# Would like an administrator to clarify two moderator warnings **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 27, 2007, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-like-an-administrator-to-clarify-two-moderator-warnings/389751 "2007-01-27T19:23:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-like-an-administrator-to-clarify-two-moderator-warnings/389751/21 "2007-01-27T23:37:20Z")
[QUOTE=That creates more Q’s than A’s] 1 ) Czarcasm did not explain why he closed the first one. I do not know why he closed the first one. Why did he close the first one? [/quote] > [@Czarcasm](#): > > The first poll has a purpose. This one seems to be a parody or joke poll, so I’m going to go ahead and close it. > [@](#): > > 1. I did NOt repeat the same OP. Didn’t you even bother to read it before closing it? > Try reading it again and tell me it was the same. > Is it the same? You slapped different words in a snotty style around the same thing. > [@](#): > > 1. Why send things to the pit? Just to insult me on purpose, hold me up to ridicule? > Is that the reason? Because that was the result. From the main page, with my bolding: > [@](#): > > The BBQ Pit > If you gotta flame, do it here. **This is the place for all complaints and other discussion regarding administration of the SDMB** > [@](#): > > 1. And I’d still like to know why, since you are so intent on insulting me, that I shoud be expected to want to pay for the privilege. How did either **Czarcasm** or I insult you? ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-like-an-administrator-to-clarify-two-moderator-warnings/389751/22 "2007-01-28T02:31:31Z")
[QUOTE=That creates more Q’s than A’s] 1. If not, can you tell me again why I should pay one of the highest board prices on the web to become a member? [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=silenus] You shouldn’t. Go away. [/QUOTE] Seconded! ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-like-an-administrator-to-clarify-two-moderator-warnings/389751/23 "2007-01-28T03:04:19Z")
[QUOTE=Captain Carrot] Or (while this is not the case for the polls) there is trolling going on, or the OP requests it, or because there have been previous warnings stating that the mods don’t want to see another thread like this one, or… [/QUOTE] Slippery slope fallacy. Let’s just lock every thread and be done with it. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-like-an-administrator-to-clarify-two-moderator-warnings/389751/24 "2007-01-28T15:34:27Z")
Ok, let’s get one important detail straight: If you have a question as to why a moderator takes a certain action with regard to a thread or post, **ask him/her in private about the action**. Thus, if ANYONE here is confused by the decision of either **Frank** or **Czarcasm**. If, after you have your answer, you are still unhappy, the Pit is the place to come post your unhappiness. But it’s silly to get all miffed about something when a simple, calm exchange of information and opinions might result in a re-opening of a thread, or a retraction of the action by the moderator. It does happen around here, you know. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-like-an-administrator-to-clarify-two-moderator-warnings/389751/25 "2007-01-28T16:24:01Z")
[QUOTE=Red Barchetta] Slippery slope fallacy. Let’s just lock every thread and be done with it. [/QUOTE] Huh? How was that a slippery slope? I simply stated that there are many reasons for closing threads. ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-like-an-administrator-to-clarify-two-moderator-warnings/389751/26 "2007-01-28T17:25:51Z")
[QUOTE=Oakminster] Frank said that if you started the same thread again you would get a warning. So far, the only thing that has happened to you is two of your threads were locked. It’s rare that someone gets two threads locked in such a short time period, but it doesn’t appear that any other sanction was imposed. As to whether you pop for the membership fee, nobody really cares. The ability to post here is either worth the fee to you, or it is not. From my perspective, the hours of entertainment I’ve enjoyed here came at a bargain price. Haven’t done the math, but I suspect it costs fractions of a penny per hour. Your milage may vary. [/QUOTE] [hijack] You play EverQuest, don’t you? [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-like-an-administrator-to-clarify-two-moderator-warnings/389751/27 "2007-01-28T19:13:24Z")
[QUOTE=Mince] [hijack] You play EverQuest, don’t you? [/hijack] [/QUOTE] Not any more. I’m playing CoX these days. Haven’t decided if I’m gonna spring for the massive computer upgrade I’ll need to play Vanguard. ---
