BirdOPrey5

Some Rude Moderators?

Recommended Posts

Per site guidelines, suggestions from users are allowed, and welcomed. The mod in question is unreceptive, and is actively deleting posts with suggestions in them for being off topic. This should be addressed, or at least acknowledged.

That is what we are doing here. We are not going to bring out our staff discussion in front of members. You've expressed your concerns. If the staff were to decide, for example, that I was being too rude with you guys, we would talk about that in the staff forum and then once we all agreed, I would come out and apologize for my actions. That's how it works. Don't expect us to publicly humiliate a moderator that members are upset with. It will never happen.

Technically, posts are hidden, not deleted. This is a distinction without a difference. I quoted the mod himself saying that he has hidden posts. Why are you still questioning whether this has happened?

Why would you think I would question it? I am totally unaware of any such practice. This is a staff issue that we are currently discussing. If I find I'm wrong, I'll certainly admit it.

I understand that you need to defend other mods from abuses from users. There is no way to know which users are making stuff up or crying over petty slights. I feel that I have put forth a reasonable argument and you have dismissed it out of hand. Maybe it's not your job to moderate disputes of this kind, but given that this is a dedicated forum where such complaints can be aired publicly and you are moderating it, at least measure your responses in kind.

You're clearly dismissing what I'm putting into this if you think I've been dismissive. :hmpf: Honestly, I know I have other things to get to. I appreciate you expressing your opinion in the interest of bettering this community, but once you've made your point and it's been received, you don't need to argue point for point with me. I wouldn't think it's the best use of your time.

Do not idly accuse me of being insulting or childish. Please provide proof. I have presented evidence of insulting speech in my comment, you have not acknowledged it. Disagreeing with someone is not itself insulting. Calling someones posts "garbage" is insulting.

I know I didn't accuse anybody of any such thing so politely check yourself.

What we want to see is fair treatment from the mods, and mods and users held to the same site guidelines we all agree to.

The Site Guidelines also say members will respect the staff and stick to the topic of the discussions they are participating in. This is really a two–way street.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm going to try this again. And I'm going to address it directly to Nemo.

Nemo, please make it expressly clear what you think belongs in the fora you moderate. If discussion of info about future sets that does not come from Lego officially does NOT belong in the fora you moderate, please state that explicitly, so that we can be clear with each other. You have implied this several times, and I suspect that's what you want. If that's so, that's fine, but allow us to create a new forum where we discuss unofficial info, and allow the community to come up with a reasonable set of rules of behavior for posts in that new forum. Note that I am not talking about leaks of watermarked images, which are always off limits.

There would be separate fora for set discussion and rumor discussion in the licensed (and other?) themes. Is this ok?

*together with a moderator

Edited by linnormlord

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Those have been closed as well. Thinking specifically of the One Word at a Time Stories...

Now if you enjoyed those threads, then your opinion is wrong.

That's a joke. :blush: Of course there is no way someone can tell you that your opinion is wrong. Regarding those threads, the staff reached a consensus to close them.

I am talking about Community threads where Licensed themes can be discussed outside of the LEGO sets news discussions. Again, it is not the easiest to decide when a rumor discussion is on topic so we rely on members to help us decide when it's getting out of control. That's one way anyway. The responses may fluctuate. We're trying to make the discussion accessible to all. This is specifically about LEGO discussions that wander outside of the LEGO aspects and that line is gray. This is not in reference to other extraneous Community topics.

I'm going to try this again. And I'm going to address it directly to Nemo.

Nemo, please make it expressly clear what you think belongs in the fora you moderate. If discussion of info about future sets that does not come from Lego officially does NOT belong in the fora you moderate, please state that explicitly, so that we can be clear with each other. You have implied this several times, and I suspect that's what you want. If that's so, that's fine, but allow us to create a new forum where we discuss unofficial info, and allow the community to come up with a reasonable set of rules of behavior for posts in that new forum. Note that I am not talking about leaks of watermarked images, which are always off limits.

