Anyone else here tired of being deleted or fluffed?

[BeeBee*BeeLeaves]

Well, I am just grateful that I have 30 minutes to edit my posts. In non forum life, I don't get 30 minutes and I have no filter between brain and mouth and it can be a wee bit of a problem every now and then. I enjoy this forum and have not been fluffed or deleted yet, so I have not experienced that. What I love about this forum is that over all there is a lot of sharing and caring ... and its for better lives for tortoises and turtles which everyone on the forum has in common. We sure do love our tortoises. We are all sick. We need help. LOL!

 

[Sh3wulf]

I'm a newbie to the forum so I have posted very few items, but as a new follower I am already growing very tired of the back biting, unnecessary sarcasm and just plain rudeness of some posts. I come to this forum to learn and seek experienced tortoise people's opinions, not read a bunch of attacks on others opinions or knowledge. I appreciate each and every piece of feedback am I given and generally enjoy reading the posts and learning from the experiences of other and and just wish others could play nice or take their toys else where to play.

Nicely said

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

You Yvonne, are a perfect example of what I refer to as a fair and impartial moderator....

* Fair and impartial for sure!

Plus never forget this is Josh's forum.

* Vital fact!

The only way any change will come about is IF it hits Josh in the pocket book. I guarantee if everyone were to boycott the forum for 6 months and the traffic stats changed drastically, he would take a serious look at the current moderation!!

* Imagine that!

 

[Madkins007]

Long time member, mostly-retired moderator (and this post may be the nail in my coffin, finally!)

I have a solution to this whole thing. Pay the mods.

If you want some sort of professional level activity from the mods- unbiased replies, quick responses, some sort of feedback loop, etc.- then pay them and give them job titles and standards. Some of these guys put in a ton of time to do what they do- and no, most of it has little to do with policing every little word that falls from your mouths. They combat spam, approve posts, try to clean up duplicates, try to help with getting things in the right slots for good answers. They spend an ungodly amount of time trying to keep people who have been asked to leave for whatever reason from rejoining under other names.

You guys have spoken of a democracy, censorship, etc.- as if this is some sort of free and open space- and it is not. This is, as you have pointed out when it works in your favor- Josh's sandbox, and HE has entrusted the mods to help keep it free from cat poop and used syringes. Do the mods get 'overzealous' sometimes? Sure. Are the posters sometimes complete *(*&^%-*&*(#%@%'s that need to be slapped upside the head? Sure.

Vote for the mods? Why on Earth would Josh do that? Do you vote among the open populace about the rules of your house or who does what chores? Now- if this was a SUBSCRIPTION site, with paid mods, then it might make sense to have at least some of the seats selected by an open vote- but in reality, it would make even more sense for it to be handled by people who submit resumes and are interviewed and hired for skills. Quite frankly, I don't know hardly any of you enough to vote for you for something like this.



Oh! As an alternative to paying the mods... how about if we fine people that we need to moderate because they violated a posted rule or policy? Used a bad word or called someone names? Say $5 for the first incident (after a fair warning), and it rises by $5 each time after, and you are banned until you pay up? If you feel you've been charged unfairly, Josh acts as ref and doubles the fine if you loose.

The more I think about it, the more I like that idea! Hey Josh!

 

[mainey34]

Posts are edited no matter if you are cussing someone out or making a joke, or simply making a comment that mods, or a mod doesn't like. Or a mod. That doesnt care for you you. This crap of deleting, "fluffing" without permission is inexcusable. Ive had posts that had things deleted that made me sound like a complete idiot...Thanks Moderators! How would that make you feel? If you even cared....

 

[ascott]

Ok, folks. We've heard you and we are acting on it.

Jacqui is going to make up a form letter advising a member that his recent post is offensive (or whatever). All the mods will have input on the letter's content.

We will make the offensive post invisible to the general membership, but it will stay right where it is in the thread.

We will send the form letter along with a copy/paste of the offensive post and ask the member to clean it up. They will have one chance to make it right or it will be permanently deleted.

