The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > Forum Support > Site Questions and Tech Support (NO FIREARMS QUESTIONS)

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old May 10, 2006, 11:30 AM   #1
Jericho9mm
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 10, 2005
Location: Sactown
Posts: 227
Thread Killers

ok this is getting to be really lame, this is the third or fourth thread ruined by stupid off topic comments in Legal and Political in the past day or two. this thread had potential to be an awsome thread but because someone made a random comment off topic, the thread will be closed and everyone will suffer. sure another thread could be opened up but it will lose credibility becasue of everyone who commented in the first wont bother to in the second.

why cant these "inflamitory posts" be deleted, a pm sent by a mod and the thread resumed? instead the dumb comments are left on for all to see thus giving the original inflamer the audience he wanted and leaving potentially great topic is dead.


here are just 3 examples, keep in mind i dont blame the mods, i know they are busy. but cant post be deleted and posters warned instead of shutting down a whole thread with good discussion?
http://thefiringline.com/forums/show...=210009&page=2
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=210224
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=210354
__________________
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."
Jericho9mm is offline  
Old May 10, 2006, 12:43 PM   #2
TheBluesMan
Moderator Emeritus
 
Join Date: June 15, 1999
Location: Ohio
Posts: 7,558
Quote:
why cant these "inflamitory posts" be deleted, a pm sent by a mod and the thread resumed?
That's a great idea, Jericho9mm, but not an original one. The staff usually does exactly that when possible. As a matter of fact, the last thread you listed in your example had five deleted posts in it.

It gets very frustrating when I delete or edit inflammatory posts and return a few hours later to find that the same people who have had their posts deleted have come back and are at it again. In cases like that, I just close the thread.

Your solution is to open another thread and strive to keep the thread on topic and free from ad hominem.

You may get a different answer from a different staff member. That's just how I see it.

-Dave
TheBluesMan is offline  
Old May 10, 2006, 12:52 PM   #3
Jericho9mm
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 10, 2005
Location: Sactown
Posts: 227
oh no i appreciate it totally, this board is great it just gets frustrating sometimes when promising topics are driven to the ground by those who couldnt care less about others. thanks for your reply
__________________
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."
Jericho9mm is offline  
Old May 10, 2006, 01:33 PM   #4
TheBluesMan
Moderator Emeritus
 
Join Date: June 15, 1999
Location: Ohio
Posts: 7,558
You're quite welcome, Jericho.

For the most part, the staff has a fairly limited tolerance for repeat offenders. Those who habitually derail threads usually find themselves on the outside looking in.
TheBluesMan is offline  
Old July 9, 2006, 10:28 PM   #5
CyberSEAL
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 21, 2005
Posts: 161
The closing of threads here is ridiculous. Well-run forums have set rules regarding when a moderator can and cannot close a thread. Here it seems a moderator can close a thread on a whim for any reason.

Tonight I came here for the first time in a month at least, and went to post a reply to a perfectly normal thread, when I realized it was closed by a mod for "tripping his BS meter". I'm starting to remember why I don't come here so much anymore. The moderations here is completely unorganized. Sorry if it upsets anyone to here me say that. Ban me and close this thread.
CyberSEAL is offline  
Old July 10, 2006, 12:20 AM   #6
rhgunguy
Junior member
 
Join Date: March 7, 2006
Posts: 1,057
You know where the door is and you agreed to the TOS.

I have not been here long, but I know the mods have. They have probly seen the same BS a hundred times so I trust their BS meters implicitly. And I thank them for keeping this strech of the information superhighway trash free. This is a great place, becasue of the staff.
rhgunguy is offline  
Old July 10, 2006, 09:51 AM   #7
Mike Irwin
Staff
 
Join Date: April 13, 2000
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 41,374
"Well-run forums have set rules regarding when a moderator can and cannot close a thread."

Absolutely disagree.

This forum is, by and large, one of the best run I've ever encountered, and I've been doing this board posting crap since 1991. It's also the reason I've stayed here since April 2000 when I've abandoned dozens of other boards in the same time frame.

The board owner (Rich Lucibella) expects his moderators to use judgement and common sense when addressing problematic posts/posters, and hopes that the posters actually read, and comprehend, the terms of service (fat chance!).

While I'm going out on a limb here, I feel relatively confident in saying that Rich probably has about as much tolerance for establishing form micromanagement procedures as he does for governmental micromanagement. I'll leave it to your imagination to figure how his tolerance level.

I count two moderators here among my personal friends (and yes, there are a couple of others whom I can't really stomach), but as a group they exercise great restraint in their forum management.

I've yet to see a moderator become mad with power here, but I've seen it many other places.

I call it the overinflated computer penis syndrom -- where a moderator closes threads randomly without reason, bans posters whom he doesn't like, or worse, posters who disagree with him, plays favorites, etc., -- essentially a case of MY PENIS IS HUGE BECAUSE I HAVE THE POWER TO KEEP YOU FROM POSTING attitude.

Most of those boards fail in short order as people get sick of the petty ****. I think the lack of that here goes a long way towards explaining why this board has been so successful.

Don't like that, though?

I'm sure there are other boards out there that would suit you better, ones where moderator micromanagent and penis power dominate.