There would be separate fora for set discussion and rumor discussion in the licensed (and other?) themes. Is this ok?

*together with a moderator

:wub: Thank you.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm going to try this again. And I'm going to address it directly to Nemo.

Nemo, please make it expressly clear what you think belongs in the fora you moderate. If discussion of info about future sets that does not come from Lego officially does NOT belong in the fora you moderate, please state that explicitly, so that we can be clear with each other. You have implied this several times, and I suspect that's what you want. If that's so, that's fine, but allow us to create a new forum where we discuss unofficial info, and allow the community to come up with a reasonable set of rules of behavior for posts in that new forum. Note that I am not talking about leaks of watermarked images, which are always off limits.

There would be separate fora for set discussion and rumor discussion in the licensed (and other?) themes. Is this ok?

*together with a moderator

Thank you (and the other members) for your input. :thumbup:

In relation to your question about my standards of the Licensed thread: it is my personal objective to ensure that members conversing in the Licensed forum (specifically the 'year' threads) focus on official information first and foremost, as much as possible. Discussion of non-official info, such as that provided from members (while appreciated), often causes the thread(s) to derail. Members not participating in the discussion actively come to me, the thread itself, or through use of the report button, to ask questions about the validity of claims and/or to report to the staff that the thread itself has become too confusing for them to follow. My intent behind keeping the threads on topic is to ensure that they are easy for anyone to understand at a glance--not only for those members actively participating in the discussion, but also for the many more members and site visitors that read the thread but don't actively participate in the conversation.

When I see that we are getting reports of off-topic conversations and when I see members asking if unofficial information is 'true', I know that it is time to step in and attempt to sway the conversion in the right direction. This is not an easy task to do--which is why I become (clearly) frustrated when the discussion does not change after I ask members to focus on the central topic on hand. I apologize to those who have been offend by my statements, that is not my intent, and for the record I do not come to Eurobricks to harass other members. I do not intend however to change my core principle of keeping the thread focused. All that said, I will attempt to do so from now on with a more cordial tone, as per the request of the Licensed community.

So what does this mean going forward? I don't have any problems with people discussing various topics across the forum, I only ask that they be discussed in their proper place (to the best of one's ability). The Licensed forum already contains many underutilized threads where the conversation on unoffical information (etc.) can be openly discussed, such as: the Marvel Super Hero General Discussion, DC Super Heroes General Discussion, Future Marvel Super Heroes Discussion, Future DC Super Heroes Discussion, Marvel Super Heroes Wishlist, DC Super Heroes Wishlist, among many others. It is also entirely appropriate for members to create new threads to discussion topics that they feel are not applicable in any of the current threads.

Incidentally, we also have the movie threads in the Community forum for DC and Marvel, which I often point towards when discussion gets too spoilery or too speculative for the year threads. I understand the close relationship between the movies and the sets makes this separation difficult, but I and many members would appreciate if spoilery material could be left to these two threads, whenever possible.

I hope this helps clear up my stance on thread discussions, but I am always available here or through PM if anyone wishes to further discuss this or other mod-related conversations with me. :thumbup:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Edit : Okay, nothing was said that hasn't already been said a dozen times.

We can't discuss rumors in the rumors thread because somebody who checks out the most popular threads on this forum probably once a week, can't just check the first post of the thread (Up-to-date concrete facts) and instead complains to Nemo that they can't tell if Killer Clown Batman is going to be in a 2018 set or not?

I would refer them to the first post, tell them to check back regularly and to have a nice day.

Not smother the users who are excited at the rumors we're hearing.

Edited by Deadshot

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Captain Nemo, first off THANK YOU. This helps a lot.

Since you have seen the types of info that cause the most problems but that are also genuinely worth discussing, in your opinion what is the best place for it? I am wondering if the "rumors" should be moved to the "future" forums. Wouldn't be hard, just need to convince the sources (of which there are very few reliable ones) to put their future posts there.

