Some Rude Moderators?

[BrickJagger]

30 minutes ago, VaderFan2187 said:

Is there a reason that thread gets so derailed time after time? I hope a different system will be used for 2018, but why does that thread seem to get more cluttered than other rumor threads? 

IMO it's because the Star Wars forum is the most active on the site. From what I can tell there are a large group of members on EB who are exclusively active in that forum, and the leak threads always move at...well, lightspeed.  Because of that, it's easier for people to get swept up in rumors or arguments that derail the thread.

Honestly the Star Wars leak threads (the last two in particular) have been so awful that I've refrained from posting in them almost entirely despite being a pretty big SW fan myself. Oh well.

[Robianco]

I'd put it down to age. I think if there's one thread in this whole site that attracts more underage members it's that one. Which brings immaturity. 

The SW/DC/Marvel threads have always been the most vulnerable to this kind of derailment due to attracting the younger members. They also have the most geek-heavy angles to them... the people who 'NEED TO KNOW NOW... I CAN'T WAIT!!!!' Or those that really hope that figure 'X' is released because they missed the last one (because they were 9 when it was released 3 years ago) so the thread turns into a wish list followed by three pages of discussion why 'We'd better get another figure before that one or Lego are being idiots', none of which has any relevance to what's actually being released.

[Stash2Sixx]

There is no simple answer @VaderFan2187 but many times it has to do with underage members posting, people who don't think the rules apply to them, and overall excitement. Wrap all of that into one member and...well there you have it.

[Tariq j]

Not to mention those who constantly bicker and pick fights with trustworthy leakers just so they can have their 10 minutes of internet fame by being "the one" who posted the new information about upcoming sets.

[Mesabi]

16 hours ago, Stash2Sixx said:

There is no simple answer @VaderFan2187 but many times it has to do with underage members posting, people who don't think the rules apply to them, and overall excitement. Wrap all of that into one member and...well there you have it.

Maybe you guys could ban new users from posting in the Star Wars forum. Or even everyone below citizen in there. I know there's not a simple answer, and my idea is a little harsh, but the Star Wars forum is a mess. And for the record, you guys do a great job, but even still you can only prevent bad users from posting in the future. And I honestly think the solution is more preventative measures should be taken.

[VaderFan2187]

Just now, Mesabi said:

Maybe you guys could ban new users from posting in the Star Wars forum. Or even everyone below citizen in there. I know there's not a simple answer, and my idea is a little harsh, but the Star Wars forum is a mess. And for the record, you guys do a great job, but even still you can only prevent bad users from posting in the future. And I honestly think the solution is more preventative measures should be taken.

The solution is to title it "Star Wars 2017 Bickering, Complaining, and Baseless Speculation Thread".

Maybe the mods should lock the topic and consistently update the first page when there is new info. Members can PM the mods if they wish to share info and mods will credit them in the post (unless the source chooses to remain private).

I remember my first post here on EB was Star Wars 2017 Pics and Rumors... asking for the prelim images

[Stash2Sixx]

As much as I appreciate everyone's ideas on how to clean up and resolve 'THAT' thread...rest assured.  A solution has been created and will it work very well.

Let's get back on topic about complaints directed at me!!!

Seriously though, those of you that have shown appreciation, I say thank you.  We don't need the pat on the back, but it is reassuring to know there are some who do appreciate what we deal with weekly.

[VaderFan2187]

4 hours ago, Stash2Sixx said:

As much as I appreciate everyone's ideas on how to clean up and resolve 'THAT' thread...rest assured.  A solution has been created and will it work very well.

Sounds great!

4 hours ago, Stash2Sixx said:

We don't need the pat on the back, but it is reassuring to know there are some who do appreciate what we deal with weekly.

[ColletArrow]

7 hours ago, Stash2Sixx said:

We don't need the pat on the back, but it is reassuring to know there are some who do appreciate what we deal with weekly.

