Author Topic: What's with you people? (Read 8858 times)

Guest · « **on:** September 08, 2006, 06:16:43 AM »

I stop in to browse APS for once and I see posters saying and doing things on the personal attack level that I would never have even thought about doing. Interestingly, many of them are people who cheered so hard at me being banned.

Seriously, what's up with that? Sure, I'm used to finding that the holier than thou types, aren't, but I at least expected that some people could handle themselves with a little more dignity than that.

I'm not sure whether not having Preacherman around to joke crudely about male genitalia / other impolite things every chance he gets is a good or a bad thing, since he probably wouldn't do anything in the first place unless he personally dislikes the offenders. There's a reason I got removed besides that 'evil' post, by the way.

Oleg Volk · « **Reply #1 on:** September 08, 2006, 06:50:17 AM »

I don't have much time to police APS. Working almost 100 hrs/week does that.

I don't have much interest in policing APS closely. It was meant for civil adults. If it deteriorates much more, I'll remove the forum and be done with it. Plenty of other chit-chat sites out there.

Guest · « **Reply #2 on:** September 08, 2006, 06:51:36 AM »

Instate me as a mod and I'll keep it clean and fair. Wink

Oleg Volk · « **Reply #3 on:** September 08, 2006, 06:57:13 AM »

You might, too. Too bad I can't take you up on the offer, as your re-registration violated the initial agreement with me. Can't deputize a guy who already violated the rules he offers to enforce now. Mods should lead by example...in the ideal world. Around APS, mods seem to lead by inaction (me) and by punning (Preacherman). Doesn't work all that well, but that's life...if you recall, APS was an experiment. I think it is limping along...not so well.

Guest · « **Reply #4 on:** September 08, 2006, 07:01:18 AM »

Actually, I didn't re-register here.. check and see.

Edit: the need for mods to 'police' it basically gives it a huge shot in the foot in the first place. The 'secret squirrel' policy inherited from THR ups that shot from a .38spl to a .44mag.

cosine · « **Reply #5 on:** September 08, 2006, 07:13:20 AM »

Well darn. I'm disappointed to hear that you think this forum isn't working out so well Mr. Volk. I like it here quite a bit. It is, I think, one of the most civil chit-chat sites I've ran across. Granted, I've not always succeeded in taking the High Road myself in my posts (or in staying out of the threads that are taking the low road), but I sure try.

What all is involved with modding a forum? I suppose I could try to give some effort back as a show of appreciation for this forum (which I really like) if you really needed me to.

mtnbkr · « **Reply #6 on:** September 08, 2006, 07:14:41 AM »

Quote from: Oleg Volk

Around APS, mods seem to lead by inaction (me) and by punning (Preacherman). Doesn't work all that well, but that's life...if you recall, APS was an experiment. I think it is limping along...not so well.

How is it not working well? Things are much more civil here than on any other public forum I've seen. Check out the general chat areas at Bladforums or Hardcore talk and then tell me how things are bad here. Combatcarry might be the only other forum I visit that's as civil as this one. Even the ham radio or mountain bike forums I visit aren't as civil and well behaved as this.

Maybe I don't understand your goals...

Chris

BrokenPaw · « **Reply #7 on:** September 08, 2006, 07:26:00 AM »

So make me a mod, Oleg! I am the very model of a moderator-general![0]

In all seriousness, Oleg, this site has grown beyond trivial volume; it's a bit much for any one person to keep up with in a moderator sense. Having a few mods to just watch out for egregious policy violations might help things not get out of hand before they're stopped.

It'd be a shame for APS to go away like THR's Round Table did, because this isn't just a chit-chat site; it's a chit-chat site with a much higher level of intelligence than most. Even those people I disagree with here on regular occasion have my respect as skilled debaters; I'd like to think that the feeling is mutual.

That's a rare thing on an internet forum. I believe it's going better than you think.

Anyway, I don't know if I am the sort that you'd want as a moderator, but don't not make people mods here just because you don't want to ask for help from them; I'm sure there are plenty of folks who'd be just as willing as I am to help keep this place a success.

As for BlackbjÃ¶rn's reticence about having mods at all, I think that some amount of moderation is necessary, simply because in a publically-accessible place like this one, you're bound to get the occasional nitwit, and in order to preserve the atmosphere, the rules must be enforced.

Namaste,
-BP

With apologies to Gilbert & Sullivan.

lupinus · « **Reply #8 on:** September 08, 2006, 07:31:11 AM »

heck I'll be a mod if ya decide ya need um

Oleg Volk · « **Reply #9 on:** September 08, 2006, 07:36:19 AM »

I had an idea for APS when it started. Time to implement it right.

I wanted everyone to moderate themselves. Let's do it, but do it transparently and publically.

Firethorn · « **Reply #10 on:** September 08, 2006, 08:11:05 AM »

Oleg, I know it's a little late and you don't have time to impliment a new system, but have you seen slashdot's moderation system? You throw a few karma points to the best posters, and they get moderation abilities off and on, at random. They moderate good posters up, trolls down, and the good posters eventually get the chance to moderate themselves.

Then there's a system designed to catch good posters who aren't good moderators (meta-mods). It seems to work out well.

I believe that the code is available under GPL or something.

