Something to think of on the forums

[Golden]

Mods only pay attention to the Report Post thingie when someone they like presses it, whenever it's for anything other than "QQ SOMEONE IS BUGGING ME BAN PLZ!" reports go completely ignored.

Now, how would you know that? How do you know whose tickets have been handled, if any, or why most of them have been left hanging? Unless you've been talking to our current anonymous mods and they have said it to be so, you shouldn't claim such things as truth. :)

Just because something is being handled poorly doesn't necessarily mean there's a conspiracy or favoritism going on.

[Royi]

Mods only pay attention to the Report Post thingie when someone they like presses it, whenever it's for anything other than "QQ SOMEONE IS BUGGING ME BAN PLZ!" reports go completely ignored.

Now, how would you know that? How do you know whose tickets have been handled, if any, or why most of them have been left hanging? Unless you've been talking to our current anonymous mods and they have said it to be so, you shouldn't claim such things as truth.

Just because something is being handled poorly doesn't necessarily mean there's a conspiracy or favoritism going on.

Now Golden, you forgot to put a Happy Pic in that post!

Happy Pic!

[GormanGhaste]

In an unfortunate blow to my rebellious self-image, I find my personal preference firmly in the sock-sock-shoe-shoe camp. However, I am fully pro-choice in the manner of donning foot apparel.

[Avari]

Honestly, at least in this case, the member in question was warned before in another topic that was locked. Granted it was a general warning, but it was still a warning nonetheless. I may be one of the few, but I agree with the moderator. Actions should have consequences and someone has to enforce the rules when things get out of hand. Besides, if your being a nice and considerate person, you shouldn't have to worry about such things anyway. Just saying.

[AdamSavage]

The reason Makkie is "attacking" Talu is that she refuses to listen to any counterargument. His method is to make it blatantly obvious, but when that fails, who doesn't get pissed. Saying completely incorrect things, sticking your fingers in your ears and going LALALA isn't particularly innocent either.

I have never called (nor considered) him a martyr, nor was what he did a "jerk move". He's trying to teach someone immune to listening, which is apparently an impossible task.

I might also add that the "warning" system that's in place isn't getting used, at all. There are absolutely no warnings whatsoever issued before bans are issued out of the blue. The problem with this place isn't just with the people visiting it, but with the people who are "taking care" of it. I can agree that he might have overstepped the line in one of the posts, but is that any reason to be randomly banned? Nope. It might be a reason for a warning to be issued, but even that's a big Might.

GG, Petopia. GG. -.-

(And Saf, my ignore list is way overused. I'm just getting tired of all the idiocy being spread, both by users and by management.)

Well commenting like this doesn't help. Your only adding more fuel to the fire.

Now, how would you know that? How do you know whose tickets have been handled, if any, or why most of them have been left hanging? Unless you've been talking to our current anonymous mods and they have said it to be so, you shouldn't claim such things as truth.

Just because something is being handled poorly doesn't necessarily mean there's a conspiracy or favoritism going on.

She probably found another loophole in the system or a backdoor and can see stuff she shouldn't. Kinda like the time where she could see who banned who and what time along with the mod's IP address and the users IP address.

[Mania]

I think that I may have a lot to say here. Let me get caught up with my mass of PMs and e-mails first. (Keep in mind that I haven't been on the forums in ... 10 days? Sheesh.)

In the meantime, feel free to continue with feedback here, but please try to keep it non-personal (except towards me - you are free to get personal with me in this thread only) and helpful - and understand that I may wipe this thread out when we're done since major portions of it are already personal.

[Sukurachi]

This whole thread is most interesting.

A short while back, I grew tired of reading comments that were so "THIS sucks/is bad/has no worth", when what people were really saying was "I don't like this".

I commented on it, and you know what? I got a lovely five and dime store psychoanalysis calling me a sad lonely person who has no life nor friends, all because I mentioned a difficult time in my life.

After that comment, I refrained from posting here. I even stopped coming for a brief while. My curiosity got the better of me, of course, and this remains one of the best places for information on hunters and their pets.

What I find most amusing is: after returning, and sort of lurking, I really REALLY started noticing all the posts that were egregious abuses of whining and "my life sucks so bad waah!", and people sharing absolutely inappropriate personal information (for a forum about a video game).

