Well I agree with everything that is in the first post, we are not trying to victimize you mods, but the fact is, many of you DON'T treat US with respect.
I will not name any names and aren't even thinking of any in particular, but the fact is that some of you guys are too strict at times, closing fun threads that everyone is enjoying (not JUST the superthread), and when we query them we often get a response that dissmisses us. I have even been ignored before when querying something that a moderator has done.
As Duff says, every member on this forum is as important as the next, and no one should feel bigger because they are a moderator. A community can't survive without members, and there is a reason that Duff was named mod of the year, it is because he is welcoming, funny and is genuinely kind. He does not snap at people when they say stupid things, he does not post angrily or sarcastically to put members down, and he is happy to give reasonable leeway when people are not on topic or things like that.
As Simbazz said, being on this forum can feel like going to school, with teachers being unresonable at times and not respecting kids. Don't let this happen on this forum. It is a community, not a dictatorship, and whilst I am exaggerating, it is true that mods can be a little abrupt and cold at times.
I do not have a problem with how the forum is going at all, but these are issues that should be looked at.
sohummisra said:
I've almost stopped visiting the Cricket Chat Forum (which was one of my favorites) primarily due to my dislike for the new (over-)organization of it and also because almost any discussion that seems to become minutely interesting is either closed, threatened to be closed, described to be unrelated to the thread-topic or has posts deleted due to tiny breaking of the rules.
This is one of the truest and best things I have read in a long time, there have been some ludicrous stay on topic things, and some that whilst true, are a little harsh, and have killed threads without closing them. I would give examples but don't want to seem like I'm attacking any particular mod, because I'm not.
barmyarmy said:
Otherwise known as sending mixed messages and not being consistent.
I don't think this thread is an appropriate outlet for these issues and I think its both hypocritical and unacceptable for it to be started by a staff member. There is a procedure in place to deal with these things and after posting a thread like this I don't see how the staff are supposed to get on with their jobs.
I'm sad and angry that people have chosen this way of expressing their disatisfaction; both members and staff. I certainly don't run this forum to come back home and read a thread like this and I will have to consider whether I really want to continuing administering a forum where the members feel free to openly criticise everything about the way we run it and demand such things as elections for moderators.
I've nothing to say except that by choosing to raise the issues in this way, wholly against the spirit of the forum, it's left me feeling hugely disappointed with certain people.
That is one of the saddest things I have ever read, that people are not allowed to express their opinions about this forum.
You use the word demand, but here are the so called 'demands:'
I think we need elections every year as the only solution, how and where should be decided. I think more deserving people should be at the vital positions.
Elections wouldnt be a bad idea... because how do mods get chosen in the first place?
Seem like suggestions, on a feedback/suggestion forum? Perish the thought!
I was exaggerating before when I used the term dictatorship, but I'm not now. You sound so much like a school teacher it's scary. I suppose now Duff will be demoted or banned just like Darrell Hair, for doing something that he believed in, though he knew that it would raise controversy. Perhaps now people like sohum who were against me on that topic will understand where I'm coming from.
The fact is, Duff started a thread that allows people to give their opinions without being scared of being dismissed, which happens all too much. It is happening now.
All mods might disagree with Duff, but I applaud him. Once again, there is a reason that he was appointed mod of the year, because he makes people like him. You might argue that mods don't need people to like them, that they need people to respect them, but come off it. Perhaps some of you can't remember what it is like to go to school, but I can gurantee you we don't respect the teachers that are cold and dismissive, we go home and curse them for being so annoying.
Once again, this is a feedback forum, for people to give feedback. I didn't know it was only a 'great job guys' kind of feedback forum. To say that this isn't a democracy is to dismiss the concept entirely. You make it sound like a dictatorship, which it isn't. We both live in free countries, so let's act like it. We're not asking for a complete democratic makeover, just some decency and respect.
Well, on the off chance that anyone has enough time to read all of this, thank you. Perhaps we can get people to listen to now, because let's face it, none of us want this forum to go under, I didn't even think there was a crisis here until I read some of the responses from mods. Let's all try and work together here to stop this forum from losing this battle.
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