What happened to my "w00t" thread? It disappeared... /me looks at FM...

Get used to it. It's happened to me many times.

I moved it to "Off-Topic" for awhile, and then somebody else started a "Gear Head" thread which was a continuation of what "w00t" had become. Given the choice of archiving or deleting "w00t" at that point, I went with deleting as there did not appear to be any info that somebody would wish to reference later.

Since we do not yet have a "search" feature, it is very important to try to make sure your posts are relevant to the thread. Similarly, if two threads on the same topic are opened, one will be closed.

I am following the guidelines given to me by the devs. If you have a complaint, please take it to them.

Arolte: I have been ignoring your snide comments for quite some time. Interested parties may check the archives for a year's worth of similar comments which have also not been deleted.

[moved to off-topic]

Ohhh... Oookay...

Dude, FM dude... I wouldn't be such a prick if you'd simply record your actions publicly. Nobody likes to have their comments or ideas vanish without reason. Sometimes the reason for your actions aren't so apparent to everyone. I noticed you've been making some progress in the way you handle the forum, but you've still got a way to go to handle it in a professional manner.

If you want to be more respected (at least in my eyes), an explanation behind every action would be a nice start. If you simply screwed up when you tried to move a topic elsewhere and it accidentally got deleted, just say so. There's no need to be shady about it. In any case it's entirely up to you. Just a heads up...

i disagree.
he should not have to defend his actions by default, in my opinion. i mean, he was given supreme power over the boards, and also guidelines.
for what little time i have witnessed the goings-on here, i think he's actually limited by the system, not his ratio.
what i mean to say is, he IS the authority. he may reply to questions as to why some specific post was deleted, but he isn't bound to do that.

My expectations are based on what forum moderators do on other popular websites. MacNN, MacGamer, IMG, MacRumors, and MacAddict are only a handful of websites in which I regularly participate in forum ongoings. I can tell you right now that this isn't how things are handled over there. The way I perceive professionalism, based on these websites, is to let the public know at all times wtf is going on. You never see people complaining about vanishing posts because that just doesn't happen. Threads either get locked, moved, or deleted (WITH an explanation). But never under any circumstances, except for a database crash of course, has there been vanishing posts and disappointed users left in the dark.

I understand the fact that this website is property of Guild Software, and they have the right to do whatever they want with it. However, once a thousand some players for Vendetta start rolling in as the game gears towards completion, you'll start to run into a few problems with the type of authority that we have here today. Again, I'm just offering a heads up. By doing only a few minor tasks and getting rid of the shady attitude, the moderator will be able to avoid huge conflicts with certain individuals, as well as ensuring customer loyalty for the company. They need money, and the only way to get that is to have a lot of happy people.

The perception of "shady" is yours. You have held this perception as long as I can remember, and it appears to be unshakable despite my efforts to incorporate a few of your ideas where I can. Your comments are almost unfailingly critical and exaggerated. The other websites you speak of have likely have fully-implemented features and more than one staff person -and they are probably not volunteers. Finally, the reason that complaints are not seen on many of those boards is that they are summarily deleted. I took on the moderator role as a FAVOR to the devs and the community, and I do the best I can, which I don't think is too bad. If I actually had this evil agenda that you imply, your many critical posts would certainly have been the first to go. If you have a problem with it, go to the devs and they can ask somebody else if they like. You and I will not be having this discussion anymore.

Toshiro, I don't care if he defends his arguments, I'd just like to be notified that my thread was deleted... So I don't have to go on a wild goose chase... Oh yeah, and a short statement like "flamebait" or whatever is fine with me for an explanation...

I will make an effort to do that. Sadly, what satisfies you will probably inflame somebody else, and so on. People have gone from "Please please please just give us a forum moderator" to expecting all sorts of things and generally being very intolerant. I get very little positive feedback and quite a lot of kvetching. Folks, I'm a volunteer and a lead a full life. My time is precious. The devs can correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure you have a choice of me or nothing.
I have realized that responding directly to criticism seems to breed more criticism and is not helpful.