Yes, you all do!
The most impressive thing I see (I'm not interested in licensed stuff myself, and only really visit the Technic, Train Tech and Town sub-forums) is the speed at which spam is removed once it is reported. Well done for whoever is on the receiving end of the reports, it can't be a very exciting job!

[x105Black]

On 5/29/2017 at 11:58 PM, Stash2Sixx said:

I'll give you one guess?  In case you didn't already guess...it's in the 2017 Star Wars thread!

It actually happens quite often @xboxtravis7992.  Some keyboard warrior feels the need to upset the flow of the thread (usually Star Wars 201? thread) with their own personal attack against a Mod (most of the time it's me) for doing my job OR not doing my job according to their standards.  And you know what, that's ok.  People are entitled to their opinions.  What I think they tend to forget is that they are just that...THEIR opinions!  The people that continue to throw off the thread with comments of  'Haha!' or 'Hilarious!' are just contributing to the problem.  I get plenty of PMs and messages in here that you guys (and girls) are appreciative of the work we do.  So thank you to all of you.

If people have an issue with a thread or a Moderator, make a report and let us know!  Those of you that want to defend us...I appreciate it, I really do.  But keep it in here.  No need to post in the thread with the original comment.  With all of the people on this site, everything is found in due time.

I've inadvertently gone slightly off topic in the Star Wars Rumor threads before, so I'll say it's not difficult to do.  And while I can recognize that I have violated the rules, I also feel that my posts were fairly innocent.  But I do understand the need to police that thread in riot gear.  There are so many people posting all of the time it must feel like a full time job just to keep track of that one thread, let alone the rest of the forum.  So while I may feel that the punishment I've received has been a little inconsistent with the level of my crimes, I do have to say that the Moderators (even Stash2Sixx) are doing their jobs, and doing them well.  Therefore, I offer my thanks.

On 5/30/2017 at 1:51 AM, BrickJagger said:

IMO it's because the Star Wars forum is the most active on the site. From what I can tell there are a large group of members on EB who are exclusively active in that forum, and the leak threads always move at...well, lightspeed.  Because of that, it's easier for people to get swept up in rumors or arguments that derail the thread.

Honestly the Star Wars leak threads (the last two in particular) have been so awful that I've refrained from posting in them almost entirely despite being a pretty big SW fan myself. Oh well.

I've also refrained from posting in the Star Wars Rumor threads as well, since I've been sent to the Chamber for what I saw in retrospect as mild incursions.  I'd rather not get sent to the Chamber again, and because of that I just don't really know much about upcoming Star Wars sets.  It's definitely one of my top themes, but I don't want to risk it.  And since I mostly avoid it, when I do take a peek it's moved 50 pages and I can't possibly catch up.  I just scroll through a few pages looking for pictures, then get exasperated.  As you put it, "Oh well."

I'm looking forward to seeing what the new Star Wars Rumors format will be.  I know we had a vote a while back, so I'm curious if this relates to those results.

[Cody Startale]

On 31.5.2017 at 1:55 PM, ColletArrow said:

Yes, you all do!
The most impressive thing I see (I'm not interested in licensed stuff myself, and only really visit the Technic, Train Tech and Town sub-forums) is the speed at which spam is removed once it is reported. Well done for whoever is on the receiving end of the reports, it can't be a very exciting job!

Quoted for the truth of it. When I noticed how (relatively) many spambots are active on EB, I wondered if I should make a topic about it. But then again, my first reaction to a bot spam is to report it, and with how quickly those posts vanish, I thought, why bother?

Also, turned out later that in a thread about it, the team specifically asked to simply report the bots and not discuss the topic further...

