An open letter to the moderators of this forum

[Aquila]

I can only hope that the whole "I'm a surgeon by profession" is lie to get the attention needed.

Even if false, it wouldn't invalidate the author's opinions nor the need for us to treat their opinions with respect. Another thing I think we're all in agreement on is that we don't want to go down the rabbit hole of personal attacks, when there is enough of a debate on the merit of the ideas and conduct to keep things interesting.

 

[jdoee100]

I agree that we want to have open sharing of diverse ideas. There are more options than "log out" in order to resolve issues. One such option is the often repeated, but much ignored, "send a PM". In a forum atmosphere where opposing ideas are valued, it is important that everyone is aware of the rules and working within the framework. My opposition to the apparent attitude in this thread is not to the ideas expressed, but rather to their deliberate rejection of the rules and the lack of respect to the community that such behavior implies. It is important to attempt to see and understand opposing points of view and to seek common ground. Several members of this community attempt to do just that in disagreements, while others are closed to influence. If one person or twenty decide to outright reject the rules, what is the incentive for the other 99% to follow them?

I was going to log out, but this i want to respond. I agree with you on principle, but I think OP decided to make this thread because the current system was not working, and others agreed(myself included). Is this something everybody should follow? No. But something needed to be done and OP was brave enough to have done it. I think more than few people feel the same way.

 

[Spartacus MD]

I am disappointed but not surprised that a surgeon that claims he/she has no time to "write letters like this" had the time to write a letter like this and post several times since. This, (along with thousands of other reasons) proves my claim that the medical field is at an all time low and we, as patients, are doomed.

To be worried and seriously debating why "people's requests for a more lax environment have gone unanswered" on an Android forum is what people with either a lot of free time or nothing to do worry about. It's sad. It says a lot about our future and just how incredibly broken our system has become. I can only hope that the whole "I'm a surgeon by profession" is lie to get the attention needed.

It might also be July 4th and we didn't schedule cases. I'm disappointed that you had to resort to attacking the medical field and me personally. I'm allowed to enjoy holidays too you know.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[TheLibertarian]

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USA.

Bored, but I gave it a shot...

 

[truthteller10]

Really??? Panties in a bunch much?

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

 

[AngelArs]

First, I have not read every single post in this thread, so if I missed something I do apologize. It's great that you're all getting everything out in the open like this. Caring about the communities best interest is fundamental and should be encouraged. I should probably disclose ahead of time that my views on this topic are rather cut and dry. I am a former admin/moderator for some of the busiest forums on the net, and I have also written code for vB forum software so I am no stranger to forum politics or this topic. Every forum has rules. Those rules are needed to keep civility. Believe it or not moderators do not make any money moderating. They do it because they believe in the community, love the community, and they want to support it.

Moderators have a unique gift called leadership. To me leadership is defined by how you promote the community that you are trying to create, rather than how you control what you are against. I find as a general rule people are more readily accepting of correction from someone who has a positive relationship with them, than someone who just wants to lay down the law. Please keep in mind that moderators are also human, so they can make a bad call, or have a bad day. That's why they discuss things among themselves, and they discuss things often. Whether a forum member likes it or not, whether they understand it or not, no forum is a democracy.

I have always found that adopting a laissez-faire approach and giving members a large amount of freedom (within the rules) helps to best nourish the community. Forums where mods crack down the whip for the slightest infraction always send the wrong signal. When free speech is not allowed it gives members a negative feeling when they?re visiting the forum. People get nervous, they find it hard to trust the moderation team, and worst of all it discourages them from participating and getting involved in the community. Hardly the ingredients for a successful community!

The best forums I?ve seen are those where the primary role of the forum moderator is not to police, but to promote interaction, and to encourage a sense of community within the forum. If every time you see a moderator post they are always acting bossy, that sends the wrong signal. Please keep in mind that there are a lot of people here, and there's simply no way to please everyone. Moderating that many people can be stressful. It's not always as easy as it looks. The mods here have been kind enough to allow this thread to continue. Surely that should tell everyone that they deeply care about the community and what?s best for it.

