Get Yer Ya-Yas Out [FR Moderating Gripe Thread]

[I Am Not A Mod]

LM here.

It's been a while since we had a thread along these lines.

I can tell from comments I am seeing in threads, on abuse reports, and in Freepmail that some people are unhappy with various policies and their implementations by the staff here.

I've seen allegations that certain factions are picked on. I've seen allegations that the moderators have killed activism. I've heard rumors that we killed Kenny, and even that we killed the radio star. I see certain personality conflicts acting up, and know that one (or both) sides in it feel that we aren't doing what we should.

So let's open this can of worms.

This thread is for making your grievances heard. If you think something stinks or is wrong, make your case here. Back it up with facts. Let the audience at large weigh in on your evidence.

I'll read the thread. Jim will too in all likelihood. So will the other moderators. Depending upon how well you make your point, and depending on if you can convince Jim, me, the other moderators, and/or the world, maybe you can change things. And if you don't, then it might make you feel better to have vented, so it won't make this thread a total loss.

I'm not going to reply to this thread for quite a while. Rather, I am going to sit back and watch to try and get a feel for the general tenor. I encourage those who are both happy and unhappy with things to particpate in this thread.

Let's rock.

[kidd]

I only have kudos for the mods.

[Freedom2specul8]

Any ideas as to why people (newbies/trolls) are targeting old threads about predators..and then posting insider info? It's obviously an orchestrated effort..but I'd like to know if it's more than one person..or is the person just using an aol acct?

[Admin Moderator]

Question is, how big is too big? We'd move without being told if we knew.

There's no perfect answer to this question. We have found that about 5000 replies is where the effects of us operating on a big thread have a noticeable impact on overall site response.

Not sure exactly what is happening, but when a moderator opens a thread, even just to read it, we have a bigger impact on the thread than a typical user does.

So, even if we are not attempting to change anything, we slow FR down for everyone.

If you would create a new thread at about 5000 replies and contact us via abuse report, we can lock the current thread and force replies to the new one.

Thanks

[alnick]

This forum needs a good full text search engine.

I second that.

[Tijeras_Slim]

I saw MM around the last week or so.

[longtermmemmory]

Just a couple of suggestions.

How about requiring a new member to make 100 posts before they can post an article?

How about just showing the sign up date next to everyone's name in their reply? (For those too lazy to hover or click.)

How about requiring everyone to have to sign on once a quarter? IOW once every three months you have to log on. If your account remains dormant for two years, the account is closed.

How about a standing maintainace/site status thread? This would mean all slowdown issues would be posted there and keep the moderators from answering all the inquiry emails about "FR is slow, why?"

How about a FR page with just a quick reference list of all the html codes I,B,U,font size,image sizing,image pasting? JUST a list.

Cellphone paging?

[Catspaw]

Sometimes when I'm knitting, I get a hangnail and the yarn gets stuck on that icky little piece of spare fingernail. I have to dig out the nail clippers and snip it off. And sometimes when I'm knitting, I have a chipped nail and the yarn gets stuck on that. I have to dig out the nail file and smooth it down.

I hate that when it happens.

[netmilsmom]

Ok you win!

[Freedom2specul8]

Oh yeah..I have no complaints!! Thanks for doing your best!

[Triple]

I must be a little slow today. I don't get the meaning of your post to me.

[rebel25]

no complaints about the great job yall do. keep it going

[MrB]

I kind of miss having MurrayMom to kick around

MurrayMom's gone?
I took a hiatus from FR because the choir preaching just wasn't any fun any more.
There are some real nasty folks on Yahoo message boards, but at least it's someone to argue with.

It's especially fun when you tell them that they aren't "liberal" - just leftist, and then go on to show them how much they have in common with fascists.

[Rebelbase]

"If you would create a new thread at about 5000 replies "

That'll make you Hobbits have to move about once a week.

Times, they are a changin'.

[Lead Moderator]

There are abuse reports that do slip through the cracks due to any number of reasons. Until such a time as John makes changes in the software to minimize that possibility, the best we can hope for is that if you notice an excerpt did not happen, you renotify us. I wish I had a better answer in the interim, but I do not. Thanks, LM

[Pan_Yans Wife]

Oh... who was it that had the running skit about "hate that when that happens"? LOL

[HairOfTheDog]

Wow... I had to ask! -But 5,000 is so small! If we are good can we go 10,000? Current thread is at 15,000 with not one known abuse report! ~smiles real friendly like~

[JoJo Gunn]

That's a good question. I found one in my inbox earlier.

[KantianBurke]

good list. seconded!

[scan58]

I'll get flamed for this but, here goes...

No flame from me. I was thinking the same thing. Sometimes we should be allowed to play with them awhile before the big zot comes down.
There are a *few* left-leaners on FR. They just don't make themselves well known by jumping up and down and posting some off-the-wall totally anti-conservative thread that tries to laugh at the rest of us and says "look at me - I'm from DU!!"
Those guys post their tripe, get immediately banned, then run back to their hole and watch the sparks fly.

Oh well, It would be nice if they actually learned something.