 

Overall, for what little time I have been here (compared to other boards where I have a posting history of well over a decade), I cannot complain about anything. To be fair, I can be a smartass sometimes and oh boy, did some mods on certain boards got to feel that. But here, I haven't had any troubles so far. Sure, I am not exactly engaging in lengthy discussions or anything, but rather concentrating on Lego / Star Wars topics and quick feedback on builds, but all the time I've felt like my input and my contribution on this board is welcome and constructive, and that's precisely what I want it to be. I've had the pleasant surprise to receive a special tag very soon when I demonstrated my affection for customizing, and I had another positive experience when I asked for my username to be changed and it was OK'ed without any hassle.
So far, I am only still waiting for my Star Wars tag and I've noticed that from time to time, it can take a little while for moderators (speaking of Star Wars / Nar Eurbrikka mainly here) to get back to requests, but when that happens, it is due to lots of activity and work on their end. It seems that when something's overlooked or tackled at a later time, it is simply because there's a lot to do, and unlike some other forums, I've never felt like my requests were being outright ignored or not paid any attention to.

So yeah, in short, add another of those unneeded pads on the backs, because I think you guys deserve them.

[Darth Hammy]

On 11/1/2015 at 5:28 AM, Bonaparte said:

I think EB staff should be as nice a possible all the time. There could maybe be occasions when there's a history of repeating issues with a certain member and a moderator might lose it's temper since they are only human. But still, in an ideal world (and an ideal Eurobricks) a moderator should never lose it's temper and always remain patient with members who make mistakes (but when there are possibly bad intentions then it is another thing).

I'm speaking in general and don't know the specific events that Therize and BirdOPrey5 are referring to. Feel free to drop me a PM with links to those cases and I'd be happy to look into them.

I agree! The staff should advise the person who did it unless a repeat offense by the same member. There are some mods who are quite nice though.

Edited July 14, 2017 by Darth Hammy

[Agent Kallus]

 I thought I might as well say my piece.(pun shamelessly intended)

 recently I've only been coming here regularly to participate in VaderFan2187's minifig of the year votes and have the odd look at the Mocs, funnies and news threads but the star wars news thread is full of hypocritical posts saying what is and isn't spam.I know that VaderFan2187 was banned, but that was unrelated and had reasoning behind it. 

Spoiler

(still it's the same punishment as Nekchir for a much lesser 'crime' but I guess the moderators have a deal with lego that gets their reveiw copies early in exchange for  maintaining confidentiality.)

 

Maybe it's because it up to people to interpret how things are said but everyone seems a lot pettier and more sensitive on this website, I'm not saying I'm not petty and sensitive though nor that I have never gone off topic or anything because I know I have.This isn't meant to be a personal insult to anyone so sorry if you take it that way. This isn't me saying anything against the site or the moderators but I won't be here so regularly anymore.

Edited July 14, 2017 by AgentKallus of Hydra

[Duncan Young]

I know it's not my place to really say and that I know you mods tend to dislike being told how to do your jobs. That said I wish to suggest the installation of a voting system so that members can elect (or re-elect) moderators

[Agent Kallus]

5 minutes ago, Duncan Young said:

I know it's not my place to really say and that I know you mods tend to dislike being told how to do your jobs. That said I wish to suggest the installation of a voting system so that members can elect (or re-elect) moderators

I second this, though it probably wouldn't work how I'd hope.

[BrickJagger]

5 minutes ago, Duncan Young said:

I know it's not my place to really say and that I know you mods tend to dislike being told how to do your jobs. That said I wish to suggest the installation of a voting system so that members can elect (or re-elect) moderators

Third-ed. I think that it would be a great idea to elect mods to two-year terms and such. There wouldn't be as much fighting that way if we could get it to work properly. 

[Peppermint_M]

You know this is a private site not a public body?

Voting is all noble and wonderful in theory but in practice it ends up being a popularity contest, a chance to troll or putting power into the hands of those who are far from capable to use said power effectively and morally. Honestly, after last year I am surprised anyone believes in democracy in its current form is fit for purpose.  