**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:** [January 28, 2007, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-like-an-administrator-to-clarify-two-moderator-warnings/389751/28 "2007-01-28T21:50:13Z")
Well, you called for an Administrator, so here I am. I don’t see where any moderator has insulted you. Closing a thread is not an insult, and neither is moving a thread. The first thread was closed because the moderator thought it was just a joke or parody; we will discuss with **Czarcasm** , we can reopen a thread. However, your second thread lists all the same “choose between” as your first. So, regardless of the outcome of discussion about the first poll, the second poll is clearly trying to edge around the earlier moderator ruling, so **Frank** was absolutely right to close it. On moving a thread: we established some time back that complaints about moderator actions would go in the Pit Forum, not in the forum called “About this Message Board.” That choice is not intuitively obvious, but it’s the way we’ve been operating. Hence, a post in the wrong forum gets moved. No big deal. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-like-an-administrator-to-clarify-two-moderator-warnings/389751/29 "2007-01-28T23:00:14Z")
[QUOTE=C K Dexter Haven] Well, you called for an Administrator, so here I am. [/quote] I’d like to rub this lamp I bought (from a Nigerian on E-Bay :eek: ) and call for a genie, please. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-like-an-administrator-to-clarify-two-moderator-warnings/389751/30 "2007-01-29T00:10:56Z")
It wouldn’t bother me if he parodied my thread. It might even get me more respondents on the follow-ups. Why he would want to do so is a mystery though, I must say. It’s just a list of choices in IMHO. Usually, parodies are done of more substantive things. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-like-an-administrator-to-clarify-two-moderator-warnings/389751/31 "2007-01-29T06:41:26Z")
Lucky bastard n00b - **Frank** and **Czarcasm** have never insulted me. Maybe I should put something extra in when I re-up in a couple of months. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-like-an-administrator-to-clarify-two-moderator-warnings/389751/32 "2007-01-29T18:20:30Z")
[QUOTE=featherlou] Lucky bastard n00b - **Frank** and **Czarcasm** have never insulted me. Maybe I should put something extra in when I re-up in a couple of months. [/QUOTE] It’s that discount charter member rate that causes that. You have to pay the full price to get mod insults. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![rayh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@rayh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rayh)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-like-an-administrator-to-clarify-two-moderator-warnings/389751/33 "2007-01-29T18:42:01Z")
I’d just like to say, hasn’t **Dex** mellowed? ---
**Author:** ![That\_creates\_more\_Q\_s\_than\_A\_s](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/54ee81/32.png) [@That\_creates\_more\_Q\_s\_than\_A\_s](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_creates_more_Q_s_than_A_s)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-like-an-administrator-to-clarify-two-moderator-warnings/389751/34 "2007-01-29T19:42:17Z")
[QUOTE=C K Dexter Haven] Well, you called for an Administrator, so here I am. I don’t see where any moderator has insulted you. Closing a thread is not an insult, and neither is moving a thread. The first thread was closed because the moderator thought it was just a joke or parody; we will discuss with **Czarcasm** , we can reopen a thread. However, your second thread lists all the same “choose between” as your first. So, regardless of the outcome of discussion about the first poll, the second poll is clearly trying to edge around the earlier moderator ruling, so **Frank** was absolutely right to close it. On moving a thread: we established some time back that complaints about moderator actions would go in the Pit Forum, not in the forum called “About this Message Board.” That choice is not intuitively obvious, but it’s the way we’ve been operating. Hence, a post in the wrong forum gets moved. No big deal. [/QUOTE] 1 ) Closing the first thread insulted me. It said, in the most direct terms, that my poll was an unworthy addition to the forum, that no right-thinking person would want such a poll to exist. 2 ) Closing the second thread repeated the insult with a “warning that the next time there would be a warning”. So I guess that was NOT a warning? How not? And the point of the second thread was EXACTLY, PRECISELY to “get around” the objection. Wasn’t that what you wanted? Don’t you want people to have “meaningful” joke threads? Since people answered it, it appears to have been postworthy. If not, what was wrong with it? Did I insult Libertarian? No. Or the mods? No. 3 ) The premise stated in the original complaint seems to be that if Libertarian creates a poll then he is the only one permitted to make another. This is absurd. When did “Coke or Pepsi” become a patented question? In the 60’s with the Pepsi Challenge? In the W’s? I’ll bet if I could search that I would find he was not in fact the first person here to run that poll. Or the second or the third or fourth. 