In light of the decisions that have had to be made in the last 24 hours, and the schtick they are getting, I thought it might be good to comment on the good work done by the mods.

A person may not always agree with a specific decision, but it has to be admitted that this is a pretty good forum due to their work.

So thanks. 8)

Oh dear…I see a bad ending.

While you’re up there, you might as well give their colon the once over.

Never hurts to get these things checked.

I’m sure I’ve been here during that time, what have I missed?

Thanks, Obamods.

FFS, you can’t even ask about wardrobe accessories without thread getting closed.

I don’t like these long running threads..

While you’re up there, you might as well give their colon the once over.
Never hurts to get these things checked.

Not trying to be a brown-noser; I’ve just seen a different forum destroyed by bickering and mod-exhaustion.

In any case, I don’t think we always have to agree with the mods to acknowledge the work they do. I wouldn’t want to do it.

[Well, I sort of would; but I couldn’t.]

lazybike – Member
I don’t like these long running threads..

This could be your lucky day.

Thank you.

I’ll just add what I’ve just said to Jamie on Twitter (partially in line with the other thread I’ve just closed, broadly because it’s a duplicate of this one):

Anonymous moderation is the default due to previous, ahem, “issues.” I was “very strongly” advised to remain anonymous when I was offered the position; I said I wouldn’t do it unless I could bring transparency, that’s critical to me. The mods who remain anonymous do so with good reason, it’s not to be deceitful.

Jamie – Member
While you’re up there, you might as well give their colon the once over.

Never hurts to get these things checked.

As someone who has the rare pleasure of collecting cancerous Colons from surgery, I’d advise you all to pay attention to your bowels and get any problems properly investigated
[video]https://youtu.be/pFZQQWA8qdQ[/video]

That said I get very excited by a nice colectomy with tubular adenoma and multiple tubular carcinomas from different parts of your bowel of a good size that the pathologist will let me take multiple biopsies of. If you have liver metastasis removed at the same time, you will make my year.

It’ll suck for you though, colostomy bag for life at best.

So any blood in stools or blocked feeling even after pooping, see your GP.

I also appreciate the work of the mods

That wasn’t the bad ending I had envisaged..but it will do.

i dread to think what this place would be like without them but greater transparency rarely hurts things [ though I understand the decision] but honestly we can surely do better than druidh.

Is the truth really that bad 😉

Strangely I rather enjoyed my colonoscopy – only because I got to watch it on the big screen. Luckily it was all pink and healthy.

Full disclosure:

I reported Ninfans post as deeply offensive (the one where he insinuated sexual relations with my mother).

If that caused the DT thread to be terminated, i’m sorry.

I also fully admit to threatening him with physical violence. You wouldn’t walk up to a stranger in the street and suggest you’be had sex with their mother and not expect to receive a pretty strong response. And you should treat strangers online in the same way you treat people in reality.

Anyone who knows me will tell you i am not a violent man. But everyone has their limits. Ninfan crossed mine with his horrible comment. In real life, i’d have no qualms at all in punching him if he said that to my face, and i’d have been completely within my rights to do just that under such unwarranted provocation. The difference is, trolls like Ninfan generally aren’t man enough or brave enough to say things like that to peoples faces. They can only be “hard men” behind a keyboard, like anyone can.

I attempted to ask sensible, sane and reasoned questions of him, he repeatedly responded with total nonsense, eventually, when he ran out of answers, he resorted to insulting my mother. Look at my wide and varied forum posts, you can find them in my profile history. How many of them are obstructive or rude? But when provoked i reserve the right to fight back as good as i am given.

On the topic of moderators, frankly, i think they generally do a good job. Sure, you can’t please 100% of the people 100% of the time, but on average they tread a fine line well.

If i get banned for what i have said here, that’s ok, I’m 43, i’ll cope, but i stand by my actions, the reasons for which i have tried to explain in this post.

Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself.