*I* think you're doing a good job... :)

>The perception of "shady" is yours. You have held this perception as
>long as I can remember, and it appears to be unshakable despite my
>efforts to incorporate a few of your ideas where I can.

Correction, it's been held for as long as I've had my posts disappear without any sort of explanation whatsoever. I had no problem when you first appeared, and in some ways I was delighted to have someone to finally moderate the boards. Unfortunately we just didn't have a good start, and in some ways the problem still persists.

>Your comments are almost unfailingly critical and exaggerated.

That's usually how people respond when they get angry. Nevertheless, I'll try my best to control my temper in the future.

>If I actually had this evil agenda that you imply, your many critical posts
>would certainly have been the first to go. If you have a problem with it,
>go to the devs and they can ask somebody else if they like.

Nobody mentioned anything about anyone being evil here. It's more along the lines of your actions being questionable and irrational. The demands aren't unreasonable here. Why are you making it harder than it is? All it takes is a few lines of text to openly discuss what should be done, or what has been done, to a particular situation. You've already gotten into the habit of doing it in some posts. Just take it a step further and do the same thing for deleted threads/posts.

>You and I will not be having this discussion anymore.

Why? Isn't your job supposed to solve problems rather than create 'em? I'll be more than happy to work this out now. Why can't you be more open? Can you blame me for calling you shady if you keep backing away like this? Yeesh.

>I get very little positive feedback and quite a lot of kvetching. Folks, I'm
>a volunteer and a lead a full life. My time is precious. The devs can
>correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure you have a choice of me or
>nothing.

It's human nature to pick on negative traits more than positive ones. I can't explain why this phenomenon occurs, but it does. For what it's worth I did mention that you've improved since you first started. Did I not? But there's always room for improvement, and I feel that this is one of those times.

Your last sentence baffles me. I don't mean any disrespect, but isn't that statement a bit bold? It's either you or nothing? There are plenty of potential candidates for forum moderators here. I certainly am not up to the task, but I know several people online who can handle it. Eventually more forum moderators will be needed as the community grows anyway. I see no reason to believe that it's either you or nothing.

Arolte, here is what your first post should'a been.

"This happens often, I think the Forum Moderator should make more of an effort to post an explanation why the post was deleted."

Thanks you SL. THAT would be constructive criticism that anyone could accept.

just remeber. you can NEVER please every body. I'll admit that some times FM ****s up (the dissapperence of the life post....) but mostly he does a pretty good job.

Can we see the lists of things you use to decide what to trash/edit again, FM?

Well remember that I cannot edit anybody's posts other than my own, which is part of the problem. I tend to lock threads which are redundant or have wandered so far off as to be useless. I tend to delete threads or posts that are inflammatory and would continue to be so if they were left where they could be read. Sound subjective? Well, yes, it is by its very nature. It IS my job to decide. Have I second guessed myself later? Yes, but I am unable to undo deletes and locks - another problem with the site. The guidelines I was given are not very clear, and I have tried to firm them up as best I can. I ask that people be a little more tolerant of me and eachother. It would also be helpful if people took the "BE NICE" screen to heart, and made an effort to stay on topic and avoid flaming. Some of you have been around forever and frankly should be helping out a little more here in terms of setting the tone. In short: I hear what you are saying and will incorporate your suggestions. I ask that you all also incorporate MY suggestions, and that we all demonstrate a little mutual respect.

umm.....sorry

hm...
/me gets in line for seeing the "be nice" thingamajjig, as i missed it.
please put it on again or bump the thread or w/e. please!
as long as there are rules, i can act according to them, not knowing the rules, i cannot, as much as i'd like to (ok, there's common sense, but you know me, so that's no valid point).
btw, i think you're doing your job well (NO bootlicking intended, just my plain opinion).

Thanks. I think you probably didn't miss seeing it :)

http://vendetta.guildsoftware.com/?action=msgboard&agree=y

ah... _that_ "be nice" thingamabob. right.
i thought there was a 4.9 MB pdf (text only, no pics) loaded with rules, sub-rules, paragraphs and such...
me and my imagination.