Why does everyone think its so bad?

[BigEvil]

Guys,

I've noticed lately that there is way too much negative sentiment being thrown around AO. Everyone is complaining, whining, or just down right suicidal.

I’m sure most of you are familiar with PBnation. Go over there, read some of the posts, and come back and compare to AO. The only thing they have over this forum is volume of users. 3/4 of the posts are total non-sence, and heaven forbid you ask a question.

I know that from time to time that type of mentality pops up here, but is isn't the norm. Ask for help here on AO and you have 20 replies with members willing to donate a kidney if need be.

The other big issue people seem to have, is that the AGD product line is not a mainstream as it was a few years ago. Well, I’m sorry to say, but without a major change of direction and a new innovative flagship marker, it probably never will be again. That's not to say that it will fade into oblivion, or, diminish the fact that they produce some of the finest products in the industry.

It's easier to hate Smart Parts for being shrewd businessmen, than it is to beat them in the market place. The hate is just wasted energy - save it for the field and let nature take its cause as far as the legalities go.

But here is the good news. You can still have your AGD marker. You can still get parts, There are plenty of cottage-industry aftermarket parts and dealers popping up all the time. I have dealt with most of them at some point or another, and would rather go a little out of my way to buy from them rather than dealing with companies like 888paintball. Tunaman, Deadlywind, Rougefactor, Luke, LogicPB (sorry if I missed a few) have all followed the example set by AGD when it comes to quality and treating their customers like family.

After reading many of the "what gun would you get" posts, it is also obvious that there aren't many other markers out that we would prefer over our beloved mags.

I have also seen allot of there "how to bring back the good old days?" Well, "good old days" is a relative term. I have been playing since 1991. The first gun I had in my hand was a 12gm PGP. Think about it. Pump, shoot, pump, shoot ten times, the reload. after 20 shots you were replacing a 12 gram. Even though I still like to occasionally play pump, I wouldn’t trade my 20bps, warp/Halo fed, HPA powered Xmag for any of them. Even if there are way too many 12 year old kids playing $1500 Wack-o-matics that that their mommies bought them.

I also read about a lack of quality posting here. Well folks, that’s in your hands.

Hope I was able

[GT]

I am not sure if you added anything that hasnt been said before.....



just down right suicidal

no not the bannannaaaaaa :shooting: :dance:

[BigEvil]

I am not sure if you added anything that hasnt been said before.....




no not the bannannaaaaaa :shooting: :dance:


Other than my cool new sig :headbang:

[shartley]

I don’t think “everyone” thinks one way or another on any issue brought up. Don’t confuse a very vocal group of people with them representing the majority view on any issue. I think that is one of AO’s problems. What you see posted here is often not the view of the majority of paintball players, nor even the majority view of AO members.

[WARPED1]

AO has gone downhill. It used to be a great source of information on all types of guns. Now, there has been an influx of idiotic posters that wouldn't no a mag if it was shoved up thier butt. No intelligent posts by these particular users. The intelligent people are still here, but can't make thier intelligence known because they're starting to get flamed like on PBN. A sad time in AO history............

[White_Noise]

AO has gone downhill. It used to be a great source of information on all types of guns. Now, there has been an influx of idiotic posters that wouldn't no a mag if it was shoved up thier butt. No intelligent posts by these particular users. The intelligent people are still here, but can't make thier intelligence known because they're starting to get flamed like on PBN. A sad time in AO history............


quote for the truth.

i merely stated on pbn about not liking a group of people who call themselve 315. then immediately got flamed for no reason, most of it generating around the fact that my sig says i use mags. if AO ever gets that bad.....

[cockerkiller68]

A little encouragement...I'm pretty new here, just about a week. I've already made a couple good online buddies/contacts whatever. Instead of focussing on the negative aspects, focus on the positives and WORK ON THE NEGS! For the most part, AO has the most courteous and helpful people that I've seen on an online forum!!

Suck it up guys.

If you have a problem with someone, don't start a thread announcing it to the whole world. Try PMing them, if that doesn't work, talk to an admin.

