Attn: Repli

CuLT

Mercury_Tilt wrote:

This post has been deleted.

You know it

Merry Christmas all!
And err, no hard feelings, SD/MA crowd. I was a bit abrupt initially.

Dyr

I had suspected this thread would become more heated as particpants returned from the boozer and got stuck into their home stash of christmas gargle. Instead friendliness has erupted and soon repli and TKM will be emerge from the trenches to hold pads for each other as a gesture of seasonal goodwill

and that, my friends, is the miracle of alcohol *downs bottle of old wifebeater*

:v: <god bless us one and all!!

pakthingy! you came back for christmas! i love you wee man!! *sniff*

Mercury_Tilt

This post has been deleted.

Repli

Who gave this thread 3 stars lol.. It deserves 4.. Anyway Merry Christmas all.. even the SD guys who have a problem with me..
-Repli (or Rob for TKM)

TwoKingMick

I love you rob! And i lobve you too alcohol!

vasch_ro

damien.m wrote:

I don't think you will win against removing a mod with the current "regime" on boards. It's easy to become a mod, but very hard to remove one. Just like a judge!

Is this not part of the problem though, when people post a little feedback
the mods seem to circle the wagons and go on the defensive, I now understand boards.ie is not a democracy , but surely the views of the common user who go to make boards.ie what it is still count for something ?

I have to strongly agree with Colum in regard to injokes amongst the mods in the thread, there is a certain irony involved , although some may see it as disdain for the views and opinions of the ordinary user.

vasch_ro

Tusky wrote:

Elite internet cliques really get under my skin. .

I agree, just look at the mod clique in existence on this thread !

asking someone "did someone die and make you an admin, if you don't like the way things work around here, go away" apart from being a rather crass and tasteless comment , its hardly a feedback friendly comment encouraging open minded debate ? Most worryingly posted by a so called "Super Mod" in my last Thread on this forum, as I said when it comes to cliques look in the mirror first.


edited for typos

BuffyBot

So feedback should only by symapthetic to your point of view?

It's a bit more rough and tumble than that.

RuggieBear

BuffyBot wrote:

So feedback should only by symapthetic to your point of view?

It's a bit more rough and tumble than that.

I'm pretty sure they love a bit of rough and tumble...

Scramble

I've been reading on the SD/MA forum for a lot longer than I've been posting on it. I can remember way back at the very beginning, when it was, frankly, very poor. Not many of the people posting on it were coaches, instructors, or had even practiced martial arts much. There was a lot of enthusiasm, but if one of the goals of a SD/MA forum should be to exchange quality information on these topics, then not much of that was happening.

At the time, to be fair to him Repli was the better of the moderators knocking around, which is why the ways things have gone over the past week have been unfortunate to say the least.

Getting back to how the forum evolved: Subsequently, as time passed a bit, things started to improve as more and more posters transferred over from the Irmac.net board (which, if you're not a martial artist, you've probably not heard of). Instructors from Muay Thai, MMA, escrima, Wing Tsun, ninjutsu and others showed up and started posting information, and sharing dates of seminars and whatnot. The signal to noise ration improved.

Colm took up the mantle of moderator and I think this was significant for a few reasons:-

(1) He was diplomatic enough and articulate enough to mod the board with the acceptance of all the different crowds which used it
(2) He streamlined the forum and weeded out a lot of the old information which was, frankly, worthless.

and

(3) He actually knew something about martial arts and could speak with authority on what he coached and related issues. I know that there is a good argument that says that being a mod isn't necessarily about this ... but it helps, frankly.

The forum grew and if you look back over the past few months there are some great threads in there, which is why I find it unfair that anyone should make blanket statements and characterise the past few months of the forum as being full of 'spam' or 'muppetry'.

There were some good threads in there and most significantly, the forum allowed people to meet up in the real world and actually train which is what we do, and what the forum is about.

(I didn't make it down to either session due to work, but surely this the sign of a healthy community. If the fact that because a lot of the guys on the forum train together when they get the chance they are considered to be a 'clique' or 'elitist' then I think this is unfair to say the least.)

