# When Moderators Lie **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 16, 2002, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-moderators-lie/119151 "2002-07-16T00:58:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-moderators-lie/119151/1 "2002-07-16T00:58:07Z")
[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=2275871#post2275871](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=2275871#post2275871) “c) provided links from which to do so” Bullshit. The links were to an image gallery _period_ The last time the subject came up, TubaDiva said it was ok for me to link to the designs so long as I wasn’t linking to a product or a way to find a product. ---
**Author:** ![minty\_green](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@minty\_green](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minty_green)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-moderators-lie/119151/2 "2002-07-16T01:13:45Z")
Opal, do you ever find it preferable, or even possible, to question a moderator action without calling them pigfucking assholes? ---
**Author:** ![xenophon41](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xenophon41/32/253_2.png) [@xenophon41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xenophon41)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-moderators-lie/119151/3 "2002-07-16T01:17:55Z")
So, the lie was… what? **Uncle Beer** made an interpretation of the rule against spam, apparently in contradiction to what **Tuba Diva** has allowed you to do in the past. Looks like **Unc** called it as he sees it, which is perfectly reasonable for a moderator. The fact that he called it differently than **Tuba** doesn’t make it a lie, it makes it a different, certainly more strict, interpretation. Wouldn’t an email to both of 'em have been more appropriate than this? ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-moderators-lie/119151/4 "2002-07-16T01:22:34Z")
Well Opal, I’ll give you an honest reply. It looks like this thread is compounding a simple misunderstanding, and that your accusation of a lie may be ill-considered. I’ll guess one of two things is occuring: 1. Unclebeer made an honest mistake, and was not aware you had permission to link to the gallery and that it had been preapproved with Tubadiva. I would say it would be an honest mistake, and perhaps a simple email to Unclebeer would clear it up without the need for an accusation of “lying.” 2. You have a made an honest and Unclebeer was acting properly. While you might have had permission to link to your art, that did not extend to doing so under what could be percieved as a sales or solicitation context. That is, you can show the art, but you can’t solicit business based on it. In this particular case you received a testimonial from a satisfied customer which is all well and good (may all your customers be so satisfied!) When another person expressed interest you quite properly requested they take it to email. However, when you later posted the link to your gallery that earlier request for email could then be retroactively percieved as a solicitation. To simplify somebody reading the thread might say: “Oh satisfied customer. What’s this about!” They might then look at your gallery and say “Oh! Those are nice! Where can I get one?” Then seeing your earlier request for an email they might say “Oh, all I have to do is email Opal.” So, taken as a whole, the thread begins to look like a solicitation to sell tshirts, though I’m sure it’s accidental. Seeing this, Unclebeer shut it down as he should. In this case it would still be a misunderstanding. However, you would be the one making the misunderstanding. While you had permission to show your art, you didn’t have permission to solicit. The satisfied customer, the request for an email, and the link to a gallery of art available in tshirt form taken together can clearly be construed as a solicitation. In either case it looks like an honest misunderstanding. Let me suggest that you temporarily retract your accusation, and shoot Unclebeer a polite email, to see if you can clear it up, and to see who’s misunderstanding it was. Maybe instead of having a blow-up over a misunderstanding, we can clear the air amicably. Why not try? ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-moderators-lie/119151/5 "2002-07-16T01:52:16Z")
Knock it off, Opal. Sell your shirts somewhere else. Your own site, perhaps. Not here. your humble TubaDiva Administrator ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-moderators-lie/119151/6 "2002-07-16T01:52:16Z")
For the love of all that’s holy will you please put this martyr shit to rest? If you hate the Administration here so much, why do you stay? Haj PS There’s an “order this photo” button on the links that you posted in the original thread. Maybe that’s why **UB** closed it. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-moderators-lie/119151/7 "2002-07-16T02:21:23Z")
**opal** If it were nothing but the art, you would have skated, IMHO. But your whole shop is there for the clicking. Even though you didn’t mean it. ---
**Author:** ![Ed\_Zotti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/fbc32d/32.png) [@Ed\_Zotti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ed_Zotti)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-moderators-lie/119151/8 "2002-07-16T03:21:30Z")
I’m not interested in getting into the details of this stupid T-shirt thing. I am willing to believe it was a misunderstanding. I do know I don’t want to see any more surly accusations about the mods, who, I remind you, do this thankless job for free. So I’ll just say what I’ve had numerous occasions to say in the past: We expect users of this board to keep a civil tongue and refrain from conduct that coarsens the tone of the board. Persons who cannot abide by this simple rule are subject to having their posting privileges revoked. We cut regular posters a lot of slack, take their past contributions into account, etc. But there comes a point when you just get fed up. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-moderators-lie/119151/9 "2002-07-16T03:21:31Z")
_When Moderators Lie… About the World’s Deadliest Swarms_ 9 pm Eastern, 8 Central, only on Fox. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-moderators-lie/119151/10 "2002-07-16T04:13:00Z")
Next: _When Moderators Attack!_ ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-moderators-lie/119151/11 "2002-07-16T04:19:53Z")
Ed Zotti…he exists! ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-moderators-lie/119151/12 "2002-07-16T04:26:37Z")
Sightings _are_ rare! Did he leave any hoof prints or spoor by which to track him? ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-moderators-lie/119151/13 "2002-07-16T04:29:59Z")
The thing I don’t understand is, OpalCat has her own board. She _should_ understand what a thankless job it is being a moderator and enforcing the rules. So why does she continually come over here and give our moderators a hard time? Even if you disagree with a mod’s ruling, it’s easy enough to be civil about it. ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-moderators-lie/119151/14 "2002-07-16T04:33:57Z")
Fewmits. I think Ed might have left a smattering of fewmets. Wanna check? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-moderators-lie/119151/15 "2002-07-16T04:34:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by OpalCat \* > \*\*[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=2275871#post2275871](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=2275871#post2275871) > > “c) provided links from which to do so” > > Bullshit. The links were to an image gallery _period_ \*\* The first link I clicked in one of your posts brough me to a page from which I could buy stuff. There’s a button right there that says ORDER THIS PHOTO. When I click on that I am offered a chance to buy merchadise. It’s not just an image gallery is there’s a big button for buying stuff. Your statement “Those links were to an image gallery period” is false. That page is not just an image gallery, it’s part of a commercial site. Deal with it. The mod explains that the rule is against anything “approaching” spam, and a link to your own commericla site to a page with a BUY THIS button sure as hell approaches spam. Just what IS your major malfunction here? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-moderators-lie/119151/16 "2002-07-16T04:35:55Z")
Wow…it was HIM… Gosh!!! ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-moderators-lie/119151/17 "2002-07-16T05:01:33Z")
You all realize Ed Zotti doesn’t really exist. It’s just a character created by Cecil Adams. Happy ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-moderators-lie/119151/18 "2002-07-16T05:14:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Happy Lendervedder \* > \*\*You all realize Ed Zotti doesn’t really exist. It’s just a character created by Cecil Adams. > > Happy \*\* I used to think the same thing about the Easter Bunny until I caught him crapping on my lawn early one Sunday morning. There was also that time with the unicorn and the lily, but that’s a story for another day. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-moderators-lie/119151/19 "2002-07-16T05:15:38Z")
Umm…not that Ed Zotti would crap on my lawn or anything like that. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_The\_Diver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Buck\_The\_Diver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_The_Diver)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-moderators-lie/119151/20 "2002-07-16T05:56:10Z")
Opal, Why didn’t you handle this via e-mail? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-moderators-lie/119151.md?page=2)