Tracking moderator deletions

[Bunny]

I don't think knowing which mod is doing what is necessary. I don't think mods need to explain their actions in detail either. I think they should keep it simple, remain neutral, cite any rules broken, close/remove/ban the issue, and leave it at that. And I think they do a decent job of that already.

I don't think moderation is really the issue, I think it's people being disrespectful smart***es to other members who don't agree with them. An ounce of personal discretion is worth a pound of moderation. My

 

[wichaka]

I try to let life live on here the best I can.

I see quite a few skirting the language rules, thread crapping, and flaming on a continual basis...its not always the same people, but its happening.

I try not to issue warnings unless it gets out of hand, but sometimes by that time...it really has got out of hand.

I would like this forum to be a gentlemen's playground, where all posts are fitting for your grandmother and children to read...but too often they are not.

Bottom line, do the right thing...and if something goes wrong with your post/thread, contact the mod who edited your post/thread and be respectful when doing it, and you'll be treated likewise.

I would say the majority of the time when I see a post/thread deleted or edited, I can find the reason by either seeing what the mod wrote, or compare it to the rules...and the 'why' comes clear.

 

[PlayboyPenguin]

Time is a huge factor, I work, go to school, I'm a single father and like to actually date a couple times a week, doesn't leave much time to discuss every action and trust me "whining" is the rule not the exception...

If it's against the rules and it gets reported it gets dealt with in many different ways depending on the situation if we have to have a discussion on every incident you'd soon see moderators hanging from the rafters just to make the noise stop.

In the end the rules are the rules, we are all supposed to be responsible adults here, sometimes I wish members would just man up and take responsibility for their own actions.

Sorry for the rant.

Whoa, whoa, whoa!!! Back up a step. You mean you can actually find women generous enough to date a mean spirited old curmudgeon like yourself??? Wow, the generosity of the fairer sex never ceases to amaze me..

 

[coctailer]

 

[Joe Link]

To start, I want to make sure nobody is going to get reprimanded for discussing this sort of stuff. I welcome and appreciate threads like these because we want to hear from the community.

I agree, members need to be notified when posts are edited or deleted.

If you go to the Rules & Information tab and click Community Rules you'll see Moderator Rules & Procedures in the drop down. What is written in there is what we moderators need to follow, period. I'll admit, due the number of moderators here and time it takes to moderate a forum of this size we have gotten away from those guidelines. I take responsibility for that, and I'll be working to change that in the coming weeks.

 

[22many]

Joey, when I started on this website it was a great website. It seems that you could talk/post about almost anything without fear of it being closed, risk of a infraction, or the mods getting involved. It was alot more of a open forum and that's why I stayed. Unfortunally, lately it has gotten so restricted that I have limited my time on here. I find it hard to believe that a website that is for the 2A does not seem to support the 1A. It has gotten so bad on here that anything political is deleted. Unless the mods post the thread or the mods wanna allow it. The occupy thread is a perfect example. Other than the gun laws, why is there even a political section?

As far as the mods doing there job, I thought they were here to oversee problems, fix problems, close threads if It really gets out of hand, ect, ect. The only thing that I have seen lately are the mods dictating what we want to read, close any political thread as fast as it comes up, and still not enforce the rules in the classified that we have complaining about for some time. Yet, trying to voice your opinion on this comes back to the rules of "not voicing your opinions about the mods on a open forum". Or better yet, pming the mod only for that mod to reply back as your the one that is the problem. Or threads coming up deleted that they don't like to read.

Now I will say, that I'm not the most politically correct, have been in my share of argument on this board and generally
don't like rules. But I have followed them because this was a good website. But lately, the way this whole site is ran reminds me of communism. Now, I only come and look at the classifieds. I post nothing unless it has to deal with the purchase of a firearm. I don't even visit or read any other part of this forum. I have taken my extra time and invested it over at the akfiles.com. There, you can post anything, talk about anything, not be afraid to answer a question without some kind of backlash, and the people are alot nicer. Go figure huh?

Anyways, you wanted info, and there it is.

 

[PlayboyPenguin]

I am not a fan of political censorship. I do not like forums that decide which political views can be expressed and which ones cannot...like many gun forums. I do not have a problem with the steadfast position of not being a forum for political discussion period.

 

[SteelyDan]

I appreciate the professionalism that coctailer used in responding to my "rant" about my thread(s) being deleted. His response is characteristic of what a good mod should be. I don't even think it's necessary to "out" the moderator that deleted my posts. However, I think that any time something is deleted or taken away for non-obvious reasons then the courtesy of an explanation should be given. That is just being a good forum neighbor. Besides, how will I know what to avoid doing in the future?

In my case (and I hope this doesn't get stricken) I posted a funny comparison between the 1st Lady in a public service ad and Big Bird off Sesame St. My observations were cheeky and humorous (at least in my opinion) and were not politically relevant at all. I would gladly compare Barbara Bush to a walrus any day!
I even posted in Off-Topic since it wasn't related to firearms, legality or anything else. There was no foul language; maybe fowl language?

So....tell me what about that post caused it to be stricken? Twice?

I may not be a high count poster but I would like to think that my contributions are introspective and valuable to the forum. It's no fun to belong to a forum where you can't post without retribution....it makes me want to take my toys and go play someplace else.

