Moderator bullying on weather forums..

BigCon

Hobart wrote:

I don't think I've ever posted on the weather forum, and I have not read many posts on it, but I do see WC's nic pop up on a regular basis on the front page.

Maybe he talks sh1te, maybe not. I personally find that most "forecasters" could not tell you if it was going to be cold or warm tomorrow, never mind the complications of things like rain, snow,etc....

Maybe the guy is just a 17yo going on like a 17yo. There does appear to be a undercurrent to try and wind up the guy to a certain extent by people who should know better. I remember we had an ignore function installed (if memeory serves me right at my suggestion ) that would cope with 90% of the problem here.

From what I can see most people think he is wildly inaccurate, while others, who don't really comment on his forecasting ability, find the guys posts informative and enjoyable.

I would have also thought that the science of meteorology involves a certain amount of guesswork. So his guesswork seems to be a bit more inaccuarte than others...meh tbh. The charter has been changed to try and circumvent his inaccuracies. Hasn't really worked, has it? Ignore function tbh.

As for the charter:

That's what you linked too Con. Tbh I don't think Tom Hanks, Ian McKellen and Audrey Tautou armed with a cryptex would be able to unravel that mess. For example, these lines:
Please post any views on winter weather forecasts in relevant threads.
New threads on this subject may only be created for specefic Winter weather events when they have happened and not ahead of when anyone thinks they are going to happen.

You talk about the posting of forecasts being in relevant treads and yet you deem it necessary to say that new threads can only be created for events that have happened??? How is that forecasting (I know it makes the job easier), but still.

I've seen the thread(s) in Mod forum, this would also lead me to believe that the guy is being targetted, and unfairly.

Finally, the voice of reason.

Gordon

Endurance Man wrote:

I love the way all the mods on boards seem to take each others side regardless of the situation , i see hobart is straying from the flock.

What many don't seem to realise is that this is not usually the case. If you had access to the mod forum you wouldn't be saying that.

Hobart

Hobart wrote:

You talk about the posting of forecasts being in relevant treads and yet you deem it necessary to say that new threads can only be created for events that have happened??? How is that forecasting (I know it makes the job easier), but still.

Well that charter does suggest a thread discussing weather indications for each season.Thats where the stuff up to a few days before an event should be.
If you were a regular on the board you would know that.
It was designed to specefically clamp down on the problem of WC threads like the one I posted extracts from here and there were many of them.

I've seen the thread(s) in Mod forum, this would also lead me to believe that the guy is being targetted, and unfairly.

Read there again and reply if you wish.
You're making your comments without the full information.Thats fair enough,but Ask me and I'll publically answer,I dont decide things on a whim either and wouldnt expect snowbie to do so and in fact as I've stated over and over and over again,I'd given WC lots of latitude before I banned him
All thats happened here is: user moderated-User dislikes moderation.
Tough Titty.It's not changing the way I mod and I fully agree with snowbies modding here and have stated why.

RE*AC*TOR

Gordon wrote:

What many don't seem to realise is that this is not usually the case. If you had access to the mod forum you wouldn't be saying that.

That's fine for the mod forum, but it doesn't happen much out here in mere mortal land.

Villain

DapperGent wrote:

Taken in isolation this ban can be seen as being unfair. However put simply there are two things that Weathercheck has been banned for in the past and warned about for the future:

1. Taking the worst case scenario of a set of possibilities and presenting in as extremely likely or certain. Predicting bad or dangerous weather without any proviso as to it either not being so bad or for that matter not occuring at all.

2. Throwing a hissy fit when he gets moderated.

Here Weathercheck presented the worst case scenario without much in the way of alluding to it's uncertainty and then threw a hissy fit at a thread merge with the less sensational thread title being used along with changing the thread title himself.

This comes after being given so much leeway and second chances by myself and Earthman/Tristrame in the past due to how young he was and his enthusiasm. It was made absolutely clear to him that he was on his last chance, I think we've been very fair to him.

Perhaps all the leeway he's been given is some sort of subtle bullying plan? :rolleyes:

Ok he does often go for the worst case scenario but I don't see how thats worse than the best case scenario, obviously it would be ideal if he held a middle line. He has a vast ammount of knowledge but surely it is up to the reader to either beleive what WC presents or dismiss it.

I really can't understand why the Weather forum is so strict on thread's been started, I hardly ever if ever in fact start a thread in the forum because its almost impossible to know what is and isn't in breach of the charter.

If a ban is required surely it shouldn't be a perm ban?

Gordon

RE*AC*TOR wrote:

That's fine for the mod forum, but it doesn't happen much out here in mere mortal land.

