In all the time I’ve been reading these boards I have never seen Nickrz say anything that ever added to a thread and some of his replies have in fact been quite mean. All I want to know is: Have I missed some of his amazing intellect at work? Or is he just a troll holding WAY too much power?
I go with the latter.
http://www.straightdope.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/003035.html
Check out his post in this thread for an example. Apparently the “don’t be a jerk” rule doesn’t apply to him.
-Melin
Nickrz - Troll or Moderator
Sadly, both. Threads in GQ never get terribly out of control, and he moves inappropriate threads to their proper forums, so he’s a good mod.
He’s a bastard poster, though. Sometimes he’s funny, more often than that he’s just crass and mean.
Too bad.
“ChrisCTP-…the sweetheart of the SDMB…” --Diane
Chris’ Homepage: Domestic Bliss
Ah, yes. Master of the snotty one-word reply. I started the “Human footprint in pre-cambrian rock” thread in GQ with the following, admittedly badly-phrased question.
To which he replied:
Thanks a lot, but if you’ll notice, I did ask a question, instead of merely repeating a load of creationist hooey. So, to clarify the point, I asked:
To which he again responded:
Yes, I know that!
All I was looking for was to know if there were actual, material fossilized footprints somewhere out there that someone was claiming were human. So, in response to the question, I don’t think he’s a troll, just a jerk. I mean, responding once with a pointless answer just means you’re a wise-ass, and I have no right whatsoever to complain about wise-asses on this board. But the second pointless answer was simply unnecessary, and rather insulting. I used to have the respect I have for the other moderators on this board, but I am really starting to wonder…
Modest? You bet I’m modest! I am the queen of modesty!
I will not answer this question I will not answer this question I will not answer this question I will not answer this question I will not answer this question I will not answer this question I will not answer this question
Whew! Now I feel better.
Well, Melin.
Nickrz might have been a little harsh in his words used in the thread you quoted. But the most annoying thing I saw in that thread was you begging him to “do the right thing and appologize”. Isn’t someone entitled to his own opinion, no matter how harsh he put it ?
Our motto of the day: Lighten Up.
Coldfire
“You know how complex women are”
- Neil Peart, Rush (1993)
If I recall corectly, when these boards first got started with the current moderator system they asked for a few volunteers and Nickrz’s hand shot up with lightning speed. All the old sayings about those who desire authority are hereby omitted from this post.
Before that time there was little to distinguish him, just another poster in the pool. Though he WAS a bit thin-skinned about certain things and was quite willing to forcefully prolong an argument over something he felt strongly about (however incorrect he was regardless).
I wouldn’t call him a troll per se, trolls are bent little fuckers who are provocative purely to satisfy their own twisted sense of self-worth and amusement. I’d prefer the term “bombastic swaggerer”.
Perhaps term limits should apply to moderators?
In this country, to falsely attribute a lack of professional ethics to a professional person constitutes defamation.
Nickrz did not simply express an opinion, he cast a slur on Dr. Sue’s professional ethics. He belittled her professional knowledge, making a potshot at her not knowing the gender of the poster asking the question, thus betraying his own ignorance in not knowing that the answer to the question was gender-neutral. All for the sake of a cheap joke, that another moderator was quick to quote and follow with a smiley-face.
Those that know a little history around here know that there is no love lost between JillGat and myself, yet I can honestly say that her posts were the most professional and reasonable of the three moderators that posted to that thread. She pointed out the issue or concern in a polite manner, and made sure to clarify that her only intent was to emphasize the point made by Dr. Sue to the OP that he should consult with his own doctor. She was neither rude, obnoxious, in search of a cheap joke, nor defamatory. IMHO that’s exactly the way a moderator should post. Interestingly, JillGat isn’t the moderator in that forum – Nickrz is.
One of the rules for moderating around here is not to show public disagreement with each other. However, insulting the customers, and casting aspersions on them, is apparently quite alright with the management.
-Melin
Melin,
I hate to state the obvious, but weren’t you a moderator once ? Seriously, since I wasn’t around at the time, I got the stories regarding your ‘departure’ second hand. So maybe you can fill me in on this: from what I’ve heard, your position as a moderator was terminated because of personal involvement and exagerated persistence in debates. Now, I don’t know anything about that time period, but from your current postings I can see why this might have been a problem.
Enter Nickrz (Huh ? That sounds kinda sexy 
). IMHO, he merely states the fact that consulting a doctor on-line is a dumb thing, IHHO. Sure, he throws in a few harsh jokes that could be construed as insulting to some people, but nothing REALLY catastrophic as far as I’m concerned. I certainly don’t see him putting down Dr. Sue’s integrity as a professional, apart from a wise-ass remark about her missing the gender of the on-line patient. He’s just stating a general dislike for on-line medical consultation. Something I can fully second, but that’s another thing.