Anonymous moderation is the default due to previous, ahem, “issues.” I was “very strongly” advised to remain anonymous when I was offered the position; I said I wouldn’t do it unless I could bring transparency, that’s critical to me. The mods who remain anonymous do so with good reason, it’s not to be deceitful.

I really hope that you are happy to have made the choice to be “out” Cougar. I for one appreciate the transparency and hope that it hasn’t caused you any trouble.

Anything of mine that is moderated by Mark, Drac or yourself I’ll take it on the chin because as Max says, at 56 I’ll cope and stand by my typing.

The anonymous moderating when neither yourself nor Drac are active on the forum gets me wondering who’s amusing themselves behind the scenes. One poster who consistently posts interesting informed and helpful stuff is also consistently excessively moderated.

He definitely means me there
HTH

If i get banned for what i have said here, that’s ok,

Far as I’m aware, and I was late to the party, you’re still posting and Ninfan has been given a fortnight off.

I really hope that you are happy to have made the choice to be “out” Cougar.

Dunno about happy. Fact is, it’s the only way I can do this, it’s the way I am. I’d like to hope that my (and Drac’s) stance has been a change for the better for the forum. /shrug

The anonymous moderating when neither yourself nor Drac are active on the forum gets me wondering who’s amusing themselves behind the scenes. One poster who consistently posts interesting informed and helpful stuff is also consistently excessively moderated.

You can tinfoil-hat all you like but I’ll tell you this: if you believe someone is an anonymous Moderator, I’ll bet you my bike that they aren’t. I’m curious as to who you’re implying though.

One poster who consistently posts interesting informed and helpful stuff is also consistently excessively moderated.

He definitely means me there

Unlikely, quite the opposite. You consistently post bollocks and get away with murder. (-:

He definitely means me there
HTH

Well it certainly helps – I was completely baffled when he said ” who consistently posts interesting informed and helpful stuff”.

I don’t think that applies to any of the Mod team. (-:

Surely it’s obvious who the anon mods are?

I got a warning about something I posted which I thought was fairly innocuous. The email said it was my second warning (I never received a first) and I would be banned if I committed a further offence.

I don’t have a problem with forum moderation, without it the place would descend into anarchy. If you do commit a sin in the eyes of a moderator their is no appeal process, you’re condemned on one persons opinion. The moderation on here is well below par.

This will probably constitute a third warning, so goodbye.

Moderating a forum will never please everyone. I think by and large this forum is fine from that point of view and I have no issue with the stealth moderation either.

My only quibble is they won’t make me a moderator. By ‘eck you would see some moderation then seeing as I am the epitome of moderation 😉

I got the you have been warned once (I hadn’t) and then banned for a week. That hacked me off.

Didn’t know there were anonymous mods, all a bit East Germany if you ask me.

problem is, we’ll still need some where to discuss Trump and his incredulous actions.

It does seem that being a mod exempts you from being moderated, this becomes particularly problematic when there are stealth Mods.
I reported the use of homophobic terminology and it was largely ignored.

Well I’m going to support the Mods.

But really, we shouldn’t need them.

Too much of this online society is about angry shouty nastiness, I’m betterer than you is innit, I’m more intelligent and less interested in your POV’idge than what you have for supper, you’re all idiots and I can shout louder than you.

There is no respect online, sadly Society itself is going through the same transition. Insular and rebuked is the way forward, take that on the trails and in Tesco and keep yourself to yourself…until you vent frustration online.

Clone Mods/Closet Mods, or the accusations thereof, are suspicion led because online posters are fearful of having thier voice taken away. Maybe consider the tone of vitriol you are about to type first, which may lead to more consideration of thought and less suspicion.

I’ve posted some nasty stuff in the EU thread on, or about page 10. Sadly my thoughts still stand on that point, but no longer do I post that kind of thing on here. if I couldn’t say the same to those faces in real life, I shouldn’t use online persona to multiply the anger.

