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 pondo 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.

The ones that might resort to physical violence?

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.

Pfft! I was accused of being english lastnight, I’ll take Gogg any day over that, even Taff or sheepshagger come think about it. 😛