Your reasoning for the "sets" fora staying a certain way are sound, but I feel that the word "rumors" and the rumor tradition should be removed to maintain that objective. Unconfirmed/unofficial info goes one place (rumors, speculation, discussion), confirmed info and TLG releases go another place. Again, I would like to hear your opinion and the opinions of the community.

ps Does this belong here still? I think probably not.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Your reasoning for the "sets" fora staying a certain way are sound, but I feel that the word "rumors" and the rumor tradition should be removed to maintain that objective. Unconfirmed/unofficial info goes one place (rumors, speculation, discussion), confirmed info and TLG releases go another place. Again, I would like to hear your opinion and the opinions of the community.

This is one we've gone back and forth on too. We used to have one thread for sets news and one for rumors but people confused them as often as they do facts and opinions. So we started combining them, causing the problem of people who want news having to comb through rumors...and arguments over rumors...and "rumors" that are actually just wish lists...

One more thing: We do not delete member's posts...but we forgot to tell Nemo that. Sorry, I was not aware. We asked him to take over the gigantic task of keeping the Licensed discussions on track and forgot to mention to do it without literally cleaning things up.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Glad to see this helps (myself included).

I would prefer that we keep unofficial info in various "future" threads, as much as possible. Obviously, sources posting in the year threads gives their information most exposure, but it also opens up the thread up to speculation and wishlists. To help circumvent that problem, we as staff, focus members towards confirmed information on the first page of each year thread. But yes, if sources were to post their information in current or new future threads that would be very much appreciated.

On rumors in the title, as Hinckley note it has been an ongoing process.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

No this discussion needs to be moved to the General Mod Discussion 2016 thread now.

Nah, we're too close to the end of the year, its time for 2017 news.

I get it, you're miffed and getting sarcy, but could you keep it to riffing with buddies instead of trying to take a dig at people here? We all give up our free time to run this forum for fans and while, yeah, personalities can clash, we do our best to help and be friendly. While on the converse: keeping the site accessible for everyone.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm genuinely impressed with the way this conversation has progressed since I last posted. Just posting to say thank you to both members and moderators for the cordial communication.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I agree. We had a lot of opportunities to let our frustrations get to us and delve into a non–productive discussion. Thanks to every who made positive contributions.

I'm a bit biased but I'm especially impressed with Nemo for tackling a tough job and coming in afterwards with an open mind to discuss people's opinions. I am a big fan of our staff members. :wub: And an equally big fan of all of our forum members too. We have a pretty cool site. :thumbup:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I agree. We had a lot of opportunities to let our frustrations get to us and delve into a non–productive discussion. Thanks to every who made positive contributions.

I'm a bit biased but I'm especially impressed with Nemo for tackling a tough job and coming in afterwards with an open mind to discuss people's opinions. I am a big fan of our staff members. :wub: And an equally big fan of all of our forum members too. We have a pretty cool site. :thumbup:

Group hug time :sick:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I don't have any particular problem with the moderation on these boards. But I do post on a few other meassage boards were the modaration is rather strict and it takes away al lot from a healthy discussion.

I don't even visit two boards anymore just because of the very strict moderation.

Just putting this out there.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm genuinely impressed with the way this conversation has progressed since I last posted. Just posting to say thank you to both members and moderators for the cordial communication.

Ditto. I think this was handled wonderfully. The clarification provided helps a lot, and admitting publicly that a *tiny* miscommunication had happened is a great sign of sincerity. Way to turn this one around gents.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The licensed and Star Wars forums will always be the biggest challenge for moderation on this site... and I think specifically the meaning of 'rumour' and how it's discussed. I've always thought the best way of validating a rumour is by knowing the source for it. If there's no source then it's not a rumour... it's a guess.

The age issue is also a challenge on those particular threads. The assumption of adulthood due to site guidelines should help how conversations develop but unfortunately it's not always the case. The worst thing is I don't think it's going to remedy itself anytime soon.