We haven't nailed it down yet, but I'm thinking maybe we'll make bold what we have found to be against the guidelines.

Once we get the corrected post back, we'll edit the original post and make it visible again.

Yvonne, when will this be available/complete/implemented? I mean, in the interim what will be the temporary fix?

 

[sibi]

Personally, I wouldn't mind paying the mods and josh annual dues to be a member. I learn from others here, and certainly admire and respect the dedication and hard work of the moderators. And, I wouldn't expect any more of them than what they are currently doing. Would I like to see the forum be more transparent, sure. It would certainly quite those of us who never knew editing was being conducted w/o the writer's knowledge. For my part, I really couldn't care less if words were edited so long as I was informed, and I believe that is what the team is currently trying to resolve.

The bashing I see going on here with the mods and josh is completely uncalled for! There's nothing that they had done that warrants hashing the past, calling out mods as liars, or feeling personally offended for actions that were necessary, albeit imperfect. If remedied, I think everyone should bury the hatchet and let bygones be bygones.

 

[mainey34]

I understand that everyone has been heard, i for 1 wanted to give my input. My right as a member...

 

[Madkins007]

Posts are edited no matter if you are cussing someone out or making a joke, or simply making a comment that mods, or a mod doesn't like. Or a mod. That doesnt care for you you. This crap of deleting, "fluffing" without permission is inexcusable. Ive had posts that had things deleted that made me sound like a complete idiot...Thanks Moderators! How would that make you feel? If you even cared....

I have only edited a couple posts that were not mine in my entire history, and I have never had a post edited or fluffed. Because I am a moderator? Heck no- the other mods probably forget I am part of the team because I am here so rarely in the last year. But, even when I am mad at someone or violently disagree with them, I can express it without violating rules or common courtesy. And I HAVE "cuss[ed] someone out or ma[de] a joke, or simply making a comment that mods, or a mod doesn't like." And I still did not get edited.

How would it make me feel if I WAS fluffed? I would feel embarrassed that I acted in such a way on a visible forum that someone felt the need to correct me because I did such a poor job of editing myself.

And, if I may be so blunt... WHAT SORT OF JERKHAT ARE YOU to ask if the mods care? THAT IS OBVIOUSLY COMPLETE AND TOTAL *#$^! If they didn't care, they would not work so hard. If they did not care, they would just ban jerks, idiots, and bozos rather than trying to work with people.

Your final comment is a PERFECT EXAMPLE of the sort of garbage the mods have to deal with- it was meant to be inflammatory or manipulative without being at all helpful or having any truth behind it.

 

[mainey34]

Posts are edited no matter if you are cussing someone out or making a joke, or simply making a comment that mods, or a mod doesn't like. Or a mod. That doesnt care for you you. This crap of deleting, "fluffing" without permission is inexcusable. Ive had posts that had things deleted that made me sound like a complete idiot...Thanks Moderators! How would that make you feel? If you even cared....

I have only edited a couple posts that were not mine in my entire history, and I have never had a post edited or fluffed. Because I am a moderator? Heck no- the other mods probably forget I am part of the team because I am here so rarely in the last year. But, even when I am mad at someone or violently disagree with them, I can express it without violating rules or common courtesy. And I HAVE "cuss[ed] someone out or ma[de] a joke, or simply making a comment that mods, or a mod doesn't like." And I still did not get edited.

How would it make me feel if I WAS fluffed? I would feel embarrassed that I acted in such a way on a visible forum that someone felt the need to correct me because I did such a poor job of editing myself.

And, if I may be so blunt... WHAT SORT OF JERKHAT ARE YOU to ask if the mods care? THAT IS OBVIOUSLY COMPLETE AND TOTAL *#$^! If they didn't care, they would not work so hard. If they did not care, they would just ban jerks, idiots, and bozos rather than trying to work with people.

Your final comment is a PERFECT EXAMPLE of the sort of garbage the mods have to deal with- it was meant to be inflammatory or manipulative without being at all helpful or having any truth behind it.

And of course you just twisted that around to make you and mods look good...you should "fluff" your post...You carry the title mod. Why are you not doing your job?

