[Closed] Thanks for the work, Mods

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

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 😉

[URL= http://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/y477/BigBlackShed/FEBB5CEF-761E-44D0-91A4-1DD3A31D63FE_zpsg36osqnu.jp g" target="_blank">http://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/y477/BigBlackShed/FEBB5CEF-761E-44D0-91A4-1DD3A31D63FE_zpsg36osqnu.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

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 [i]" who consistently posts interesting informed and helpful stuff"[/i].

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.

they are usually grown up enough to not mod a differing opinion

Plenty of instances of mods pulling the moderator card when they're getting shown up.

@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.

It's used effectively elsewhere as a means of moderating, the only reason I couldn't see it working here is if there's an imbalance on what threads mods generally prefer.

^^ +1 What [b]pondo[/b] said.

Having been a regular on the Guardian's Comment is Free for years . . . STW is very well run, and very lightly moderated.

This is a genuine question, who mods the mods, one of the "out" mods can be pretty abrasive IMO, is there anyone who would mod them?

Having spent quite a few years as a mod on a big (c. 125000 members at the time) music forum, I totally appreciate the job they do here. Don't always agree, but do appreciate.

I too would much prefer that all mods were open about it and the actions they take (this was always my approach), but kind of understand given the nature of some of the posters on here why they might not want to.

but kind of understand given the nature of some of the posters on here why they might not want to.

If anything I think the moderation here is a bit too light touch.

Indeed anonymity makes perfect sense in an environment where physical threats are permitted.

(Scottie - intrigued by your clandestine operations here - are you 45 commando?)

Plenty of instances of mods pulling the moderator card when they're getting shown up.

Ok. Some examples please?

This is a genuine question, who mods the mods, one of the "out" mods can be pretty abrasive IMO, is there anyone who would mod them?

Any warnings or bans can be challenged the email tells you such, we've also warned each other and if need be Mark and Chipps will provide feedback if they think we're wrong.

On some occasions members have spoken out on the forum, we don't actively encourage it as it leads to arguments.

If anything I think the moderation here is a bit too light touch.

We can easily change that for you.

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

Like the forum version of North Korea?

Like the forum version of North Korea?

Yes but we have more missiles.

Something many folk on here don't understand - this is a private playground and the owners set the rules. Its not a democracy, its not a public space. Its a private club.

Like the rules or not - accepting them is a price for being here.

It's not a private club, it's a business where the proprietors "sell access" to the people who post on a forum.

Mark has explained this several times.

But you are right accept the rules, as in accepting referendum decisions etc 😉

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.

You got a warning saying "this is your third warning" which was a mistake, as the previous two were the same message duplicated.

Your "fairly innocuous" post was a picture of the grim reaper next to someone who'd just died, on an RIP thread.

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.

Two things here.

1) You would be -amazed- at the amount of "it's so unfair" emails we get, usually petulant but sometimes with good reason. Decisions usually stand (because we're awesome in the first place 🙂 ), but they do get reviewed if someone objects.

2) The whole thing works on peer review. If one of us makes a bad call, the others will pick up on it and decisions potentially reversed. There's often a good deal of conversation behind the scenes.

This will probably constitute a third warning, so goodbye.

Don't be so melodramatic.

Ive been banned once for a rather childish gay joke, i thought was funny and probably others did as well, i got an email telling me i was banned for a period, and stating the fact of why i was banned, i responded with a reply stating the reason, and the mods, reinstated me,and i thank them.

In life we cant always agreee with each other, life would be so boring, but insults and thuggery are not acceptable, if they where included in the banned thread above.

well done to the mods

I approve of the banning for various reasons, what I don't approve of is the removal of posts. Leaving the offending posts leaves the shitty comments up for people to see and judge for themselves. It helps continuity for people to build a picture up of who people are over time and generally can help towards the goal of a self moderated forum.

'm curious how do you know it was ignored

Well, I got no reponse and the post still stands. It used homophobic terminology. The only other possible alternative is that such terminology is acceptable.
Why not tell me that it wasn't ignored and want was done?

Your "fairly innocuous" post was a picture of the grim reaper next to someone who'd just died, on an RIP thread.

Well it comparison to his other warning it was. 😀

Why not tell me that it wasn't ignored and want was done?

We don't respond to reports, we act on them if we think it was necessary. In this case it wasn't but certainly wasn't largely ignored

project

Ive been banned once for a rather childish gay joke, i thought was funny and probably others did as well, i got an email telling me i was banned for a period, and stating the fact of why i was banned, i responded with a reply stating the reason, and the mods, reinstated me,and i thank them.

I got banned for racism towards Irish people. Which I thought was strange since I'm Irish and my comment was obviously in jest.

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

You didn't get the previous FOUR warnings about insulting other forum members, then? You might want to check your email settings.

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

It wasn't ignored, it was reviewed and not upheld. The reported post is here (so readers can make up their own minds as to whether we were right or wrong):

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/donalderm-trump/page/3#post-8297887

... it's a reference to pushing poo through someone's letterbox. I can see how you might infer that it's "homophobic terminology" if you were really, really keen to see it that way. And Charlie, I know first hand exactly how keen you are to play one of your little cards, to cry -phobias and -isms where none exist.