Just my $.02

[peewee]

I think people need to sit back & calm down a bit. I think some people are a bit scared with Tom taking a break. I have honestly seen more mags on the fields as of late then I did three years ago!! To me that was the low point I couldnt get parts for my mag except for mailorder or my local hero Army Dave. we are on the clime back into the mix.If thats really important to you. Palmers have been pluggin along for years. It wont happen overnight. Heck I just showed my bone stock ULE single trigger to a guy who lost his mind over it. He thought it was beautiful , tried to explain that mines a plain jane. He is asking his wife if its ok to get one. This is a new user. He already sold his BKO. :headbang:

[WARPED1]

I've seen multiple times here, on our own AO, people get flamed constantly just because they said "I like Shockers/Impulses". I speak from experience, as I love Shockers. And was flamed for using them.

[Lohman446]

Try stating I like Shockers - and I really like rebound mode once :D - I've done it and I do

[GT]

I've seen multiple times here, on our own AO, people get flamed constantly just because they said "I like Shockers/Impulses". I speak from experience, as I love Shockers. And was flamed for using them.

no,
you get flammed because you think shockers/imps are good guns :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[vonort]

Good call GT :dance: :dance: :dance:

[p8ntball365]

uhh what is 315?

[peewee]

Some flaming I think would be appropriate … note “the official automag owners group” Personally I’d expect some poo to be flung my way if I was singing the praises of Kingman at the Tippmann site.

[Target Practice]

I don't mean to come off like I'm flaming, but you joined THIS month. Unless you lurked for a year or so, how do you have any authority to comment on the decline?

[White_Noise]

uhh what is 315?


its a hype based following, similiar to the HK following, though it is just to get attention.

[mcdkid]

I don't mean to come off like I'm flaming, but you joined THIS month. Unless you lurked for a year or so, how do you have any authority to comment on the decline?

u mean bigevil? he used to be MINDJOB, check under his name...

[Target Practice]

u mean bigevil? he used to be MINDJOB, check under his name...

Ahh...gotcha.

[WARPED1]

no,
you get flammed because you think shockers/imps are good guns :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
See?! Idiots...........wouldn't know a good gun if it kicked them in the goody sack.

[mcdkid]

See?! Idiots...........wouldn't know a good gun if it kicked them in the goody sack.

i think the term would be shot, instead of kicked...

[thorn]

the problem ive seen very lately is the EXTREME negativity in this forum. even pbn isnt this negative. its just so gloomy around here. in august it was much better.

[WARPED1]

i think the term would be shot, instead of kicked...
LOL, very true! :dance:

[peewee]

WARPED1 I think you are being just a little sensitive. Its funny mag owners have been bashed for years. I have heard the mags suck comment so many times by impy/ AC/ matrix/ etc owners so many times I lost count. you have no sence of humour. Why do you have to start calling people names?? I have laughed off more insults about my gear than I can count. Note its an automag forum. For years this was the safe haven for most of the people here. just because people razz you a bit you start calling names???? :nono: Do you still have a mag? If so whats the big deal about getting poo for owning SP stuff?

[PBkilla123]

AO beats PBnation any day. im sure a lot of ppl on ao agree w/ me

[tha flynnrod]

PBNATION CAN BE THE PITS!!!!!.......i agree...just try and post a question there..you will instantly be flamed with noobs saying USE THE SEARCH BUTTON!!!....but when you try to use the search function it never works due to the volume of people who are on....plus its full of nooobs who just want to argue back and forth....try and make a humorous paintball vid just for fun and post it there..you will instantly be flamed with "this video is pointless" replies..like they were expecting some long technical intelectual video....want they dont realize is some people may enjoy watchiing a dumba$$ (me) run around blinded with a trashcan over the top of my body while getting shot with paintballs....(and they will also flame a classic mag shooting 11 bps by saying its slow).....but i will continue to make pointless FLYNRUSS PRODUCTION vids and post them there for the exposure factor!..bad publicity is still publicity! :dance:

[BigEvil]

AO beats PBnation any day. im sure a lot of ppl on ao agree w/ me

Yes - ditto.

PBN is a good souce of info, but in many instances it is better to just lurk than to actually get involved in anything.

After some of the current happenings on AO, I'm begining to wonder if it really IS starting to go downhill after all. But where else am I going to get my online paintball fix from?

[peewee]

Being a mag hag, I never really go to PBN. I go to phog for my phantom fixes & ao for mag. have no ther needs really. I try & keep an eye on tippy stuff for my kid.