An inevitable side effect of regular posters getting to know each other so well is that yes, there is off-topic conversation woven into the general flow of things. But with respect, this is in every forum, and if none of it was tolerated then loads of threads would be locked even though they contain, on balance, more on-topic information. Even in the early part of this thread it is obvious that a lot of the mods know each other and are supporting one another, bantering back and forth. I don't see a problem with this, why is it 'muppetry' and 'spam' when it is in the SD/MA forum but acceptable when it is among mods in the feedback forum?

The past few days have seen a large number of threads generated in relation to Repli returning and taking up his moderators duties again (with some zeal). It would be unfair to characterise all of the posters on these threads as cry-babies or a clique complaining about an outsider coming in. Look, pretty much all the guys posting in relation to this matter are regular posters on the SD/MA forum, they are the backbone of the mini-community (in the greater boards.ie community) that exists on there. They aren't posting about Repli just because 'they don't know him' or what have you, it is a matter of how he is perceived to be moderating in an overtly heavy-handed way.

It's not personal, Repli, but surely you will acknowledge that if a large portion of the forum you moderate are expressing dissatisfaction with the way you are doing your job, then it is reasonable to at least meet them half way and re-appraise your approach ... especially since surely you should be working in partnership with the other mod Colm who is also responsible for how the forum runs? You wished happy xmas to to 'even' the guys who don't like you, or something to that effect. This suggests to me that you think this is a personal matter of a bunch of people having an issue with you as a person. I don't think this is the case at all.

While 'boards is not a democracy' I don't think it is unreasonable for genuine queries about a moderator's approach to be addressed. I am surprised that in this thread people have more or less been threatened with being banned from the feedback forum if they persist in discussing this issue.

My last thought is that this, like most internet problems, could probably be solved in about five minutes if the personalities involved actually met up in the real world and sat down to talk about it.

The SD/MA forum has a good track record for organising open mats and meetings for its posters.

Perhaps Repli, as moderator of the forum, would be willing to come along to one of these so we could meet him and he could meet the guys and girls he moderates? (I'll try and make it to this one, I promise).

Finally: Happy xmas guys ...

(from probably one of the few internet cafes open in dublin today ... hooray for the chinese)

Gordon

Scramble wrote:

I am surprised that in this thread people have more or less been threatened with being banned from the feedback forum if they persist in discussing this issue.

What gave you that impression?

And Merry Christmas to you all (and to you Mercster)!

Scramble

What gave you that impression?

Well, it was when you posted the following, to be honest:-

this thread is just going to end up closed and with some Feedback bannings. FYI it's Christmas Eve but I don't mind handing out bans, I like to aggressively self-moderate too.

Happy xmas all.

columok

Thank you Scramble for a well thought out and eloquently expressed post.

Happy Christmas indeed

Musashi

I can remember way back at the very beginning, when it was, frankly, very poor. Not many of the people posting on it were coaches, instructors, or had even practiced martial arts much.

I've been here from when the SD/MA forum was first mooted and then came into being, If I can remember correctly it was suggested by Replii so he could be a Mod.?

I do post in other forums, and usually on subjects I feel I have some knowledge on, there has been some nonsense for fun but I hope in the main I do contribute to boards as a whole and SD/MA in particular. That is why it vexes me to be dismissed as a baby throwing a tantrum tbh! I've been on enough forums and seen some implode for want of proper modding. All I'd like to see is some of the questions raised taken on board and acted upon, rather than seemingly getting a gang of mods to disparage the points raised.

The signal to noise ratio improved.

I take it you used to frequent the old "Self Defense Forums" then Scramble?
Those modded by Southnarc, RBFC, Don Rearic et al? That phrase and the fact you knew who Carl Cestari was make me think you were on there also? Then you know what I mean about a forum just dying almost overnight! Hate to see it happen again!

Chinafoot

I have to say after reading this thread I would not go anywhere near that forum.

If I had a question regarding MA/SD would it even be entertained or would the fact that I'm a "nobody" in the martial arts world mean I would be largely ignored by the posters? (obviously not all posters but the ones who have been very vocal on this thread are really not giving off the best impression of your "community".)



