Official Off Topic Discussion Thread #1

[Fat Homer]

I know one thing. We need a new person over the puffer section. That dude there is something else....
Fat Homer

Lol, care to take my place??? Can always ask Rob if he’ll hook you up with the position

 

[jaws7777]

It wasn't a comment made out of thin air, if we actually read the ToS, it clearly states what content is monitored and allowed is as per the discretion of the site, and that is what was stated by me as well, we are not children to be disciplined.

I hear you. But in plain terms picking and choosing when to enforce the rules leaves a gray area. Im not a mod and didnt write tos, if thats how its enforced then so be it.

I agree.

How can I fairly punish the guilty when the rules are neither. understood nor enforced? If I let everyone know what's expected, and give a grace period first, is this somehow unfair to you all?

The point I'm making is that I'm going to lay out the rules, give a grace period and then issue punitive action to violators. The fact that everyone seems to think I'm personally attacking them is quite confusing.

I dont think your attacking anyone individually at all. I for one wouldnt take a note saying hey what you posted is inappropriate. We've exchanged pms over this in the past you know im no cry baby. Id rsther be told to chill than to have a thread locked because of a comment i made. Ruins the fun for others taking part in the discussion.

 

[Chicxulub]

I think we are just concerned that it's going to perhaps be a rule that is a bit too open ended and may simply turn this section into a place that is so heavily judged by possible things that could be "offensive" that it may just limit everything outside of fish talk.

That strikes me as a valid concern.

See the aforementioned GT500 thread example for my intent. Unless a thread gets out of control, I or my mods will simply delete the offending off topic post and issue a warning or infection as appropriate to the offender.

As another example, let's say a fishing thread. We all like fish, and basically all of us have at least a passing interest in fishing.

Say we've got a nice healthy thread chugging along for months or years, and some animal rights activist who is ok with keeping fish for some reason but thinks fishing is torture shows up and starts having a complete fit over fishing.

I'm not going to close the thread and take away the lounge, I'm going to delete the post and issue an infraction to the person who made a fishing thread politicized (and, likely watch as that person gets themselves banned).

A lot of you guys here in the lounge are my best members. I don't want to lose you.

I just want the fighting to stop.

 

[jaws7777]

I think what the problem is, at least for some here, is that they have an unrealistic notion as to how much free time the admin/mods have available to deal with all of this outside of their personal lives. Sometimes locking a discussion is simply more effective from a time management perspective, than deleting the comment, sending a PM to the member that posted the TOS violation comment (which typically results in a back & forth PM session with said violator) and then returning to the thread to delete any further comments made after the fact, and making a post asking everyone to play nice. Sounds so simple when it's not your life.

I think we should let the admins speak for themselves especially since this was how it was done here.

I recieved pms from koltsixx and odball plenty of times never once did i argue with them

 

[RD.]

I understand Steve, been there done that as well, that's how I know. And yeah, most don't stay for the pay.
I just feel that back in the good ol days, the lines here on MFK were much clearer, and folks quickly came to understand how much BS would be tolerated, and how much wouldn't be. For a very long time this site was mostly moderated by Rob & Justin. Now we have new mods, new times, and perhaps new directions. I don't like heavy handed moderation anymore than anyone else here, but locking a thread isn't exactly the end of the world. I've actually always felt that the moderation here was pretty relaxed, and over the years the staff here put up with a lot of crap - including from me at times.

 

[Steve_C]

See the aforementioned GT500 thread example for my intent. Unless a thread gets out of control, I or my mods will simply delete the offending off topic post and issue a warning or infection as appropriate to the offender.

And that's all we want and can ask for. If it is going to be like that then I for one have zero problem at all with that and would welcome it fully. Thanks!

 

[RD.]

Well Frank, if we are going to talk about old-timers, and good ol days, I think I am more than qualified than most here to discuss those issues regarding that section of the membership.

 

[skjl47]

The point I'm making is that I'm going to lay out the rules, give a grace period and then issue punitive action to violators. The fact that everyone seems to think I'm personally attacking them is quite confusing.

Hello; OK I get this. I suppose the bit a few posts back about the lounge being a privilege and that it might be closed down confused me also.
I get this is the domain of the owner and the Mods. You folks get to run things any way you wish. I have been thru similar situations in my career. There was a time when the bosses of the public schools started a program so us teachers could feel we had some "ownership" in the schools where we worked. We had faculty meetings and paths for making suggestions. We teachers were even included in formulation some of the educational criteria for the state. Unfortunately is was a largely sham. Our input was fine as long as we agreed with the administrators.
One or two examples. There were six science teachers in the various middle schools picked to picked to review and determine the replacement series of science text books to be used in all the schools. I consistently scored the book company that had been used for years at the bottom of my list. By my calculations that text should never have been chosen. But it was.

One year near 1990 the state decided to raise teachers pay. This did not happen often and the normal way the raise was implemented was to send the funds to the school systems general fund and allow the central office to distribute the funds. Well the state worded it different to the effect the funds were to go directly to teachers pay and side step the central office. Quite and uproar, so the central office made us all meet in an auditorium and explained as to how none of the non-teacher workers would get a raise. They told us to think about it and go back to our schools to vote if we wanted to share.
Well we voted and counted the votes at each individual school. The vote over the county was to not share. Guess what? We were informed there was something wrong with the votes so we voted again. But the votes were collected and counted at the central office next time. Seems we anted to share after all.

I get you Mods are taking part in the discussion the last couple of days and do appreciate being allowed to speak my mind. I will hang a while to see how things work out.

 

[Ulu]

You folks have a problem that I don't have the energy to care about.

I have tanks and fish to move.

I'll drop back in later to view the aftermath.

 

[skjl47]

Sometimes locking a discussion is simply more effective from a time management perspective, than deleting the comment, sending a PM to the member that posted the TOS violation

Hello; No I never figured it was simpler to do it right than to just delete an entire thread. This is perhaps the single most ongoing frustration with the way violations are handled. I do not know how much time and effort it takes to go thru the more fair steps compared to just hit delete or lock and be done with it.
I get the gist of that approach. So if twenty people are working a thread and two get testy just lock the thread because it is quick and simple. Yeah you get the two offenders and eighteen others as well. I get it and no I do not want to be a Mod.