How come it seems like every mod here has a stick up their ass?

[DavisK4high247]

Looks to me like its only the greenlighters and the new comers that complain.
Ive bin on this site way before 2009 and i never had a thread closed or had a infraction.
I think evrey mod is the shit for taking there time to make sure to spread HARM REDUCTION and they dont even get paid for it.

^^^^ I agree, the mods have a lot of work on here to keep from the spread of misinformation, sourcing,etc..And they do it without pay! They put up with a lot and we all should be glad someone gives a damn enough to do their jobs!

 

[dokomo]

Speaking as a newcomer, I think part of the problem is the way the forums are arranged doesn't make it clear what the focus is supposed to be. OD is in the same subheading under Ecstasy, Cannabis, Steroid, and Psychedelic drug forums. If I want to post "I got really fucked up on some great bud last night, what's the best strain in your area?" I'll post it in CD. If I want to post a similar LSD question I'll post it in PD. If I want to post the same question about stims, well it doesn't fit in the 4 categories above, so OD is the next logical choice. But if I post it there then my thread gets closed, because it turns out OD is not just the "other drugs" version of the categories above it.

A lot of this confusion comes because people don't read the Other Drugs forum description, guidelines, or posting standards. I totally understand that sometimes people just want to make their thread in a hurry and don't want to research it, but I can't understand why anyone would be mad when their thread is closed/moved/redirected in such a case. So many posters take it as some kind of personal slight when their thread is closed or moved and there is simply no reason to feel this way. We're just trying to keep things on topic and efficient in the forum. If you think we've made a mistake, or misunderstood the thread and its purpose PLEASE PM us. We're always glad to talk with you about it, and are more than willing to reopen a thread if we've made a mistake. Sometimes threads get closed because they've been sufficiently answered, but if you feel that there needs to be more discussion, just send us a quick PM and we'll be more than glad to check it out.

The most basic description under the Other Drugs forum name:

Intermediate level, harm reduction focused discussion (including pharmacology, dependence issues, avoiding side effects, etc.) about drugs that aren't covered in other forums. Please use ADD or BDD for more advanced or basic topics.

Here's a real life example: http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/showthread.php?t=490854
If that thread was posted in OD the response would be "Closed, this is just a trip report."

If it is a trip report, it belongs in the trip report forum. Whether or not the PD mods will allow that in their forum is their prerogative, but the Other Drugs Guidelines clearly line out what the purpose of the forum is.

If you have a problem with specific elements of these guidelines/standards/descriptions, please tell us!! Until the policies are changed, though, we're going to follow them for the best of the forum as a whole.

We had an Other Drugs feedback thread open for weeks and received very few suggestions or criticisms, which was disappointing because we always want to hear what we can do better. It was even moved around to other forums to try and get more responses.

As far as moderators being on a power trip - we strive to follow the guidelines and standards for Other Drugs. If you feel like one or more of us is being unfair or in some way abusing our power, feel free to contact the Senior Moderators (leftwing, Evad) or Administrator (phrozen) and make a complaint. All of this contact information is linked right from the first page of the site, in the Staff List.

 

[sveets]

Took me a while to look back at this thread. Was not expecting this many responses but I have to say I'm happy that finally the mods allowed a thread to stay alive long enough for somewhat intelligent discussions/arguments on a subject.

I'm not trying to attack mods or any mod in particular. It's just extremely annoying to have a thread closed when the topic of the thread is not even addressed in the responses. At least give it a chance. Every thread I've ever made that has been closed has been a valid question on my part that I was unable to get an answer to just by searching google. I'm looking for opinions from other people who may have experienced the same things I have.

Cane, I am not single-ing you out but I will admit that you closing that thread kind of put me over the edge. There have been numerous other instances however regarding my threads or threads of others that pissed me off.

One example is a thread a made a while ago in OD that was something along the lines of "After blowing oxy, it gets stuck in your nose. Do you think it's worth eating the oxy boogers?"
-I know most of you are thinking thats disgusting. But for an addict who has little money it was something I was curious about. Found nothing thru google so I turned to OD and the thread seemed to be sparking a pretty good debate on the subject when Captain Heroin came in and made one post that said "Blowing oxy is a waste, just eat it" and then he closed the thread. It's shit like that that pisses me off and makes me not want to spend time on this website. Ok, you have an opinion on the subject, so go ahead and post it but don't close the thread just because you can.

I completely understand this website is meant for harm reduction and I respect that and I myself try to do my best to contribute to that HR. But a lot of people also come here for information they can't find anywhere else, and when you close a thread too soon your denying us the opportunity to learn things we wouldn't be able to find anywhere else.

Ya so thats my two cents.



edit - Most of the responses are about how mods volunteer and don't get paid and they should have more respect yada yada ...

They chose to become mods tho. It's not like they are slaves being forced to work for free. It seems to me like most of the mods I've encountered are just on a power trip anyway. Don't get me wrong, I respect them for keeping this site running and keeping the forums somewhat organized and clean but I'm not going to bow down and kiss there feet like all these other saps just because they are mods. All humans are created equal and we deserve an equal chance to speak our mind as long as it is not breeching the terms and rules.