[punkncat]

There are person(s) with too much power over others ability to state an opinion or attempt to make/prove a point through their public(or even private)messages. This ability is enforced by a vague set of rules that doesn't have to be followed to the letter by those enacting them....(read through some closed posts and you will see not one but MANY examples of this behavior, and mostly by one person) There is no check or balance. There is no oversight. When an outcry is made about the unfairness of this ability, or to question the reasoning behind it, the answer is "none of your buisiness" or "bring it up, get banned". And to make it all worse, the rulings being handed down commonly lack consistancy.

Made worse by the fact that there are certain other peole who feel its their personal mission in life to bring these inconsistancies and the grey area of the rules to light and question with every single post. In spite of warnings, they continue to frustrate the powers that be with this garbage, pissing EVERYONE off when stopgap measures get enforced to put a bandaid on the situation.

I guess what I am getting at is that(many)people are getting frustrated by the fact that you can hardly post here anymore w/o fear of stepping on (certain individuals) toes. People are getting frustrated at seeing well known members disappearing because of stupid issues and personal vendettas. Due mostly to others inability to leave well enough alone.

[hitech]

SP is evil....

[SlartyBartFast]

I've noticed lately that there is way too much negative sentiment being thrown around AO. Everyone is complaining, whining, or just down right suicidal.

Nah.

It's just winter and a few people are suffering from severe cases of cabin fever which is turning the most trivial and inconscequential of issues into life threatening and Earth shaking ones.

That, and some people seem to have confused randomw chatter on a forum with real life. :p

[SCpoloRicker]

SP is evil....


Yawn ;)

Friendly Corner, anyone? How many times must we bear the "oh noes"?

[50 cal]

AO has become more like pbn. Sad to say, but it's true. AO was a place were people could post serious questions and have them answered without the assinine "that suxxors" replies.
If someone had a decent topic, it went on for a few pages with good intelligent discussion. Now it's not that way.
Look at the Sig line topic that ran a bunch of pages then got locked because people acted like 5 year olds.

I really liked this site. I still visit periodically and post if I have something worthwhile to post.

[SlartyBartFast]

This AO is becoming PBN existential garbage is getting to be as bad as the eternal navel gazing of Canadians worried about becoming too American. :p

[Lohman446]

I don't know - I have had a serious discussion regarding negligence that has been ongoing with a good number of people, I have disagreed with a number of them and nowhere has it been anything but civil. Even in discussion of different markers it very seldom turns negative. Many many topics go on, with people who disagree, with very little if any hostitlity. I think its just a matter if your looking for where the problems are... sure there are some but they tend to be trivial (IMHO) things that have the most hostility surroudning them with NOTABLE exceptions.

[hitech]

Yawn ;)


Yeah, yeah, yeah, but I still think SP is evil...

:rofl:


I don't know - I have had a serious discussion regarding negligence that has been ongoing with a good number of people…

Threads like that are why I like AO. However, not being able to question “authority” here on AO is likely to get me banned. Not questioning that which I see as wrong is not something I am capable of…

Remember me fondly after I’m gone… ;)

[Muzikman]

Threads like that are why I like AO. However, not being able to question “authority” here on AO is likely to get me banned. Not questioning that which I see as wrong is not something I am capable of…

Remember me fondly after I’m gone… ;)


And when you are gone, I will cry and scream to everyone on AO on why it is just not fair:)

[Lohman446]

. However, not being able to question “authority” here on AO is likely to get me banned. Not questioning that which I see as wrong is not something I am capable of…

Remember me fondly after I’m gone… ;)

You won't get banned... you question with some reasoning... as have others. Its just sometimes, often people whine rather than question nicely (not in every case). Things got out of hand, I think they will cool back down if both sides give it time without pushing further and escalating the situation

[MarkM]

