Forum censorship

[RS]

After reading some worrying posts in the Sweden thread by a "moderator" could someone clear up whether it is the moderator's job to clamp down on offensive posts and bad language, or whether is is to remove posts which don't agree with their own opinion?

Perhaps it would be common courtesy for moderators to inform banned members of what their misconduct was too.

Maybe if the moderators can't stick to these basic standards they shouldn't be moderators.

[er88]

The Sweden thread only errupted with Rallyper needlessly defending a deadbeat Mikko . Joking aside surely we can all just put the handbags away and just talk rally - or is there underlying issues here? If so fair enough but sort it out pronto!

[big_sw2000]

would have to agree with something Mirek said in the Sweden thread. Ok pathetic I know. Ive only ever received 1 warning in my time on different forums. It was by brother john, I was never given an explination as to why, or an answer when I pm him.

I don't participate much in this forum, because I don't like the way it is modded.

So I would love to know how Brother John wants all this to work. How the threads should look, how we should talk.

I also don't mean this as any disrespect to Brother John

Steve

[Mintexmemory]

As one of the mods for this forum my view is that we are not supposed to stifle debate or opinion, nor should we intervene in banter.
The problems arise a)when those that dish it out don't like it back at them and b) People with a track record of impolite posting complain about the style of others to whom they may have formed a personal dislike (takes one to know one).
There are those members who go over the top in debate and actually go for the jugular from a standing start in 2.7 secs.
We have the problem that any forum faces, it's easy to be brave in being unpleasant to people who don't know where you live

Some months ago I tried to deflect someone's offensive line of opinion with some gentle humour - he complained it was an insult! Those that actually know me will tell you if I want to insult someone I will be pretty direct about it.
I actually think BJ banned the wrong person in the Mirek case. Just because someone complains it doesn't mean they are justified!
I have looked at the outstanding complaints on this forum and apart from an alert of posting of access to pirated software which I will delete the other complaints fall into category a) and b) above. Interestingly, two posters complain about each other in separate threads when actually they should just go off and have a flame war by PM.

The other problem with forums (fora) is that there is no nuance in the typed word especially when maybe a non-native speaker reads a post. If we all start from trying to put the best interpretation on what is written we will all be better off, unless what is written is so unambiguously nasty that the jerk that writes it should have been left on a mountain at birth (no offence to persons identifying with ancient Spartan culture intended!). In such cases I will follow Pino's infraction code in future, if and only if there is a justifiable complaint. By the way, if I think there is a justifiable complaint I always ask for a second opinion before taking action which to date is 2 warning PMs

[Mirek]

You are fully right Mintex. My problem and the reason why I keep pushing into the BJ v Mirek story is the inability to reach any kind of communication with BJ. I'm opened to discuss anything (I believe every forum member who knows me personally can confirm that) but how can I do that when BJ is not responding in any way? How could I know he considers my posts crappy when he never told me?

I used to be an administrator of Czech Richard Burns Rally plugin. Many of our members sure knows it as one of the ways to play this great simulator online. There were so huge problems from the lack of communication between Czech speaking admins/mods and the international forum members. Usually Czech admins took some actions without communication in English. It took to me hours to help foreign members to get any kind of response to their problems /wishes that I was so tired that I retired and never came back even playing. Shortly after I retired the forum was closed completely. I understood that the mods/admins were doing it in their free time and were often tired after work etc. but the inability to communicate was only making things worse.

On the other hand I know I'm sometimes hot head. Especially in the past I made plenty of stupid things because of that but I hope it got better with age

[noel157]

Some of us get more silly as we get older, like me............

Have to do some work, later.

[A FONDO]

Why is BJ still a moderator? Every month or two he makes something 'not smart' and people complain for a week.

[Mintexmemory]

Some of us get more silly as we get older, like me............

Have to do some work, later.

It was Dorothy Parker, one of the greatest ever 'one liner' exponents, who said "Men immature with age".

[pino]

Moved, as it's more appropriate in here

[Rallyper]

who is Brother John? When did he become Mod? Why isn´t he make statements when we want to hear his stats?