Since I joined I have enjoyed the looseness that AAC offers. When I became a moderator after BeenThere's death I have tried to maintain that approach.
However, the staff feels like standards have slowly degraded to the point that we have to address it. This does not mean we are going to change the character of AAC, but we are going to be more active.
Sometimes there is the temptation to do mass deletions, followed by laying down the laws (which we do have) followed by bannings. That is not what we try to achieve. So we move slow, make sure there is a case for actions that are fundamentally irrevocable.
We have been accused of favoring some members over other. This is not the case. Instead we are applying our rules. There is no rule for stupid or dumb questions or users. There are rules for abuse, which includes snipping or snide comments at anothers expense.
So when we do not allow attacks on basically inadequate people who do not try to defend themselves we are accused of playing favorites.
It is not a right to attack anyone here. Just because we are not hyper-aggressive in enforcing this does not mean we allow it.
People quote Billy Mayo. It took a little while for the mods to react, as his approach was unique. We established in our minds that he was indeed a troll. His continuing efforts to return under other names and continue his unique tactics established this even further.
Being human, we may react to different situations differently. Some member see favoritism. Keep in mind we also use PMs a lot, and there may be details the general membership does not have, nor ever will. We make mistakes, it will happen.
Which brings us to another problem. Some members delight in the eternal dual. This is also against the rules. We are trying to figure out how to handle this type of situation without getting ugly.
We have decided to do what is necessary to get things back under control. It is not easy doing some of the things that are going to have to be done in the near future. But it is my job, I took it willingly. Same with the other moderating staff.
We strive not to jump to assumptions. This does slow things down more than some members like. However, it is our responsibility and our call. Part of the reason we were made moderators is we showed some calmness and ability to restrain ourselves as members. When people come in and demand we take action they themselves become a problem, one we may have to address before the problem they stridently demand we address.
Unlike some forums, the moderators operate as a team. We discuss issues deeply on a private forum before we take action, so as to avoid a less than united front. Some people, used to other forums, do not understand this and try to create dissension in the staff. Being human we may have occasional disagreements, but we are very good at being united here. This won't change.
You will see enforcement of the ToS/ terms of service pick up. Some people will not like it, yell and scream and may even leave. Others may be banned after a lengthy process. We will try to make this painless, but it is happening. Everyone signed up for these rules when they joined.
However, the staff feels like standards have slowly degraded to the point that we have to address it. This does not mean we are going to change the character of AAC, but we are going to be more active.
Sometimes there is the temptation to do mass deletions, followed by laying down the laws (which we do have) followed by bannings. That is not what we try to achieve. So we move slow, make sure there is a case for actions that are fundamentally irrevocable.
We have been accused of favoring some members over other. This is not the case. Instead we are applying our rules. There is no rule for stupid or dumb questions or users. There are rules for abuse, which includes snipping or snide comments at anothers expense.
So when we do not allow attacks on basically inadequate people who do not try to defend themselves we are accused of playing favorites.
It is not a right to attack anyone here. Just because we are not hyper-aggressive in enforcing this does not mean we allow it.
People quote Billy Mayo. It took a little while for the mods to react, as his approach was unique. We established in our minds that he was indeed a troll. His continuing efforts to return under other names and continue his unique tactics established this even further.
Being human, we may react to different situations differently. Some member see favoritism. Keep in mind we also use PMs a lot, and there may be details the general membership does not have, nor ever will. We make mistakes, it will happen.
Which brings us to another problem. Some members delight in the eternal dual. This is also against the rules. We are trying to figure out how to handle this type of situation without getting ugly.
We have decided to do what is necessary to get things back under control. It is not easy doing some of the things that are going to have to be done in the near future. But it is my job, I took it willingly. Same with the other moderating staff.
We strive not to jump to assumptions. This does slow things down more than some members like. However, it is our responsibility and our call. Part of the reason we were made moderators is we showed some calmness and ability to restrain ourselves as members. When people come in and demand we take action they themselves become a problem, one we may have to address before the problem they stridently demand we address.
Unlike some forums, the moderators operate as a team. We discuss issues deeply on a private forum before we take action, so as to avoid a less than united front. Some people, used to other forums, do not understand this and try to create dissension in the staff. Being human we may have occasional disagreements, but we are very good at being united here. This won't change.
You will see enforcement of the ToS/ terms of service pick up. Some people will not like it, yell and scream and may even leave. Others may be banned after a lengthy process. We will try to make this painless, but it is happening. Everyone signed up for these rules when they joined.