ATS and its Moderators

The mods here do very well in keeping the Forums on balance and in good order. Bravo

reply to post by Vitruvian


I haven't been here long enough to post an opinion, but from what I'm reading from those that do - is that we have to follow the T&C, so should the mods follow a posted policy and procedures specific to banning practices, for consistency sake. This way we all know what to expect.

reply to post by InTheLight

Have you seen this thread?
It contains a lot of information about the do's and don't's
Index of Important ATS Related Threads

Here's one example:
How Not To Be Banned From ATS...Or, A Word About Politeness.

reply to post by DontTreadOnMe


Yes, I have, but where are the consistency rules for you moderators? As I said in my post, I'm just reading replies from posters here that have a problem with consistency from moderators.

EDIT: I found ATS from searching '10 top conspiracy sites' and the reviews about ATS's banning inconsistencies (perhaps from the same posters here?) are addressed. I will, of course, decide this for myself with more exposure here.

IMO the mods do have a difficult job.
there are so many people, facts, points of view, heated debates as well as the mods own opinion on here that sometimes maintaining a standard can be seen as unfair or difficult

reply to post by Agarta


So far the mods and super mods have been decent with me have no problems with any of them. Anything that's been removed, I can see they're reasoning, sometimes I think I have something new when its actually something old, and under a different title. So, even when I do a search sometimes it doesn't click with what I think I've got.

P. S. I guess that leaves me out too, I asked someone here when would you qualify to be a mod?

Some people really like police states and to control how other people express themselves, I suppose.

Originally posted by EvilSadamClone
Some people really like police states and to control how other people express themselves, I suppose.

Somethings need policing. in the case of ATS, you'd have even more random, non relevant threads, excessive aggresion,bullying and racism.

it needs monitoring so everyone can voice their opinion rather than been drowned out by keyboard warriors and rubbish.

as well as preventing law suits for copyright infringments ect.

reply to post by christafinias


And some people want to take it waaaaay too far. They want to police things so that only their opinions can be heard.

That's not the kind of moderating we need.

I've been on boards where that's far too common. I've been banned from boards where if you don't spout off the popular opinion you're nothing.

Methinks that's what the OP truly wants.

Originally posted by EvilSadamClone
reply to post by christafinias

 

And some people want to take it waaaaay too far. They want to police things so that only their opinions can be heard.

That's not the kind of moderating we need.

I've been on boards where that's far too common. I've been banned from boards where if you don't spout off the popular opinion you're nothing.

Methinks that's what the OP truly wants.

i see your point i didnt see it like that. thanks.

Originally posted by EvilSadamClone
reply to post by christafinias

 

And some people want to take it waaaaay too far. They want to police things so that only their opinions can be heard.

That's not the kind of moderating we need.

I've been on boards where that's far too common. I've been banned from boards where if you don't spout off the popular opinion you're nothing.

Methinks that's what the OP truly wants.

Methinks the Op simply wants to have civil discussions where a vocabulary is used rather than foul language, Conversations that flow with information and opinions rather than nit picking about spelling and grammar(this isn't done in verbal discussions), Posts that make one think about other possibilities or angles of a situation, Threads that show, we as a people respect each other regardless of age, sex, orientation, religious stand point, etc. instead of rude disrespectful name calling, comments or vulgar pictures, A website that is above all the petty antics of the jokesters, word twisters and trolls that distract from the learning/teaching process by sparking needless arguments, A Global platform that one can weigh in all the information and make a decision for them self rather than being spoon fed what a small group wants them to believe.

I think the OP actually wants a place to go where the members are actually mature and respectful enough not to need Moderators at all, but as it stands right now none of this is happening and the Moderators are needed and are way too overworked.

I don't think that many people have the "Introductions" forum as one of their favorites but I do and what I see in almost every one of them is that they come to learn and understand NOT to crack jokes and be a disruptive influence. What they get is quite the opposite. What they get are closed threads because of trollish or disruptive behavior, 3 posts out of 20 that actually give more information about the topic being discussed, a misused star and flag system because the threads and posts that actually are informative are ignored because "oh that's funny" gets the stars instead of "that's a good point, etc. etc. etc.

It is US the members that make this site what it is, not the Moderators, and sometimes I wonder if WE are doing a good job at it. This is the opinion of the OP.

Edit to add: Sorry I forgot to address the first set of comments in this post. I agree there are people whom feel the need to limit those opinions of others that do not coincide with their own and they are the ones who need to "wake up", "open their minds", or "step outside the box" however you choose to put it. You are right in that for sure.

Originally posted by Agarta
99% of my alerts are for off topic, nudity, or foul language most of the time if it is borderline I leave it alone and let others make the decision for themselves. In other words I only alert when it is an obvious violation. Some of the razors edge borderline I send a U2U to the member discussing it. I usually get an understanding of the thoughts of the member and a lot of the time I learn something in the process.

