I was banned from Photography unfairly by Calina.

Calina

I don't dictate where the forum goes; I do however dictate where it does not go with the cooperation of the other mods and if the admin team have a problem with it I have no doubt that I will hear about it.

CM: to find out what's on topic, a look at the OP is usually sufficient. Under those circumstances, discretion better part of valour particularly if there's a mod warning in place.

my two cents speaking as a user in other fora.

AnimalRights

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

OP there were two clear warnings- you ignored them to have a pop at someone......... what the hell did you expect?

The thread had being dissected more times than a Frog on the Science lab desk tbh so he very well may have missed it.

I seen them but had being following the tread til all hours as I played my night late Poker.

challengemaster

Gordon wrote: »

Stop being a twat.

Quite a relavent comment actually. Not twatty at all. Not the first time Calina's done anything like that. I got infracted before for making a light-hearted comment in which I also informed another user of something useful. That user thanked my post, but Calina decided I was trying to ridicule the user and gave me an infraction.

AnCatDubh

Shinjuku wrote: »

If somebody checks my last post you will see the post I was banned for. I was just replying to Paddy@IRL's rude post. I was still on topic mind you, it's not as if I started talking about the war in Iraq or anything.

Sorry if this point hasn't been gotten through at this stage but you simply ignored in thread moderation warnings (yes plural). The second even stated clearly 'ban' yet you chose to ignore. Plain and simple. Ban.

All the whinging that others are doing (and there are many of you) on this thread are answered by reference to the in thread warnings of the moderator. You ignored them. You are now infracted. I don't think it needs much further explanation. Stop whinging unless you have something positive to contribute.

AnimalRights

Lol at CM always innocent of his infractions.
I'm innocent of my infractions and so is my wife!

challengemaster

Calina wrote: »

CM: to find out what's on topic, a look at the OP is usually sufficient. Under those circumstances, discretion better part of valour particularly if there's a mod warning in place.

my two cents speaking as a user in other fora.

Did you even read my post?

Calina

Challengemaster,

yes I did. Several times. And I read the post in the thread which I deleted which was after the mod warning. And I dealt with a bunch of PMs from you today.

Is there nothing on the Telly tonight?

Shinjuku

Gordon wrote: »

Stop being a twat.

OK I take the tin-foil MOD hat thing back but i stand by the rest. As you can see the other photography forum representatives have thanked my last post.

challengemaster

Calina wrote: »

Challengemaster,

yes I did. Several times. And I read the post in the thread which I deleted which was after the mod warning. And I dealt with a bunch of PMs from you today.

Well judging from the above post it seems you didn't. It surely doesn't answer any point raised, more-so ignores them with your 'logic'.

Sully

Judging by what the mods and the users complaining it would seem that...

A userA had prior critisced people for pimping themselves when people asked for a recommendation. A request was posed and the userA recommended another chap userB. Regular users, one with history of causing trouble, jumped in attacking UserA saying he contradicted himself. (I fail to see how. How is userA userB? :S)

Anyway, if somehow UserA and UserB are the same person, a mod issued a warning to cut out the crap. Users ignored the warning and continued the bitching and winging. More warnings were given during the time UserA/UserB seemed to have said nothing/gone off topic. After a few warnings, mods issued bans/infractions. Users not happy and are here winging it was unfair and over moderated forum.

Two problems I see:
1) UserA is not UserB. I assume?
2) If the above is true or not true, ie regardless, users IGNORED moderator warnings RESULTING in a ban/infractions being handed out.

I fail to see how said users have a case? :S

Sorry if I missed a vital piece which blows my theory out of the water!

AnimalRights

Slander.

Sully

AnimalRights wrote: »

Slander!

Sorry? I always thought shouting such terms on Boards was banned to avoid people trying to manipulate a conversation. Maybe its just the threat bit. *shrrugs*

Dodgykeeper

gandalf wrote: »

Oh I am calm. How are you today?



LOL actually tempestuous temper had nothing to do with my banning at all. Glad to hear about your new year resolutions. I hope you keep it

So if you are calm how do you explain your over reaction to my innocent question.

And I am grand thanks, bit tired but will be retiring soon!