I think that what this all comes down to is the regular posters aren't used to having a mod who actually reads the posts and follows the mod guidelines to try and keep the forum in check. Its great that there is a social side to the forum however its not a private forum and boards.ie is growing all the time. This type of stuff would be very off-putting I'm sure.

As has been suggested already, if you want to keep your little "community" the way it is, host your own forum. Problem solved.

Gordon

Scramble wrote:

Well, it was when you posted the following, to be honest:-

Then you missed this post earlier:

Gordon wrote:

As this seems to be the third thread on this particular forum can we try to get this sorted on this thread without having to have more on the Feedback forum every few days?

ohm

columok

peachypants wrote:

If I had a question regarding MA/SD would it even be entertained or would the fact that I'm a "nobody" in the martial arts world mean I would be largely ignored by the posters? (obviously not all posters but the ones who have been very vocal on this thread are really not giving off the best impression of your "community".)

Yes it would be entertained. Our forum is generally very friendly. However congrats on taking a heated snipey debate out of context (as in that barb). No you would not be ignored by the posters.

peachypants wrote:

think that what this all comes down to is the regular posters aren't used to having a mod who actually reads the posts and follows the mod guidelines to try and keep the forum in check.

No. We're used to having a mod but up until now the principle of minimum intervention has been applied by them. Which works in our forum and is the dynamic that we're used to.

peachypants wrote:

Its great that there is a social side to the forum however its not a private forum and boards.ie is growing all the time. This type of stuff would be very off-putting I'm sure.

Like Mod and established poster banter then?

peachypants wrote:

As has been suggested already, if you want to keep your little "community" the way it is, host your own forum. Problem solved.

Very positive. A similar message of "Since you dont like it fvck off". Great thanks.

edited for better quote tags

Chinafoot

columok wrote:

Very positive. A similar message of "Since you dont like it fvck off". Great thanks.

Also similar to "if you dont mod the way we like fúck off" :rolleyes:

pma-ire

I've been watching this rumble on for the last few days and it's really p!ssed me off!

I was told about the SD/MA forum by Musashi earlier this year and after having a peek in I liked the look, content and range of posts by people of all levels in the Irish MA scene!

In fact, the SD/MA board has a very big rep in the Irish MA world as being maybe the best MA board there is with an Irish content!!

This has been because of the no BS atmosphere run not only by the CO'R but by much of the regular posters who keep eachother (or new posters) in check as to the content of posts. It would be really silly to go fecking it up now! The threads may look like some heavy arguments go down! But they are all taken in context and are open to comment from everyone.

Also the SD/MA board members know alot about eachother and we are not all on the same page so to speak! As we seem to have sub-groups within the members itself, which on other forums are sectioned. But we have them all mixed and get alot more out of it!!

I have PM'd with Repli in the past! He seems like a sound bloke! But I don't like how this last week went down!!

Firstly this "orla" issue!!

I got a PM from her...

hey me and repli are mates! i know he's a mod thats why i did it.. tis only a joke! im banned from there now tho! lol

Then she replied...

yeh he's lovely.. i was messin and i told him i wanted to get banned so he told me to do something that would warrant a banning! lol

Now thats just B0ll0cks!!

I'm sorry to have posted this PM info. But this has to be put into context as some people seemed to think that the thread in question was typical of the SD/MA page!

That this was actually started by Repli would mean to me that he did'int give a snot about the "Rules" of the board!!

Then there was the removal of the thread about bad knees!! I was amazed that this was moved!! In the MA world we all get pretty much the same injuries! Mainly knees, backs, shoulders, necks and knuckles.

As the question was posted in context of someone in the MA's with a knee problem then I don't think it was off topic?? I looked forward to hearing from the anyone else in the MA's who had come across the same thing and might have been able to give some advice? Moving it to the fitness forum meant that any of the affore mentioned people may not see that thread now!!

In the end, I think that maybe we would be better off getting a hosted forum of our own? Or we all (and I mean everyone!!) go back to IRMAC!! Where a man has tried his best to give the Irish MA world a platform to interact without the BS!!

rsynnott

TwoKingMick wrote:

Former boards.ie poster

Yay!