 

[abracadabra girl]

A lot of this confusion comes because people don't read the Other Drugs forum description

Agreed. At the same time, it seems like the description, purpose, & rules of OD aren't the same as the other forums under the "focus forums" heading. I'd try to group like more with like.

 

[Captain.Heroin]

And I got an infraction for "abusing the PM system" when all I did was send one message to a mod after he closed my thread. I don't have get in depth with examples, I think anyone who has hung out in OD for a while has noticed.

You left out the word "to" in between "have" and "get".

I won't infract you for that though.

When you abuse the PM system, and bitch about it a whole 9 months later, what do you expect me to do, other than say "tough shit, get over yourself, it's going to expire in 3 months anyways"?

Also, there are serious things that happen to you in life. Getting an infraction on Bluelight is not a serious thing. You didn't lose your house, your car, nor your family.

In fact, getting an infraction on Bluelight is probably less important than breaking a nail. So, really, I will defer to the "get over yourself" and "it's going to expire in 3 months anyways" part of my post.

 

[Cane2theLeft]

^really, CH? I think criticizing people for making typos is roughly on the same level as comparing someone to a nazi. It adds LESS THAN NOTHING to the discussion and just makes it gratuitously adversarial.

Hopefully this will serve as an example that not everyone on staff responds to things the same way so its inappropriate to lump all of our decisions together. We are each independent in the way we choose to act so all I ask is that we be treated that way.

In this vein, I reopened your oxy thread sveets and bumped it here.

 

[Captain.Heroin]

^really, CH? I think criticizing people for making typos is roughly on the same level as comparing someone to a nazi. It adds LESS THAN NOTHING to the discussion and just makes it gratuitously adversarial.

Well, I got a laugh out of it. I was just kidding of course. No one is going to infract anyone over a spelling/grammar error. I could have added a "".

My main complaint is having waited 9 months to complain about an infraction; I have to clear out my inbox very frequently, many many times over the course of a 9 month period. I didn't happen to save whatever PM the OP sent to me, and I didn't copy and paste it anywhere that I could later view if I need to.

Therefore, I have no functional memory of why I infracted the OP for PM abuse, other than I denotated it was alleged PM abuse.

Had this been posted some time in the later half of May, 2010, I still might have the PM, or at least a recollection of why I chose to infract the OP.

 

[ColtDan]

ok i haven't really been around here long, but ive never noticed any mods on here with a "stick up their ass." they all seem quite cool.

the only real issue ive noticed is that people keep asking the same fucking questions because they cant be assed to search, or google, or whatever

 

[Bearlove]

If you only post in OD where you have a problem with threads being closed then it’s rather unfair of you to address all mods in the same way.

I do a lot of work on this site and Pillreports purely trying to keep people safe and informed about drugs / drugs use - if during the course of a day I close a thread which I see as pointless/dangerous/not open for discussion then so be it (I can assure you it will be against the policy /guidelines stipulated in that section).

If people read and stick to guidelines before posting then there usually isn’t any need to close the thread.

 

[ControlDenied]

down with mubarak!! down with mubarak!!

 

[sveets]

Well, I got a laugh out of it. I was just kidding of course. No one is going to infract anyone over a spelling/grammar error. I could have added a "".

My main complaint is having waited 9 months to complain about an infraction; I have to clear out my inbox very frequently, many many times over the course of a 9 month period. I didn't happen to save whatever PM the OP sent to me, and I didn't copy and paste it anywhere that I could later view if I need to.

Therefore, I have no functional memory of why I infracted the OP for PM abuse, other than I denotated it was alleged PM abuse.

Had this been posted some time in the later half of May, 2010, I still might have the PM, or at least a recollection of why I chose to infract the OP.

Dude. The main point of this thread was not about what happened 9 months ago. I only mentioned it as an example of what I was talking about. And I never made it seem like a big deal I was just using it as an example.
I don't really know what your problems are in your life, but it seems like you lash out your anger over the internet. Your a negative person and it shows.

 

[abracadabra girl]

I don't know about sticks up their asses but I also get frustrated when threads are closed. If a thread is sourcing or something clearly violating rules, that's one thing. But sometimes they're closed because a mod thinks they're unnecessary, and I agree with the previous comment to let the users make that decision. If no one sees fit to reply the thread will die on its own, and doesn't need to be closed.

Another example is http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/showthread.php?t=554607. I knew the answer to this guy's question. They were banned with caffeine, so the company retooled to make them without caffeine, and now they're back on the shelves. But the thread was closed already, so I wasn't able to post the answer. I PM'd the answer to the OP and he was grateful to find out.

You could argue that alcohol is not an "other drug" but where should alcohol questions be posted then? It is natural to scan down the forum list - "not ecstasy, not cannabis, not steroid, not psychedelics, so it goes in other drugs." If OD isn't supposed to be that kind of catch-all then it should be placed in a different part of the forum list.

