# message boards that waste so much time and energy complaining about moderators **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [November 13, 2006, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/message-boards-that-waste-so-much-time-and-energy-complaining-about-moderators/380315 "2006-11-13T22:29:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![blinkingblinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@blinkingblinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blinkingblinking)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/message-boards-that-waste-so-much-time-and-energy-complaining-about-moderators/380315/1 "2006-11-13T22:29:34Z")
Is SDMB number one for complaining about the moderators? ---
**Author:** ![FormerMarineGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/65b543/32.png) [@FormerMarineGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FormerMarineGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/message-boards-that-waste-so-much-time-and-energy-complaining-about-moderators/380315/2 "2006-11-13T22:32:32Z")
Is this documentable? I have been to other message boards and it seems that SDMB has a bigger share of whiners. However, it might have something to do with the fact people pay for this board and feel they have a bigger right to complain. Also, I know the SDMB might be number 1 for moderators moving threads around to other locations, such as IMHO, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/message-boards-that-waste-so-much-time-and-energy-complaining-about-moderators/380315/3 "2006-11-13T22:36:45Z")
Well, there is a fairly high level of moderation here compared to other boards that I’ve been to, plus there seems to be little or no censorship of complaints about moderation (unless they break other rules, like those abouit personal abuse). I suspect that other boards that are highly moderated would deleted a lot of the grumbles about moderation. ---
**Author:** ![diggleblop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@diggleblop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggleblop)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/message-boards-that-waste-so-much-time-and-energy-complaining-about-moderators/380315/4 "2006-11-13T22:39:29Z")
I would say it is, especially since I’ve done my fair share of complaining, and rightfully so. I think some of the mods here are too trigger happy to move and close threads, but hey, they’re mods and I’m not. I run a board that has 1500 members and we rarely have to mod anyone at all, and there are some questionable characters that post there too. ---
**Author:** ![blinkingblinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@blinkingblinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blinkingblinking)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/message-boards-that-waste-so-much-time-and-energy-complaining-about-moderators/380315/5 "2006-11-13T23:03:37Z")
I mainly read the pit. I am amazed that there are usually two or three threads there at any one time complaining about mods ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/message-boards-that-waste-so-much-time-and-energy-complaining-about-moderators/380315/6 "2006-11-13T23:12:23Z")
A lot of boards ban for mod sass, which tends to keep the sass down. ---
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/message-boards-that-waste-so-much-time-and-energy-complaining-about-moderators/380315/7 "2006-11-13T23:22:08Z")
Question: Was this a setup in the sense that posting a dubiously “factual question” such as this is likely to get modded for being in the wrong forum? ---
**Author:** ![FormerMarineGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/65b543/32.png) [@FormerMarineGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FormerMarineGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/message-boards-that-waste-so-much-time-and-energy-complaining-about-moderators/380315/8 "2006-11-13T23:29:12Z")
[QUOTE=Jayrot] Question: Was this a setup in the sense that posting a dubiously “factual question” such as this is likely to get modded for being in the wrong forum? [/QUOTE] Read post #2 above: > [@](#): > > Also, I know the SDMB might be number 1 for moderators moving threads around to other locations, such as IMHO, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/message-boards-that-waste-so-much-time-and-energy-complaining-about-moderators/380315/9 "2006-11-13T23:42:22Z")
Sorry, as a general rule I only read the OP and my own response. I then assume that someone has highlighted the fact that my point has been made already in a previous post, and then I make _this_ post as I’m doing now in order to explain myself. –Jayrot Fighting _For_ Ignorance Since 1973 (I didn’t really consider how long it would take) ---
**Author:** ![blinkingblinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@blinkingblinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blinkingblinking)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/message-boards-that-waste-so-much-time-and-energy-complaining-about-moderators/380315/10 "2006-11-13T23:51:05Z")
[QUOTE=Jayrot] Question: Was this a setup in the sense that posting a dubiously “factual question” such as this is likely to get modded for being in the wrong forum? [/QUOTE] Where the threads start seem to me to be more about which forum people ‘hang out’ in rather than on other criteria. I suppose this could be in debates or the pit or ‘About this board’. But it does not really matter to me. It seems to matter to the mods. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/message-boards-that-waste-so-much-time-and-energy-complaining-about-moderators/380315/11 "2006-11-14T00:16:20Z")
I don’t see this as a question with a factual answer, and since it concerns the operation of the board, let’s try ATMB. **samclem** GQ moderator ---
**Author:** ![35340](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/8baadc/32.png) [@35340](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/35340)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/message-boards-that-waste-so-much-time-and-energy-complaining-about-moderators/380315/12 "2006-11-14T01:50:16Z")
I think this is probably one that actually allows it. Other message boards spend a lot of time and money banning anyone who dares complain, closing threads by the dozens, et cetera. Additionally, they have members pay for different levels of membership (for example search works for everyone, but Boolean search costs extra) and count heavily on goodies such as custom avatars and custom titles to generate a profit. If there were complainers on the site they might … make them look bad (say to the magazine readers they cater to as well). So they ban 'em all, no refunds, and often time no explanation. ---