Ah, it's been a while since there's been a good "Down with evil Boards" thread.

All you people who want a democratic boards, have you considered simply starting one yourself? vBulletin is cheap, after all...

Colm_OReilly

Hello All,

If I fail to address any posts or issues raised in teh last six pages then I apologise, but allow me to comment if you will.

First and foremost, I try to avoid posting on threads about modding, or about me specifically. As an example, I didn't contribute to the thread started about setting me up as mod, because I did not want to canvas ro lobby for any votes. I took the job. Heck, I liked the ego trip and I figured if a lot of people want me, I guess I'd better not let them down.

I also didn't post on the Bushido 1 thread back in March, in which there were a lot of complaints about me (not as a mod, but regarding my performance in that show). My attitude to that was, why bother? Anything I said would have been torn apart and refuted/complained about ad naseum, so to me, it wasn't worth it. BTW for anyone who hasn't read that thread they weren't personal attacks in the regular sense.

Moving on (these points are in no way in order of importance, I'm just writing them out as they come to me). On this thread there were a number of posts claiming I failed to do my duties. I read every single post made on the SD forum, regardless of whether I'm interested on the topic. Maybe there's times when I don't post for a few days but I'm always there (2-3 times daily I check the board, more if there's a hot topic). I don't post a lot of the time because other posters express the same opinion as me a lot of the time, added to the fact I spend a lot of time typing and doing other activities that my forearms can cramp up by the end of the day.

However, I have modded the forum, and as far as I can tell, both by the posts on this thread and by the actions and behaviours of those on the SD forum, I think we're doing pretty well. I have warned posters (some of whom I either coach or train with) and edited personally offended posts. If I'm leaving anything out it's probably because someone else has already posted about this on the thread already.

As for my absense up until now on this particular thread, I apologise, but there was a festival on I like to call Christmas. That should also explain why I haven't answered any PM's the last few days.

Regarding some isssues that come to mind. On the subject of OT posts, I don't liek the idea of very strictly defining what can be put on our board and what would be placed on another board. For example, I posted a list of facts about Chuck Norris, it was a joke, and if one were to analyse this one could say it wasn't about ma or indeed didn't educate anyone but columok put it very well when he said the "chat" adds some nice flavour to the "information".

To address someone posting about being a nobody, Mick's statement could be paraphrased as "You are not an authority or recognised figure in the Irish MA scene so why are you attempting to regulate our posts?". He was not saying that beginners/day trainers can't post. BTW Mick opposed me becoming a mod of the SD forum, and has never been afraid to express his disagreement with me over anything.

There was also another post made telling the regular SD posters that the SD forum shouldn't view itself as it's own little world on boards.ie. I tend to disagree somewhat with this statement. I believe, for the most part, people on boards only post and read one or two forums. I doubt there is a high percentage of active users that view a large cross section of boards regularly.

On the subject of if you don't like it, leave, that's not very productive in my view. Posters make the boards what they are, not the mods. Surely posters should be able to express their problems about the mods or the way the board is run and be free from bans, warnings, or closing rank. I've had people complain to me about my modding and we've talked it through. I'm only human, granted a superhuman, but still human.

I hope I've addressed everything here, but I'm sure I've missed points. Also I'd like to apologise, normally I write a lot better and coherantly than I did her.

I'm off to check on my board now.

Colm O'Reilly

PS. If anyone would like to discuss it please call me on 086-8151092 and we can discuss it if you would like.

For the site admins, my phone number is publically available on a number of websites so I'm quite willing to accept the risk of posting it here and receiving any pranks calls.

Columok, I don't want to get a prank call from you!

damien

Posted like a true mod!

vasch_ro

peachypants wrote:

I have to say after reading this thread I would not go anywhere near that forum.

If I had a question regarding MA/SD would it even be entertained or would the fact that I'm a "nobody" in the martial arts world mean I would be largely ignored by the posters? (obviously not all posters but the ones who have been very vocal on this thread are really not giving off the best impression of your "community".)