I, as a "newb", got psychoanalyzed and personally insulted for dropping a very minor tidbit about my private life.
On the other hand, the "regulars" on this forum all run up to the other regulars and "group hug" them at the slightest home-drama post.
So yes, there IS a serious problem on this forum.

And it has been getting more and more out of hand the last few months.

I followed the thread in question. Yes, Makkie got quite snarky, but honestly, who could blame him/her. There were MANY other participants in that thread that crossed the line.

This entire forum has reached a tipping point where debating its actual usefulness against the inconvenience of having to put up with "the clique" is a major consideration for new people. Many of this forum's participants would profit more from lurking and gleaning the information they need, rather than participating as heavily as they do.

[Mania]

Well I *have* considered banning everyone with more than 2500 posts.

Seriously, though, Sukurachi - I think I understand what you are saying. (And a lot of the other comments on this thread, too. I'm just hitting this between PMs.)

[Golden]

Well I *have* considered banning everyone with more than 2500 posts.

2.5k just so you wouldn't have to ban yourself? ;) *bad notion is bad*

I really have to agree with Sukurachi... The community has gotten really unfriendly to new members.

[Saturo]

Well I *have* considered banning everyone with more than 2500 posts.

I really have to agree with Sukurachi... The community has gotten really unfriendly to new members.

And to select old ones.

[Kalliope]

Well I *have* considered banning everyone with more than 2500 posts.

I really have to agree with Sukurachi... The community has gotten really unfriendly to new members.

And to select old ones.

Many of whom have either dropped to lurker status or stopped posting entirely.

[Saturo]

Aye, much as I hate it. A whole bunch of the old people have left due to the atmosphere recently, and it's something I've been considering (No, don't start celebrating yet). I think it mostly has to do with the formation of "gangs", for lack of a better term. The people who like to discuss those things, the people who like to discuss those other things, the people who like to help other people, the people who are on that person's side, the people on that other person's side, me, and so forth. It's really become rather unpleasant to post against some of these groups, as they all of a sudden decide to all pop on and beat whoever argued against one of these people. It's what happened to those of us saying Cata would suck back in beta. We got ganged up on, some of us left, others developed a hatred for those who failed to comprehend what a sucky expansion it would turn out to be, and so forth.

Yeah, I'm ranting. Either way, that's when it started.

[cowmuflage]

I'm sorry but Makkie was a A grade bully and not a nice person at all. Jess was not the only person he was a ahole too. He's personally attacked me in more that 5 threads and alot more times via PM just becouse he does not like certain art or my views.

Oh and he seems to forget some people have a hard time writeing.

Edit: *sigh* I can't even spell have right. :/

[AdamSavage]

I think that I may have a lot to say here. Let me get caught up with my mass of PMs and e-mails first. (Keep in mind that I haven't been on the forums in ... 10 days? Sheesh.)

In the meantime, feel free to continue with feedback here, but please try to keep it non-personal (except towards me - you are free to get personal with me in this thread only) and helpful - and understand that I may wipe this thread out when we're done since major portions of it are already personal.

So if you haven't been on the forums and Kalli, Veph and Golden do not have access to the moderator account then who was on it ?

[Mania]

As I believe I mentioned before, my husband and I have friends and contacts who do community management professionally. rest assured that I'm aware of all the actions the Moderator account has taken. (Although I have to say that I don't appreciate getting phone calls at 3am - that's my dinner hour!)

[Azunara]

2.5k posts? Frak, I'm screwed. D:

Seriously though, these threads themselves are becoming heck of a lot more common, and they all end the same way: A lock without further input or room for conversation. I'm not blaming anyone for doing that, I'm just pointing it out.

I do have to agree, from my perspective, Makkie was a bit harsh in some of his ways of speaking to people. He frequently came off as...I dunno, condescending to me? That could be how I interpret his text, and some may think he's being perfectly civil, but I know I've always felt a bit leery about posting in a thread with him in it, unless it's to try and stop the aruging, because I don't want to have that kind of attitude turned on me. Call it a fatal flaw and say I have a pathetic skin that couldn't hold back a pin.

