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MacRumors Moderation

rdowns said:
There may be 26 moderators listed but quite a few are inactive. Seems the job does that to many.
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Real Life intrudes on all members' lives at some point; forum participation goes in waves for most people and sometimes things happen that lead people to choose other priorities. Members who coincidentally are moderators are no less immune to that than anyone else. Having lots of moderators makes sense - regardless of what might be going on in someone's life that might take him/her away from the forum temporarily or permanently, there are always others around.

Of course being a moderator means you have to deal with the less-pleasant sides of a forum, and basically it's up to the membership to create a forum where people want to stick around. ;)

Personally I think what you're seeing is coincidence, something you notice because the mod status makes it more visible (and perhaps because you're looking for it?). *shrug*
 
annk said:
Real Life intrudes on all members' lives at some point; forum participation goes in waves for most people and sometimes things happen that lead people to choose other priorities. Members who coincidentally are moderators are no less immune to that than anyone else. Having lots of moderators makes sense - regardless of what might be going on in someone's life that might take him/her away from the forum temporarily or permanently, there are always others around.

Of course being a moderator means you have to deal with the less-pleasant sides of a forum, and basically it's up to the membership to create a forum where people want to stick around. ;)

Personally I think what you're seeing is coincidence, something you notice because the mod status makes it more visible (and perhaps because you're looking for it?). *shrug*
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Exactly. And it's not like once you become a mod, you always have to be one like rdowns' posts and attitude suggest. You are allowed to leave whenever you want and your decision will be respected by the others.
 
After being subjected to some heavy-handed "moderation" this morning, I found this thread. I'm gonna post my peace, and then I'm leaving. I won't be posting here anymore because I feel the attitude of the bulk of moderators here (from what I've seen from this thread), this isn't a place I want to participate in.

I spent EIGHT YEARS running forums of my own. Powersports-based forums. I got tired of the BS trying to find QUALITY people to help run them, so I sold the most popular ones and shut down the rest.

The problem is that there are too many people, as evidenced here, that LOVE having "power" and "authority." The same thing applies to cops. People become cops because they like the authority they're given, and the "instant" respect they think it gets them. Many people become moderators for the same reason.

I was always taking issues with my moderators who liked to ban first and ask questions later. Or who would enforce the LETTER of the rules instead of the SPIRIT of the rules. Again, the same problem exists with cops. Traffic laws exist for the safety of everybody on the road. But the cops will enforce them to the letter, not only because they LIKE to, but because it generates revenue for local government in terms of fines.

While there are no fines here, the moderators have the same attitude. I'm sure there are some good ones out there, but they're few and far between.

Let's remember that these forums exist BECAUSE of the users. If it wasn't for the users, forums wouldn't exist. Many sites end up running off many of their users due to over-moderation and crap like I'm seeing here.

There is one other site I used to visit (which will remain nameless) that's even worse. Their answer to ANY rules violation is a Ban. Not necessarily permanent, but a ban nonetheless. There are no warnings. You do ANYTHING wrong, you get banned for some period of time. That's so over the top that I haven't been back in nine months, and I can name a dozen more people who haven't gone back either... in fact, it's caused 3-4 new sites to spring up as a result.

So, that's it. I'm done. Moderators, enjoy your position while you have it and the site while it exists.

Rob
 
Rob.G said:
After being subjected to some heavy-handed "moderation" this morning, I found this thread.
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It's curious how almost all posts like these are by someone who has violated forum rules and wants to blame the moderators for doing their job, rather than accept responsibility themselves. The vast majority in this forum have no problem with the moderation, because they follow the rules. I've been here over 3 years and have been more active than most. I've never seen a case of moderation that wasn't fair and reasonable, even if I didn't particularly agree or like it.

Understanding that you can't please all the people all the time, I find the moderation of this forum to be excellent overall.
Rob.G said:
So, that's it. I'm done. Moderators, enjoy your position while you have it and the site while it exists.
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It's obviously working well, as the membership and traffic continues to prove.
 