 

[cemmons12]

I would just like to say, once things are fixed, I hope we can go back to being the great forum we once were. Even though I am not an old timer, I seem to remember some really good times, conversations, and learning on this forum. And not just from a couple people, but from many, many members. This has been an eye opener, for one, but it has also been pretty upsetting to me. I would just like for us all to be friends, and I know in the real world that's not possible. But maybe after all this, we can just get along and learn from each other again. And I hope I have not offended anyone with this post.

Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using TortForum mobile app

 

[Pokeymeg]

I am just not seeing the big deal here... This is a private forum, not a public office. Mods don't need to be voted in, and Josh can set whatever rules he wants. It's his forum.

The mods all seem like sensible people who have their own lives, they are not going to waste time 'fluffing' or deleting posts just for kicks and giggles. They have better things to do, I'm sure! There is usually a good reason. Without the mods doing what they do, this forum would be a rather nasty place.

I value this forum a lot, and I doubt my tortoise would be alive without the information I get from folks on here. The #1 priority of this forum is to provide tortoise related information, and I think that is being lost in the argument.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using TortForum mobile app

 

[jaizei]

I am just not seeing the big deal here... This is a private forum, not a public office. Mods don't need to be voted in, and Josh can set whatever rules he wants. It's his forum.

The mods all seem like sensible people who have their own lives, they are notgoing to waste time 'fluffing' or deleting posts just for kicks and giggles. They have better things to do, I'm sure! There is usually a good reason. Without the mods doing what they do, this forum would be a rather nasty place.

I value this forum a lot, and hI doubt my tortoise would be alive without the information I get from folks on here. The #1 priority of this forum is to provide tortoise related information, and I think that is being lost in the argument.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using TortForum mobile app

Too often discontent is swept under the rug. It is better when it is discussed openly (as long as it is civil). Angela (and a few others) have legitimate concerns. Posts should not be edited or deleted if they do not break the rules, rules that should be applied equally to every member. Angela can have a sharp tongue, but her comment that was edited wasnt any different than others she has made. (Not intended as an insult Angela). This inconsistent moderation makes it hard for members to know what is right and wrong. There is favoritism on this forum, a relic from the past. And when those members that are accustomed to privilege are treated like regular members, they somehow see it as them being wronged.



Who watches the watchmen? I would have no problem with 100% transparency. Every moderation action I have performed has been aboveboard, despite insinuations and accusations to the contrary. If every post I have made, every pm sent was laid out on the table, I would have nothing to be ashamed of. I do not resort to name calling or sending profanity filled pms at the drop of a hat. The members that seem to have a problem with me cannot say the same. If the posts that were deleted were presented to the open forum, there would be little question about the ones I remove.

 

[jaizei]

I am just not seeing the big deal here... This is a private forum, not a public office. Mods don't need to be voted in, and Josh can set whatever rules he wants. It's his forum.

The mods all seem like sensible people who have their own lives, they are not going to waste time 'fluffing' or deleting posts just for kicks and giggles. They have better things to do, I'm sure! There is usually a good reason. Without the mods doing what they do, this forum would be a rather nasty place.

I value this forum a lot, and I doubt my tortoise would be alive without the information I get from folks on here. The #1 priority of this forum is to provide tortoise related information, and I think that is being lost in the argument.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using TortForum mobile app

Too often discontent is swept under the rug. It is better when it is discussed openly (as long as it is civil, I believe no topic should be off limits). Angela (and a few others) have legitimate concerns. Posts should not be edited or deleted if they do not break the rules, rules that should be applied equally to every member. Angela can have a sharp tongue, but her comment that was edited wasnt any different than others she has made. (Not intended as an insult Angela). This inconsistent moderation makes it hard for members to know what is allowed or not.

 

[Pokeymeg]

Re: RE: Anyone else here tired of being deleted or fluffed?

I am just not seeing the big deal here... This is a private forum, not a public office. Mods don't need to be voted in, and Josh can set whatever rules he wants. It's his forum.

