Well like I said it's not an issue with an particular mod, just kinda forum/mod actions in general. A pet peeve of mine of you will. I guess I'll just say it and you all can decide if it's worth discussing. If not, that's fine too..
Like I said, this isn't about any particular mod, and nothing recent has really triggered this thought. But it concerns the locking of threads. Specifically, when the mod who is doing the locking takes the opportunity to also make one last comment or even a remark about a member. On this forum, as with most forums, mod/admins are also posting members, which is cool. But I guess I would like to see more separation between a mod posting as a member, and exercising his authority. Basically, when a thread is worthy of being locked I would prefer to see something like "Thread locked for rude comments" or "Thread locked because it is off topic." When a debate is going on, I just prefer all involved in the debate to be on equal footing. So when it comes time for a mod to step above the rest and lock it down, I would also like to see the mod remove himself from the topic and not use his final locking post as a chance to get the last word in, or address something that was said in the thread. If a member needs a talking-to, I would suggest a PM as the best means to address the member's behavior, and leave the public act of mod-authority as the most bare-bones detached expression possible.
Thoughts?
Yea, I think it is an issue.
It is tough though, because the mods/admins here are often the most passionate and frequent posters, and the site rules tend to be more fluid and subjective than many forums, especially for a general discussion site.
Personally (and you know how much that is worth!) I would rather see a strict set of guidelines that govern thread locking, rather than what there is now which is somewhat unpredictable and fluid. A system where you have to break a written rule (or the spirit of such) to have your thread locked, rather than just make the wrong person mad at you or the subject of the thread. Stating an unpopular viewpoint or opinion should be an acceptable thing to do as long as it is done cleanly without rule violations.
I will say though, it is a lot better than it was when I first started posting here.