I may not like all the rules or actions of the moderators. Which gives me two choices, accept that the rules and moderators are in place to provide for an enjoyable forum for the most number of people. Or I could choice to leave the forum and go elsewhere. I've chosen to stay and says thanks for a nice forum.
Bill
 
Rob.G said:
After being subjected to some heavy-handed "moderation" this morning, I found this thread. ... snip ...
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Moderation is not personal, please don't make it so ... that said, you can request a review of any moderation action through the Contact Us link found at the bottom of any forum page.
 
Rob.G said:
SNIP
So, that's it. I'm done. Moderators, enjoy your position while you have it and the site while it exists.

Rob
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You don't look like you got a TO or ban, so why the complaint? Because a post got deleted? Your thread asking for the price of your Mac is still there, even though that violated the rules. Did you actually read the rules?

Waaah.
 
Eh, I like the moderation around here. It's subtle enough that you barely notice, and if you do notice, it's for a good reason. Good job mods, keep up the good work.

But yes, I have gotten one or two warnings in the time I've been here, but they were well-deserved and I don't actually mind getting them. Keeps me 'in my place'.
 
I didn't know there was a marketplace only for certain users, and I got a warning because I posted I wanted to purchase a keyboard (wired).

I've always been very careful in forums, and always use the google and stuff. This time I really didn't know there was a hidden marketplace.
 
TheGenerous said:
I didn't know there was a marketplace only for certain users, and I got a warning because I posted I wanted to purchase a keyboard (wired).

I've always been very careful in forums, and always use the google and stuff. This time I really didn't know there was a hidden marketplace.
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This is a helpful read for any forum member:
ScreenCap 4.png​
 
Rob.G said:
I spent EIGHT YEARS running forums of my own. Powersports-based forums. I got tired of the BS trying to find QUALITY people to help run them, so I sold the most popular ones and shut down the rest.
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That is your forum, not ours. We have our rules and policies here. I'm a member of various forums with different kinds of moderation and I would say MR is middle-class. Not too loose but not too tight.

Many people become moderators for the same reason.
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Moderators are chosen by the administrators and other mods. Usually the people who want to be mods the most never become one.

I was always taking issues with my moderators who liked to ban first and ask questions later. Or who would enforce the LETTER of the rules instead of the SPIRIT of the rules. Again, the same problem exists with cops. Traffic laws exist for the safety of everybody on the road. But the cops will enforce them to the letter, not only because they LIKE to, but because it generates revenue for local government in terms of fines.
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So would it be fair if one cop gave you a ticket while the other one didn't? If we didn't enforce the rules to the letter, it would mean that moderation would be subjective. One mod gives you a ban while the other one sends a warning. One does nothing while the other sends a warning. Cops and moderators enforce the laws/rules to the letter in order to guarantee maximum equality. The rules and policies must be clear so that every mod can follow them the same way.

There is one other site I used to visit (which will remain nameless) that's even worse. Their answer to ANY rules violation is a Ban. Not necessarily permanent, but a ban nonetheless. There are no warnings. You do ANYTHING wrong, you get banned for some period of time. That's so over the top that I haven't been back in nine months, and I can name a dozen more people who haven't gone back either... in fact, it's caused 3-4 new sites to spring up as a result.
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It's very rare that we give instant bans or time-outs, and those are mainly for spammers.

Let me ask you, what should we do if someone breaks the rules? Should we just let him break them for several times before issuing a warning? Currently we usually issue a warning for first time offenses. We know that most users never read the forum rules so it's always good to remind them about them so they won't break them again. We even give warnings for small violations like consecutive posting.

Warning is essentially nothing else but an automated reminder of the rules. You aren't banned or TO'd. The reason we use them instead of regular PMs is because they are much, much faster because a warning is mainly automated. They are also automatically archived, again saving us one step.

