Who watches the watchmen: We need to discuss how these forums are moderated

Elikal

I expect this thread will be locked in moments. Still, I am going to have to have my say. It is your power to forbid this, but IMVPO you are not doing your website a favor.

I am not going to speak about single moderator or single issues. But what I see is, that a spirit of hostility towards us, the forum contributers has entered this site. I understand that when more moderation was annouced, it was because some personal attacks had gotten out of hand, and quick and good moderation is right and well.

But recently, entire posts vanish. Threads are locked, even though there is no strictly logical reason. And on top there is no neutral third party as a clearing point to resolve an issue between moderators and posters, but the moderators moderate only themselves. It is a bit like the question: who watches the watchmen? I ask you to have the courage and greatness of spirit to let us all talk about certain things. You can still edit out comments which are unfair or personal attacks. But I think this is something we should be able to talk about. I have never seen so many {mod edits}, so many vanished and deleted threads, so many (USER DELETED) notes as in the last half year. And I just have a hard time to believe that all these are so bad people or have written so bad things as to justify this.

I understand, this is a place owned by private people, and they can set rules in their property as they want. But I ask for the greatness of spirit to LISTEN to those who write in these forums, and not hide behind rules you have set. Rules are fine and nice. But as a sage of the old days said: Sabbath was made for man, not men for the Sabbath.

 

When someone follows threads so closely as I do, I just notice how often dozens of entire posts vanish. And I just dispute that all of them were so evil as to justify their entire deletion. Many of them were just harmless jokes, a sarcstic or ironic notes. Some simple bickering. Surely not very smart or helpful in all cases, but for goodness sake, we are adults and I guess we can stand a bit bickering as long as it's not a bad personal attack! I am sorry. But I have the feeling things are getting out of hand and you create an atmosphere driven by fear, and in the end people will just see everyone else as enemy and every other poster as potential threat. I seriously urge you to reconsider and let tolerance and more goodwill once again enter this place, as it was in the past. There was always strife, and as we are human, there always will be. As long as it's no personal attack, we should be given the chance to fight for ourselves without being "daddied" or "mommied" and without every childish irony or pun being censored and warned.

Allow us a civil discussion about how we all want to see this forum handled. At least give us space to converse with you about how we feel about the moderation process. Yes, the final word is up to you. But it would be a positive thing if we reflected the situation in the open.

 

The ideal of "freedom of speech" does not apply to private property as this. But is a great ideal, worthy to try to manifest, nonetheless.

 

There, I have had my say.

Getalife

You knew this topic would be locked soon and yet you decided to hit us with wall of text? when you could have just pmed your complaints and greviances directly to the admin? i on the contrary believe that this website need more moderation and not less.