I feel I must strongly disagree with the above sentiments, firstly I am a nobody in the martial arts fraternity my posts are more than entertained, people often come to the forum with various enquiries about taking up martial arts for different reasons, and enquiries as to whether there is a particular type of club in the area they live ,or where they can locate grappling gloves, karate suits etc. They always receive good positive feedback.
In my opinion the people who have posted from the MA/SD board have put forward well thought out posts,with good arguments to put forward and thought provoking comments. I feel they have created a very good impression.I think the whole idea of the forum being "clique-y" is giving the wrong impression about the forum, as I said interlopers always post threads like the ones mentioned above and are warmly welcomed.

I for one would not like to leave Boards.ie, I think the service is great , plus I do post in a lot of other threads, anything from games to dublin, although admittedly self defence gets most of my time ,I am sure other boardsters feel the service is great too a jump around from forum to furum especially when SD/Ma is a little slow.
I think its fair to say that after a number of months of getting used to the new mod regime that was Colm following Repli's absence (due to external pressures) that his sudden return was a just a little shock to the system ,
I posted in the forum long before Colm was nominated for mod and was happy with the place , although it has grown somewhat and definately has become more active place, this no reflection on Repli whatso ever, just things have moved on while he was away.I do not think it is necessary for a step down, but maybe just to listen to the users would be no harm ?

In response to Buffybot, I would like to say no, I do not think responses should purely be sympathetic to my point of view, the idea I was trying to get across was that , there should respect for different points of view, even if they are of the view "we should get rid of such and such a mod" afterall this is the feedback forum.

Having taken Repli's advice and looked the mod wiki link, I am now aware that Gordon is a supermod, with lots of super powers and he has also taken an active interest in this thread, so I was just thinking maybe its time this thread was wrapped up and some kinda outcome was agreed apon, decided on , mass bannings or whatever form action takes ?:)

I will end with this quote from the wiki
"all moderators are just normal users, equal to everyone else."

Happy Christmas to all and a happy new year !:)

Mercury_Tilt

This post has been deleted.

Steveire

Gordon is a SuperMod with Super Powers, yes, but your quote from the wiki still applies to them.
Only admins have decision making abilities.

Iago

I don't post in or even read the SD/MA forum but this has been a very interesting thread.

TBH I don't think the admins will remove Repli as a mod, it could be seen in a similar vein as negoitating with terrorists (in terms of the message it sends out rather than the request being similar to terrorist activities) if Repli is asked to step down then it sets a precedant and soon enough any mod that has a clash with a couple of users on any forum will end up in here and this thread will be used as ammunition for why they should be removed.

At the end of the day it's important to remember that nobody is getting paid for this, the mods in each of the forums do it voluntarily because they have an interest in that area and somebody has to do it, I beleive that in some cases Moderators (like normal users) step out of line, the issue being that they get far more leeway to do so and to be honest as in most situations if someone on your team is out of line, you publically back them as much as you can whilst taking them to task privately..I'm sure that happens here as well.

The only real accusation against Repli is that he is modding a forum in the way that he wants to see it run, as moderator I think that's his right. It may end up that he's moderating a forum that's greatly reduced in regular posters if he continues to do so, but again that's his perogative.

The idea of requesting a hosted forum that you self-moderate is a good one and is possibly the best solution out of all of this. That way everyone gets what they want and boards isn't lessened by the losing of valuable contributors.

Mercury_Tilt

This post has been deleted.

DeVore

columok wrote:

Thank you Scramble for a well thought out and eloquently expressed post.

Happy Christmas indeed

I think you'll find he's requiring some compromise and understanding from you too.

DeV.

columok

DeVore wrote:

I think you'll find he's requiring some compromise and understanding from you too.

DeV.

Indeed. My line all along is "Take our comments on board. Harmonise with the current setup. By all means bring about change but make it steady and measured rather than kneejerk or sudden."

and a Happy New Year!

Gordon

Steveire wrote:

Gordon is a SuperMod with Super Powers, yes, but your quote from the wiki still applies to them.
Only admins have decision making abilities.

Indeed. We, as all, can give advice but can't actually make such changes.