Anyone else feel like a particular Mod picks on them?

[davide_eu]

I would name names but I'm afraid that someone would delete this post or suspend me. It's frustrating because I feel like I'm not allowed to ever defend myself even in the most non-aggressive way without a p;articular mod deleting my post, sending me a warning or suspending me. I can't even count how many times I will post something serious and someone will come along and make a snarky comment that is uncalled for or completely unhelpful or slight personal attack and if I even say anything back (often in the same manner) I get punished. I love MacRumors but it's like we are children and are not able to stand up for ourselves.

You are right; deleting a post is a game so you cannot take any action.

Sometime I don't even remember which post has been deleted.

What I have noticed is that if a post has received many POSITIVE reactions and it is not so aligned to their marketing department it will be much more scrutinized by somebody just to find a good reason to cancel it.

 

[davide_eu]

I believe the reasons people feel picked upon is due to the lack of adherence to the rules and nothing to do with anything else.

The mods do not single out subject matter. This has been promulgated by posters so many times it’s a meme at this point.

Not true at all! I got some post deleted because they were "reply to moderated content" when they were original post.

 

[I7guy]

Not true at all! I got some post deleted because they were "reply to moderated content" when they were original post.

I've been around since 2013 and haven't seen it.

 

[xJustxMegx]

I've been around since 2013 and haven't seen it.

I've seen it too, maybe you're just a nice person.

 

[I7guy]

I've seen it too, maybe you're just a nice person.

I have not seen posts disappear because of subject matter. I have seen them disappear due to non-adherence to the rules.

Let's say you "believe" a specific moderator has a bias against vanilla ice cream and you write a diatribe and in the post flatly state chocolate is the best ice cream. Your post gets moderated.

Is your conclusion that the moderator was biased against vanilla ice cream?

 

[xJustxMegx]

Both ice creams are good. ;-)

But that would be not a good reason to moderate a post.

 

[I7guy]

But you are talking about bias in moderation. I'm substituting a controversial topic for a non-controversial topic.

 

[Applewatch42]

Moderators, I would like to know if certain moderators tend to stay in certain forum title (ex one mod might do a bit more in the iPhone area than in other areas)

 

[Weaselboy]

Moderators, I would like to know if certain moderators tend to stay in certain forum title (ex one mod might do a bit more in the iPhone area than in other areas)

There are no assigned areas if that is what you mean.

But yes, I think there may end up being more mod presence in areas a particular mod is interested in. For myself, I enjoy reading news threads, and MacBook and macOS discussions, so if there is a problem in one of those forum sections that is not reported, I would be more likely to see it than other forum sections.

 

[DeftwillP]

Perception probably influences some posters opinions of moderators as much as anything and would give them a jaded view.

I mostly browse and rarely post on MR and have had an account for about a decade or so. I can recall at least a half dozen times or so (greatly outnumber those from other users lol) PMs from Weaselboy reminding me of posting policy after I posted something contrary to forum guidelines. Rules are rules. My most recent was today and then I happened to stumble upon (didn't search, just naturally found....I promise) this thread now. I posted a 1 sentence political non-sequitur in a non-politics forum. The political climate being what it is, I let it get it to me sometimes and I fire off things. I accept that and I shouldn't have posted it.

To my original point, I think that I've only *ever* been corrected by Weaselboy to the point where I *could* have assumed that they were the lone moderator. I like to think that I have the emotional intelligence to understand that it's not the case that OP presents but I could also understand how someone with a post to moderation ratio like mine (and by perceivably only one mod) might feel as such.

 

[annk]

...

To my original point, I think that I've only *ever* been corrected by Weaselboy to the point where I *could* have assumed that they were the lone moderator. I like to think that I have the emotional intelligence to understand that it's not the case that OP presents but I could also understand how someone with a post to moderation ratio like mine (and by perceivably only one mod) might feel as such.

My comment below isn't so much directly to you as it is a general comment to all on this part of your post, just so that's clear.

This has been said many times before, but the moderator name on the moderation message comes about simply because that particular moderator was the one who sent out the semi-automatic moderation message. Unless a violation is very clear - like spam or calling another user an idiot or making a clearly political comment outside of the allowed section - moderation is something that's discussed. The moderators discuss actively before most moderation is done, it's a team effort.