There’s no way I’d be a Mod, I like a real life. I suspect/imagine trawling though all sorts of crap at 1am, or during thier own working hours, to be a very onerous task.

Would be interesting to sit in on a moderator train course though. Or is it an e-learning module?

It never occurred to me there were stealth moderators.

Cheers folks. I’ve said it before we try to be leveled and balanced but we can’t always get it right.

There’s also the case of what a member thinks as wrong may not be the seen the same way by us.

I chose to be open for similar reasons to Cougar but also a small presence reminds people we’re here. I’ve never changed my posting style since being made a mod and yes I’ve been warned myself before.

I reported the use of homophobic terminology and it was largely ignored.

I’m curious how do you know it was ignored?

I got a warning about something I posted which I thought was fairly innocuous. The email said it was my second warning (I never received a first) and I would be banned if I committed a further offence.

Actually it said it was you’re 3rd. 😀

On the whole this forum is well moderated. I have certainly posted some things I later regretted. We all need to take responsibility for our own posts. There’s only one person whose posts I always ignore no software required for that just use my brain. Some others I just try to ask myself if I really need to reply.

I tend to treat forums like someone else’s virtual pub. In this case here is a (often very loosely) cycling related public house.

I can talk about interesting stuff or join in some bizarre argument (ever noticed that no one ever changes their opinion in one?) and I’m at the point in my life where I don’t tend to suffer fools or the terminally inept so I can be a bit short.

The key point with all of that is, it ain’t my place, I’m a guest, if I don’t like it I have the option of closing my browser and creating my own forum.

I played my part (exceptionally well too) in the other forum Saxonrider mentioned being destroyed by ‘bickering & Mod exhaustion’ … and I would argue that the bickering was the amusing part people enjoyed reading, and the exhaustive moderating was the reason people stopped posting on there.
Things got so silly only the moderators there could post an opinion.

STW posts are so active I forget to look for replies to my occasional comments. So very rarely get drawn into arguments.

School prefect – dinnerlady – forum moderator … not sure why you would want to show interest in the role James??

I think the moderators do a pretty good job. SaxonRider says he’s seen a forum destroy itself through fighting. I’ve also seen that happen. Bad behaviour is widespread on the Internet, but this place is a breath of fresh air on the whole.

it IS their forum (Chipps/Mark) and so they obviously can choose to run it as they see fit

I’d be happy with it less robustly moderated (I’m not clever/empathetic enough to get offended) but it’s not my choice that counts (and I don’t “need” to make money from it)

Mods are people in the bike “community” (largely, anyway – Cougar, I’m not so sure!) and they don’t need to be identifiable, nor must they be infallible. I’d like to imagine that banning decisions are arrived at by discussion between them rather than a single person and that a mod who’s actually taking part in a thread shouldn’t be modding it also.

I’d like to say that the mods are doing a great job but I’m not on “those” threads often enough to see the disappearing posts and the hammer being swung, so I don’t actually know. I’d slightly like to see an experiment with threads or a section left unmoderated to see if it all goes lord of the flies or ends up self-moderating

Other than that, it’s a meh from me

a mod who’s actually taking part in a thread shouldn’t be modding it also.

Indeed they can and obviously see fit to ban someone who was “saying” stupid things – it was/is a slightly bizarre thread but then again so is the subject matter – but not his sparring partner who resorted to physical threats.

Interesting culture that is being encouraged by that decision but that’s their choice as you say for which, as gordi notes, they take responsibility. It’s clear now: threaten someone with violence (OK), make arsey verbal comment (not ok).

But yes, modding is a valuable if thankless task although my other fab site seems to get by without any at all.

@threefish Nah, mods normally come from the forum base so it’s unfair to exclude them, they are usually grown up enough to not mod a differing opinion but deal with a couple of people being dicks.

Surprised people think this place is robustly modded – I think it’s really well run, which is one of the reasons it’s such a great forum.