On this site, to vote in moderators would be even worse, as not only would it be a huge popularity contest, it would be difficult to police and maintain fair play (You should try running a MOC contest with voting in it!) and some given moderator powers would be bound to abuse them, it would also make the dynamic shift and make running the site harder (See: trying to form a government). Who knows how much time would be taken campaigning instead of staff getting down to actually running the site, dealing with problems and planning fun stuff for members.

As such, users who are trustworthy and have shown themselves to be so are appointed as regulators or moderators according to needs on the site. Then, as a whole, we try and run a place that the majority agree is a good forum to use. 

Those who often have complaints are those who have often run afoul of the rules and requests made of them as users/members of this site. 

 

[Duncan Young]

@Peppermint_M Not everyone. I'm just a guy trying to improve this site in anyway I can without overstepping my boundaries. I want people to feel happy here. This site was founded for a reason right? To unite Lego fans, not to divide them. To be honest, this is why I dislike this page. There are people here with legitimate complaints or suggestions only for the Mods to ignore or belittle them. This topic was made to address such issues not make excuses 

 

Edited July 14, 2017 by Duncan Young

[Agent Kallus]

Just now, Peppermint_M said:

You know this is a private site not a public body?

Voting is all noble and wonderful in theory but in practice it ends up being a popularity contest, a chance to troll or putting power into the hands of those who are far from capable to use said power effectively and morally. Honestly, after last year I am surprised anyone believes in democracy in its current form is fit for purpose.  

On this site, to vote in moderators would be even worse, as not only would it be a huge popularity contest, it would be difficult to police and maintain fair play (You should try running a MOC contest with voting in it!) and some given moderator powers would be bound to abuse them, it would also make the dynamic shift and make running the site harder (See: trying to form a government). Who knows how much time would be taken campaigning instead of staff getting down to actually running the site, dealing with problems and planning fun stuff for members.

As such, users who are trustworthy and have shown themselves to be so are appointed as regulators or moderators according to needs on the site. Then, as a whole, we try and run a place that the majority agree is a good forum to use. 

Those who often have complaints are those who have often run afoul of the rules and requests made of them as users/members of this site. 

 

I see your point but do you see ours?

[1980-Something-Space-Guy]

I will say I don't have enough information on anyone's case, but as of recently there have been a couple of notable bans. I was surprised by VaderFan's ban because although he started on this forum not following all the post rules, he seemed to eventually learn the way and even become a helpful member of the community, with his games and information. I won't tell the mods that they were wrong to ban him, because I don't really know enough details about the circumstances of the situation, but regardless I would like to invite the mods to, if they haven't already, constantly reconsider who is getting banned and who isn't, and evaluate if the standard is too harsh or not.

[Peppermint_M]

7 minutes ago, BrickHat said:

don't really know enough details about the circumstances of the situation

In answer to:

8 minutes ago, AgentKallus of Hydra said:

I see your point but do you see ours?

Sure, someone has been banned and this is something that some disagree with. You never know, there could be another group who are all for it and think these are the best decisions. Also, who's to say there isn't a chance for VaderFan to come back? Other members have been reinstated after a time.  

It is a difficult job to moderate, a voluntary task that takes a lot of time out of the hobby we enjoy and joined this site to share with others. It is hard to keep a balance between letting people have all the fun they could want and keeping a forum readable and use-able for the majority. Someone might think it is fun to post non-sense everywhere they can reach, a whole lot more would find that aggravating.

17 minutes ago, Duncan Young said:

ignore or belittle them

Here's where I am stuck, while responding seems to have been interpreted as belittling (I am slightly offended, I was trying for an educated and explained reasoning, ah well. ASD and the internet do a real number on tone) if the suggestion did not gain a reply then it would have been ignored, which is also an issue? 

 Some suggestions and requests have been taken into account in decision making on running the site, but every suggestion isn't going to be met with agreement from the site runners. I think by the fact the userbase is quite large and the complaints minimal points to a site that is fun for most.

