Weekend Moderator.

Absolutely!

I'm hopeful that the bannings will be swift and widely applied, though not necessarily perma-bans. A lot of stupid things have been done on this forum by people who know better.

And the next time someone asks "where did so and so go?" I hope they think back on this weekend and consider the repercussions of childish behavior, 'hero' worship, and cliques.

I'm applyin' for the job...

For a reference, I refer you to the last post in this thread..

/forums/t/141164.aspx?PageIndex=12

Got a problem with it?

Bgrigg

Absolutely!

I'm hopeful that the bannings will be swift and widely applied, though not necessarily perma-bans. A lot of stupid things have been done on this forum by people who know better.

Calling for "bannings to be swift and widely applied" is a sure-fire way to start problems, not solve them, Bill...  The root-word in "moderator" is "Moderate"..

A moderator can't be going around the forums and applying corporal or capital punishment at his or her own whim... Moderators are simply the local "constable", who have a few options in stopping things from getting out of hand, and even to stop things before they start... Witness the thread started by Jdice for instance..

Were a weekend moderator in place, that thread would have locked at first sight, since it was nothing BUT inflammatory in nature and designed to start a fight between members, and it succeeded..

Wildly...

I'd have simply locked it, and any subsequent thread started by that member, along with a note to the Administrator to check them out, then it's up to THAT individual to decide if the thread has enough merit to remain... Moderators don't have the powers, real or imagined, to "swiftly and widely ban" members... He's not a judge, he simply has to excerise good judgement..  The Administrator is the Judge...

I've moderated in several forums, and I can tell you from experience that it ain't a part-time "job"... A moderator has to be vigilant and dedicated to be at his or her post, especially during the hours that trolls are most active, generally "while the village sleeps", and many folks who want to take on that reponsibility don't last because they discover, quickly, that it's stressful, it's thankless, and it's NOT fun...

But troll-hunting isn't the main part of the job... The main part is to establish and maintain order, to keep threads from blowing up and outta the boundries set by the Administrator(s)...

Anyway, moderator "powers" are few... They seldom have more "powers" than the general membership, they can do little other than temporarily locking certain threads to keep order and for review and possible unlocking by the admin...

Another thing.. Anyone here that becomes a moderator, will likely find him or herself to be no longer, "just one of the guys"... Friends may become foes, and existing foes will test you... A moderator will have to have one helluva sense of humor too, or he's gonna quickly find he better GET one... And it better contained in one helluva thick skin, or he or she will soon be running for the hills..  Oh yeah... His "weekend build time" will be gone..

To quote the Navy, "It's not a job, it's an adventure", lol..

Works for me, Herr von Hammer.

I'd appreciate it, this weekend's drama was just nasty!! 

I'm not sure it pays nearly enough Hans! As for the "where'd so-and-so go".... do we need a listing of "members left behind", or "in the courts"?

shoot&scoot

Desperately need a weekend moderator to prevent the fiasco that happened this weekend from happening again.                                                                                                 

Yes...

Hans von Hammer

I'm applyin' for the job...

Got a problem with it?

Umm, no. I like you and all Hans, but I dont think your the type of moderator this site needs. No offense, just giving my opinion.

An after-hours moderator is a MUST at this point.

I'll throw my hat in the ring...

Manstein's revenge

I'll throw my hat in the ring...

Herr Feldmarshal, you'll only be accused of hijacking threads.

Sorry if my opinion sounds incisive. I don't think a forum frequented by adults needs a weekend nanny for a on-line membership of around 40 at any given time. Posts ago I said that there was no weekend going without an incident, true. But these incidents are not caused by someone that went thru the hassle of opening an account to throw a flame bait. These incidents are caused by the same individuals who are defending their posture of exceeding or misinterpreting the Frivolous and pointless jokes are welcome motto.

I have yet to see someone complaining about these posts 100%. What most of us if not all have said is that these posts are becoming the soup of the day. There is room for a happy medium but as long as those keep defending their point, we wont get there. Some of you are defending the right to post Frivolous and pointless jokes. We are defending our right to visit the forums without finding it cluttered of those frivolous and pointless jokes. In my last comment I said that I was commenting at the expense of earning a medal of dishonor. Yup, I did earned that medal and I was told to wear it with pride by someone that I have barely interacted with since I became a member.

Just versing my opinion, no need for a moderator, but a change in attitude and lowering a bit the guard.