It's also been said many times that we don't target users. We don't know users personally, we have no reason to go after anyone in particular. If users post violations and they are brought to our attention, we moderate them. We don't moderate simply because a post has been reported, because sometimes users report posts because they don't like the content, even though there isn't a violation of a rule. We see through that! Moderation is only done on the basis of the rules. You can post opinions I disagree with very very strongly, but if you do so within the framework of the rules, you're fine.

The moderators are happiest when they can simply browse the forums for fun or discuss how the forums can be even better. They don't like having to moderate.

 

[DeftwillP]

I completely understand that. For what it's worth, I am agreeing with the mods.

Except that weaselboy, f that guy lol jk

 

[teh_hunterer]

I will post something serious and someone will come along and make a snarky comment that is uncalled for or completely unhelpful or slight personal attack and if I even say anything back (often in the same manner) I get punished. I love MacRumors but it's like we are children and are not able to stand up for ourselves.

The way the rules are set up seems to be so that you need to consider everything as being done in good faith.

So what ends up happening is all the trolls, bots, people with agendas, people who are just annoying, they have a lot of room to do whatever they want. But the normal people who have normal, negative reactions to these kinds of people, are constantly slapped on the wrist and censored for their reaction.

In my opinion this turns the site into a place that's increasingly dominated by trolls and people with clear nationalistic agendas. The normal people slowly just leave. That's part of the reason you have so many of these "I've been here for 15 years and I'm leaving" posts cropping up.

For me it's gotten to the point that I half expect even this post to be deleted. I'm so sure the next time I come to this site, I'm going to see that mail icon up the top right is going to have that red (1) next to it. And I know which moderator I'm going to have the message from, too 😅

 

[S.B.G]

The way the rules are set up seems to be so that you need to consider everything as being done in good faith.

So what ends up happening is all the trolls, bots, people with agendas, people who are just annoying, they have a lot of room to do whatever they want. But the normal people who have normal, negative reactions to these kinds of people, are constantly slapped on the wrist and censored for their reaction.

In my opinion this turns the site into a place that's increasingly dominated by trolls and people with clear nationalistic agendas. The normal people slowly just leave. That's part of the reason you have so many of these "I've been here for 15 years and I'm leaving" posts cropping up.

For me it's gotten to the point that I half expect even this post to be deleted. I'm so sure the next time I come to this site, I'm going to see that mail icon up the top right is going to have that red (1) next to it. And I know which moderator I'm going to have the message from, too 😅

I read a lot about stoicism. (My favorite author is Ryan Holiday)

“When someone provokes you, remember: it is not the act itself that disturbs you, but your judgment of it.”

—Epictetus


Trolls thrive on reaction and so do the people with certain agendas. They want to control your attention, emotions, and energy. The moment we respond in kind, we hand them exactly what they seek. The Stoic approach is to recognize that their behavior is outside our control, but our response is not.

Instead of feeding the cycle of responding with more insults or rules violations, choose restraint. Report the behavior to the moderators, then move on. By doing so, you act with reason rather than impulse, and you keep your peace intact. The most effective answer to a troll is calm indifference and disciplined action on your part.

 

[teh_hunterer]

I read a lot about stoicism. (My favorite author is Ryan Holiday)

“When someone provokes you, remember: it is not the act itself that disturbs you, but your judgment of it.”

—Epictetus


Trolls thrive on reaction and so do the people with certain agendas. They want to control your attention, emotions, and energy. The moment we respond in kind, we hand them exactly what they seek. The Stoic approach is to recognize that their behavior is outside our control, but our response is not.

Instead of feeding the cycle of responding with more insults or rules violations, choose restraint. Report the behavior to the moderators, then move on. By doing so, you act with reason rather than impulse, and you keep your peace intact. The most effective answer to a troll is calm indifference and disciplined action on your part.

That's good advice for the individual, but I'm talking about the philosophy of the moderation and what I believe that tends to result in.

It's not necessarily just about maintaining your own reaction and your own peace of mind, but about how worth it it feels for people to participate somewhere in general.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I read a lot about stoicism. (My favorite author is Ryan Holiday)

“When someone provokes you, remember: it is not the act itself that disturbs you, but your judgment of it.”