One problem is that some users find it difficult to stand behind the courage of their convictions, which means when you post something to be read you don't go back and delete it, if it hasn't had the effect you were trying to get. Admittedly there has been recently some individuals who have pushed and pushed and this latest round of bannings and also the signatures getting switched off is the result. You all, myself included accept the rules when you sign up. Break the rules and you are dealt with, don't break the rules and nothing will happen.
The grass was never greener before (I have read the old forums so I do know what I am talking about) Fewer members meant fewer issues.
Nit picking trying to disect the "true" meaning of a word in a rule/guideline creates issues. Rule is straightforward in meaning as is Guideline which means anything outside the Guideline is against it so that means action.
Contextual arguements are as old as the hills unfortunately a great many members do not now share this age. Why do you think I recently started a thread about the first song you ever bought and look the answers it provided...it was a fishing expedition!! (plus a thread everyone could take part in) Two years ago the average age was probably 17 now it is closer to 12 and with all the angst that goes along with that age of person.
At least the "use the search button" replys have slowed down. I can get anywhere for 10 to 25 emails per day with reported threads...if everything was so peachy here then that number would be dropped to basically zero, it is the users who are reporting the threads and then the Mod acts on that information given to them by ANOTHER user. The Mods do not go searching for issues they get sent to us.
I have posted this as myself not as the AO Moderation Team (any Mod can be that account but then you had probably already worked that out) so you can actually have someone to reply to without any sarcastic remarks about hiding etc. I would love to be able to just surf AO and move the odd post about if it was in the wrong section but life isn't that neat.

[hitech]

Admittedly there has been recently some individuals who have pushed and pushed and this latest round of bannings and also the signatures getting switched off is the result. You all, myself included accept the rules when you sign up. Break the rules and you are dealt with, don't break the rules and nothing will happen.


Can you tell me what rule(s) were broken here:


30 Day bans for not letting the LPB thing go PER a warning in thread :

Aegis - 30 days

Automaggot68 - 30 Days

spacedtedybear - 30 Days

If you guys think I am joking I am far from it.

-R

Heck Ill just edit this one to add peoples bans.

Z-man - 30 Days

cabldawg - 30 days

Welp adding some more

bornl33t - 30 days

CaliMagFan - 30 days

RtDaNiMaL - 30 days (not added by Rob)

-=Squid=- - 30 days (not added by Rob)

[punkncat]

Can you tell me what rule(s) were broken here:

The problem was that(most of) these people mentioned "the unspoken" after a post was made that said doing so would constitute a 30 day ban.

Right or wrong (which is the subjusct of much discussion), they were warned and knew the consequence before posting

[shartley]

I have posted this as myself not as the AO Moderation Team (any Mod can be that account but then you had probably already worked that out) so you can actually have someone to reply to without any sarcastic remarks about hiding etc. I would love to be able to just surf AO and move the odd post about if it was in the wrong section but life isn't that neat.Well, I have to point out that I have been a moderator for my share of forums (and still am on some) and I have never had a problem with doing my job or having to hide behind a generic “moderation team” account when doing it.

The problem is that unfortunately in every issue lately NO responsibility for wrong doing has been acknowledged by the forum staff. It has always been the members who were wrong, every time. And sorry, that is far from being true.

And more so, when moderators/admin do their moderating, if they simply did it without wise cracks, insults, and general antagonism (not assaying all have done this, but it is not uncommon) and not out of some personal grudge or attempt to prove how powerful they are, NONE of these issues would even be issues lately. But again, that would take the moderating staff to own up to their actions and be honest about what has happened. And this is obviously not going to happen.

I get a kick out of hearing how difficult moderating is, or how much of a “job” it is. Honestly, it is not difficult at all, and really takes nothing more than seeing something (either on your own or from a report made), see if it violates the rules, and then take the appropriate actions. You leave all personal feelings out of it as well as who is making the posts, and simply go by what is posted. And I think that is the hardest part for too many Moderators. Then they also let their egos get in the way of simply doing their jobs.

Being a Moderator, just like being a police officer, is not about having power over the public. It is about SERVING them. But that has been lost to far too many forum moderators.

Please don’t think I am upset about this though. LOL I am only pointing out that what has been posted by staff members may not quite be the only way to look at things, or in fact may not even be accurate at all. But it all sounds good if you don’t look at the whole picture…. ;)

No for some entertainment..... :dance: :dance: :dance:

[MarkM]

Can you tell me what rule(s) were broken here:

Your own quote is the answer. A warning was given and not followed the result were those bans. Although you have asked politely it is questions like yours that have been the cause of many of the flare ups bwtween the Mods and other users. I am not saying you can't ask, you have and I have answered but the PM system needs to be used more than it is to discuss these problems.

The Ban List thread was created because of individuals complaining that if someone was banned then how could they receive a pm or email explaining to them personally why the ban had happened if they couldn't access the PM system.So the Ban List is visible to Guest's which is what you become when you are banned, plus in most of the cases the user already knows they have stepped over the line.
In it's own way the Ban List thread is still not perfect because of questions like yours made in public and especially since you are not one of the list. Users wanted visible modding and then complained very loudly in some cases when it was implimented. Do not think we are not aware of concerted pm/aim/phone calls that round up the "troops" to flood a thread.