Those threads will always be a challenge to whichever mods are looking after them or and the wider staff in support. There was a case in the SW forum where one new member really threw his toys out of the pram because he felt nobody cared about why the TFA sets hadn't leaked as much as he did and left a message on his profile stating that he's never coming back... two weeks later when the sets were revealed he came back and has been an active member of the community since.

The written word is a difficult thing to read at times... there is no tone of voice (other than caps, bold or italic but you get my meaning) and as we don't know each other personally we can take umbrage at something which isn't there... or let frustrations get the better of us and escalate a conversation to an argument when we'd never let that happen if we were face to face with the person.

Part of me just wants to have a pint with some of the people here and break down some of the perceptions of how people are. It's 9.55 am here in Liverpool. Is it too early for a pint?

Edited by Robianco

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It's 9.55 am here in Liverpool. Is it too early for a pint?

Not in Liverpool. :wink:

The best way to achieve that goal is to get yourself to a Eurobricks event. I've been lucky enough to meet quite a few fellow EBers, and they're invariably excellent people. And EB events are not without libations.

The rest of your post gives a very good summary of some of the challenges we all face, both staff and regular members.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The licensed and Star Wars forums will always be the biggest challenge for moderation on this site... and I think specifically the meaning of 'rumour' and how it's discussed. I've always thought the best way of validating a rumour is by knowing the source for it. If there's no source then it's not a rumour... it's a guess.

The age issue is also a challenge on those particular threads. The assumption of adulthood due to site guidelines should help how conversations develop but unfortunately it's not always the case. The worst thing is I don't think it's going to remedy itself anytime soon.

Those threads will always be a challenge to whichever mods are looking after them or and the wider staff in support. There was a case in the SW forum where one new member really threw his toys out of the pram because he felt nobody cared about why the TFA sets hadn't leaked as much as he did and left a message on his profile stating that he's never coming back... two weeks later when the sets were revealed he came back and has been an active member of the community since.

The written word is a difficult thing to read at times... there is no tone of voice (other than caps, bold or italic but you get my meaning) and as we don't know each other personally we can take umbrage at something which isn't there... or let frustrations get the better of us and escalate a conversation to an argument when we'd never let that happen if we were face to face with the person.

Part of me just wants to have a pint with some of the people here and break down some of the perceptions of how people are. It's 9.55 am here in Liverpool. Is it too early for a pint?

Definitely agree with the Star Wars points here. Maybe it's just me but certain forums (Star Wars and Historical come to mind) act more entitled then others. Star Wars members often talk about characters that got, like, one second of screen time and find it ridiculous when they don't get those characters (Ponda Baba, Motti, Zuckass etc). As such I really appreciate how when the mods in those forums operate. Great work guys!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The licensed and Star Wars forums will always be the biggest challenge for moderation on this site... and I think specifically the meaning of 'rumour' and how it's discussed. I've always thought the best way of validating a rumour is by knowing the source for it. If there's no source then it's not a rumour... it's a guess.

The age issue is also a challenge on those particular threads. The assumption of adulthood due to site guidelines should help how conversations develop but unfortunately it's not always the case. The worst thing is I don't think it's going to remedy itself anytime soon.

Those threads will always be a challenge to whichever mods are looking after them or and the wider staff in support. There was a case in the SW forum where one new member really threw his toys out of the pram because he felt nobody cared about why the TFA sets hadn't leaked as much as he did and left a message on his profile stating that he's never coming back... two weeks later when the sets were revealed he came back and has been an active member of the community since.

The written word is a difficult thing to read at times... there is no tone of voice (other than caps, bold or italic but you get my meaning) and as we don't know each other personally we can take umbrage at something which isn't there... or let frustrations get the better of us and escalate a conversation to an argument when we'd never let that happen if we were face to face with the person.

Part of me just wants to have a pint with some of the people here and break down some of the perceptions of how people are. It's 9.55 am here in Liverpool. Is it too early for a pint?