So, if the only thing you can hold against Nickrz is being opinionated, aren’t you kinda being the pot that calls the kettle black here ?
Sigh… this is the Pit, and I haven’t even cursed in this entire post yet…
GODDAMN, MELIN, GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE AND GIMME SOME DECENT ANSWERS WILL YA !!
Coldfire
“You know how complex women are”
- Neil Peart, Rush (1993)
:
:
Here I am, Coldfire, come and get me!
Tell ya what. I don’t think anybody wants to hear the whole “Melin thing” again on this board, so I’ll email you with what my perspective was, and try to fairly state what the other side’s perspective was. I’ll do that tonight from home, though, 'cause I’m at work now, with neither the historical documents (which are stored in my hard drive) nor access to my AOL email address, and I virtually never email to anyone in this group with my work email address.
That’s neither here nor there, though, IMHO, as to what the issue is here. YMMV, but I personally take aspersions cast upon my professional ethics very seriously, and Dr. Sue is my friend. I would be quick to challenge any person who made such a statement to or about her; the fact that it was a moderator who did so, and thus with the implicit if not explicit sanction of the management, makes the offense even more egregious, again IMHO. Indeed, had the comment been directed at me, and there had been no retraction or apology as public as the slur, there’d be a letter from my lawyers sitting on Ed Zotti’s desk right about now.
Incidentally, I read an article this weekend (will have to go searching for it) about online medical information. Seems that the former U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Koop, runs such a site, and when it went public recently scored himself a cool $50+ million. The site apparently does exactly what Dr. Sue did in the linked question. Cautions about obtaining online advice are certainly appropriate (and you’ll note that Dr. Sue did indeed advise the OP to follow up with his own doctor), but casting aspersions about the medical knowledge and professional ethics, without a factual basis to support those aspersions, is incredibly inappropriate.
Remember that the number one rule around here is supposed to be “Don’t Be A Jerk.” Seems that that rule ought to apply to those in charge around here, too. Even if you disagree that the challenged statements constitute defamation, I shouldn’t think it too hard to see that they constitute “jerkiness.”
-Melin
P.S. Hey Coldfire, remember, you know how complex we women are!
::ducking and running::
-Melin
Melin…time to let it go. I don’t think Sue was bothered by his smartassed remark to a distinguished poster.
I didn’t ask NickRz’s permission to post that question in GQ, and I could give a fuck less what his opinion is. However, I do feel he had a valid concern about possible liability to the SDMB if incorrect medical advice was given, and the risk of GQ turning into a three ringed “Dear Doctor” circus. Too bad he didn’t read the entire thread carefully before spewing.
Therealbubba
Thanks, Melin. I’m at work too now, but I’ll be checking up on that e-mail of yours tonight or tomorrow.
As for jerkiness… it looked more like a bit of sarcastic hunmour to me. Oh well, we can’t all think alike, and the written word is even more subject to interpretation than the spoken one.
And HELL yeah, you women sure are complex
Coldfire
“You know how complex women are”
- Neil Peart, Rush (1993)
Nickrz is a trollerator. How 'bout that?
Personally, I was amazed he was even picked to be a moderator after this thread: http://www.straightdope.com/ubb/Forum5/HTML/000031.html
(Dredging up something from Nickrz’s pre-moderator days)
“I hope life isn’t a big joke, because I don’t get it,” Jack Handy
What was so offensive about that thread?
He, she or it knows sod-all about cats, but I thought some of his answers were quite hilarious.
Nickrz may a little heavy-handed in some of his replies, but I don’t think Nickrz is an ogre or a troll.
Perhaps a goblin.
Oh boy! Let me again take that fence position. He can be the good, the bad and the ugly. Just like the rest of us. I have my moods of sheer assholeness unrivaled by anyone. But I can be as cuddly as a kitten too. What’s the word… ah! HUMAN.
Best!
Byz
Aw geez, kids. What do you want, Barney the Dinosaur to moderate?
“I love you…
You love me…
This thread’s moving to GD”
Ever read Unca Cecil’s posts? Ever notice his attitude in his columns? He never responds with an I’m-OK-you’re-OK attitude. He’s highly sarcastic and has a low tolerance for ignorami who claim to know it all.
The mods know their shit. If they post with attitude, that’s OK by me. If they respond to idiocy with extreme attitude, they are truly worthy of the Master, IMHO.
Besides, in the Space Nuke thread, Nickrz admitted he was wrong and thanked those who enlightened him. His willingness to do that made him a hell of a lot better the a lot of the felch-wits who post on this board…
Back off, man. I’m a scientist.
All of us involved in running the SDMB have said and done things we later regretted. I’m no exception and I venture to say Nickrz would say the same. But he is a smart guy who has said some smart things. He also happens to be in a position where he can’t possibly please everybody. So cut him a little slack.