AnimalRights

Sully wrote: »

Sorry? I always thought shouting such terms on Boards was banned to avoid people trying to manipulate a conversation. Maybe its just the threat bit. *shrrugs*

Note the "!"
In my neck of the concrete jungles that also is on a par with a " "

I shall now edit the offending "!" to a more welcoming " "

Sully

AnimalRights wrote: »

Note the "!"
In my neck of the concrete jungles that also is on a par with a " "

I shall now edit the offending "!" to a more welcoming " "

My post still stands tbh.

Your PM was wrong also, you seemed to cut out a lot of whats been suggested here. Tut tut.

AnimalRights

Ok the thread has now ran out of steam I shall retire to a lesuirely game of TF2.

Mods back Mods.
Users are split into 2 camps.
Mods win.

kensutz

Gordon wrote: »

Stop being a twat.

Isn't there a rule on boards not allowing personal abuse??

Gordon

Gordon wrote: »

Stop being a twat.

The reported posts about this comment were correct, I shouldn't have resorted to personal abuse there, sorry.

Shinjuku wrote: »

As you can see the other photography forum representatives have thanked my last post.

Some of the photography forum users have seemed to agree, this does not mean that the majority of the forum agrees with you. The difficulty in moderating and administrating fora is getting the right balance that pleases the maximum amount of people possible. If you think that the representatives of the forum are simply 5 people then I'm afraid you're not looking at the bigger picture.

Sully

AnimalRights wrote: »

Ok the thread has now ran out of steam I shall retire to a lesuirely game of TF2.

Mods back Mods.
Users are split into 2 camps.
Mods win.

Mods usually back mods because they know how the system works and they understand the site rules/charter. If mods step out of line, were wrong etc. iv noticed they get reprimanded and have to fix the problem. I find it insulting that you are suggesting otherwise tbh.

The ban here was simple. You ignore the warnings in thread, regardless of what caused you to respond. Wtf did you expect? You of all people should know how the system works by now.

Users split? The only users who fail to see it from the mods POV are those who cant understand what a warning means.

Id be one of the first mods to stand up and point out other mods mistakes or abuse. I think the bans/infractions were justified and when you sent me a PM you left out a good chunk of the story of what actually happened.

Gordon: Id give you an infraction, but I cant :P Fair play to ya for being honest.

kensutz

After reading this complete bítch fest, I've been asking myself some questions.

1) What is the main focus of the Photography Forum?

2)Is it to have a laugh yet keep things in focus?

3)Is it to be completely sterile and professional?

4)Who is the person calling the shots and do any discussions take place before actions are taken? It seems Calina is calling all the shots and her disciples follow.

Over the past couple of years I've been a regular in the photography forum, I have to say that the past 6 months or less have made us walk on glass. I tried to inject some lighthearted voting and yet it got shot down straight away. Granted it's still taking place but with all the "rules" put in place I instantly lost interest in wanting to keep it going but granted I will.

I know Fajitas is up to his eyes and that's why he stepped down. The work he did was fair and sound. Elven the same, she did what was necessary and actually thanked people for helping out with reported posts etc.

I know some users have been thinking of keeping away from the forum because the regular enjoyment they had cannot be maintained. I think some of the SMods or HMods with a complete unbiased opinion have a look at the forum and see if they can spot any faults.

We're in it to enjoy it not to be censored so much that it's like we're living under a brainwashing regime. I ask for some common sense to be used and have a laid back attitude but yet keep people in line because I can see some meets if and when planned could also turn into a bítch fest.

Cabaal

AnimalRights wrote: »

Ok the thread has now ran out of steam I shall retire to a lesuirely game of TF2.

Mods back Mods.
Users are split into 2 camps.
Mods win.

Mods don't always back mods, there is not set rule.
If other mods/users believe a mod has acted out of hand they will call them on it, don't assume because somebody is a mod that all other mods will back them.

Whatever forum is being moderated it is important that no single mod yields all the power and that a forum is modded fairly, now it will always be the case that some users just hate mods...doesn't matter how good and fair a mod is. In relation to photo forum there are alot of very knowledgeable people posting in this forum and often there is back history in respect of users and why they don;t like other users/mod.