No ruling is going to be accepted by all people that is just one of those things that we as mods and you as users are just going to have to accept. This isn't meant in anyway as "if you don't like it etc etc" just a simple observation. The exception to this last sentence is that all users and Mods have to abide by the rulings if any of us wish to continue using this forum.

I could be really pedantic and push a ruling through about the way in which some stuff is posted on here but it would create more problems than it would solve so I haven't.
I like to have my signature, as it (and all signatures) adds to the colourful nature of the forum it now can't be included so I will have to live with it being gone (other than in My Profile) This would have happened if users had stuck to what was written in so far as what you can and cannot do..already covered contexual arguements in my previous post.

I personally would like to see the uploading of attachments to AO servers turned off and that way the user who wants post an image would have to host the image themselves, I have argued for this for some time but still they are allowed. Remember when the AO server attachment was on the blink how calm the forum was? Well doing what I have tried to do would have this effect, it certainly didn't stop attachments but they certainly slowed down.

[MarkM]

Well, I have to point out that I have been a moderator for my share of forums (and still am on some) and I have never had a problem with doing my job or having to hide behind a generic “moderation team” account when doing it.

The problem is that unfortunately in every issue lately NO responsibility for wrong doing has been acknowledged by the forum staff. It has always been the members who were wrong, every time. And sorry, that is far from being true.

And more so, when moderators/admin do their moderating, if they simply did it without wise cracks, insults, and general antagonism (not assaying all have done this, but it is not uncommon) and not out of some personal grudge or attempt to prove how powerful they are, NONE of these issues would even be issues lately. But again, that would take the moderating staff to own up to their actions and be honest about what has happened. And this is obviously not going to happen.

I get a kick out of hearing how difficult moderating is, or how much of a “job” it is. Honestly, it is not difficult at all, and really takes nothing more than seeing something (either on your own or from a report made), see if it violates the rules, and then take the appropriate actions. You leave all personal feelings out of it as well as who is making the posts, and simply go by what is posted. And I think that is the hardest part for too many Moderators. Then they also let their egos get in the way of simply doing their jobs.

Being a Moderator, just like being a police officer, is not about having power over the public. It is about SERVING them. But that has been lost to far too many forum moderators.

Please don’t think I am upset about this though. LOL I am only pointing out that what has been posted by staff members may not quite be the only way to look at things, or in fact may not even be accurate at all. But it all sounds good if you don’t look at the whole picture…. ;)

No for some entertainment..... :dance: :dance: :dance:


Sam, the comment about the difficulty is way off base...I didn't say that, I may have inferred it had drawbacks but that was the limit of it. This thread is about what people are trying to see what is wrong/could be made better.

I am also an admin on another forum and I get to do the sum total of zero from a moderation point of view, mostly it is moving stuff to the correct areas. In fact I think there have only been a total of 3 bannings since the forum was created.
Don't be starting with the police officer route since a police officer has to abide with the rules same as a regular person...do you agree with the cop when he pulls you over for some kind of violation...of course not (most cases)
You even say this yourself above when you comment on deciding what to do with a reported post, I have let things be many times with some of the reported posts as in my eyes there was nothing to deal with ..and not once (to date) has a post I left alone come back to bite me. Now I am not suggesting that I am perfect but would every other mod who got that reported post done the same thing I don't know as I can't answer for them...will I back a decision they make..YES.
You personally have been the subject of more than one attack and things came out the right way in your case...now do other users like that it turned out the way it did?..very simply NO. Have you stirred things? YES have they been dealt with? YES. Playing Devils advocate is not a very clever perch to be sitting on. Your one saving grace is that you don't make a post and then delete it afterwards and for that I applaud you on. Do I agree with the things you post, sometimes but not always and quite often it would be pointless replying, this is a different case since you are asking and commenting directly upon a post I have made.

The AO Mod Team was created so that users did not have the target of hate that could be directed at any individual moderator for doing something. This is because often personal issues get brought up as the reason why such and such was banned/editted etc again people looking for an arguement where none exists, a user broke the rules and was punished because of this. I have been the subject of one such thread where all i did was apply the rules as written in the threads I was reading/getting reported, conicidently I happened to moderate an entire clique of friends... to me they were just users who had broken the rules nothing personal what so ever but did that stop the hate thread?