[Duncan Young]

12 minutes ago, Peppermint_M said:

In answer to:

Sure, someone has been banned and this is something that some disagree with. You never know, there could be another group who are all for it and think these are the best decisions. Also, who's to say there isn't a chance for VaderFan to come back? Other members have been reinstated after a time.  

It is a difficult job to moderate, a voluntary task that takes a lot of time out of the hobby we enjoy and joined this site to share with others. It is hard to keep a balance between letting people have all the fun they could want and keeping a forum readable and use-able for the majority. Someone might think it is fun to post non-sense everywhere they can reach, a whole lot more would find that aggravating.

Here's where I am stuck, while responding seems to have been interpreted as belittling (I am slightly offended, I was trying for an educated and explained reasoning, ah well. ASD and the internet do a real number on tone) if the suggestion did not gain a reply then it would have been ignored, which is also an issue? 

 Some suggestions and requests have been taken into account in decision making on running the site, but every suggestion isn't going to be met with agreement from the site runners. I think by the fact the userbase is quite large and the complaints minimal points to a site that is fun for most.

My apologies, that comment wasn't aimed at you specially and it certainly wasn't my intent to offend you. I just mean that while my comments have been replied to previously, they have often skimmed over key points. Even know, you highlighted a small segment of my passage and not the rest. This is what @AgentKallus of Hydra meant when he asked if you could see our points and what I meant when I said often points are being disregarded. I appreciate your job is hard but you shouldn't let it control or sour (like certain mods) in fact I'd be all too happy to take on the challenging task of a mod, in order to prove there are other ways, not  better ways I know I'd never convince you of that, of running a forum, being stern, fair yet retaining the fun and friendship so many of us are after 

Edited July 14, 2017 by Duncan Young
Trying to form a foolproof arguement

[Gremer]

4 hours ago, Duncan Young said:

I know it's not my place to really say and that I know you mods tend to dislike being told how to do your jobs. That said I wish to suggest the installation of a voting system so that members can elect (or re-elect) moderators

I also agree with this idea, though I have serious doubts that it would be implemented. 

I would also say that, were it to be implemented, moderators that won't do their job correctly could be "impeached", by either the voters, the other mods, or the admins, so it's not some tyranny by the voters who can constantly vote mods that won't do anything into power (though, having been around here for a few years, I think most members are logical enough adults that they would pick good mods).

[Duncan Young]

Just now, Gremer said:

I also agree with this idea, though I have serious doubts that it would be implemented. 

I would also say that, were it to be implemented, moderators that won't do their job correctly could be "impeached", by either the voters, the other mods, or the admins, so it's not some tyranny by the voters who can constantly vote mods that won't do anything into power (though, having been around here for a few years, I think most members are logical enough adults that they would pick good mods).

Yep,  absolutely my thoughts 

[Captain Nemo]

4 hours ago, BrickHat said:

I will say I don't have enough information on anyone's case, but as of recently there have been a couple of notable bans. I was surprised by VaderFan's ban because although he started on this forum not following all the post rules, he seemed to eventually learn the way and even become a helpful member of the community, with his games and information. I won't tell the mods that they were wrong to ban him, because I don't really know enough details about the circumstances of the situation, but regardless I would like to invite the mods to, if they haven't already, constantly reconsider who is getting banned and who isn't, and evaluate if the standard is too harsh or not.

For transparency I'll note this: 

The member was banned for posting a leaked Lego set image on this site with a very large and unmistakable watermark stamped "confidential" in the center. Whatever the previous circumstances may have been, that is an immediate ban-able offence, one that is stated very clearly in our site guidelines and often repeated by mods in various forums. Point blank we cannot have blatant confidential images being hosted (or attributed to) our site; it causes trouble, specifically that of unnamed Danish plastic toy businesses who may or may not contact us directly about issues of this nature.  

So as always, as a reminder, please do not post confidential images on Eurobricks. 

Hopefully that gives some insight into this one instance.