I really used to like About This Message Board, back when it was mainly about interesting technical issues. But nowadays – or is it just me? – it’s nothing but a bunch of whining. Now here I am whining! Ye gods!
I know some people think we’re a little forum heavy already, but maybe we should have a separate one just for bitching about moderators and return ATMB to technical issues.
I’ve wanted it split in three:
Test posts (easiest to moderate, blanket rule that any thread can be locked)
Technical questions (again easy to mod; very limited and dry subject area)
Mod questions (modded just like ATMB is now, but free of above clutter)
I like the no flaming in ATMB rule, but it seems that some people never got over the move out of the Pit and feel like posting in ATMB means you’re supposed to be as whiney as possible.
Well maybe if people would read the fucking stickies, issues with administration should already be relegated to private messages or e-mails. If this were enforced more strongly, ATMB could go back to being a far more helpful and constructive forum.
There are separate places that these whiny posts originate, but they go by different names and have different urls. The problem is that they are small and have been populated by the same couple of dozen posters for years, who have nothing new to say.
So they come over here to get more responses and higher quality attention. That is why whenever you see an OP about doard or moderator issues, it will be populated by posters who rarely post in regular threads anymore, but in the contentious threads about board issues they will jump in with both feet and a couple dozen whiny posts.
Yes. It’s because you can’t Pit mods about modding decisions anymore.
Covered_In_Bees, people make ATMB threads because they want to make issues public, not because they don’t know what the recommended action is.
Seriously? “Interesting technical issues?” Like “how do I post a poll?” That kind of stuff?
Yeah, real interesting.
Perhaps you should stick to polluting MPSIMS with your exciting pigeon updates.
Let’s not make this another bickering thread, okay?
Yes, “issues” that never lead anywhere and if the attention does lead somewhere, I’m not convinced a private, more civil exchange wouldn’t accomplish the same thing and probably faster.
Yes that’s what we need - less transparency.
I think moving mod discussion TO the pit was one of the biggest mistakes of the board. Now, even though it’s been years since mod discussions were moved out, people can’t shake the feeling that they must snark. No, not everyone, and no, not every snark is related. But kind of like in the pit, where if you are disagreed with it’s almost culturally expected that the retort will be insulting or vitriolic. Here, so much venom is inserted into modding threads that half of the posts are way over the top. It’s sad, really.
Maybe if you could use BOTH – pit mods for stuff that you’re really pissed over, but still voice mild complaints in ATMB? But that would make too much sense.
With respect, discussion of moderator decisions earns an instaban on most boards. If this board was any more transparent, it would be invisible.
Four! Split into four…
Most boards aren’t worth glancing at.
Where can I get a fucking sticky? This sounds fun!
If you’re doing it right, just about anywhere.
Even if you are doing it wrong I think you are right.
All the whining is going way over the top. Any day now Ed is going to realize that though he used to love ATMB, he’s going to have to kill it. Once locked, he’ll keep it around for archive purposes, buried in the back of the forums–and even then it’ll probably haunt him and he’ll still end up reading the complaints.
[/Guns n’ Roses]
Quoted for truth and agreement.
Also agreed. Our moderators do a fantastic job making this place worth looking at and any additional “transparency” that’s required is just a bunch of hot air from people who’ve always got something up their ass and probably would have been banned from any other message board.
I hear that theaters and men’s restrooms are good places to start.
That’s very true. In fact, while mods are constantly accused of acting like jackbooted thugs, if anything they usually err on the side of caution.
I can recommend a couple of bars too. 