TheGenerous said:
I didn't know there was a marketplace only for certain users, and I got a warning because I posted I wanted to purchase a keyboard (wired).

I've always been very careful in forums, and always use the google and stuff. This time I really didn't know there was a hidden marketplace.
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Like I said above, warnings just remind you of the rules.
 
We know that not all users bother to read the FAQ and the rules before using the forums. That's why TheGenerous and others in similar situations get very polite messages from the moderators letting them know about specific rules.
 
Doctor Q said:
We know that not all users bother to read the FAQ and the rules before using the forums. That's why TheGenerous and others in similar situations get very polite messages from the moderators letting them know about specific rules.
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Wow... Chilling
 
482214 said:
Wow... Chilling
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?? The Messages are actually very helpful and if somebody chooses not to read the FAQ than its their own fault,

I have to say I am very pleased with the Moderators work especially if you think how many inane posts they have to sort out and also keep the forum a place where people can still communicate freely however the spammers and trolls are sorted out.
 
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robbieduncan said:
Rules are rules. If you choose to break then you should expect the consequences.
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If they were uniformly enforced, that might have some meaning. As it is, it's a joke. The forums have turned into a total wasteland. The "mods" do nothing but make the whole site more and more hi-school and less and less useful to professionals.

Phil A. said:
This is a privately owned site and is free to set whatever rules it wants: Whether you think they are justified or not is completely irrelevant
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Yet without users it's nothing. Seems it's decided that the 13 year old is the desired user.
 
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s15119 said:
If they were uniformly enforced, that might have some meaning. As it is, it's a joke. The forums have turned into a total wasteland. The "mods" do nothing but make the whole site more and more hi-school and less and less useful to professionals.
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If the rules aren't being uniformly enforced then it's because the mods don't see the infraction since they don't have time to read every post. If you see something that is against the rules report the post. Almost all of the posts that I report get edited or deleted, the only exceptions are some that are borderline but I think the mods should look at. Since you're complaining about how the rules are being enforced have you actually used the report post button?
 
s15119 said:
The "mods" do nothing but make the whole site more and more hi-school and less and less useful to professionals.
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How so? Can you provide specific examples of a mod not acting on a clear rules violation?

Do you know about the report post icon? Given the incredibly high volume that MR sees, its impossible for the moderators to review each and every post and thread. Instead we rely on the members at large to report violations.

Sometimes it may seem that we're not acting on the violation but rather we're working as a team to determine the best course of actions. Some issues are cut and dry but others as in life are more complicated. We don't operate in a vacuum but rather with each other.

The best way to make it more "professional" to use your word, is for you and other members to be proactive and report posts and not wait for a Mod to come across the post.
 
s15119 said:
If I did that I would be doing so all day long.

It's not really my job to police someone else's board.
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  • No one is asking you to police the forum.
  • It's not "someone else's" forum; if you're a member here, you share in the success of the forum.
  • No one is asking you to report all posts in the forum, only the ones you run across that need reporting.
  • If you're not willing to help, then don't complain.
 
482214 said:
Agreed... Easier to blame the member population rather than find a real solution!
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I think you mean it's easier to blame the moderators rather than help by reporting posts. Each member can be part of the solution.

From the Forum Rules you agreed to when you opened your account:
This is a busy bulletin board exceeding 10000 forum posts per day. The moderators cannot read them all so they rely on members to report problem posts that they encounter.
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Thank you to those who report posts needing moderator attention. Your work improves the quality of the forums.
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GGJstudios said:
  • No one is asking you to police the forum.
  • It's not "someone else's" forum; if you're a member here, you share in the success of the forum.
  • No one is asking you to report all posts in the forum, only the ones you run across that need reporting.
  • If you're not willing to help, then don't complain.
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1. Actually, they just did.
2. Member my ass. I'm here to generate ad revenue. I have no influence on the site. Do you know what membership means? Of course it's someone elses forum.
3. Do you want to go with one or three?
4. No. It's THAT attitude, that makes web site fail.
 
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