Great post. Text is a very hard thing to read sometimes. I'll fully admit I've looked at some posts and thought they were coming across a bit iffy and further down the line it's been nothing and I've obviously read a little too much into it! That said there's also been some that I've read and they were definitely being iffy :laugh:.

And 9.55am is definitely not too early for a pint!

Not in Liverpool. :wink:

The best way to achieve that goal is to get yourself to a Eurobricks event. I've been lucky enough to meet quite a few fellow EBers, and they're invariably excellent people. And EB events are not without libations.

The rest of your post gives a very good summary of some of the challenges we all face, both staff and regular members.

What kind of events happen within the EB community?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The best way to achieve that goal is to get yourself to a Eurobricks event. I've been lucky enough to meet quite a few fellow EBers, and they're invariably excellent people. And EB events are not without libations.

I hope to see you again Pandy. :cry_happy:

I agree, events are a great way to meet other EB members. :thumbup:

Brickworld Chicago has A LOT of people from EB. I'm such a dork for not going for a few years. :dumb:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

What kind of events happen within the EB community?

There was an event down in Windsor a year or so ago but I couldn't make it... I'm not helped by the fact my wife HATES Lego. It's nothing more than a floor hazard to her.

Hopefully next time it swings around to the UK I'll get to go.

It's always worth checking out the Events Forum

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I hope to see you again Pandy. :cry_happy:

I agree, events are a great way to meet other EB members. :thumbup:

Brickworld Chicago has A LOT of people from EB. I'm such a dork for not going for a few years. :dumb:

We'll be back to Brickworld, one of these years, and it would be awesome to catch up with you again, dude. :thumbup:

What kind of events happen within the EB community?

Both Phred and Robianco have answered, so I'll just say a little bit more:

As Robianco indicated, there's a ton of stuff in the Events forum, and the information about the specific, official Eurobricks Event is held in a pinned index at the top of the forum. The sequence each year is Billund-Windsor-Billund-Günzburg-Billund-Windsor etc so we're in Billund every other year. Next year we'll be in Günzburg. CopMike and Holodoc put a lot of effort into organising fun games, social events and activities, along with often visiting unseen areas of LEGO. I'm scrimping on detail, but it's always great fun. Across the pond, as Phred has said, there's another huge contingent of EBers who go to Brickworld Chicago each year. That also has its own subforum pinned in the Events Forum. Many people (and many EBers) from around the world travel to Chicago to display and have a ton of fun, and the Eurobricks collaborative build has now won best group layout twice, most recently last year with a stunning and mind-blowing display involving giant snails. Like the European Event, it's also a great way to meet and socialise with fellow EBers from all over the planet.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yair, I only read the Technic forum mostly, but I'm pretty happy with the moderation there.

In an internet bursting with crap, time and again I prefer the sites with moderation policies that are borderline harsh.  Those who have a problem with it usually turn out to be those with not much to contribute (whiners, drama-whores, and spare wheels), and there are plenty of other places for them to go.

That said, I wouldn't want to see moderators acting like kings and queens of the hill.  Don't think it helps when it becomes all about who's got the biggest button.  Shoot second not first etc.  At least it's only plastic toys, and not Mumsnet eh? :wink: http://www.mumsnet.com/info/jobs-at-mumsnet#HeadComm

Sites with many non-native-English speakers face an extra challenge.  On the one hand, being accessible for contributors who are writing in a foreign language is important.  On the other, I've been told by non-native-English speakers that very poor use of English (broken spelling, grammar) is even harder for them to follow.  So eh.

Anyway, happy plastic christmas to EB people. :classic:

Edited by andythenorth

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 9/16/2016 at 0:04 PM, Phred said:

I hope to see you again Pandy. :cry_happy:

I agree, events are a great way to meet other EB members. :thumbup:

Brickworld Chicago has A LOT of people from EB. I'm such a dork for not going for a few years. :dumb:

Isn't this... *huh*... off topic?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.