Quote from: David RWhat I find repulsive about the whole thing is the cheering on from other posters when a mod lays down the law in an obviously insulting manner.

Regards,
David R

If by 'cheering' you mean mouth-to-ass desuscitation I completely agree.

Lord Hobie

Quote from: joewolzWhen RPG.net was more like this place, Darren's asshole behavior was normal.  He hasn't changed with the site...which is sort of telling, in my opinion.

So, it'd be like if Nox was made a Mod?



How'd Darren get the Big Stick?

Quote from: WerekoalaSo, it'd be like if Nox was made a Mod?



How'd Darren get the Big Stick?

No, that's really not fair.

I think Darren is a raging cock and certainly not the right personality to be a mod, but IMXP he's not quite as full of incredibly stupid opinions.

Quote from: GMSkarkaIt seems to me that if they would just get rid of the policy that everyone is a unique and special snowflake who need to have their feelings protected from anything that might possibly cause them offense, they would have pretty much no problems at all.

That's an issue but JamesV hit the bullseye, IMO: Tangency takes way too much room. The moderation policies in place were shaped because of/by/for the filth that populates this sad and totally irrelevant (to anyone remotely sane) sub-forum.

Back in the day I recall Curt telling me that people like me don't deserve to live.  After that I was super careful a few times to make sure he was okay with me joining the exodus to various other forums the mod policies drove people to.  He always denied having any idea who I was and accused me of stalking him.

Anyhow, I was over cauteous and over courteous a few times and I'll accept that can be creepy.

But telling people you think they don't deserve to live and not even having it register in your head that you've done that to that person?

Yeah, it says something doesn't it?

Quote from: Consonant DudeThat's an issue but JamesV hit the bullseye, IMO: Tangency takes way too much room. The moderation policies in place were shaped because of/by/for the filth that populates this sad and totally irrelevant (to anyone remotely sane) sub-forum.

Yes.  But it's also become the most important area of RPGNet.  It has more than 50% more posts AND more threads listed than the tabletop RPG area.  In the rare occasion I venture there, I routinely see people with post counts of 10,000, 15,000, even 25,000+ posts who I have never, ever encountered on a gaming-related thread.  More posts and more threads = more revenue from advertisement and more visibility.  Ergo, Tangency is there to stay.

I don't know, I was fond of Tangency at one point.

Really though, I liked the old open forum better, back when you could discuss books and movies as long as you took a gaming lense to it.

As they branched off sub-fora a lot of what worked about Tangency was stripped away leaving an innanely babbling asylum.

However, the ability of a discussion to diverge and go interesting places also seemed to be lost.

I quit rpg.net mainly because Curt started harassing me and the other mods condoned it when I reported it. I'm glad he's gone, but I'm not going back.

Quote from: Consonant DudeRemoving Curt as mod?

Yeah. It's not as if other moderators don't basically break the rules they're supposed to be enforcing. Why get rid of one for doing it and keep all the rest?

Quote from: Consonant DudeDepends what you mean.

I mean that they're the ones with the power to change the environment if don't like it. What they've done, however, is create an enviroment where folks on high talk smack to the people they're supposed to be helping, where the rules are subjective, etc. Given this, I can only conclude that's the way they like things.

In fact, I bet if you ask them, they'll confirm it.

Quote from: Consonant DudePeople like Levi and Davenport were awesome people and I think they did a great moderation job.  

I think they're head and shoulders above the rest, but I could have sworn I've been both of them make a snarky comment or two in red.

Seanchai

Quote from: SeanchaiI mean that they're the ones with the power to change the environment if don't like it. What they've done, however, is create an enviroment where folks on high talk smack to the people they're supposed to be helping, where the rules are subjective, etc. Given this, I can only conclude that's the way they like things.

In fact, I bet if you ask them, they'll confirm it.

If you mean red-text snark and a general "I have to blow some steam" attitude... yeah, they unfortunately confirmed it multiple times. I don't understand how this could be considered acceptable but it was.

They said a few months ago (two? three?) that they were reconsidering this train of thought after a Trouble Tickets thread. I don't go there often enough to know whether it has changed or not.

re: Davenport and Levi

I'm sure they've had their moments. I don't think any person on this planet could do a perfect job. I'm more concerned when I see malice, or consistent "suckitude". I don't expect people to be perfect, just well-intentioned. Both of those guys qualified as far as I am concerned.

Quote from: joewolzJust a lot of people complaining.

But they do that now anyway.

Part of the reason is because the administration has created a situation where only they understand the rules. If the rules are subjective, vague and enforced and created on a whim, of course people are going to be flocking to you, asking about every little thing. The environment is such that the reasonable man really can't tell one minute from the next what will get him in trouble. (You can say, "Don't be a dick," but what's being a dick and what's not is subjective, and if asked, most people will say, "No, I wasn't being that bad...")

Moreover, they've clearly stated and demonstrated that they'll enforce the rules via telepathy. People aren't disciplined just for what they did, but for what their intent supposedly was or what they were thinking about doing. This creates situations where Poster A rightfully complains to the moderators about what Poster B did, but about what poster A thinks Poster B's "true" intent was.

Finally, it seems like everything is against the rules. That alone creates plenty of fodder for complaints. If just a few things - personal attacks, posting advertisements, etc. - were against the rules, the netizens would have to be big girls and boys and deal with their problems themselves.

Seanchai

Quote from: David RWhat I find repulsive about the whole thing is the cheering on from other posters when a mod lays down the law in an obviously insulting manner.

In addition, I always thought it was against at least the spirit of the rules, particularly "Don't be a dick."

Seanchai

Quote from: Lord HobieIf by 'cheering' you mean mouth-to-ass desuscitation I completely agree.

Thing is, I can't fault the people who do it—it works. It's certainly one way to protect yourself in the maze of subjective rules and punishments.

Seanchai

Quote from: Consonant Dudere: Davenport and Levi

I'm sure they've had their moments. I don't think any person on this planet could do a perfect job. I'm more concerned when I see malice, or consistent "suckitude". I don't expect people to be perfect, just well-intentioned. Both of those guys qualified as far as I am concerned.

I agree with what you're saying for the most part, particularly about them being well-intentioned. However, that's not enough. I don't want just a well-intentioned police force. I want one that even-handedly enforces the laws. I want one that knows what said laws are. I want a police force that's accountable if they screw up. I want a police force that has a culture where screwing up isn't acceptable.

What we have at TBP is moderators high fiving each other when they say something particularly nasty when they ban someone or close a thread. And it infects the good guys who join the team.

Seanchai

I'm glad to see that I'm apparently no longer considered the worst mod in rpg.net's history .