As for cliques, when you have a group that's been together this long (Forum is a year old at least, older if you count its older days) it's hard to be entirely welcoming of new people. We know who we know and are comfortable with that group.

But in all honesty, what do I know? I just spend all my time in the RP forum. Heh.

Postscript: Psst, Adam. It's not just Sat. As a fake mod like she is, I can also see how has been banned, for what reasons, who deleted or locked posts, etc. Not sure if that's a problem on my side or if it's intended.

[SgtMakkie]

I'm sorry but Makkie was a A grade bully and not a nice person at all. Jess was not the only person he was a ahole too. He's personally attacked me in more that 5 threads and alot more times via PM just becouse he does not like certain art or my views.

Oh and he seems to forget some people have a hard time writeing.

Edit: *sigh* I can't even spell have right. :/

I've been offensive in PM's eh............................................. Right .. so lets be having a quote of my PM then, shall we??

"Hey, I'm not sure how this is going to come over so I'll just say it and hope you understand. Please try and use a spell checker for your posts. Some of the things you write really do not come over as strongly as you would like because the spelling is quite poor at times. *holds up hands* I'm sure as hell not perfect either btw, don't misunderstand me. Just with the built-in spell checkers in most browsers there really isn't an excuse.

Just compare the above which has been corrected to the post you made.

Thanks
Makkie"

(I had included a copy of some text which was corrected as reference).

Now, please tell me how that is offensive? It might hit a nerve, it might not be something you want someone to write to you. But at least not offensive to me.
-edit
Sorry I just reread your post cow and saw this:

alot more times via PM

Apart from the above PM, care to provide evidence of the 'alot' of PM's I've sent?!? Cause I can screen shot my entire sent list and paste it here if you wish?? I won't be called a liar!
-end edit
As for the rest, I've not been a bully. I have merely been stubborn and tenacious in how I have approached subjects. I stand by a view point and I debate it. Sometimes I have indeed come over quite strong and indeed been sarcastic (*guilty*). But I'm not throwing my toys out the pram, I'm not writing in 50 size font to get my point across or closing threads cause no-one agrees with me.

I'm not going to get into any more who said what. Have a nice evening all.

[AdamSavage]

As I believe I mentioned before, my husband and I have friends and contacts who do community management professionally. rest assured that I'm aware of all the actions the Moderator account has taken. (Although I have to say that I don't appreciate getting phone calls at 3am - that's my dinner hour!)

I was never worried about there "actions". Was just curios if was these people you mentioned before hand. You can tell very easily when it's you and them. The typing style is very different.'

[Xella]

As a newer member to the forums, I confess I've been quite confused when the drama pops up. Several posters seem to always be very aggressive in their opinions and/or the mentalities of posters who disagree with them. Not having been here for all the drama, it's left to my imagination to figure out if this is simply because these people have prior reasons to be personally antagonistic towards certain others, if it's because they're passionate about their ideas and can't see other sides of any given argument, or if that's just the way they express themselves and they don't mean for it to come across as consistently mean-spirited as I (and, given some of the ways threads have spiraled as I watched, many others) read it. Some things seem to provoke responses that seem completely out of left field, and I have to assume that's because of previous drama between the two participants, but other things seem to just pop up.

I've gotten some pretty strong opinions of some of the people and personalities on the forums since I joined, based on interactions I've witnessed. Some of them are pleasant, but a lot of them aren't. I KNOW that my opinions are severely biased by not knowing the previous history, and I've thought a couple times about asking people (on both sides) for a drama recap just so I can get a better idea of what's going on and maybe get some insights on why some people seem to be deliberately inflammatory.

I've seen all sorts of forum communities over the years, but I've never met one quite like the Petopians. It's the closest to an extended family reunion shoved into a small space that I've ever seen—most people getting along most of the time, interspersed with lots of angry words and hard feelings when the wind shifts. Some threads show an extreme level of maturity—the generally mature handling of the reproductive health threads were a strong motivation for me to come & stay when I was first lurking—whereas others the very same posters might as well all be six years old o_O;

[Kalliope]

That's well-put, Xella, and I daresay dead on in terms of accuracy.