 

[SonicBlue03]

Whoa, whoa, whoa!!! Back up a step. You mean you can actually find women generous enough to date a mean spirited old curmudgeon like yourself??? Wow, the generosity of the fairer sex never ceases to amaze me..

To be fair, he never actually said it was a woman.

 

[SonicBlue03]

To start, I want to make sure nobody is going to get reprimanded for discussing this sort of stuff. I welcome and appreciate threads like these because we want to hear from the community.

I agree, members need to be notified when posts are edited or deleted.

If you go to the Rules & Information tab and click Community Rules you'll see Moderator Rules & Procedures in the drop down. What is written in there is what we moderators need to follow, period. I'll admit, due the number of moderators here and time it takes to moderate a forum of this size we have gotten away from those guidelines. I take responsibility for that, and I'll be working to change that in the coming weeks.

Thanks Joe. I do appreciate you weighing in on this topic. I would echo SteelyDan's comment that coctailer's response is appreciated and appropriate; I think he and deadeye - as examples - are the types of moderators that most message boards can benefit from. And I appreciate coctailer's approach (previous and future) to indicate why moderation has been required.

 

[coctailer]

It would be nice to get together as a group to have a "meet and greet" at a local establishment to discuss stuff like this.

I think it would help give a better understanding of what the members expect from the mods, and it would let the members know how they can help the mods keep the site on track.

The point of this forum is to be different that the other ones on the Internet. Not better.....different.

There are almost 0 options for a firearm forum that is family friendly. This one is as close as I have seen in a major website.
I have gained a bunch of close friends from this site. It would be cool to get a chance to put y'all in the same room.

 

[caden08]

I think nwfa IS the best firearms forum online. 95% of its members are local and it gives me chance to meet and know fellow enthusiasts with get togethers buying/selling! I feel comfortable enough bringing my son along to most buy/sell situations because I know the people here are great! Wouldn't think about it while using Craigslist or other forums.

Sometimes these conversations get a little heated but i and many here enjoy these heated debates. It's great to see other points of view and bounce ideas/thoughts off other members. Like I said this is THE BEST forum online IMHO because most everyone is friendly and respectful.

Just my 0.02 cents

I also have to thank the Mods for keeping this place running clean.

 

[Bunny]

I don't like the idea of topic censorship here either. But I think there should be a consistent zero tolerance approach from the mods for language, name-calling, blatant flaming, attacks on other members, and it should be regularly enforced. I think some members think they can get away with rude behavior because they aren't being checked for it. I don't think the rest of the forum should be punished for it either or have to put up with it. Moderate behavior, keep it polite, and I think we can discuss any topic here. We're adults and we should act like it. JMO

 

[SteelyDan]

Sooooo....

Not to flog a dead horse but I still haven't got an answer to why my posts were deleted? Maybe the problem is rogue moderation and unfortunately it's casting a bad light on all the fair and decent moderators?!

 

[deen_ad]

It would be nice to get together as a group to have a "meet and greet" at a local establishment to discuss stuff like this.

So, what happened to the picnic last year? I met some good people at the one in 2010 even if the ground was a "little" wet.

 

[PhysicsGuy]

So, what happened to the picnic last year? I met some good people at the one in 2010 even if the ground was a "little" wet.

Was there one last year? I remember the one in 2010

 

[coctailer]

Sooooo....

Not to flog a dead horse but I still haven't got an answer to why my posts were deleted? Maybe the problem is rogue moderation and unfortunately it's casting a bad light on all the fair and decent moderators?!

I'll plead guilty to not following the Mod Rules myself.
There were a few posts that were blatantly racist, some hateful, and some homophobicly offensive to the most hardened guy.
These members I banned instantly without any warning. It was my judgement call, and I'll stand behind them.

This is pretty extreme instances though, and I'll admit to "shooting from the hip" sometimes, but I try to see where the post inspired from.
The rules are pretty simple, and sometimes they can be enforced by the letter of the law. Sometimes this does not work.
This thread is good to bring it back to re-check our lanes.

To answer your question, there isnt an easy way to put a black and white determination on what is allowed on this forum.

I think it's pretty easy to interact with tact, and not have to worry about it though.

I could be wrong though. This thread is here because there Is an issue. As a family, we need to decide if it's within our goals as a bunch of gun-totin' dudes to keep the site family friendly, or turn it into one of the other 5 billion Internet forums on the net.

 

[SonicBlue03]

Coctailer - do you guys have a parking lot for suspect posts, or once they're purged, they're purged?

There were a few posts that were blatantly racist, some hateful, and some homophobicly offensive to the most hardened guy.
These members I banned instantly without any warning. It was my judgement call, and I'll stand behind them.

As you should, and you'd never owe anyone an explanation for those (IMO) anywhere.

This thread was intended to ask about clarification, and for me it's been good to see Joe and yourself weigh in on this. I do think that the transparency you and deadeye (again, as examples) have provided when removing content or closing threads leaves little doubt as to the whys and gives people the opportunity to step back onto the correct side of the line.

 

[slingshot1943]

I have a favorite moderator: trlsmn

 

[Blitzkrieg]

I have perhaps the most un PC opinion here and it would be nice to be able to paste my 'pinion once in a while. I might even start sending some $$ yer way