Go forth, armchair seel, and find yourself such a board.
__________________
"The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza

Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.
Mike Irwin is offline  
Old July 10, 2006, 11:37 AM   #8
Wildalaska
Junior member
 
Join Date: November 25, 2002
Location: In my own little weird world in Anchorage, Alaska
Posts: 14,172
+1 Mike

I have abandoned (or been booted from )virtually every Board except this one, and Im no angel here.... yet I feel that this is the best run place out there. There is no power trip crap here whatsoever.

WildandimnotabuttkisseithernyahAlaska
Wildalaska is offline  
Old July 10, 2006, 12:04 PM   #9
Harley Quinn
Junior member
 
Join Date: August 30, 2005
Location: State of KALI
Posts: 1,531
If they close a thread , so what.

Start another.

That is what you have done

HQ
Harley Quinn is offline  
Old July 30, 2006, 01:02 PM   #10
CyberSEAL
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 21, 2005
Posts: 161
Quote:
This forum is, by and large, one of the best run I've ever encountered, and I've been doing this board posting crap since 1991. It's also the reason I've stayed here since April 2000 when I've abandoned dozens of other boards in the same time frame.
I think you're missing the point. As the original thread started stated, perfectly good discussions are destroyed here through poor moderation. There's no way to get around the fact, it's rampant across this board. I'm not looking for micromanagement, but if you think this is good moderation, you don't have much experience with forum development.
CyberSEAL is offline  
Old July 30, 2006, 01:04 PM   #11
CyberSEAL
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 21, 2005
Posts: 161
Perfect example, I come along and see this thread:

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/...d.php?t=217091

I have a _very_ useful statement to make, one that has probably not ever been mentioned here and would help the poster with traversing stairwells. Oh well, opportunity lost, and why? They're only hurting their searchable archives...
CyberSEAL is offline  
Old July 30, 2006, 02:01 PM   #12
Harley Quinn
Junior member
 
Join Date: August 30, 2005
Location: State of KALI
Posts: 1,531
It appears the owner is trying to control it

I beleive he is stepping in trying to assert his thoughts and desire. He is not putting his Moderator's in a spot, he will do it also.
Which is good IMHO.

The fact is try not to get to heated. I am sure we all make a mistake or two, but the thing is to try and remember, it is you who will fall.

If you don't care well then break the rules, or take a breather and go away for awhile, or get fired and then you won't have to concern yourself any longer.
The fact that they are closed and you are still here is a good sign for you.

Many will return under a different handle and start the same thing or maybe, just maybe, learn from it.

I think to return under a different name and be civil might be the way they want or not.

HQ
Harley Quinn is offline  
Old July 30, 2006, 03:08 PM   #13
Greg Bell
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 25, 1999
Location: Georgia
Posts: 2,053
I have been here since 1999 and I have to say that I have noticed that TFL is losing some of the spirit that made it a fun place. Recently, a very important member of the TFL family was booted for "pushing the limits" one time too many. This guy was no troll, he was probably one of the most knowledgeable members (if not the most) here. I won't mention his name because the last time I did the post was deleted.

I have also noticed the way threads that would have made it in the past have started getting locked quickly. Further, moderators are interjecting more often, IMHO, to the detriment of useful discussion.

Obviously, this is not my forum, and the owners can do whatever they want. I just don't feel the changes here have been for the better.
__________________
Correct anwers to gun questions to save time...
Carry: j-frame
Home/combat: Hk P30 or Beretta 92G
Doomsday: Colt 6920 with Aimpoint t-2
Greg Bell is offline  
Old July 30, 2006, 06:04 PM   #14
Double Naught Spy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 8, 2001
Location: Forestburg, Montague Cnty, TX
Posts: 12,714
Quote:
I think you're missing the point. As the original thread started stated, perfectly good discussions are destroyed here through poor moderation.
Yes, but I have seen good forums ruined by what many members felt was essentially gestapo moderation. Whether or not the moderators are doing a good job seems to depend on how well they let things develop on their own and how well they don't. The problem is, what one member sees as inattention and/or lack of polices is what another sees as freedom. What one sees as good moderation is what another sees as too many restrictions and gestapo tactics.

Quote:
Well-run forums have set rules regarding when a moderator can and cannot close a thread.
Since you think this forum is so terribly challenged in its moderation and that it needs better policies, maybe you can do something more constructive than complain here and in other threads of this forum about how much you don't like it and maybe instead suggest specifically what policies you think need to be inacted, provide examples of forums you think are being so well run and then maybe you can make a better point to the moderators. Otherwise, your comments just sound like complaining but have no substance. You can complain about the weather, but your complaints alone aren't going to do much to change it. Try seeding the clouds instead.
__________________
"If you look through your scope and see your shoe, aim higher." -- said to me by my 11 year old daughter before going out for hogs 8/13/2011
My Hunting Videos https://www.youtube.com/user/HornHillRange
Double Naught Spy is offline  
Old July 30, 2006, 06:32 PM   #15
orionengnr
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 9, 2004
Posts: 5,172
this forum, and THR

are the best out there. Perfect? Maybe not, but what is?

Show me a better forum and I will join. I have not found it yet.
orionengnr is offline  
Old July 31, 2006, 11:07 AM   #16
Mike Irwin
Staff
 
Join Date: April 13, 2000
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 41,374
Hum...

Looks like this thread may have been subject to some....


cleansing.
__________________
"The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza

Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.
Mike Irwin is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:57 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.09579 seconds with 10 queries