—Epictetus


Trolls thrive on reaction and so do the people with certain agendas. They want to control your attention, emotions, and energy. The moment we respond in kind, we hand them exactly what they seek. The Stoic approach is to recognize that their behavior is outside our control, but our response is not.

Instead of feeding the cycle of responding with more insults or rules violations, choose restraint. Report the behavior to the moderators, then move on. By doing so, you act with reason rather than impulse, and you keep your peace intact. The most effective answer to a troll is calm indifference and disciplined action on your part.

I’d add use the ignore button after you report them. It makes MR a much more pleasant place.

 

[S.B.G]

That's good advice for the individual

And if all the individuals could practice that philosophy, then collectively we could effectively eliminate the trolls and things would be more pleasant on the forums.

 

[teh_hunterer]

And if all the individuals could practice that philosophy, then collectively we could effectively eliminate the trolls and things would be more pleasant on the forums.

It's a nice idea but I don't think it always works in practise. A system that ends up punishing the normal people might just find those normal people give up and take their attention and participation elsewhere.

No website is entitled to keep their users indefinitely. They need to provide something that's good enough to keep them around.

As an example, being as stoic as you can doesn't fix other online places. Stoicism isn't going to change the fact that if you open Twitter, 90% of what you see is cynically crafted to rage bait you into reacting to it. You can resist it, but if all the normal people gave up and stopped participating, does it really matter?

 

[rockitdog]

I can't believe this thread is still alive lol

 

[maflynn]

I can't believe this thread is still alive lol

Why?
People can and do take a private message from a moderator personally - its only human nature

 

[MajorFubar]

I read a lot about stoicism. (My favorite author is Ryan Holiday)

“When someone provokes you, remember: it is not the act itself that disturbs you, but your judgment of it.”

—Epictetus


Trolls thrive on reaction and so do the people with certain agendas. They want to control your attention, emotions, and energy. The moment we respond in kind, we hand them exactly what they seek. The Stoic approach is to recognize that their behavior is outside our control, but our response is not.

Instead of feeding the cycle of responding with more insults or rules violations, choose restraint. Report the behavior to the moderators, then move on. By doing so, you act with reason rather than impulse, and you keep your peace intact. The most effective answer to a troll is calm indifference and disciplined action on your part.

This is pretty good advice, but usually the only reason I respond to trolls is if someone has posted something factually incorrect: I like to make it known publicly that the information posted is wrong. I'm not intending to change the poster's mind: people intent on spreading misinformation won't have their minds changed. I'm doing it (maybe naively) for the benefit of others.

That doesn't go for subjective opinions though. I tend to stay clear of commenting on those anyway.

 

[S.B.G]

This is pretty good advice, but usually the only reason I respond to trolls is if someone has posted something factually incorrect: I like to make it known publicly that the information posted is wrong. I'm not intending to change the poster's mind: people intent on spreading misinformation won't have their minds changed. I'm doing it (maybe naively) for the benefit of others.

That doesn't go for subjective opinions though. I tend to stay clear of commenting on those anyway.

Reminds me of this old comic! I had a similar feeling a long time ago and then realized it really didn't matter all that much. People are fairly adept at figuring things out on their own, and I am mentally happier not fighting a losing battle.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

View attachment 2573654

Reminds me of this old comic! I had a similar feeling a long time ago and then realized it really didn't matter all that much. People are fairly adept at figuring things out on their own, and I am mentally happier not fighting a losing battle.

Well, I used to be a teacher, which meant that part of my job was correcting the mistakes students made in their essays, assignments, and, sometimes, when discussing stuff in class, because for them to proceed on the basis that their incorrect statements were acceptable would - at the very least - have an impact on their grades, let alone how they could hope to succeed professionally, subsequent to their graduation from university.

Nevertheless, sometimes, it can be difficult to suppress my (old) professional instincts, notwithstanding reminders to self that the internet, or social media platforms, are not my classroom.

 

[I7guy]

View attachment 2573654

Reminds me of this old comic! I had a similar feeling a long time ago and then realized it really didn't matter all that much. People are fairly adept at figuring things out on their own, and I am mentally happier not fighting a losing battle.

One of my favorite memes.

 

[max2]

I can't believe this thread is still alive lol

I did not even know it existed.

Makes sense though. Feb 8, 2018