[Blazestorm]

I didn't bother to read all of it.

Guys, it's a forum, if you care this much about it, you need a life. [EDIT - Outside of AO that is...]

TEH DRAMA OMGZORS YOU ALL SUCK NO YOU SUCK NO YOU SUCK LOLOLOL TAFFY!!1

[MarkM]

I didn't bother to read all of it.

Guys, it's a forum, if you care this much about it, you need a life. [EDIT - Outside of AO that is...]

TEH DRAMA OMGZORS YOU ALL SUCK NO YOU SUCK NO YOU SUCK LOLOLOL TAFFY!!1

I agree that there is a life outside AO but it is posts like yours just now that do nothing to add to the life inside AO if you can't be bothered to read the comments then why post a negative reply with no reasoning? It is posts like yours that have become symtomatic of a great many of the problems on AO.

[Blazestorm]

Like I said mark, if you honestly care that much about AO community.

It may be negative, but you don't have to take it seriously, because I'm not serious. I'm here to have fun, waste some time. Old-School AO I'd actually contribute because Old-school AO was tight...

[shartley]

Sam, the comment about the difficulty is way off base...I didn't say that, I may have inferred it had drawbacks but that was the limit of it. This thread is about what people are trying to see what is wrong/could be made better.
Sorry about that, I guess I misunderstood what you wrote. No worries. Then we both agree that moderating is not hard work. No harm done.


I am also an admin on another forum and I get to do the sum total of zero from a moderation point of view, mostly it is moving stuff to the correct areas. In fact I think there have only been a total of 3 bannings since the forum was created.
And I can say the same…. In fact it is the same with me. LOL Well, sort of, I have only had to ban 2 people. ;)



Don't be starting with the police officer route since a police officer has to abide with the rules same as a regular person...do you agree with the cop when he pulls you over for some kind of violation...of course not (most cases)
Well, I guess you picked the wrong person to ask that of. ;) You may not be aware, but I WAS a Police Officer. And I have stated here, as well as other places that I have never been upset when pulled over for a moving violation…. Even the one that was NOT correct for me to be pulled over for. I simply went to court and told the judge the situation and it was tossed out. So yes, in most cases I agree with the cop for pulling me over.

But I will also add that even without telling the officer my former job I have not been written a ticket for a moving violation in over 15 years. Interesting isn’t it?


You even say this yourself above when you comment on deciding what to do with a reported post, I have let things be many times with some of the reported posts as in my eyes there was nothing to deal with ..and not once (to date) has a post I left alone come back to bite me. Now I am not suggesting that I am perfect but would every other mod who got that reported post done the same thing I don't know as I can't answer for them...will I back a decision they make..YES.
You personally have been the subject of more than one attack and things came out the right way in your case...now do other users like that it turned out the way it did?..very simply NO. Have you stirred things? YES have they been dealt with? YES. Playing Devils advocate is not a very clever perch to be sitting on. Your one saving grace is that you don't make a post and then delete it afterwards and for that I applaud you on. Do I agree with the things you post, sometimes but not always and quite often it would be pointless replying, this is a different case since you are asking and commenting directly upon a post I have made.
And I understand all that. I also hope you realize that my post to you was not an attack, nor was even out of anger. It was meant to make people think and to look at things from angles they may not have before.


The AO Mod Team was created so that users did not have the target of hate that could be directed at any individual moderator for doing something. This is because often personal issues get brought up as the reason why such and such was banned/editted etc again people looking for an arguement where none exists, a user broke the rules and was punished because of this. I have been the subject of one such thread where all i did was apply the rules as written in the threads I was reading/getting reported, conicidently I happened to moderate an entire clique of friends... to me they were just users who had broken the rules nothing personal what so ever but did that stop the hate thread?
I understand this. And I AGREE that you got attacked for moderating actions that just happened to be done by a group of “friends”. You did not set out to target that group but instead were simply moderating and it happened that a group was the ones doing wrong.

However…… I will also point out that there HAVE been cases where moderators have done their best to target individuals…. Even to the point of stoking the fires on other forums and inviting others to push issues so that they can cause the “targeted” person to step across the line and be banned for it. And no, I am not making things up.

