Excitable moderators

votejohn

Hi there,

Im contacting the helpdesk to report a thread that was shut down by a moderator after people had their say on that moderators (imo) unfair treatment of another poster (http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055780985).

I've found that moderators on boards are becoming more and more strict, and enforcing their power at the drop of a hat.

I completely understand that moderators are very much necessary, but its beginning to feel like a classroom with the strictest of teachers reprimanding people without first taking a moment to allow them to justify their comments.

I also understand that moderators know that some topics can quickly turn into uncomfortable reading, but sometimes I feel threads are shut down when they are still light hearted and active.

Just felt I had to say something, thanks for reading!!

BuffyBot

I'm not quite sure of your point here.

Your first post of call should be to discuss it with the Moderator in question via PM. If you aren't satisfied with their response, you can escalate it to the relevant CMod. If you're still not happy, then we'll look at it.

Otherwise, we're not going to get involved

nesf

CMods have been contacted about this and it is being dealt with.

Asiaprod

Has been escalated to Admins, I am dealing with it via PMs

Maximilian

I actually don't use mod powers at the drop of a hat. Quite rarely in fact, other than closing certain threads.

Of late however, the lunatics have taken over to an extent. People using LD as their soapbox for crackpot conspiracy threads, derailing threads and what not.

A user was obnoxious to another person on the Garda thread. I gave him the benefit of the doubt but when he behaved the same towards me, I issued an on-thread warning. He ignored it and I banned him. For a whole 7 days.

A number of others decided to engage in back seat modding. I deleted each of those threads and infracted those users. One such sent me a series of obnoxious pm's, so I banned him also.

I stand by all of those decisions. Harsh perhaps but there you go.

votejohn

Maximilian wrote: »

I actually don't use mod powers at the drop of a hat. Quite rarely in fact, other than closing certain threads.

Of late however, the lunatics have taken over to an extent. People using LD as their soapbox for crackpot conspiracy threads, derailing threads and what not.

A user was obnoxious to another person on the Garda thread. I gave him the benefit of the doubt but when he behaved the same towards me, I issued an on-thread warning. He ignored it and I banned him. For a whole 7 days.

A number of others decided to engage in back seat modding. I deleted each of those threads and infracted those users. One such sent me a series of obnoxious pm's, so I banned him also.

I stand by all of those decisions. Harsh perhaps but there you go.

What exactly is backstage modding? I feel that all I did was stuck up for someone who, in my opinion, was being punished unfairly.

You gave me an infraction for saying, quite mannerly, that I felt it was unfair.

I think that by giving me an infraction for ONE POST is using your power at the drop of the hat, and then when I politely questioned your actions you told me that if i PM'd you again you would ban me!!!!! again, drop of a hat stuff in my opinion.


Im really getting sick of how much this is going on and on, but if someone (myself or others) is being treated unfairly, I think it is only right to say something.

I didnt try to get into an argument, and i've no interest at all in bickering with anyone, but I find it hard to comprehend how people can be punished for doing what they feel is right!!!

Over and out

votejohn

Maximilian wrote: »

I actually don't use mod powers at the drop of a hat. Quite rarely in fact, other than closing certain threads.

Of late however, the lunatics have taken over to an extent. People using LD as their soapbox for crackpot conspiracy threads, derailing threads and what not.

A user was obnoxious to another person on the Garda thread. I gave him the benefit of the doubt but when he behaved the same towards me, I issued an on-thread warning. He ignored it and I banned him. For a whole 7 days.

A number of others decided to engage in back seat modding. I deleted each of those threads and infracted those users. One such sent me a series of obnoxious pm's, so I banned him also.

I stand by all of those decisions. Harsh perhaps but there you go.

I just replied to this thread but it seems to have disappeared so ill try again!!


What exactly is back seat modding? I dont think i was trying to moderate the topic, but I have been raised to stand up and say something when someone is being treated unfairly. And thats all I did!! I was polite, and I didnt think I was insulting to you maximillian, I was just commenting on what I thought was an unfair punishment.


You say you dont give out punishments at the drop of a hat, but I recieved an infraction of ONE POLITE POST!!! I dont go around starting fights, or bickering with people, and I think being punished for one comment is very very harsh and insulting.

Also, maximillian, as far as ive been told, if you have a problem with a punishment you contact the mod who punished you. I did this, again politely

hat is extremely unfair, i was not modding, i was simply sticking up for someone who i thought was being treated unfairly.

I would comment on two non moderators having a dispute if i felt one was being picked on, so why should it be any different if i comment on anything you say?

Your free to comment in topics like a normal user, yet if anyone disagrees with you, this seems to be the outcome!

Extremely unfair as I do not use boards to get into arguments or to fight with people from behind my keyboard, and I was taught that if you see someone being picked on, stand up and do something about it.

Am I now being punished for having morals?

What is the next step to complain about how I have been treated?

and your reply to this was if i PM'd you again on the topic I would be BANNED????????

Hardly fair.

Maximilian

votejohn wrote: »

What exactly is backstage modding? I feel that all I did was stuck up for someone who, in my opinion, was being punished unfairly.

You gave me an infraction for saying, quite mannerly, that I felt it was unfair.

I think that by giving me an infraction for ONE POST is using your power at the drop of the hat, and then when I politely questioned your actions you told me that if i PM'd you again you would ban me!!!!! again, drop of a hat stuff in my opinion.


Im really getting sick of how much this is going on and on, but if someone (myself or others) is being treated unfairly, I think it is only right to say something.

I didnt try to get into an argument, and i've no interest at all in bickering with anyone, but I find it hard to comprehend how people can be punished for doing what they feel is right!!!

Over and out

I'm pretty sick of the various abusive emails I'm getting regarding KC's (7 day) ban to be honest and people like you votejohn, sticking their oar into a modding decision that didn't concern them. I will say that ban threat in my pm was overly harsh but I was pretty exasperated at that point. I wouldn't have gone through with it by the way.

I can see your upset; I sympathise to an extent & I accept you meant no harm but the rules are there to maintain order. It's nothing personal and I don't get some mad power trip adrenalin rush from all of this. You breached those rules as far as I'm concerned and received an infraction. Modding decisions are not made by committee.

Now Admins can overrule me of course and that's up to them but I stand by my decisions and that's it as far as I'm concerned.

Asiaprod

votejohn wrote: »

I just replied to this thread but it seems to have disappeared so ill try again!!

FYI
Your post did not disappear, posts here are moderated and need to be approved before they appear in thread. This is done so we can stick to the relevant facts and not get side-tracked.

votejohn

Maximilian wrote: »

I'm pretty sick of the various abusive emails I'm getting regarding KC's (7 day) ban to be honest and people like you votejohn, sticking their oar into a modding decision that didn't concern them. I will say that ban threat in my pm was overly harsh but I was pretty exasperated at that point. I wouldn't have gone through with it by the way.

I sent you ONE pm, that was polite and far from abusive, to query why I had received an infraction.
You threaten to ban me if I wrote back to your reply (which seems to be what your meant to do if you disagree with a punishment).

And now you say it was an empty threat to ban me? Madness! So were you just trying to shut me up? How are people meant to know when they are getting real warnings or not??

votejohn

Asiaprod wrote: »

FYI
Your post did not disappear, posts here are moderated and need to be approved before they appear in thread. This is done so we can stick to the relevant facts and not get side-tracked.

Thanks for that, I only copped on when I tried to re:send the message and I saw the information box

Did you get my PM?

Asiaprod

votejohn wrote: »

Did you get my PM?

Yes I did.