So you are playing Junior Moderator. Have you made yourself up a badge and an ID card, too? I'm here every day and I've been here a long time. I might send an alert maybe once every couple of months for something absolutely outrageous. I did receive a physical threat once, which I reported. I see foul language once in a great while, nudity almost never and as far as off-topic posts, I would never send an alert for that, though I might point it out in a thread. And you send U2Us for borderline subjects? I'm amazed!

My, what a meddlesome fellow you seem to be, a self-appointed posse of one out to rid ATS of digressions, discrepancies, and behavior deemed by you to be inappropriate. You remind me of Zimmerman, the guy who wound up killing Trevon when he was out "patrolling the neighborhood." (I'm pro Zimmerman, btw.)

You have not been here long enough to know, but it used to be the case on ATS that moderators were often just like you. They interfered with conversations, dinged people points (when it mattered), as few as ten at a time for minor transgressions, seemingly for typos. It got to the point that a bunch of people left in disgust and a bunch of others complained loudly enough that the Three Amigos had a little chat and decided to reduce the moderation and get off people's backs.

And since that time, despite the exponential growth, ATS has been a lot nicer place to hang out. And it's largely because they got rid of moderators like you. Now I know that may sound harsh, but your attention to detail and judgement of others is not really appreciated. You don't seem to realize that YOU ARE NOT A MODERATOR! Nor do you play one on TV, nor have you been asked, nor will you ever be. And just perhaps you ought to use that alert feature" in moderation" so as not to become a pain in the butt to everyone here, including the moderators who are compelled to respond every time you cry, "Wolf!". Nobody likes persnickity old busy bodies following them around with a notebook and a camera with a hotline to the prosecutor's office muttering about the crime rate in your neighborhood.

You are not a part of the solution Agarta; you are part of the problem. You need to back off and simply participate as a member of the community, not as a self-appointed enforcer. You need to know that every time another alert comes in from "Agarta," a whole lot of people roll their eyes. It's Agarta again. No one is safe when he is out on patrol. You need to find something else to do.

And please don't send me a U2U. If you do, I'll report it.

reply to post by schuyler


After rereading your post several times and taking myself out of the situation to evaluate my actions from the outside or 3rd person point of view, I can see how you would assume that I sit in wait to alert every little issue. I respect your thoughts on my actions as posted because I know what I do and do not alert and how often. I do not really appreciate the personal attack instead of simply an opinion but I see how it fits within the discussion and not off topic or against the T&Cs of personal attacks.

I know of the period in which you reference about the issues that the site had because of the way it was moderated in the past and how you can see me as a similar type, but really is it that there were too many Moderators or that groups of "Bad" moderators began to fulfill their own agendas? With that and knowing you experienced it I can see as well how you could see me as fitting into that category of "Bad" moderators if I were to be one. I can also see, only knowing that I have sent U2Us to people, that I am attempting to be a "Jr. Moderator" as you put it, but what I don't think you understand is what I actually say. I simply let them know that what they posted is against the T&Cs and they should rephrase or alter their post so it is not removed. It's not about reprimanding, as I see you are trying to portray them as but more a friendly reminder so their post remains. Is this done often? No, it's a once in a while thing.

As for your statement that boils down to me being a tattle tale, I let tothetenthpower address that issue. I love this site and think it could be the best of the best if WE can reach the point I stated above in my last post here. My intention is not to become a dictator of thought as you seem to see me. I appreciate a difference of opinion and have learned many things due to them. In fact I have changed my opinion on many things due to them and the information they provide.

I am sorry your opinion of me is the way it is, maybe you should take the time to get to know me for who I am rather than making assumptions of the way I worded something, but that is entirely up to you. As for sending you an U2U I have no need to do so nor do I have a need to alert your post so far as I can see this is still a civil, although assumptive and opinionated, conversation.

to the OP:

the longger i'm here the more i see value in the moderating here. i truly appropriate you taking the time out to start this this thread. a subject that we all need to be aware of when posting
its the good manners of most posters whitch actuly make this site worth my time.

it is clear that you are passionate about keeping ATS's culture on par with its incredible content

if you ask me id rather you stay a regular member because we need more people like you posting on the regular

reply to post by schuyler

wow you really seem to have the op peged ha?
Zimmermen?!? did you really compare the Op to gorge zimmererman?
:
all i see is user thats trying make this place shine !
your reply was flat out un called for- plain rude- actully kinda pitiful

Want to know a secret? I seldom hit the Alert button as a member. And when I did, it was usually on myself to have a duplicate thread trashed. I have even requested to have my threads trashed even if they were first by several days if the other thread was receiving more attention. Sure, when someone posted something pretty seriously wrong (porn etc) I would alert that if it was fresh or several hours old (guessing no one else had seen it).

And yes we do receive many alerts every day. And they are all looked at. And we do appreciate the alerts. It keeps our own reading at a sane level. Do we read threads in mod mode? Yes. We also read them just as we did as members...which means we sometimes don't see a violation because we are not reading with "mod goggles" on. And yep, it is easy to miss things when reading. Just like when you read a post that you want to star and then forget to star it.