True, I agree. There may be a few reasons for that. The main one imo is the fact that the conversation will be happening on the mod board hence no need for doubling up on a feedback thread ones views.

Just a small point really, I don't mean to drag this off-topic again.

Amz

BigCon wrote:

No you don't, it's about a 1 in 20 year event...

So it'll either snow, or it won't.

irish1

irish1 wrote:

Ok he does often go for the worst case scenario but I don't see how thats worse than the best case scenario, obviously it would be ideal if he held a middle line. He has a vast ammount of knowledge but surely it is up to the reader to either beleive what WC presents or dismiss it.

Within reason.Remember none of WC's posts were deleted in that thread.They were just tidied into a new thread with a less dramatic title.

I really can't understand why the Weather forum is so strict on thread's been started, I hardly ever if ever in fact start a thread in the forum because its almost impossible to know what is and isn't in breach of the charter.

Well I dont know why you particularally are shy,it has loads of threads,the front page is full.
There was/is a restriction to prevent sensationalism of the type in the thread I gave a sample of where WC was telling everyone in the East to remain indoors...

If a ban is required surely it shouldn't be a perm ban?

I understand prior to WC's narky pm to snowbie it was one month.It may now be a little longer I dont know.Lengthening of bans as a result of impolite pm's is common on boards and understandable.
Nowhere to my knowledge has the ban been made permanent.

6th

Wait! Tristram is Earthman? .... sorry that explains it all. I'm outta here.

DapperGent

irish1 wrote:

Ok he does often go for the worst case scenario but I don't see how thats worse than the best case scenario, obviously it would be ideal if he held a middle line. He has a vast ammount of knowledge but surely it is up to the reader to either beleive what WC presents or dismiss it.

He doesn't need to hold a middle line, people just need to not present the worst case scenario as certainty or to just say that someting is a first look possibility. I'm not trying to silence him and I don't think it's asking for much.

I really can't understand why the Weather forum is so strict on thread's been started, I hardly ever if ever in fact start a thread in the forum because its almost impossible to know what is and isn't in breach of the charter.

Well it's just that with anything interesting coming up things becoming clearer on an hour by hour basis with new prediction runs etc. With something like possible snow you could have thread after thread after thread on the same event as it comes closer and things become clearer. We decided for the sake of tidiness to have one big thread for something like winter weather predictions/guesses etc. and then if something was actually going to happen to then have a proper thread for it. Start a threads on whatever you like in the rare event that it's supposed to go somewhere else it's the mods job to move it.

If a ban is required surely it shouldn't be a perm ban?

It wasn't initially.

6th

Can I just add that I see plenty of people saying WC was right on this occassion.

BigCon

irish1 wrote:

I really can't understand why the Weather forum is so strict on thread's been started, I hardly ever if ever in fact start a thread in the forum because its almost impossible to know what is and isn't in breach of the charter.

I'm the same - it's hard to know what's ok and what's not ok...

BigCon

Amz wrote:

So it'll either snow, or it won't.

and the mods will either realise that they were wrong, or they won't.

(but there's not a 50/50 chance of that happening either).

DapperGent

Decided on a one month ban.

Villain

Good man DapperGent, thats a very decent response, now Weathercheck over that Month try and chill out and you'll be back in time for the Snow watch

6th

irish1 wrote:

Good man DapperGent, thats a very decent response, now Weathercheck over that Month try and chill out and you'll be back in time for the Snow watch

Yep fair play Dappergent. And well done on WC on the forecast.

BigCon

Bit of common sense prevails after all, great to see.
/Rushs off to board up the windows for Gordon

Dragan

Weathercheck wrote:

Weather is a really fickle thing. Everything i post does come from a proper source but as with weather its' never certain:)

Then i suggest you stop posting your information in terms that seem to insist that is is absolute, when it is not.

As for your ban, i felt it was deserved under the whole "publically arguing with a mod" rule?

Hobart

Tristrame wrote:

Well that charter does suggest a thread discussing weather indications for each season.Thats where the stuff up to a few days before an event should be.
If you were a regular on the board you would know that.

I dunno Con. Forecasting seems to be forecasting, whether it's 3 hours or 3 seasons in advance.

Like I said the board is not actually on my subbed list, and I'm sure that the charter, as confusing as it is, is understood by the majority of posters on that board.

What I would say, in regards of the charter, is that most charters I know of on boards.ie are designed with newbie's in mind. i.e. you read the charter before posting.

Having a "well if you were a regualr poster on the board you would understand an element of the charter" attitude is both silly and probably contradictory, but that's up to the mods to decide upon.

It was designed to specefically clamp down on the problem of WC threads like the one I posted extracts from here and there were many of them.
Read there again and reply if you wish.