**Author:** ![Mater\_Sammich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Mater\_Sammich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mater_Sammich)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/message-boards-that-waste-so-much-time-and-energy-complaining-about-moderators/380315/13 "2006-11-14T08:02:52Z")
I think it’s difficult to compare the _quantity_ of complaints generated at SDMB about moderators or anything else to those generated at most other forums. There are very few forums with membership numbers that compare to SDMB’s 60,000 plus members. With this many members gathered in one place, the numbers for any sort of member behavior are likely to seem exaggerated by comparison to others. I think the fact that SDMB is open to criticism of its moderators and rules makes for a pretty healthy forum environment. ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/message-boards-that-waste-so-much-time-and-energy-complaining-about-moderators/380315/14 "2006-11-14T08:54:35Z")
[QUOTE=Mater Sammich] I think the fact that SDMB is open to criticism of its moderators and rules makes for a pretty healthy forum environment. [/QUOTE] Not to mention entertaining. 🆒 Although, sometimes it does get to the point of: _“Hey, somebody pitted **TubaDiva** again for shutting down someone’s thread. (Yawn.) What’s on TV?”_ ---
**Author:** ![Manatee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@Manatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manatee)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/message-boards-that-waste-so-much-time-and-energy-complaining-about-moderators/380315/15 "2006-11-14T09:14:50Z")
Since it’s been touched on already, I’ll piggyback my question on this thread. What’s the beef with moved threads? I’ve seen Dopers complain about this before and I never get it. A link to the thread is left in the forum that it was misposted in, so it’s not like it’s hard to find it. So why so many cries of “Wah! The Nazi mods moved my thread!”? ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/message-boards-that-waste-so-much-time-and-energy-complaining-about-moderators/380315/16 "2006-11-14T12:40:22Z")
We’ve tried to say, several times, that putting a thread in a wrong forum is not a violation of rules… unless it’s done often and deliberately. We’re organized by type of discussion rather than by topic, so there’s more grey areas than if we were organized into standard encyclopedia topics like religion, sex, economics, astronomy, travel, etc. And, because we’ve got so much traffic in any given day and so many posts, we think that moving a thread to a better location means it will be seen by more people and get more responses. So, moving a thread is trying to be helpful, not trying to punish. The general complaining about moderators happened way, way before we required payment. My take on this is that we attract a fairly intelligent group of posters, and there are some subsets of that. A few folks with high intelligence have learned to look down on others. A few folks with high intelligence are used to getting their own way, and not being “managed” which they view as censorship. And many folks with high intelligence have an opinion about everything… and can think of better ways of doing many things. All of those tend to make for more criticism of moderators than other boards. Anyhow, that’s my take. (By the way, we don’t dismiss any such criticism, we do discuss and think about them among ourselves, and we correct when we think we were wrong.) ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/message-boards-that-waste-so-much-time-and-energy-complaining-about-moderators/380315/17 "2006-11-14T12:58:31Z")
[QUOTE=Mater Sammich] I think it’s difficult to compare the _quantity_ of complaints generated at SDMB about moderators or anything else to those generated at most other forums. There are very few forums with membership numbers that compare to SDMB’s 60,000 plus members. [/QUOTE] The number of active members is around 4,000. The 60,000 figure refers to total number of members since inception. ---
**Author:** ![Mater\_Sammich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Mater\_Sammich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mater_Sammich)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/message-boards-that-waste-so-much-time-and-energy-complaining-about-moderators/380315/18 "2006-11-14T13:22:47Z")
[QUOTE=Contrapuntal] The number of active members is around 4,000. The 60,000 figure refers to total number of members since inception. [/QUOTE] I understand that the number of active members is far lower than the actual total of the membership. That seems to be true about nearly all forums I’ve visited, which is quite a few. The only time the active memberlist is close to the full membership is when the admins are weeding out inactive members. I don’t know how you arrived at that number (4000) for active users here, but I don’t have access to that information. All I have to go by is the board’s stats. Thanks for that info, though. ---
**Author:** ![dogbutler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogbutler/32/428_2.png) [@dogbutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogbutler)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/message-boards-that-waste-so-much-time-and-energy-complaining-about-moderators/380315/19 "2006-11-14T14:48:56Z")
[QUOTE=Manatee] Since it’s been touched on already, I’ll piggyback my question on this thread. What’s the beef with moved threads? I’ve seen Dopers complain about this before and I never get it. A link to the thread is left in the forum that it was misposted in, so it’s not like it’s hard to find it. So why so many cries of “Wah! The Nazi mods moved my thread!”? [/QUOTE] Yeah, it’s not like the threads were sent to the [cornfield](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f=14). ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/message-boards-that-waste-so-much-time-and-energy-complaining-about-moderators/380315/20 "2006-11-14T14:58:28Z")
[QUOTE=Mater Sammich] The only time the active memberlist is close to the full membership is when the admins are weeding out inactive members. [/QUOTE] At least on this board inactive members are never “weeded out.” Once a name has been registered, it remains listed as a member; this goes for banned members, socks, and those who have never posted even once. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/message-boards-that-waste-so-much-time-and-energy-complaining-about-moderators/380315.md?page=2)