Regards,

George

Umm, no. I like you and all Hans, but I dont think your the type of moderator this site needs. No offense, just giving my opinion.

I'd love to hear what you base that opinion on, since you've never seen me with a "Moderator Hat" on...

I've moderated in several forums (I've ended up leaving due to political in-fighting on some, others no longer interested me), most of which are "all ages over 13", like gaming forums, flight-simulator forms, and military forums, and I administrate in another (Military Vets and Active Duty & Retired Only)forum, although it doesn't require my full-time attention unless someone hits the "Report Abuse" button, in which case I get an email stating that someone has done so... Then I put the "Boss Hat" on and go see what they problem is..

98% of the "problems are solved by a "back-channel counseling session", because I don't handle problems with members out "in front of" the other members (it's degrading and nobody's business), and the other 2% get whacked out-right, with only a "move along, nothing to see here, move along", to the membership..

When threads get outta hand, a simple, "Knock it off..." while suffice... If it persists, I lock it until cooler heads prevail... Then I unlock it.. If it goes south again, it gets locked, for good.. The parties involved get "called on the carpet" and punishments range from a 3-day suspension of posting privileges, to 30 days, with permanent banishment a used, but last resort...

I participate in threads that interest me, I don't, but read, others that don't.. It's the same as being a "cop on patrol", in the sense that I'm just "out there somewhere", watching quietly, behind the scenes... 

I don't think a forum frequented by adults needs a weekend nanny for a on-line membership of around 40 at any given time.

Well, George..

Were this an "Adults Only" Site, that might be true...  However, FSM Forum Memebrship is open to ALL ages, and even though the membership is largely adults, the site itself, and it's associated forums, are not closed to minors...

Aaron had a conversation with me, back-channel, and an important part of it reads thusly:

... we are trying to build a community that welcomes everyone. I don't want a parent looking over a kids shoulder and seeing something on the Forum that may cause them to ban their kid, a potential future (Names Redacted), from reading all the good advice on the Forums.

So yeah... Along with the language (grrr.. ) nannybot, a Weekend Moderator is needed, IMNSHO...    This past weekend has shown it to be so..

In a perfect world, there are no laws (and no cops) because everyone behaves all the time.. But we don't live in a perfect world, and we don't hang out in a perfect forum made up exclusively of perfect members...

 Therefore.. SOMEbody needs to be able to be here, day or night, to put a STOP to things, before it gets outta hand.. The "Waiting until Monday Morning" has already cost this forum some members, since they popped smoke on Sundays...... 

There are two diametric opposites at play here.

A for-profit company with a need to recoup costs from an investment

A community

FSM can't build a community that follows their office hours; and unless they're willing to trust some non-paid community members and deal with the potential fallout of those members not meeting both group's needs, nothing is going to happen and off-hours blow-ups are just going to be the nature of the beast.

Tracy White

There are two diametric opposites at play here.

A for-profit company with a need to recoup costs from an investment

A community

FSM can't build a community that follows their office hours; and unless they're willing to trust some non-paid community members and deal with the potential fallout of those members not meeting both group's needs, nothing is going to happen and off-hours blow-ups are just going to be the nature of the beast.

I agree with you 100%.

For our company's forum we had an after hours problem similar to this, which very quickly ran out of control.  We tried to let the fire burn it self out.  Things were fine during the work period, our mods cleaned up and as soon we clocked out they continued on.  This went on for a while.  We lost some good members because of it.

The solution:  Our forums are no longer free nor public.  The price for the forum participation more than offsets our cost for several after-hour mods.  Our forum's membership has soared and so far has remained very civil.

FSM has to make a choice if this "problem" persists; close the forum, locked it down, or consider a non-paid mod as you say, or maybe even compensate him/her with a mag subscription.  My

I don't have a problem with a week-end moderator and Hans would be a good choice, due to his freedom of time. it should ultimately come down to Aaron or maybe Matt Usher on whom to appoint.

As I said before, Tiger, I'm applyin' for the job, if it ever becomes one...

If a "Knock it off" isn't too harsh, that is...

All a moderator really would need to do around here is "walk the perimeter"... If there's a troll in wire, it gets dealt with swiftly, life goes on... The place doesn't have to explode...