I appreciate why the charter was ammended, and indeed you have linked to examples of where his predictions were incorrect and, even in my mind, over the top. You also linked too or alluded to the fact that he was banned form the board when he was 14. I understand that 14 year olds can be as much muppets as 31 year olds, but i do remember being 14.

This guy like posting about weather. When people agree with his predictions, praise him for his awareness, he may even get a little movement in his trousers about it. Hey, good for him. What a mod on the board has done is banned him. He is upset. It's no biggie tbh. we are not all on an even surface here. He is young, enthuasiastic and something is being taken away from him. Expect a reaction. In a literal sense, it probably is the rattle out of the pram.

You're making your comments without the full information.

I'm surprised you assume that. If you mean by that statement that I'm making comments without reading every post here, the links and the 2 threads on the Mods board. you are wrong.

If you mean that I am making comments about something I have not read about, you are also wrong.

If you mean that I am making comments with having access to your PM box, well...guess what.

Thats fair enough,but Ask me and I'll publically answer,I dont decide things on a whim either and wouldnt expect snowbie to do so and in fact as I've stated over and over and over again,I'd given WC lots of latitude before I banned him
All thats happened here is: user moderated-User dislikes moderation.

Maybe that's a discussion best left for other threads. I have'nt really commented directly on any one decision made by the mods of the weather forum.

Tough Titty.It's not changing the way I mod and I fully agree with snowbies modding here and have stated why.

If that comment is in direct response to my ascertian that the guy was in someway being setup to be baited or that a mod was trying to siteban him on the basis of of a very obvious personal bias, I'm surprised.

As I understand it, you do not mod the weather forum, and therfore your statement of wheter you are going to change the way you mod or not is probably outside of the context of this discussion.

Asok

Ok so its set a month.
Weathercheck please observe the ban unlike last time as this time the siteban will be permanent I'm afraid.

Supercell

DapperGent wrote:

Decided on a one month ban.

Fair play Dappergent and a generous decision.

WC don't blow it this time!, really enjoy debating snow events (or the usual non event ) with you in the winter months and I think the forum is better place with you posting there, anyone with a passion for the weather, which you clearly have, is great to see imho.

Swallow the pill m8, you will be back and better than ever before

Snowbie

I issued him a one month ban,it could have been longer for an impolite PM.
Myself and Dapper agreed that only one month will suffice.Consider yourself lucky i did not increase it WC.

WhiteWashMan

storm in a tea cup tbh.






ami the first person to make that joke? i couldnt bare reading all that crap before this post

John

Someone beat you to it on one of the threads WWM, sorry.

delly

WWM wrote:

ami the first person to make that joke? i couldnt bare reading all that crap before this post

That would be me on the mod forum

ninebeanrows

Don't worry about the length of the ban;)

It isn't really going to be a problem to me.

By the way i'd like to thank everyone who has posted in this thread, your support has been amazing!
I take much heart from your support! And keep watching the weather, it's such a fascinating science
and can be exciting and exhilirating at times. You'll be able to view my thoughts if you want to soon!
Check my signature in the next few days if yer interested i might throw up a blog or something!

Many many thanks again for all your considerate posts im greatly appreciative !!

Some of the words you've said made me feel embarassed! I do hope to follow my interest in weather into a career when im older. So all of you hopefully will be seeing alot of me in the future:D no :eek: 's please! Just need to grind down and get an A1 in physics which seem a distant dream at this stage:D

WhiteWashMan

John wrote:

Someone beat you to it on one of the threads WWM, sorry.

damn!

Silverfish

If it helps, I read yours first. So when I read Delly's, I'll think 'Pfft....copycat'.



Better?

BigCon

Weathercheck wrote:

Don't worry about the length of the ban;)

It isn't really going to be a problem to me.

By the way i'd like to thank everyone who has posted in this thread, your support has been amazing!
I take much heart from your support! And keep watching the weather, it's such a fascinating science
and can be exciting and exhilirating at times. You'll be able to view my thoughts if you want to soon!
Check my signature in the next few days if yer interested i might throw up a blog or something!

Many many thanks again for all your considerate posts im greatly appreciative !!

Some of the words you've said made me feel embarassed! I do hope to follow my interest in weather into a career when im older. So all of you hopefully will be seeing alot of me in the future:D no :eek: 's please! Just need to grind down and get an A1 in physics which seem a distant dream at this stage:D

What have we created?

DublinWriter

Snowbie wrote:

I issued him a one month ban,it could have been longer for an impolite PM.
Myself and Dapper agreed that only one month will suffice.Consider yourself lucky i did not increase it WC.

Handbags at dawn it is then.

Piss poor modship IMHO.