The mods all seem like sensible people who have their own lives, they are not going to waste time 'fluffing' or deleting posts just for kicks and giggles. They have better things to do, I'm sure! There is usually a good reason. Without the mods doing what they do, this forum would be a rather nasty place.

I value this forum a lot, and I doubt my tortoise would be alive without the information I get from folks on here. The #1 priority of this forum is to provide tortoise related information, and I think that is being lost in the argument.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using TortForum mobile app

Too often discontent is swept under the rug. It is better when it is discussed openly (as long as it is civil, I believe no topic should be off limits). Angela (and a few others) have legitimate concerns. Posts should not be edited or deleted if they do not break the rules, rules that should be applied equally to every member. Angela can have a sharp tongue, but her comment that was edited wasnt any different than others she has made. (Not intended as an insult Angela). This inconsistent moderation makes it hard for members to know what is allowed or not.

I see... It's hard to follow 11 pages of this. I was assuming this was about legitamite inappropriate language etc. I'll just back away slowly now!.....

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using TortForum mobile app

 

[jaizei]

It is like several different threads at once. Some of the concerns are valid. Some are not. Refer back to the insinuations and accusations that I delete posts simply because I do not like someone. If the posts that were removed by me were shown to the forum, there would be no question of why they were deleted. I try to keep everything I do aboveboard. I do not resort to name calling and sending profanity filled pms at the drop of a hat.

 

[diamondbp]

I think at this point this thread is potentially hurting the forum and needs to cease. I'm sure the people that it really affects(the mods) and veteran members have said enough of their mind by now and need to handle any further conversations in PM or personal email/phone/etc.

I've been using the forum for about a year now and really enjoy checking it everyday and helping out where I can.

But I can honestly say I'm growing tired of seeing this thread continue. Any newcomer that comes across this thread may get turned off rather than getting excited about some of the members here.

So with that being said, I'm grateful for this forum and the dedication of MANY of its members and I hope it continues to grow and help shed light on turtle/tortoise care for the masses. God bless

 

[luvpetz27]

I think at this point this thread is potentially hurting the forum and needs to cease. I'm sure the people that it really affects(the mods) and veteran members have said enough of their mind by now and need to handle any further conversations in PM or personal email/phone/etc.

I've been using the forum for about a year now and really enjoy checking it everyday and helping out where I can.

But I can honestly say I'm growing tired of seeing this thread continue. Any newcomer that comes across this thread may get turned off rather than getting excited about some of the members here.

So with that being said, I'm grateful for this forum and the dedication of MANY of its members and I hope it continues to grow and help shed light on turtle/tortoise care for the masses. God bless

I agree with everything you said!!!!

 

[BeeBee*BeeLeaves]

I love this forum. Thank you all for your opinions and thoughts and rants and raves and to the moderators who try to do their best. Little bumps on the road are always okay.
Like a tortoise ... moving on ... next ....

 

[theelectraco]

This is the only forum I belong to that "fluffs and removes" material. In my opinion, you accept all risks of posting on the forum when you chose to do so. This is the Internet. People should be prepared for arguing, hostile debates. The censorship or removal of things should only be removed, in my opinion, when the OP, or person "offended" requests, not when the mod deems fit. There is also a lot of "fluffing" due to the fact that there are minors on this site, and some people need to be filtered to make the site more appropriate for them. I think it would be wise to create a 18+ rule. Then we are all adults here, and don't have to tip toe around offending naive underaged posters. If members chose to lie about their age upon membership agreement then they accept the risks involved in posting in a public place.

Also, I know Josh's presence is absent on the forum most of the time. I don't know if there is already a "lead mod" or such, but if there isn't I think it would be a good thing to implement. Someome like Yvonne would be great at this. She could make a quick decision whether or not the material needs edited or deleted, do so and move on. She has been extremely fair to all members, has an excellent way with words helping people understand things, can edit information without completely changing it. I don't think it requires multiple people to determine if it needs fluffed, but also don't feel that it should fall into just any mods choice whether or not content is edited.

I'm done rambling.


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