Off topic posting in the pics thread - your thoughts?

[Adikkal]

"I just feel that some comments that are posted on the pic thread can come across to be very unwelcomed, eg.. you are a average person posting a pic then some "apparent" "SEX" god posts underneath you are forever hearing about how most of the bler guys would like a piece and etc.. "

I disagree - if you are posting a picture of yourself you are going to be judged, like it or not. As soon as you post a pic in that thread you leave yourself open for comments on it and presumably, this is why you posted it in the first place, we like sharing photos and comments on said photos.
If people think someone is hot, then so be it... i don't see how these are unwelcome posts.

Adikkal

 

[Strawberry_lovemuffin]

Every moderator interprets their duties differently, and has a slightly different take on where that subtle "line" is. Just as there are many types of individual personalities, there are so many styles of moderating. I don't mind off-topic posts to a point in my forum, for example - I mean, sometimes I'll even do it myself . A bit of humour and lightheartedness is essential I think. And I want them to know I'm human (but will bring out the big stick if needed)

I also think respect as a mod comes not from enforcing "rules" like a schoolteacher, but from setting a good example and being open to different opinions. Over-strictness often causes anarchy through frustration... there's easier ways to avoid it.

That said, there are two things to remember in these types of situations: without question, *all* moderators have the best interests of their forum in mind (whether you agree with the method or not), and rarely is it ever personal.

I applaud them for allowing this thread to stay open, I think we have to thrash these things out from time to time. We are a community; and community involves communication.

 

[Pleonastic]

I was one of the biggest nazi mods there was in social. At the time I really had no choice - for those that don't remember or weren't around, the forum was being overrun by people posting personal jokes and comments. Remember that "talking in the third person" thread? There were a core group of about 20-30 melbourne bluelighters (a lot who I knew personally at the time) who just wouldn't shut up and constantly turned every thread into their own playground. And add to this the fact that the server was about to explode due to increased traffic, to the point where you couldn't guarantee that posts in the drug forums would survive the load.

Things are different now - although I don't know for sure anymore, we have a lot more server grunt, and the software is far more user friendly (die UBB die!). Threads don't have to be closed after 100 posts anymore (they used to start deleting random things when they got that big in the past). I'll admit that I'm out of the loop a bit. Maybe there actually is a group of people that are fucking it up for everyone, but I sure can't see it if there is. Everyone seems very civilised, and seem to realise (for the most part) that this isn't their own personal playground.

I think the "it's just how it is so fucking deal with it" approach to modding could maybe be scaled back just a touch. I know I might sound like a bit of a hypocrite cos I used to do it too, but given hindsight I may not have done it for as long as I did. I started doing it because nobody would listen to reason - I made a few enemies, but I made a few friends too who were happy that someone was putting a stop to the constant bullshit. Maybe I carried that approach for too long - it's definitely easy just to keep being a mod nazi because there's really no checks and balances. You don't have to be elected by your peers, so there's no reason to win their respect.

Maybe I helped set a precedent that Aus Social needs to be modded with an iron fist. And at times it does. But a good mod isn't the one quickest on the close button - the best mods are the ones that see a thread going to hell and guide it back on track. Locking it and washing your hands of it is the easy way out, and a trained monkey could do it.

I'm not sure what I'm trying to say here. I'm not trying to tell anyone to change their style - I know bluelight is different to when I was here. But maybe it's worth thinking about - can the thread be saved, or is it a lost cause? Is it of interest to others, even if it isn't interesting to the mods? How can I best keep the forum running smoothly, without making anyone feel like a naughty school child?

And lastly, check out this thread from the archive - proof that not all off topic threads are evil if they're only given a chance:

ZZZzzzZZZZZzzzzZZZZZzzzZZZZzz

 

[up all night]

Originally posted by onetwothreefour
anyway. i think this has all been blown out of proportion, but that's all i'm going to say on this topic except for this: please understand that all we're really trying to do is actually help this place out. criticism is good (and like raz said, good on kat for starting this thread, it was the best thing to do), but in the end we have to do what we think is right...

Yeah I don't think anyone has really mentioned the fact that the plebs are happy with how the forum is being run at the moment. Raz, 1234, anna and haste[RIP] have done and are doing a great job. The forum has had a good mix of serious and stupid discussions and this is really a minor gripe that only a few of us have. The fact that this is the only argument that has been had for some time is proof that you're all doing a good job [mods are like referees... if you don't notice them they're obviously doing well because they're making good decisions ].

I realise that it must feel like a thankless job because no-one ever stands up to randomly say 'hey you guys are doing well'. The only time we want to have input is when we feel something is amiss.

Either way, thanks for the effort guys [and girl].

 

[Miss Peks]

Ahhh yes the good old talking in the third person, even that gave me the shits after awhile..

My opinion on the pictures thread? If you get a slap on the wrist for posting off topic *crap* (crap to me because it's unrelated to the topic or even worse an in-joke), then take it with a grain of salt and move along. There is nothing worse than hearing people bitch and moan because they got told off when they know the rules and broke them.

 

[up all night]

^ True. But the problem has come about with the definition of 'off-topic'. The comments made were all in relation to a photo or conversation inspired by a photo. It wasn't just random shit.

 

[vurtomatic]

I just never fail to be amused, and occasionally annoyed, at how posters in this social forum are so often scolded for doing just that, being social.

sorry but i feel this is an inappropriate comment. each forum is run differently according to its needs and culture, so each forum's moderators have their own way of working. perhaps your idea of "being social" is different from this forum's idea of social, just as this forum is very different from the lounge's idea of "being social".

bear in mind that you are a moderator of your own forum. as much as you think you're posting as just another user in a different forum, the moderator title travels with you in your postings.

i feel it is inappropriate for you to be casting aspersions on how this forum is handled. if the situation is reversed, and the mods here took it up in public in your forum without trying to reconcile this privately, how would you feel?

 

[Munted]

i say "chiiiiiiill winstun"

get over it everybody. . .posts regarding somebodies picture, hell you want eveybody to read it you don't wanna pm the person. . .what's the fun in that!

Having mindless convo, well that's just gay, there's chat rooms for that. . .

I say keep the posts, but only if it's in regards to the pics. . . .no crap. . .

That's just my 2.3 cents. . .(It was 2.5 but the damn aussie dollar. . .sheesh!)

 

[FoxyKel]

bear in mind that you are a moderator of your own forum. as much as you think you're posting as just another user in a different forum, the moderator title travels with you in your postings.

i feel it is inappropriate for you to be casting aspersions on how this forum is handled. if the situation is reversed, and the mods here took it up in public in your forum without trying to reconcile this privately, how would you feel?

I am a poster in this forum and I feel I am entitled to an opinion, nothing I have said is anything that has not been said by someone else as well - although I am willing to accept your comments on different people having different ideas of being social, as that is clearly evident by the pure existance of threads such as these.

As much as my moderator title may carry with me as a volunteer that assists in the running of another section of the board, in this forum I expect to be nothing more than another poster, just as the moderators of this forum as considered nothing more than an average poster in Second Opinion.

A thread such as this has never arisen in Second Opinion, but should it ever do so, anna, Haste, Raz and 1234 would be more than welcome to comment as they please. I really do not think my moderating of another forum should deny me of an opinion elsewhere.