fifteen; I have no problem what people say because I've heard it before. All these threads are subject to being read by all ages around the world. I can understand fully why some threads are locked and not "rectified".
Another point is the bickering and fighting. I know for sure that the mods warn people FIRST before they just up and close a thread. I have seen times where fighting has escalated and people were being very scary and serious about what they were saying. This place is supposed to be a safe environment for all.

I'm not trying to be a suck-up or defend my mod friends. These are my honest views, and I personally don't like the flavor of haterade you're sippin' on.

[Wynne]

Moderators are here to enforce the rules; that's one reason why we were picked for the volunteer job. We can be helpful too when the subject happens to be something we know about. But primarily, we are here to enforce the board rules and maintain a certain level of decency/organization on the boards.

It's a given that while doing our volunteer duties, many will disagree and even become angry with us for doing what we do. We've accepted that. Rarely do we get a thanks for what we do. We've accepted that, too.

[mx123]

Okay, I really don't see how the mods are being jerks. Their jobs aren't to be our friends (not saying they can't be obviously lol, also not suggesting they aren't friendly) but to enforce the rules. And when they do that, they're being the bad guy? I don't get it. Can you imagine what this place would be like with NO mods? Hell, it'd be horrible. There'd be an increase in fighting, trolls, and everything you can imagine. I don't get why you think the mods aren't doing a good job here honestly.
While mods DO help people on the forum and are friendly - what makes you think they are the ones that have to? What about the community? Isn't that what this place is all about? I was not informed that only the mods can be friendly and help answer questions. Had I known that, I wouldn't have made any friends on this site.

You also have to take into account that this site is for ALL ages. I'm not saying that just because I'm fifteen; I have no problem what people say because I've heard it before. All these threads are subject to being read by all ages around the world. I can understand fully why some threads are locked and not "rectified".
Another point is the bickering and fighting. I know for sure that the mods warn people FIRST before they just up and close a thread. I have seen times where fighting has escalated and people were being very scary and serious about what they were saying. This place is supposed to be a safe environment for all.

I'm not trying to be a suck-up or defend my mod friends. These are my honest views, and I personally don't like the flavor of haterade you're sippin' on.

Of course the forum would be worse without mods, but that doesn't in itself necessarily mean they're doing a good job. (Not to say I think they're doing a bad job, but your statement in itself doesn't say much.)

I think you're missing the point about when I said about mods being here to help the community. I didn't mean they should be the only ones replying to threads etc. Some other forums don't have 'moderators' as such but 'user support' personnel, emphasising that they're there to help the community, not just for enforcing rules and the staff on these forums just seem more relaxed about their jobs. It's just a different mindset.

I don't particularly have a problem with the moderators, just I feel a lot of threads get locked unnecessarily (and some of the moderators don't come off very friendly when going about their job which just creates a divide). I think a little discretion could be used at times and some of the mods could possibly lighten up a little.

I realise moderators don't get much thanks for what they're doing (I've moderated on several large forums in the past) and I don't mean to criticise, I'm just making a suggestion.

P.S. I am not 'hating', nor did I say mods were 'jerks' or 'bad guys'. Almost every time I visit this forum I see people complaining about or having disagreements with the moderators. I'm just trying to offer suggestions as to how this could be improved.

Edited by mx123, 23 May 2010 - 12:37 PM.

[IPA]

You're being extremely vague and that does no good to the mods. They need examples to work with. You provided one already and that was already shown to be a non-issue. If you can't provide examples then you're not being constructive. That's just how these like this work. I'm a mod on a very large tech forum and complaints like this pop up every once in a while. 99% of the time the person either a) didn't understand the rules fully and so it's their fault or b) they're just making things up because they're mad they got a warning or temporarily banned and someone else didn't. Don't forget that mods are human and make tons of judgement calls, which vary from mod to mod and their mood. People want consistency and at the same time freedom and it's a balancing act for mods that doesn't come easy every time.

So tl;dr: give specific examples and realize mods are trying to help the community overall.

[mx123]

You're being extremely vague and that does no good to the mods. They need examples to work with. You provided one already and that was already shown to be a non-issue. If you can't provide examples then you're not being constructive. That's just how these like this work. I'm a mod on a very large tech forum and complaints like this pop up every once in a while. 99% of the time the person either a) didn't understand the rules fully and so it's their fault or b) they're just making things up because they're mad they got a warning or temporarily banned and someone else didn't. Don't forget that mods are human and make tons of judgement calls, which vary from mod to mod and their mood. People want consistency and at the same time freedom and it's a balancing act for mods that doesn't come easy every time.