So the AO Mod Team anonymity, like so many other things, is a two edged sword. It is one that I am glad I don’t have to deal with… and honestly I would never use it.

[punkncat]

One problem is that some users find it difficult to stand behind the courage of their convictions, which means when you post something to be read you don't go back and delete it, if it hasn't had the effect you were trying to get.


Also consider those that post something in haste and then decide afterward that it isn't really what they wanted to say, or that it just wasn't worth it in the first place....

[MarkM]

There are person(s) with too much power over others ability to state an opinion or attempt to make/prove a point through their public(or even private)messages. This ability is enforced by a vague set of rules that doesn't have to be followed to the letter by those enacting them....(read through some closed posts and you will see not one but MANY examples of this behavior, and mostly by one person) There is no check or balance. There is no oversight. When an outcry is made about the unfairness of this ability, or to question the reasoning behind it, the answer is "none of your buisiness" or "bring it up, get banned". And to make it all worse, the rulings being handed down commonly lack consistancy.

Made worse by the fact that there are certain other peole who feel its their personal mission in life to bring these inconsistancies and the grey area of the rules to light and question with every single post. In spite of warnings, they continue to frustrate the powers that be with this garbage, pissing EVERYONE off when stopgap measures get enforced to put a bandaid on the situation.

I guess what I am getting at is that(many)people are getting frustrated by the fact that you can hardly post here anymore w/o fear of stepping on (certain individuals) toes. People are getting frustrated at seeing well known members disappearing because of stupid issues and personal vendettas. Due mostly to others inability to leave well enough alone.


Was this made in haste? Afterall you did go back and edit it slightly...if you forgot, it was on the first page of this thread. ;)

Sam,
The policeman thing I didn't know but for all the other users who were not policemen they would take exception to being pulled over. I get pulled for random stops with the alledged reason that they (the police) have had reports of (insert my vehicle description) being involved in some recent crimes...it is normally within a 2 min drive from my house or as in one case 50 yds from my front door!
It is because I do most of my driving in the early hours of the morning so driving at the speed limit on a deserted road for some unknown reason makes me suspicious? Anyhow it was a parallel not a statement of cause and effect.

I also knew you were not attacking me but you were putting only one side of things, which due to the way many users speed read long posts only picking out the parts they think applied and take it as gospel truth.
That was also why my subsequent posts were split up to make for easier reading even if they were split in an incorrect grammatical way

[punkncat]

Was this made in haste? Afterall you did go back and edit it slightly...if you forgot, it was on the first page of this thread. ;)

No I won't say it was made in haste. But (as you well know) I often go back after posting and edit a few things. Mostly just grammatical errors, sometimes to eliminate ramble.... Generally not AFTER someone has replied to it. Unfortunately, earlier, Slarty had gotten to my post before I refined it.

Sometimes I just hit "submit" before I am ready..... :D

[SCpoloRicker]

The problem is that unfortunately in every issue lately NO responsibility for wrong doing has been acknowledged by the forum staff. It has always been the members who were wrong, every time. And sorry, that is far from being true.

And more so, when moderators/admin do their moderating, if they simply did it without wise cracks, insults, and general antagonism (not assaying all have done this, but it is not uncommon) and not out of some personal grudge or attempt to prove how powerful they are, NONE of these issues would even be issues lately. But again, that would take the moderating staff to own up to their actions and be honest about what has happened. And this is obviously not going to happen.



The Sky Is Falling. Twice in one week, I have dead-on agreed with ya, Shartley.

But, hey. "Old-timers" especially. Go post up some of your AO goodness in the FC thread. I know there are some great tales out there.

[SCpoloRicker]

Also consider those that post something in haste and then decide afterward that it isn't really what they wanted to say, or that it just wasn't worth it in the first place....

Happen often?

[Aegis]

Interesting thread. Markm - have not come across you before, it was late in this thread that I realized you were a mod. Can I suggest that you be added to the mod list?

[MarkM]

Interesting thread. Markm - have not come across you before, it was late in this thread that I realized you were a mod. Can I suggest that you be added to the mod list?

Well that part of the website does need to be updated and to be honest I hadn't thought about that, I will speak to the webmaster and see if it can be changed. I am listed on the bottom of the forums but you are meaning the Meet the Moderators part..correct?

[SCpoloRicker]

You must include a picture of yourself that encourages belittlement, as well. ;)