I've locked thousands of threads that got outta hand, and, as I said before, they got unlocked (Well, most of 'em.. ) when cooler heads prevailed...  Moderators where I worked had no "ban" powers, no nothing except a thread lock and the ability to delete posts that were trolls or hijacks.. (BTW, hijacking a thread is different from it wandering naturally away from the original topic..

Thread Hijacks are usually hostile, deliberate acts, but sometimes they're not too. Sometimes the "hijacker is just screwin' with the OP and thread posters, and still others are passive/aggressive attempts to steer a topic away from an otherwise serious effort on the part of someone.... Takes an experienced moderator to know the difference... And he knows the difference because he knows the people and the "climate", for lack of a better term..

I've been a Moderator and a Site Administator for about 10 years... Takes a gentle touch with the controls... 99% of the issues foks have can be settled back-channel, rather than in front of everyone, where the person involved can speak without fear or embarrassment...

The other 1%, unfortunately, have to be shot on sight...

I'll gladdly share a fox-hole with ya Hans!

Must say i kinda disagree here...

Too much nanny stuff will kill a forum like nothing else...seen it before

As is see it, this weekends nastyness was the very first and only time i have witnessed anything negative on the forum since the day i registered here. I tell all my friends that are interested in the hobby that, of all the places websites and forums on the big www, this is by far the most friendly one.

It is my humble opinion that we should just move on, learn our lessons and carry on with business as we are all used to and always have been. No need for changes

Richard

As is see it, this weekends nastyness was the very first and only time i have witnessed anything negative on the forum since the day i registered here.

It ain't about "Nannyin', Kermit... It's about stopping littl things before they get turned into MONSTER things in the 36 hours things are locked up in Milwaukee...

Click on "posts" under Aaron's Avatar and count "locked thread posts".  Then check the dates and times that the OP of each locked thread actually started against the calendar...  You'll find a LOT started on a Friday evening, and they  weren't dealt with until Monday...  That's a LOT of posts and bad ju-ju...

Then ask yourself, "What if that thread had been locked Friday Night for Aaron's perusal on Monday?"...

Lemme know what ya come up with...

I think the Report Abuse feature should suffice as moderator. If it gets reported, it will get dealt with. Just my

Echo139er

 

Tracy White:

 

There are two diametric opposites at play here.

A for-profit company with a need to recoup costs from an investment

A community

FSM can't build a community that follows their office hours; and unless they're willing to trust some non-paid community members and deal with the potential fallout of those members not meeting both group's needs, nothing is going to happen and off-hours blow-ups are just going to be the nature of the beast.

 

 

I agree with you 100%.

For our company's forum we had an after hours problem similar to this, which very quickly ran out of control.  We tried to let the fire burn it self out.  Things were fine during the work period, our mods cleaned up and as soon we clocked out they continued on.  This went on for a while.  We lost some good members because of it.

The solution:  Our forums are no longer free nor public.  The price for the forum participation more than offsets our cost for several after-hour mods.  Our forum's membership has soared and so far has remained very civil.

FSM has to make a choice if this "problem" persists; close the forum, locked it down, or consider a non-paid mod as you say, or maybe even compensate him/her with a mag subscription.  My

I must agree with Echo139er 's solution:

"if this "problem" persists; close the forum, locked it down, or consider a non-paid mod as you say, or maybe even compensate him/her with a mag subscription".

SteveM

I think the Report Abuse feature should suffice as moderator. If it gets reported, it will get dealt with. Just my

Ditto, report and just move along. 

I partially agree with Echo139er.

I do not think that making people pay to access the forums is the way to go.  You will see membership plummet.  Most folks aren't going to pay when they can go to "competing" sites where they can post for free.  I understand the thought process though.  I just think it will do more to hurt the readership than it solves some alleged "problem".

I'd gladly offer my help in being a non-paid mod.  If asked to by the powers that be.

Letting the "wild fire" burn itself out is usually the best course to take.  It works time and time again. How long do you let it burn is where the problem lies.

Reporting someone because you don't like their opinion or methods is rather gray. Save the reporting feature for what it should be intended for, clear cut violations of forum rules.

This weekend's "shenanigans" required a MOD to decide whether the postings were appropriate for this forum based on FSM rules ALONE.

Now I agree with ya 100%, Echo!

Well.. Now that the enire O&E forum appears to have been "nuked from orbit, as one member suggested, I think it's all moot...

For every action there is a reaction.

A room cannot get cleaned with traffic all over it. Hopefully it will come back one day nice and clean.