Quote:
Originally Posted by Jester
No, that's too draconian. We already have rules for those non-TMNT, they just need more enforcement...and I would if I could, but that sub-forum is out of my limited jurisdiction
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I wanted to bump this post up to present. Since there's been a lot of comments about the amount of moderating happening here.
Let me tell you a story...
Back in early 2001-2 (I think), there was a group of us that lived on the forums constantly. We were a tight knit group that helped new members, troubleshoot posting issues, and were the official welcoming party and mango distributors of the forum. As the forum grew, Krang and Shredder asked us if we'd be willing to help. We'd gotten to know each other, we were an upbeat group, and the drome had a good reputation throughout the fandom. The place was growing in popularity, so we agreed to help.
Becoming a moderator is more than just fandom. It took positive, patient people that could settle disputes and keep the peace. If there was a dispute, we'd talk it out in a post or PM and that was it. Back then, we didn't have the kind of hostility and faction-fighting that we have now. People were expected to moderate their behavior. And they
did...
Now, most moderators have moved on. We added Jester because he was a positive, outgoing guy that was genuinely like throughout the forums, and was good at keeping the peace in the threads.
The only Supermoderators now are me and GK, and unfortunately, we're both pulled away due to work/life. I am trying to get Jester up to Supermod status, so that he's not stuck monitoring and unable to do anything. He would be able to check accounts, manage threads in all the forums, research IP addresses, and warn/ban people when necessary.
We have been reviewing potential candidates for moderator status, but we would have to get it approved by Krang. Only Krang and Shredder have the administrative access to create Moderators.
So, in all,
people need to moderate themselves. Everyone here is capable of looking at a thread and deciding not to post in it. S#itposting is a waste of energy and time and
money. Krang and Shredder being gracious enough to
pay the costs for hosting and data storage is the reason this place still exists.
I would
hate to see them look at the fighting in the General Discussion forum and ask themselves
why bother paying for constant fights and hatred. Why spend money on a forum that has gained one of the worst reputations in the fandom
due to the fandom?
This forum was closed once. Many years ago. Krang had had enough, and this place was gone. It was a number of months until he decided to upgrade the forums and bring it back. Do we really want to risk that again?
Yes, the moderators are hard to come by. But look at what we deal with - Jester has a family to support. GK Has responsibilities outside this forum. I am taking care of a full time job, taking care of my household, and managing a new sports 'career'. Many of you have the same responsibilities. I'm lucky if I get on here once a month, but when I do, I read every single thread in existence. Want to discuss the upcoming series? Nope, gotta moderate a trump thread. Watch the amazing comic videos with the fandom voiceovers? Nope, another feminism good vs evil slugfest... The forum is not fun for me. It is work.
The thing that bothers me most... the little bit of free time we try to offer here to YOU the members, there's someone claiming abuse of power and that the moderators are both absent and overbearing/corrupt. The fact that I had to come on due to THIRTY reported posts in my email box... and then see the forum problems being blamed
on the moderators?
Let me be clear...
We are not your parents
We are not lawyers
We are members, just like you
We want to enjoy the forums, just like you
We don't like when people fight, just like you
But we cannot control YOU.
YOU are the one that must Stop fighting.
YOU are the one that must Stop flamebaiting.
YOU are the one that must Stop trolling.
Every person that has received a warning from me gets the same message:
We can talk to you, we can help you, we can warn you, and we can ban you. Your fate is in your hands.
~Machias