 

[Captain.Heroin]

I don't really know what your problems are in your life, but it seems like you lash out your anger over the internet. Your a negative person and it shows.

That's easy to claim, but what have I done recently to lead you to believe this?

Without having a recording of one speaking within a post, how do you know what emphasis I am putting on what words?

It is easy to misconstrue someone's intent via messages over the internet.

It is natural to scan down the forum list - "not ecstasy, not cannabis, not steroid, not psychedelics, so it goes in other drugs." If OD isn't supposed to be that kind of catch-all then it should be placed in a different part of the forum list.

We have Basic Drug Discussion in the Drug Discussion part of Bluelight, and Other Drugs in the Focus Forums part of Bluelight. Other Drugs tries to specifically focus on harm reduction, and intermediary discussion of drugs, pharmacology, and various other issues pertaining to drug use, such as side effects, drug interactions/reactions, drug abuse/dependency, withdrawal, and so on.

 

[Cane2theLeft]

I don't know about sticks up their asses but I also get frustrated when threads are closed. If a thread is sourcing or something clearly violating rules, that's one thing. But sometimes they're closed because a mod thinks they're unnecessary, and I agree with the previous comment to let the users make that decision. If no one sees fit to reply the thread will die on its own, and doesn't need to be closed.

Another example is http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/showthread.php?t=554607. I knew the answer to this guy's question. They were banned with caffeine, so the company retooled to make them without caffeine, and now they're back on the shelves. But the thread was closed already, so I wasn't able to post the answer. I PM'd the answer to the OP and he was grateful to find out.

You could argue that alcohol is not an "other drug" but where should alcohol questions be posted then? It is natural to scan down the forum list - "not ecstasy, not cannabis, not steroid, not psychedelics, so it goes in other drugs." If OD isn't supposed to be that kind of catch-all then it should be placed in a different part of the forum list.

If you read through this thread, I explained our rationale for closing threads that have been discussed over and over again. To summarize, OD really relies on a core group of regulars to provide most of the essential information and when the forum is overrun with the same basic, self-serving, repetitive questions then the regulars get annoyed and bored and likely leave or go to the lounge or something!

You have a good point with the thread you linked. Personally I wouldn't have closed that until we at least got the opportunity to see what type of discussion it generated. I'm glad you PM'd the OP the information but in the future, you could try PM'ing one of us and explaining. In the past I've received many of these and at times I've reopened the thread and other times if I really didn't think it should be reopened (such as if it clearly violated specific guidelines) I'd at least edit it to include the information the PMer requested me to.

We certainly allow alcohol threads in OD but it depends on the content of the discussion. Some will belong in BDD, some in TDS, etc... it really depends on their focus.

 

[muvolution]

Then we'd have TONS of threads with no harm reduction value such as...

-what should I say to a doctor to get 'X'
"Please let me blow you right now."

-Please guess what my heroin was cut with.
Fecal Bacteria and Nestle Quick hot chocolate mix

-Please guess what my RC order really was
infants powdered milk

see, that's good moderation right there.

But to be honest, I have seen one or two threads come up that I know have been asked several times and if I see that they've been closed I just shoot a note over to CH or Cane that the thread might be good if it was opened back up and re-titled so that even more new threads about the same topic don't get started, and the current thread can be expounded upon.

Everyone here is volunteering their time to moderate the forums so cut them some slack.
Also no one is forcing you to be here, we want you to stay here and get the most Harm reduction info possible, but you are free to go to any one of the many websites that allow discussions of price, vendors, best way to get really high, etc...

but really, please stay. The mods want you to stay.

I'm not a mod and I want you to stay because i know that this is by far the best site for safe experimentation with psychoactive substances on the internet.

 

[Droppersneck]

my favorite part is these entrapment regional heroin discussions where they fish you into saying I cany find H anywhere in my town. And then you get warned b/c you're "sourcing"

 

[Bearlove]

I knew the answer to this guy's question. They were banned with caffeine, so the company retooled to make them without caffeine, and now they're back on the shelves. But the thread was closed already, so I wasn't able to post the answer. I PM'd the answer to the OP and he was grateful to find out.

If you know the answer to a question on a thread that is closed you can simply PM the user and share your information - or PM the Mod for that thread.

You could also PM the mod on the section - let them know your reply and suggest adding it to the thread. This simply saves somebody else posting the self same thread in a few days time.

I wonder how many people who are complaining about the threads being closed have PM'd the mod for that section and talked about it.

 

[Keaton]

@bear: i haven't had any...Supposed to be a joke...


@thread title: thats where they tell us to keep our mod sticks tbph

 

[sveets]

what have I done recently to lead you to believe this?

The first post you made in this thread just screams "i am an asshole".
So that's one thing you've done recently..

 

[New]

^You're honestly complaining about his tone when you created a thread with the title "How come it seems like every mod here has a stick up their ass?"

I don't think I could construct a more confrontational thread title if you paid me.