Browsing through MPSIMS this morning, I see a thread titled “Questions that seem easy but are not”, and just a few posts down Twickster’s jumping on Nunzio Tavulari’s ass. Personal snark against another user? WFT? I’m aware that someone called James Otto Sweet Heart has been making some ripples lately, but it’s the work of a few moments to search NT’s recent posting history and discover that the two of them don’t seem to have interacted, so how in blazes does Twickster assume that a casual reference to James Otto - who I’d never heard of until a day or two ago, but Nunzio clearly has - is “being a jerk”?
sends up smoke signal and watches the wheeled tepees carefully
You have to understand this is someone who doesn’t understand that “twat” or “asshole” is a personal insult. I’d say her snarkdar needs to be recalibrated.
I presume that NT was referring to James Otto, and not to the poster (Who I never heard of until just now)
Actually, I never heard of the singer either until I Wiki’d.
First half of your post, I couldn’t figure out what could be wrong with that warning. Second half I see the problem, and you’re right: this looks like a bad warning, based on misreading “James Otto” as “James Otto Sweet Heart.”
Nor I. But I did look to see what NT has been posting lately, and there is a reference to James Otto from not too many days back; but of interactions with the Sweet Heart, nary a one to be seen.
Which you may figure would also have been a reasonable step for a mode to take before going all “Jerk! Warning! Imma get you banninated!” on the Nunzmeister (whom, also, I barely know from Adam).
I don’t know Nunzio Tavulari’s posting history or what the previous admonition was all about, but the reason this comment would have counted as snark is that Nunzio Tavulari doesn’t really think James Otto is “so Dreamy McDreamikins”.
Nunzio Tavulari doesn’t like James Otto. Nobody likes James Otto except for the poster named James Otto Sweet Heart- who makes it a point of defending her favorite singer at anytime ill is spoken of him, who makes it a point to gush and glow about how wonderful her favorite singer is whether it has anything to do with the general discussion or not.
Nunzio Tavulari’s reference to the singer James Otto was meant as nothing more than a swipe of sarcasm directed at the poster named James Otto Sweet Heart who hadn’t even appeared in that Thread.
This is to say nothing of whether or not Twickster overreacted, I’m just providing the background to show the basis for calling out the snark.
You know, it would have been possible to ask this question without being personally nasty to Twickster. For the second time this week, someone is calling her judgment into question not in a way that actually seeks information about some moderator action, but to be a jerk because they apparently feel that they can.
ATMB is here so that, among other things, you can raise questions aboput an action a moderator has taken, not take potshots.
Is that really how you see it? Because it seems totally the other way around to me. (ie, people are seeking information about why a mod keeps posting like a jerk)
Malacandra could have asked the basic question, omitting the jumping the shark and circling the wagons parts. It seems to me to be trying to get away with insulting Twickster while pretending to be just questioning a moderator action.
Twickster invites criticism due to her odd moderating . She also has an interesting way of responding to judgement calls, including using snark. While I acknowledge that taking potshots at her in ATMB is not right, her style of moderating invites an emotional response. This happens so often that surely her suitability as a mod should be in question.
I agree with this as well. I think it was an incorrect warning given out, but the OP was needlessly insulting in his criticism of the warning. Counterproductively so, IMO: such insults tend to put people on the defensive, making them less likely to listen to the concerns. A respectful question about the warning would be much likelier to be productive.
If it’s an insult, then moderate it. If it’s not, then don’t. If it just seems to be, then maybe await further information before getting all worked up, maybe?
[QUOTE=Left Hand of Dorkness]
I agree with this as well. I think it was an incorrect warning given out, but the OP was needlessly insulting in his criticism of the warning. Counterproductively so, IMO: such insults tend to put people on the defensive, making them less likely to listen to the concerns. A respectful question about the warning would be much likelier to be productive.
[/QUOTE]
Normally, I wouldn’t really disagree with you. But incidents like this have happened roughly 153 times before with Twickster, I’d suggest either her skin has gotten pretty thick for comments that just seem to be insulting, or the comments need to be quite a bit more insulting for them to sink in.
And, as if by magic, it gets to be all about what I did. :rolleyes: I have no personal background with Twickster but it’s far from the first piece of dodgy moderating I’ve seen from that quarter and, for that matter, I wasn’t so much “just questioning” as “strenuously protesting”.
Well, ahem, I apologise if anyone was offended by my post, despite my intentions. I shall certainly know better another time. I hope we can now draw a line under this and move on.
Quite.
Twicks’ moderating in the thread in question was dead-on.
FTFY
Seriously, I never bitch about the mods, but this is a poor bit of moderation, and Ellen Cherry’s reaction to this OP is confusing and frankly wrong, IMO.
Don’t change text inside the quote boxes, hrhomer. I “fixed” your post by changing the text back to what silenus actually wrote.
I agreed with twickster’s modding of this post, by the way. Nunzio Tavulari’s comment is about the real James Otto, but it’s a joke at the expense of James Otto Sweet Heart. It doesn’t belong in Cafe Society.
But her incorrectly calling him a jerk, and reviewing his posting privileges are somehow not snark?
By coming in here and denying she did anything wrong, and saying the OP could have been less inflammatory, you just prove that his “circling the wagons”, was, in fact, spot on.
The mod in question often snarks at posters when moderating, and has even once inadvertently revealed exactly how nastily she speaks of posters in private, with other mods. Stop thinking she’s been horribly wronged already. She makes a lot of enemies with her modding, yet never, ever gets called on it. Only blindly defended by TPTB. Time and again, no matter how wrong she is it’s the same, we’rejust needlessly picking on her!
Few are the posting, on this board, where one couldn’t observe that it could have been said nicer, or less crassly. Since when was that codified as an offence?
Why should any poster bother to defend themselves from her poor modding, ever? It’s almost always utterly pointless, no matter how righteous, it seems. She’s a train wreck and the posters are the only ones who see it. Why is that, one has to wonder?
twickster is really probably the worst moderator on this board. Sorry twickster, but I have had enough of your nonsense. First you start calling people twats and you ask people what the fuck is wrong with them. Then you give mhendo an unnecessary warning because “he’s been here long enough to know better”; the problem with this is that then you call people assholes but shouldn’t you know better? So by that logic, you should have a number of warnings. This isn’t the first time there has been a thread complaining about your nonsensical moderation; there was one just recently.
It is about time you learned that personal insults aren’t allowed outside the BBQ Pit before you start accusing others.
Who is the least bitched about mod, whose decisions are generally well-received and approved of?