Mods are people in the bike "community" (largely, anyway - Cougar, I'm not so sure!)

Well. My OH has been chronically ill for a few years now, which curtailed her riding. I felt I bit of a shit going out on my own when she loved it and couldn't go, so I've not been out for ages. She's a bit better now so hopefully we should be able to rectify that this year.

Plenty of instances of mods pulling the moderator card when they're getting shown up.

If that was any more post-truth it'd be on the side of a bus.

This is a genuine question, who mods the mods, one of the "out" mods can be pretty abrasive IMO, is there anyone who would mod them?

I assume that's aimed at me? As I said just now, it's peer reviewed, and of course the site owners have the ultimate say. I've actually tried to give myself a ban for going too far before now, but the site software won't let you do it.

I approve of the banning for various reasons, what I don't approve of is the removal of posts. Leaving the offending posts leaves the shitty comments up for people to see and judge for themselves. It helps continuity for people to build a picture up of who people are over time and generally can help towards the goal of a self moderated forum.

The risk is with that is people think it's Ok to then post in a similar fashion. You've a valid point but knowing posts we've not seen that break the rules and other members have they will respond with "well it was Ok for this person to say it" if they have been warned for similar reasons.

... not sure why you would want to show interest in the role James??

I definitely wouldn't, Ant. That's just another one of my lame attempts at light humour. 😳

The risk is with that is people think it's Ok to then post in a similar fashion.

I suppose also, it allows people to write what they want knowing that they'll get some time off and are happy to take that hit. I would.

I got banned for racism towards Irish people. Which I thought was strange since I'm Irish and my comment was obviously in jest.

It was clearly too sophisticated for the English to understand.

If that was any more post-truth it'd be on the side of a bus.

LOL

Cougar can be a little abrasive in posting - but I have seen him apologise when called out on it and his little bit of abrasiveness is far less than other posters do regularly

I'd rather not know who the mods are, tbh.
Like seeing pictures of the actors from The Archers, it ruins the illusion.

And it's a bit odd to think that I may have been modded by people I know purely as other forum members.

Makes you think.

We don't respond to reports, we act on them if we think it was necessary. In this case it wasn't but certainly wasn't largely ignored

Just to expand on this,

As much as we may (or may not) want to, t's simply not practical to respond individually to every report. Moderating the forum already takes up a fair amount of our free time, if we replied to every report we'd do nothing else. We're not being paid for this remember.

Cougar I honestly did not get FOUR warnings. I also maintain that he is a liar 😆

No it wasn't aimed at you, I am forever greafful you took the time to help me with a computer problem.

I once got banned from a cycling forum because I pointed out to the two owner mods that a lot of their training/technical advice was pure ballcocks. You know what, it was entirely their prerogative

Would anyone change their behaviour towards another forum member if they discovered that they were a mod?
We are the mods, we are the mods, we are, we are, we are the mods! Etc.

Cougar I honestly did not get FOUR warnings. I also maintain that he is a liar

They were sent but for some reason you only received the one telling you were banned.

Cougar can be a little abrasive in posting

It's so difficult to project intent in text. I know I can be a grumpy sod at times, usually when I'm tired and the filters aren't working too well, but as a general rule of thumb if something I type can be taken two ways and one of them makes you cross, I meant the other one. I tend to forget sometimes that most people on here don't "know" me.

I did have a stealth mod apologise to me for having modded me a couple of days earlier (this was in a previous guise where I was a lot more contentious). I can't say it changed my opinion of him or behaviour towards him.

I got banned for calling someone a fanny (who is actually a **** but I was being polite), but using derogatory terms for Scottish people is mostly ok it would seem.

Drac yes if you can't cope with that, then that is up to you. I only knew I was banned when STW wouldn't load on my I pad. I am a complete dunce when it comes to computers so could easily be my mistake.

Thanks for getting back to me

STED 9 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST
maxtorque - Member

I also fully admit to threatening him with physical violence.

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.

So ninfan trots out a playground insult and you threaten to give him a kicking, report him, and he gets a ban?

You've never had someone say "yo mama" to you in all of your 43 years?

Sure, he was out of line and rather childish but I can only see one person playing the hard man. 😕

I got banned for calling someone a fanny (who is actually a **** but I was being polite), but using derogatory terms for Scottish people is mostly ok it would seem.

Do you mean Scotch? I'm not sure anyone but you has complained about that being used, not even Scotroutes who is extremely proud to be Scottish and defensive toward derogative comments.

Drac yes if you can't cope with that, then that is up to you.

Oh we can it's you who can't seem to though.

I only knew I was banned when STW wouldn't load on my I pad. I am a complete dunce when it comes to computers so could easily be my mistake.

Oh yeah you've added a bit. It could be an old email address you've used or supplied a fake one so which means we can't get I touch.

Thanks for getting back to me

You're welcome.

I got banned for calling someone a fanny (who is actually a **** but I was being polite), but using derogatory terms for Scottish people is mostly ok it would seem.