Nightfall · « **Reply #11 on:** September 08, 2006, 08:15:29 AM »

We've had some in-depth discussions about some hot button topics here, i.e. evolution, gay marriage, etc. and by and large, twern't much in the way of personal attacks. Don't know how much more civil we can expect it to get while still allowing real humans to post.

Perd Hapley · « **Reply #12 on:** September 08, 2006, 08:29:21 AM »

Let me at 'em. I'll moderate this forum back to the stone age! I'll moderate you all so hard, you'll cry. Just let me at 'em!

Oleg, I agree that this site is relatively civil. Perhaps you are embarassed by certain things said here. Let it ride, because in general this site is to your credit.

Oleg Volk · « **Reply #13 on:** September 08, 2006, 08:29:27 AM »

Firethorn,

I like the idea but not sure how to implement it. Will make inquiries.

As the experience with my third forum showed, the quality of participants is THE major factor. It trumps all others combined. So tweaking rules will not help unless the quality of the folks using the forum is high. It's that simple.

Oleg Volk · « **Reply #14 on:** September 08, 2006, 08:31:08 AM »

I don't think the problem here is bad. However, some of the small problems remained unsolved. I am exploring options now. It may be hours or months before I act.

Nightfall · « **Reply #15 on:** September 08, 2006, 08:34:03 AM »

Can you tell us what the small problems are?

garrettwc · « **Reply #16 on:** September 08, 2006, 08:34:12 AM »

Quote from: Nightfall

We've had some in-depth discussions about some hot button topics here, i.e. evolution, gay marriage, etc. and by and large, twern't much in the way of personal attacks. Don't know how much more civil we can expect it to get while still allowing real humans to post.

I have to go with Nightfall on this. One of the keys to good discussion is to be honest about what you think and be prepared to explain yourself. If we go to far in the civility direction then we all end up posting phony politically sanitized talking points like you here in some press conferences. Then the forums have no value.

Some people just have ingratiating personalities. It doesn't make what they have to say of less value. It just makes it harder to pan the nuggets out of the mud.

mtnbkr · « **Reply #17 on:** September 08, 2006, 08:44:56 AM »

Quote

Some people just have ingratiating personalities. It doesn't make what they have to say of less value. It just makes it harder to pan the nuggets out of the mud.

Yup. And doing this via text on a screen makes it even more difficult. There are several folks here who turned me off with their first few posts. However, once they had been around a while, I got the gist of their personality and realized I misread them. From that point on, the perceived nature of their posts changed completely.

Given the lack of moderation here, I don't think you can make things any better unless you start banning everyone who doesn't "fit into Slot A".

Chris

The Rabbi · « **Reply #18 on:** September 08, 2006, 08:50:17 AM »

I nominate RichYoung as moderator.

Seriously, while discussions somtimes get heated and an occasional name called, overall people have been pretty good. Yeah there are people here I don't like and they probably feel the same way about me. But maybe we have an accomodation.

TarpleyG · « **Reply #19 on:** September 08, 2006, 08:52:14 AM »

VVV See signature...that's all the moderatin' we need... VVV

Third_Rail · « **Reply #20 on:** September 08, 2006, 09:17:36 AM »

Rabbi, I don't really agree with your views on some issues, but we're still civil to eachother. Beats me why everyone can't be that way!

Felonious Monk/Fignozzle · « **Reply #21 on:** September 08, 2006, 09:28:50 AM »

Frankly, at the risk of seeming thick:

I do NOT understand what the problem is???
What was the third forum, Oleg? Some kind of invitation-only thing?
(Obviously I didn't make the cut.)

Seriously,
If it ain't broke, what needs fixin'?

USP45usp · « **Reply #22 on:** September 08, 2006, 09:48:04 AM »

I think this is the third forum, with the main being THR, then the round table, then APS.

Personally, I would like to respectfully disagree that APS is a failed experiment or even going down the wrong road.

I have read many interesting posts here, and some of the posts that have been debated have been very hot issues.

Yet, they were addressed in a civil manner, at least by most of the older members. Yes, sometimes something is thrown into a post that is either boarderline or does play in the grey areas but not to the extent that I've seen on other chit-chat boards.

As for the person that started this thread, first he was banned and from my understanding for good cause. Why he wishes to come back to the board and troll for either sympathy or to try to break the board apart is beyond me. Sounds like he is just being childish, one of the reasons for the ban in the first place.

And yes, there are some on the board that you just have to get passed their personalities. Different people have different personalities and sometimes those personalities conflict.

If you don't like the way a person posts, then don't read that person.

To me, this seems more like the ex-girlfriend coming back to try to break up the current girlfriend out of spite.

But, as always, JMHO.

wingnutx · « **Reply #23 on:** September 08, 2006, 09:53:03 AM »

I think that this is about the most civil board on teh intarweb, including THR.

I post (or have posted) on a lot of boards, and this one has less rancor than any of them.

Deputizing a few mods is usually a good idea, though.

Oleg Volk · « **Reply #24 on:** September 08, 2006, 10:31:43 AM »

I'll let this limp along and see how it works. A mostly ok forum with few rules beats the Singapore model where everything is either forbidden or mandatory.

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Author Topic: What's with you people? (Read 8858 times)

Guest

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Felonious Monk/Fignozzle