It is VERY important that neither a user or mod start picking on users, both user or mod need to try forget any back history that may be there and deal with the issue at hand...for example if the user ignored a warning or gave personal abuse.

challengemaster

Gordon wrote: »

Some of the photography forum users have seemed to agree, this does not mean that the majority of the forum agrees with you. The difficulty in moderating and administrating fora is getting the right balance that pleases the maximum amount of people possible. If you think that the representatives of the forum are simply 5 people then I'm afraid you're not looking at the bigger picture.

TBH, there weren't much other of the photography forum involved in the thread. I'm not even sure if the majority of them know about what went on in the thread, or that there's even a feedback thread regarding the situation. Even if they did, if they weren't involved why would they feel the need to comment? That doesn't mean the majority of users agree or disagree, it just means they simply can't be taken into consideration in this particular instance. That is the bigger picture.

The fact of the matter is, the users who are here and were involved agreed with the post.

Kensutz, you've just said what's needed to be said for quite some time. Fair play.

Sully

kensutz wrote: »

After reading this complete bítch fest, I've been asking myself some questions.

1) What is the main focus of the Photography Forum?

2)Is it to have a laugh yet keep things in focus?

3)Is it to be completely sterile and professional?

4)Who is the person calling the shots and do any discussions take place before actions are taken? It seems Calina is calling all the shots and her disciples follow.

Over the past couple of years I've been a regular in the photography forum, I have to say that the past 6 months or less have made us walk on glass. I tried to inject some lighthearted voting and yet it got shot down straight away. Granted it's still taking place but with all the "rules" put in place I instantly lost interest in wanting to keep it going but granted I will.

I know Fajitas is up to his eyes and that's why he stepped down. The work he did was fair and sound. Elven the same, she did what was necessary and actually thanked people for helping out with reported posts etc.

I know some users have been thinking of keeping away from the forum because the regular enjoyment they had cannot be maintained. I think some of the SMods or HMods with a complete unbiased opinion have a look at the forum and see if they can spot any faults.

We're in it to enjoy it not to be censored so much that it's like we're living under a brainwashing regime. I ask for some common sense to be used and have a laid back attitude but yet keep people in line because I can see some meets if and when planned could also turn into a bítch fest.

May I make a suggestion? Create a new thread and give Feedback about what you see are the problems. Give some suggestions and stuff. This way, the mods and others can discuss ways of improving based on Feedback where appropriate.

Without actually doing the above, outside of the forum itself, nothing will be fixed. Only way to fix a problem is to describe it to those who can fix it

kensutz

challengemaster wrote: »

Kensutz, you've just said what's needed to be said for quite some time. Fair play.

I think I needed to get it off my chest. I've been in regular contact with some forum users and to be fair it needed to be said and I just gave my opinion of it.

Calina

kensutz wrote: »

After reading this complete bítch fest, I've been asking myself some questions.

1) What is the main focus of the Photography Forum?

2)Is it to have a laugh yet keep things in focus?

3)Is it to be completely sterile and professional?

4)Who is the person calling the shots and do any discussions take place before actions are taken? It seems Calina is calling all the shots and her disciples follow.

Over the past couple of years I've been a regular in the photography forum, I have to say that the past 6 months or less have made us walk on glass. I tried to inject some lighthearted voting and yet it got shot down straight away. Granted it's still taking place but with all the "rules" put in place I instantly lost interest in wanting to keep it going but granted I will.

I know Fajitas is up to his eyes and that's why he stepped down. The work he did was fair and sound. Elven the same, she did what was necessary and actually thanked people for helping out with reported posts etc.

I know some users have been thinking of keeping away from the forum because the regular enjoyment they had cannot be maintained. I think some of the SMods or HMods with a complete unbiased opinion have a look at the forum and see if they can spot any faults.

We're in it to enjoy it not to be censored so much that it's like we're living under a brainwashing regime. I ask for some common sense to be used and have a laid back attitude but yet keep people in line because I can see some meets if and when planned could also turn into a bítch fest.

The main focus of photography is actually photography.