So tl;dr: give specific examples and realize mods are trying to help the community overall.

I don't really have the time to go searching through the forums looking for threads that have been locked. Also it's hard of me to find examples when I only visit this forum every once in a blue moon - it would difficult for me to look back for threads I can think that are probably now months old. I'm pretty sure even if I did, all of the examples would be dismissed and they would simply say the action took was justified or whatever, I doubt mods are going to dispute each others (or even their own) decisions publicly - that wouldn't be good.

Your suggested reasons for me making this thread...
a) I understand the rules, I just don't think they always need to be so strictly enforced.
b) I have not received a warning or been banned.

It's just that other forums I use seem to have better interaction between the moderators and regular users than I often see on this forum. I was just trying to make some suggestions on how to improve this. I don't mean to come across as being overly negative of the moderation team or anything and I apologise if that is the way this is the way thread comes across.

Edited by mx123, 23 May 2010 - 01:47 PM.

[ayla]

They used to have more relaxed mods, but they were fired.

[Siava]

I don't really have the time to go searching through the forums looking for threads that have been locked. Also it's hard of me to find examples when I only visit this forum every once in a blue moon - it would difficult for me to look back for threads I can think that are probably now months old. I'm pretty sure even if I did, all of the examples would be dismissed and they would simply say the action took was justified or whatever, I doubt mods are going to dispute each others (or even their own) decisions publicly - that wouldn't be good.

Your suggested reasons for me making this thread...
a) I understand the rules, I just don't think they always need to be so strictly enforced.
b) I have not received a warning or been banned.

It's just that other forums I use seem to have better interaction between the moderators and regular users than I often see on this forum. I was just trying to make some suggestions on how to improve this. I don't mean to come across as being overly negative of the moderation team or anything and I apologise if that is the way this is the way thread comes across.

I don't think you're being overly negative or anything like that. Suggestions are always welcome. Thank you for them.

I'd like to stress that the Acne.org board is not a hobby or special interest forum like most others you come across. This forum is a major component of a business so we have to be strict. I think many folks forget that aspect or just choose to ignore it. There are legal issues to consider. Having a positive image keeps businesses going as well. Those issues aside, like it has already been mentioned, all ages visit this site. If some threads were allowed to continue, I wouldn't even let my own daughter visit. And we're more relaxed than you might think. There's cursing and genitalia talk all over the place, but as long as it's about acne (aside from The Lounge) and isn't excessively crude or abusive, the threads continue. I assure you that we're not on power trips or anything like that. The mods announce to one another every time a thread is closed, moved, under consideration, etc. We don't just do as we please. If one of us acts on a thread or post, the others contribute feedback. Sometimes threads get re-opened. Sometimes apologies are given to forum members for an action one of us has taken. We do make mistakes, but if we're all in agreeance that something needs to be closed then it gets closed.

[Wynne]

Those are also good points to keep in mind, Siava.

[mx123]

I don't think you're being overly negative or anything like that. Suggestions are always welcome. Thank you for them.

I'd like to stress that the Acne.org board is not a hobby or special interest forum like most others you come across. This forum is a major component of a business so we have to be strict. I think many folks forget that aspect or just choose to ignore it. There are legal issues to consider. Having a positive image keeps businesses going as well. Those issues aside, like it has already been mentioned, all ages visit this site. If some threads were allowed to continue, I wouldn't even let my own daughter visit. And we're more relaxed than you might think. There's cursing and genitalia talk all over the place, but as long as it's about acne (aside from The Lounge) and isn't excessively crude or abusive, the threads continue. I assure you that we're not on power trips or anything like that. The mods announce to one another every time a thread is closed, moved, under consideration, etc. We don't just do as we please. If one of us acts on a thread or post, the others contribute feedback. Sometimes threads get re-opened. Sometimes apologies are given to forum members for an action one of us has taken. We do make mistakes, but if we're all in agreeance that something needs to be closed then it gets closed.

This post actually gives some reasonable explanation as to why it is fairly strict, in particular with it being part of a business.

Thank you.

[Siava]

You're welcome, mx. Thank you for understanding. I'm glad you questioned what goes on around here because you're a valuable member to this community. For real. I hope others will feel just as comfortable as you did to question anything they feel needs to be addressed.

[Wynne]

Siava.