But you know what else I would send an alert or PM (depending on my mood and which mods were on) about? Posts that I though deserved an applause. And I would include why I thought it deserved an applause. As I knew both Advisor and Semper were both political and had interests Constitutional matters, I would occasionally send them a PM with a link to what I thought might be a good read for them, especially if it was one of those threads that was just going to fall between the cracks. And yes, usually authored by another member as my threads were almost always DOA.

But to sum it, an alert brings things to our attention. Stating why you are alerting it helps us see what you are looking at. Most alerts are left blank and we have to figure out what the problem is with it. Which can be tricky if the alert is for something that is reaction to reading between the lines of a post that is 20 pages back...yeah we get those kind of alerts. Or the alert is about the use of some slang that isn't common knowledge/regional usage. So unravelling the mystery can take some time. And sometimes it takes the right mod to see it. As there are times when several mods look at something and see nothing there and another mod comes in and says "oh that is..." and we say "never heard of that/noticed that before, so yeah that needs to go."

I'm gonna respond and I certainlly want read the whole thread. Let me say what i suspect others will say. And let me quote it for you." Nobody likes a tattle tale,snitch,stool pigeon,rat,backstabber,indian giver" And for all intents & purposes' this is what you are doing. You created a thread totell all of us on here, to not read your threads and to stir clear of you. I only speak for myself, I'm sure I'm not alone.

I'm sure a few of us will do the same to you, whether you deserve it or not. It's the nature of the beast. So I myself know who to look for when a thread is closed for T&C, you shined the light on yourself dear sir.

I have allways taught my chilldren, if you have a problem with a person,a place or a thing, it's as easy as just stay away from them. That simple. Is that sage advice or will you ALERT button me for a T&C violation.

Originally posted by openyourmind1262
I'm gonna respond and I certainlly want read the whole thread. Let me say what i suspect others will say. And let me quote it for you." Nobody likes a tattle tale,snitch,stool pigeon,rat,backstabber,indian giver" And for all intents & purposes' this is what you are doing. You created a thread totell all of us on here, to not read your threads and to stir clear of you. I only speak for myself, I'm sure I'm not alone.

I'm sure a few of us will do the same to you, whether you deserve it or not. It's the nature of the beast. So I myself know who to look for when a thread is closed for T&C, you shined the light on yourself dear sir.

I have allways taught my chilldren, if you have a problem with a person,a place or a thing, it's as easy as just stay away from them. That simple. Is that sage advice or will you ALERT button me for a T&C violation.

I think you're taking this to an extreme.

All I got from her post was that mods can't be everywhere, and some things need to be alerted.

People shouldn't feel afraid, or like they are a "tattle tail" for pointing out something that needs to be addressed., on the net or in the "real " world.

Its attitudes like this that allow bullying to continue, and when it gets extreme, everyone is shouting "why didn't someone do something about it?"

Originally posted by openyourmind1262
I'm gonna respond and I certainlly want read the whole thread. Let me say what i suspect others will say. And let me quote it for you." Nobody likes a tattle tale,snitch,stool pigeon,rat,backstabber,indian giver" And for all intents & purposes' this is what you are doing. You created a thread totell all of us on here, to not read your threads and to stir clear of you. I only speak for myself, I'm sure I'm not alone.

I'm sure a few of us will do the same to you, whether you deserve it or not. It's the nature of the beast. So I myself know who to look for when a thread is closed for T&C, you shined the light on yourself dear sir.

I waited to see if you had anything else to add after reading the thread, apparently you had nothing to add or you actually did not read as you stated. Anyway, I have actually been waiting for someone to bring this up. I am actually kind of surprised it took so long but then again a lot of the members here are a smart bunch. A lot of members look at both, if not all 3 sides, of a coin in making an opinion of a members statements.

What you say about people ignoring my posts and threads may be true because of this thread, sure, but on the other side of the coin those that have issues with what I posted have outed themselves as members that don't want to follow the rules and complain about it when they get caught. I guess people are in such a hurry to ridicule me for my participation on this site that they forget this fact. Thanks for bringing it in.

On the 3rd side of the coin(don't forget the rim), what you are proposing actually does me a favor, so let me take a second and thank you for that as well. Thank You. You see, people that feel that way may stay away from my threads knowing that if they go too far there is a chance that I may report their post. This then leaves the members that wish to have an educated pleasant conversation or discussion with maybe opposing thoughts or opinions but done in a respectful way, which is what its about to begin with. Thank you again openyourmind1262

I have allways taught my chilldren, if you have a problem with a person,a place or a thing, it's as easy as just stay away from them. That simple. Is that sage advice or will you ALERT button me for a T&C violation.

WhisperingWinds said it very well in their post above mine,

Its attitudes like this that allow bullying to continue, and when it gets extreme, everyone is shouting "why didn't someone do something about it?"

and I wholeheartedly agree with it. There is a difference between being a rat or tattletale and protecting the people or things you love, and I love ATS. Contrary to peoples beliefs not feeding a troll does not make it go away, it makes them try harder(I am not calling you a troll in this statement, it is only an example). So you see if you ignore things like disrespect, what you get is more disrespect. Does that make sense? or to use your own words

Is that sage advice