Soccer forum access removal without warning

CGI_Livia_Soprano

Hi all, I’ve previously had access to the Soccer forum however it appears that my access seems to have been removed, despite never having been banned from there. In fact I think I only posted in there two or three times, once where I referred to Manchester City as “****” in August which I did get a warning for. Fronting up: I’m not normally one for posting abuse and it was a huge error on my part.

However I haven’t posted there since, and my access seems to have been revoked without warning, which is rather puzzling, so I just want to know why.

I sent the moderator of the forum (@DM_7) a few PMs asking why however they seem to have accidentally (I presume) removed themselves from the the conversation so I’m asking here.

I like to follow Soccer and I was looking forward to reading peoples’ thoughts on the World Cup. Would someone be kind enough to answer my question, please?

I know everyone is very busy, and I have no doubt that Mr/Ms 7 is doing a bang up job with all of their other moderation duties and responsibilities.

Thanks for reading, I await your reply with baited breath.

Liv.

awec

Let me get back to you.

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058274711/soccer-forum-access-removal-without-warning

You lost access as you were banned.

However, your ban is now expired, and you can re-request access here: Soccer Access Request Thread — boards.ie - Now Ye're Talkin'

CGI_Livia_Soprano

Hi,

I’ve never been banned before so I don’t know the ins and outs but are posters not supposed to be sent DMs if they have been banned? I know you get a DM if you receive a warning so surely bans are supposed to be similar. I checked my inbox and I can confirm with 100% certainty that I was not informed in any way that I was banned from the Soccer forum.

Also I PM’d the moderator (@DM_7 ) about this four times without reply in the past month. I understand they’re probably quite busy but surely there is a clear gap in communication here where a poster in the Soccer forum is banned without notice and the moderators of the forum resolutely refuse to engage with that poster afterwards.

Honestly to me it betrays this idea that the Soccer forum is this exclusive club of like-minded high-brow soccer intellectuals (which is what one moderator alluded to in a post linked below), and it’s more like a closed-off boys club where the moderators run their fiefdom without rule or reason.

The latter is fair enough in my view, it’s their ball to play with, but it absolutely makes a mockery of the hoops the regulars posters have to jump through in order to get access.

It seems to me that perhaps it is the moderating team of this particular forum who are “jumped up.” Which is a tragedy considering the usually excellent moderation on boards.ie.

Source: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119876084/#Comment_119876084

awec

Moderators run the forum as per the forum charter. In this case, perhaps a communication gap did emerge, and if that is the case then apologies.

As mentioned already, if you want to re-instate your access to soccer, you must go via the access request thread.

CGI_Livia_Soprano

I would argue that there were two communication gaps: the first where I was banned without any notice and the second where the moderator absolutely refused to engage with me when I sent them a message, three months later. Which are you apologising for? Apology accepted either way, by the way.

I just think it’s all a bit strange that the assigned moderators of the Soccer forum insist on compliance from users just to ask for access to the forum, and then they themselves completely refuse to engage with posters who ask them simple questions afterwards. It seems like the “power” of seeing regular posters snivelling and prone in front of them has gone to these moderators’ heads to be honest.

I have no doubt that the wagons will circle shortly and this thread will be locked with a “we’re done here” but I feel that my concerns are valid. How many other posters send DMs to the Soccer forum mods which are promptly ignored? This is tarnishing the reputation of moderation on boards, which is usually top class.

CGI_Livia_Soprano

Incidentally I want to clarify that I sent @DM_7 four messages on this topic without reply, since the 14th of November. The last of which prompted them to leave the discussion altogether, which I initially thought was in error.

awec

The soccer mods, like all mods, are volunteers on this site. You were of course informed of your original ban, and the mod in question was unfortunately having technical problems with their PM inbox that caused them to miss your messages.

I note your concern, however I am confident that there is no silenced group of banned soccer users out there getting willfully ignored by the moderating team. I am also confident in the reputation of the wider boards moderating team, though I also note your concern in this regard.

As mentioned already, if you want back into soccer then apply for access. I don't think there is much more to add at this point.

CGI_Livia_Soprano

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119965745#Comment_119965745

You were of course informed of your original ban

That’s not true. I wasn’t informed at all until I started this thread. I have looked through my DMs, and I am 100% sure that I was never informed about any ban from the Soccer forum.

And that stuff about the inbox “technical problems” is laughable to be honest.

What clearly seems to have happened here is that someone surreptitiously removed my access to the Soccer forum without notice, and then chose to ignore any of my enquiries about the topic.

You, I, and anyone reading this will know that this is behaviour unbecoming of a moderator (volunteer or otherwise) but like I predicted there will be a circling of the wagons and a threatened locking of this thread rather than examining a moderator’s misuse of their power.

That misuse of power is their prerogative (and boards.ie’s to endorse it) but it makes a mockery of the whole idea that Soccer posters need to show how exemplary they are as posters before they even gain access. Well according to their behaviour regarding this issue this particular moderator doesn’t fit the standard of a Soccer forum user, never mind a moderator.

awec

You were banned from soccer, hence your access was removed.

If you want back into soccer, you are now aware of what you need to do.

Case (and thread) closed.