4 ) The question was raised, “Were you counting the minutes until the other one dropped of the front page, or what?” Yes! I said that "Well, considering that the last poll seems to have run it’s course, it’s time for something completely different. " And it WAS different. If not, Why not? 5 ) As to why this thread was moved, it was moved for one reason only, to draw the attention of the losers who slum around the pit. It is a direct invitation to insult me. Yes it was intended as an insult. If not, how not? Moving threads to the pit where the losers hang out, instead of discussing them among the intelligent people on About the Message Board, has only a single purpose: To put a label on me: "This is a person the mod wants you losers to attack for him. Please go at it. He will feign amazement that that has transpired and refuse to acknowledge that it was not only predictable but desired. Since you seem to want to defend this rule, (perhaps as it’s unfortunate author) I might just say what I think of it. I am reminded of the kid in kindergarten who, during recess, would toss twigs in people’s hair. The whole point was that the loners and losers and dummies of the playground would laugh at his target. The intelligent kids would think the tosser was a creep, but the losers loved it, because for one brief moment they were not the most lonely and stupid-looking ones around. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-like-an-administrator-to-clarify-two-moderator-warnings/389751/35 "2007-01-29T19:49:10Z")
It’s odd how so many people come to this message board and fit right in. On the other hand, there are people like you, who don’t familiarize themselves with the format, don’t pay any attention to the rules, start threads of questionable merit in the wrong forum, and get all bent out of shape when asked to play like everyone else does. If you’re trying to blend in, you’ve failed. If you’re trying to make a splash and make us notice you by being an idiot, you’ve had your first massive success. Welcome. Or not. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-like-an-administrator-to-clarify-two-moderator-warnings/389751/36 "2007-01-29T19:51:42Z")
[QUOTE=That creates more Q’s than A’s] Did I insult Libertarian? [/QUOTE] Did you insult who now? ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-like-an-administrator-to-clarify-two-moderator-warnings/389751/37 "2007-01-29T19:58:46Z")
[QUOTE=alice\_in\_wonderland] Did you insult who now? [/QUOTE] interesting that a guest would know a prior screen name, isn’t it. now **thats’** some lurking. ---
**Author:** ![kurilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ea5d25/32.png) [@kurilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kurilla)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-like-an-administrator-to-clarify-two-moderator-warnings/389751/38 "2007-01-29T20:07:12Z")
[QUOTE=wring] interesting that a guest would know a prior screen name, isn’t it. now **thats’** some lurking. [/QUOTE] To be fair, I lurked for two years or more before I joined, so I knew that Libertarian is **Liberal** these days. Then again, I also figured out the board rules. ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-like-an-administrator-to-clarify-two-moderator-warnings/389751/39 "2007-01-29T20:12:34Z")
[QUOTE=kurilla] To be fair, I lurked for two years or more before I joined, so I knew that Libertarian is **Liberal** these days. Then again, I also figured out the board rules. [/QUOTE] Yes, you would think that someone who remembered a very small detail like what **Liberal’s** handle used to be, would have been able to figure out what forum to post a complaint about mod actions in. I’m not sayin’ anything…I’m just sayin’. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-like-an-administrator-to-clarify-two-moderator-warnings/389751/40 "2007-01-29T20:13:54Z")
[QUOTE=wring] interesting that a guest would know a prior screen name, isn’t it. now **thats’** some lurking. [/QUOTE] Seems like too careless of a mistake for a returning sock, but maybe that is what they want us to think. 😉 The questioning of Mods actions being in the pit should be obvious to anyone that lurked enough to know \*\*Liberal’s \*\* prior screen name. Jim [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-like-an-administrator-to-clarify-two-moderator-warnings/389751.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-like-an-administrator-to-clarify-two-moderator-warnings/389751.md?page=3)