In defense of the mods

Yesterday, i took a bit of a beatdown from the mods after getting into a heated exchange with another poster. IMO, he cast the first stone, but that is irrelevant.

At first, i was a bit dismayed. After I thought about it, i came to the conclusion the were correct. The TOS here is pretty clear. They were just trying to foster open debate that required respect for all.

I also post on another forum where, for the most part, anything goes. Although it can be quite entertaining, intelligent exchange is hard to come by, and doesn't foster much meaningful debate.

That is why I come here. I don't want to simply trade insults. I want real, honest perspectives that may differ from my own.

I think the mods are right to operate on the side of caution, lest things get out of hand, and descend into an insult fest. We do have the mudpit for that.

In conclusion, my apologies to the mods. I do appreciate the rather unique environment we all enjoy here.

a reply to: Mach2

Seconded

thirded

I was on a farm board that was either unregulated or run by one old obnoxious guy who insulted everybody. I made complaints and nothing happened. I walked after a few weeks of that.

a reply to: Mach2

4th'd....

Yes. Yay mods! They try their best to do the best thing for everyone. Sometimes that means we get a spanking

I usually deserve the scolding when the mods give me a proper scolding but when they take away points, it literally breaks my heart. I love those points, that type of validation can't be bought with money.

I just wanna say hail to all mods , and defenders of free-speech for that matter.

a reply to: Mach2

What a lovely gesture! Many of us get a slap on the wrist, a post removed or a thread closed and hopefully we move on and learn from it. I've been here a while and had a few posts removed. My last warning was sometime last year. This year I am aiming for zero Mod infraction notices this year. I'm almost 25% towards my goal.

a reply to: Mach2

Best thing you can do, apologize. Move on, forgive. You are only human.

Just some advice here:

Points - They don't mean anything anymore. They used to, in an ATS from a long, long time ago. But they don't now. So don't worry about them.

Warnings is what people should be concerned about.

Here is how it works - When you get a post removed because it's Off Topic, that's not concerned anything serious. If you get a thread removed, again, most times we just remove it for one reason or another, but in most cases it won't dish out a warning.

However...... personally insult someone......post something that is against our rules in a big way (like a link to certain "adult" sites or other places that are a big no-no), and you'll get a warning.
Political Trolling outside of the Mud Pit forum is not allowed, and if you get a post removed for that: You get 2 warnings automatically.

Here is why that's a big deal: Get 5 or more warnings in a 24 hour period and the system will automatically post ban you.

We may not even be aware that they system has done that until who ever it affected sends us a message asking what is going on.

Believe it or not, we (staff) are really not blood thirsty, power tripping, evil people. We really don't like banning someone if we can help it. We really don't like having to Post Ban someone. It happens, but it a lot of cases it's a big headache for us.

Best advice I can give anyone here: Don't make angry posts. It's all just pixels on a screen. If you read something that makes you really angry at that poster or upset: STOP. GET UP....walk away for a bit. Take a break. Get a drink/coffee/soda/good meal. Go walk that dog or play with your cat. Call up a friend or family member and have a nice chat.

Come back after you've had a chance to calm down. If after you've read it again, it does the same thing to you: DO NOT REPLY.

Seriously, there is no rule that says you HAVE to reply. Let it slide by.

Unless, of course, what you read violates our Terms and Conditions. Then what you do is report it to us.......and you let us deal with it. Not YOU....US.

I think the most common thing I've seen here on ATS is instead of reporting something to us, a member decides to take it on themselves and declare war or something. And while the post they are replying to might indeed be a problem....they themselves then get in trouble for posting in kind.

There are some that think we pander to the Right back here. There are some that think we pander to the Left back here (seriously....which is it?). The reality is: We pander to the ATS Terms and Conditions.

I know we have some staff that love to talk politics in threads......of course they do! We (staff) are MEMBERS first....Staff SECOND. Each and everyone of us were told that we can continue to post on the boards just as any other member after becoming staff. Most of us would not have agreed to becoming staff other wise.

But believe it or not, just because some of us post passionately in some subjects, we are very objective when it comes to issues talked about back here. We even recluse ourselves if we feel to strongly about it, or are involved in the thread being talked about.

But the main thing to remember on here is: It's great to be passionate about something. Just remember that we don't allow personal insults anywhere on ATS. Not even in the Pit. So read over what you're posting before you hit that button.....and if you're doing it in anger........don't do it. Just take a quick break. We'll still be here when you get back from playing with some kittens or something.

a reply to: eriktheawful

Well fraggle rockin said eric!

a reply to: Mach2

Sometimes just like in basketball sometimes it's nice to let the players play.

a reply to: eriktheawful

Points don’t matter?

Man, the points I spent to have more U2U space, an avatar pic, a different color for my username, a custom line before Member, a monthly subscription to RATS... What next, that my star average is going to be ruined by the one star bandit? Or that not adding META tags to my newly created threads means that I won’t gain as much interest or attention by people skimming and sorting on dial up?

All sarcasm aside folks, ATS has changed quite a bit over the years. Things used to be a lot more...weird, structurally speaking. The Points System was a way to reward members for contributions and participation. And everyone could see your points, so the observant knew when you had been naughty. And there was a time when you got “red badges” that linked to where you had been warned. And then your mailbox REALLY filled up with friends asking what you did or said.

a reply to: Mach2

The mods and staff here are the best. There's been several instances in which during the heat of the moment I've posted things, started a thread, or have been just down right stupid in regard to TOS and the rules of the forum.

The mods here have an insane amount of tolerance and understanding in regards to TOS violations and the such.

Some of the best staff I've ever seen.

And this isn't just ass kissing. I hate authority. But the staff here are pretty damn good at what they do.

a reply to: eriktheawful

Well said! Allow me to add one more bit of advice:

If you get a post removed, warnings, or even a post-ban, and it makes you angry... walk away. Just walk away. Come back after whatever you walked away from and check your PMs. You'll get an automated notice, and sometimes a PM from a mod explaining why. Sometimes. Not always.

If it is a post-ban, it's up to you to convince us of why you should be allowed to post again. Post bans do not expire automatically.

The way to convince us you should not be allowed to post again is to make a public thread with a long rant about wrong we were. The way to convince us is to simply hit the complaint button and explain what happened as best you know, or contact a mod via PM.

No one is picking on you; no one can pick on you! The whole system is set up to assure that can't happen. Also, the mod you talk with is not interested in the subject of the thread you were in; if he/she had an opinion on it, that opinion would be in the thread. Since that mod is talking to you, they have not participated in the thread. All they care about is can you be trusted to abide by the T&C?

Just convince them you can, and all is well. Taking responsibility is a great first step.

We come from all walks of life; we have many differing opinions on many differing subject; we are all quite different people. But we have one thing in common: we love and believe in ATS, and we do what we do (as volunteers, I might add) to keep ATS what it is and has always been: a place to discuss, debate, and consider all things debatable in a civilized manner. That's why we do what we do.

And we're always here to help if there's a problem. Never be afraid to ask. We don't bite...

hard...
usually.

TheRedneck