Why are “certain” Mods allowed to troll. when it is clearly against the user agreement?
The special rules for the Pit also clearly state
Since a Mod is repeatedly accusing me of trolling, both in the Pit, and elsewhere, it’s not only an obvious rule violation, it carries with it an implied threat.
Since trolling anywhere is clearly a rule violation, a Mod accusing somebody of doing nothing but trolling is an implied threat.
It also looks like trolling, since there is no attempt to engage in any discussion.
I’m not happy asking about this, since it seems about as wise as accusing a cop of breaking the law. It doesn’t usually go well for the person who reports a cop doing something wrong.
Then buy a dictionary and look up the word “threat.” Accusations of trolling by a Mod aren’t threats by any rational definition. Warnings, yes. Cautions, yes. Indications that you might want to change your posting style, yes.
Not only did you not name names, but you provided no evidence that anything is happening at all. While I have very occasionally seen a mod violate a rule, I have never seen a mod troll.
You seem to be implying that you think someone calling you a troll is trolling. It’s not. We can all do it in the Pit, and mods of course have to be able to do it if they are expected to enforce a no-troll policy.
“This is an Official Warning. I can’t tell you what it’s for because that would be against the rules.” --Yeah, that’s not going to work.
Speaking from my time as a mod, I can assure you that mods certainly do read the reports.
Again, if you are unhappy with the (non)answer you are getting from the reported posts, and you are disinclined to post your direct problems in ATMB, then–really–the only option for you is to contact the person who is in charge of the board.
Again speaking from experience, he will ask you for evidence. Be prepared to provide it.
While trolling is against the rules, as I said in the Pit thread we do accept a certain degree of trolling in that forum. In my judgement as a moderator, FXMastermind is engaged in trolling in his global warming Pit thread. He is posting rubbish of the sort that he is aware has been thoroughly refuted in both GD and the Pit, as far as I can tell purely to annoy people. However, since it’s in the Pit we’ve allowed it to continue, since part of the purpose of the forum is to allow people to be annoying.
He appears to be upset that I am reminding people that he is only trolling, so it’s pointless to try to respond to him substantively. If he’s upset about it, it would be better if he would just stop trolling.
As has been said, accusations of trolling in the Pit are not against the rules, whether by posters or moderators. And moderators are allowed to identify behaviors as trolling anywhere.
Moderator note: A mod note is an attempt to get someone to change their behavior without resorting to a written Warning of a violation of the rules.
It is the mildest form of enforcement.
It is not “trolling.” Or trolling, for that matter.
A moderator pointing out a problem is not trolling neither.
Finally, to make accusations without any relevant examples to back them up and expect to be taken seriously is ridiculous. I’m more than willing to listen to legitimate complaint but you have to bring something with you besides misconception and outrage.
So is there anything that anyone could have possibly said in this thread that would have changed your mind about your position? Agreeing with you would of course reinforce your view, but disagreeing with you appears to have done the same.
Those comments are pretty revolting. But they are all in the Pit, where such things are permitted. If you don’t like it, I suggest you stay away from the pit, like I do.
Like I said, calling someone a troll is something we can do in the Pit. If someone actually thinks you are trolling, they are inherently not “posting of inflammatory comments solely to get a rise out of people.” Their purpose is to call you out for trolling, not solely to piss you off.
Someone calling you a troll in the Pit is not necessarily accusing you of the infraction of trolling. A mod most certainly isn’t, unless it’s accompanied by an Official Warning.
When you can also go into the Pit and call Colibri a troll with no repercussions, it makes no sense to say the a mod is getting special privileges for being able to do the same.
If he really thinks I’m just trolling, that means he is accusing me of a rule violation, since trolling anywhere, even in the Pit, is clearly stated as against the rules.
Since there is no Mod warning, public or otherwise, then he doesn’t actually think I’m trolling, in which case what he is doing is trolling. Posting something false, and inflammatory, just to get a reaction. Which is against the rules.
Like I said, it’s sort of like a Catch 22
Logic and reason tell us it he can’t actually think I am just trolling, a clear violation of the board rules. Which means the constant name calling is itself trolling on his part.
It’s a most unusual situation.
A non Mod doing this, I would just ignore it. But with a discussion in the topic of locking the thread, but not as a Mod, it would be junior modding, except it’s from an actual Mod.
Mods being allowed to call other posters names in the Pit is not new. As long as they’re posting as a poster, it’s fine, as it is for everyone else who wishes to call names in that forum.
I really can’t count how many times I’ve seen mods call someone stupid or a dumbass in the Pit when–in fact–they were being stupid or a dumbass. Marley is a good example of someone who wasn’t afraid to call a poster an asshole in the Pit if they were being one…or many other names. And I never blinked an eye at him doing it.
So like others have said in here, you’ll either just have to live with it or stop posting to the Pit, pretty much.