No rules were put in place for your photography awards thing although I voiced concern that an Arse of the Year award could lead to a lot of personal abuse in a forum where I've had to referee quite a bit actually. I let it pass which anyone can see in the relevant thread and I went to the trouble of putting all your nominations together afterwards.

As for having a laugh, the place is not completely sterile but frankly the thread that led to this particular feedback was a trainwreck of a thread. I don't know how much of it you have seen bearing in mind that I deleted 27 posts today.

I'd also add that I get quite a lot of feedback and helpful suggestions from the wider community at large. Unfortunately from a small group of users I get a signal amount of abuse and occasionally feel I am subject to a witch hunt from a small group of users whose key desire is to get me to quit.

In the meanwhile, in the background I'm organising an exhibition for the group, I've also started work on a foreign meet up and I spend a lot of time responding to posts looking for help. Obviously none of that really matters if you don't like being reminded that there is a charter and you need to give some passing attention to it.

Pretty much most of the moaning about my moderation comes from a small select group of users, a couple of whom have dragged me through feedback or who have received minor infractions and warnings.

I'd also add that while some users may have stepped away - the community always has ebbed and flowed - we still have a large group of users including a lot of new users in the last six months.

Cabaal

Sully wrote: »

May I make a suggestion? Create a new thread and give Feedback about what you see are the problems. Give some suggestions and stuff. This way, the mods and others can discuss ways of improving based on Feedback where appropriate.

Without actually doing the above, outside of the forum itself, nothing will be fixed. Only way to fix a problem is to describe it to those who can fix it

Worrying thing here for any users...even for lets say one that posts about a forum I mod I guess is a user might think that by posting faults they see with how a forum is being modded that the mod or mods in question may take a dislike to them.

Its a pretty understandable view imho.

However I'd agree any such issues should be raised in a separate thread and perhaps link back to this one.

Ricky91t

kensutz wrote: »

After reading this complete bítch fest, I've been asking myself some questions.

1) What is the main focus of the Photography Forum?

2)Is it to have a laugh yet keep things in focus?

3)Is it to be completely sterile and professional?

4)Who is the person calling the shots and do any discussions take place before actions are taken? It seems Calina is calling all the shots and her disciples follow.

Over the past couple of years I've been a regular in the photography forum, I have to say that the past 6 months or less have made us walk on glass. I tried to inject some lighthearted voting and yet it got shot down straight away. Granted it's still taking place but with all the "rules" put in place I instantly lost interest in wanting to keep it going but granted I will.

I know Fajitas is up to his eyes and that's why he stepped down. The work he did was fair and sound. Elven the same, she did what was necessary and actually thanked people for helping out with reported posts etc.

I know some users have been thinking of keeping away from the forum because the regular enjoyment they had cannot be maintained. I think some of the SMods or HMods with a complete unbiased opinion have a look at the forum and see if they can spot any faults.

We're in it to enjoy it not to be censored so much that it's like we're living under a brainwashing regime. I ask for some common sense to be used and have a laid back attitude but yet keep people in line because I can see some meets if and when planned could also turn into a bítch fest.

Excellent post,
I'm sure alot of users on the forum will agree with this...

Place has gone to the dogs lately

Fajitas!

Calina wrote: »

...although I voiced concern that an Arse of the Year award could lead to a lot of personal abuse in a forum where I've had to referee quite a bit actually...

That was moreso a joke at my custom title rather than a chance to get a dig in at anyone...

gandalf

Sully wrote: »

May I make a suggestion? Create a new thread and give Feedback about what you see are the problems. Give some suggestions and stuff. This way, the mods and others can discuss ways of improving based on Feedback where appropriate.

Without actually doing the above, outside of the forum itself, nothing will be fixed. Only way to fix a problem is to describe it to those who can fix it

ken I agree if you feel this strongly then post a new post here that we all can respond to.

Remember some of the changes happened because there were complaints that the forum had gotten too cliquey. When I tempt modded the forum after elven stepped down and Fajitas! started to step back from the forum I actually got pm's thanking the mods for tackling the cliquishness and nastiness that had started to rear its ugly head.

I would suggest though rather than post a long list of whats wrong only that you also suggest how you'd fix them.