 

[gollum18]

First, I have not read every single post in this thread, so if I missed something I do apologize. It's great that you're all getting everything out in the open like this. Caring about the communities best interest is fundamental and should be encouraged. I should probably disclose ahead of time that my views on this topic are rather cut and dry. I am a former admin/moderator for some of the busiest forums on the net, and I have also written code for vB forum software so I am no stranger to forum politics or this topic. Every forum has rules. Those rules are needed to keep civility. Believe it or not moderators do not make any money moderating. They do it because they believe in the community, love the community, and they want to support it.

Moderators have a unique gift called leadership. To me leadership is defined by how you promote the community that you are trying to create, rather than how you control what you are against. I find as a general rule people are more readily accepting of correction from someone who has a positive relationship with them, than someone who just wants to lay down the law. Please keep in mind that moderators are also human, so they can make a bad call, or have a bad day. That's why they discuss things among themselves, and they discuss things often. Whether a forum member likes it or not, whether they understand it or not, no forum is a democracy.

I have always found that adopting a laissez-faire approach and giving members a large amount of freedom (within the rules) helps to best nourish the community. Forums where mods crack down the whip for the slightest infraction always send the wrong signal. When free speech is not allowed it gives members a negative feeling when they?re visiting the forum. People get nervous, they find it hard to trust the moderation team, and worst of all it discourages them from participating and getting involved in the community. Hardly the ingredients for a successful community!

The best forums I?ve seen are those where the primary role of the forum moderator is not to police, but to promote interaction, and to encourage a sense of community within the forum. If every time you see a moderator post they are always acting bossy, that sends the wrong signal. Please keep in mind that there are a lot of people here, and there's simply no way to please everyone. Moderating that many people can be stressful. It's not always as easy as it looks. The mods here have been kind enough to allow this thread to continue. Surely that should tell everyone that they deeply care about the community and what?s best for it.

Then wed be like that site that shalt not be named.

 

[Kedar]

The best forums I?ve seen are those where the primary role of the forum moderator is not to police, but to promote interaction, and to encourage a sense of community within the forum. If every time you see a moderator post they are always acting bossy, that sends the wrong signal. Please keep in mind that there are a lot of people here, and there's simply no way to please everyone. Moderating that many people can be stressful. It's not always as easy as it looks. The mods here have been kind enough to allow this thread to continue. Surely that should tell everyone that they deeply care about the community and what?s best for it.

This.
I don't feel like getting on the forum as much. I used to help out Evo users back in the day with small Android problems, but it's annoying to do so in this forum because the atmosphere set by the mods and users is horrendous.

Mods seem to love fighting back instead of acting like the bigger person to make the community better.

 

[return_0]

I personally think the mods for this forum should own Galaxies. It would help their attitude.

?

Sent from my pure Google Nexus 7 using Android Central Forums

 

[Aquila]

I know at least two do own Galaxy devices, along with some ambassadors, etc. How would this help their attitudes? And why is the assumption that they need to change rather than we should work together for a solution?

 

[Nibiru2012]

I'll throw in my two cents here.
I am a Mod on a Windows 7 forum and Windows 8 forum, and a former (now defunct) Windows 7 forum. I have seen stuff as what's been happening here and I myself even contributed to the 'devolving' of a thread. I have since tried to be more hands off so to speak. Unless someone acts like a complete goober there's no reason to micro-manage a thread.

The truism: "Power Corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely" rings true in some forums.

 

[Spartacus MD]

I'll throw in my two cents here.
I am a Mod on a Windows 7 forum and Windows 8 forum, and a former (now defunct) Windows 7 forum. I have seen stuff as what's been happening here and I myself even contributed to the 'devolving' of a thread. I have since tried to be more hands off so to speak. Unless someone acts like a complete goober there's no reason to micro-manage a thread.

The truism: "Power Corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely" rings true in some forums.

You sound like a wise man. I love that quote.

 

[Oofa]

It might also be July 4th and we didn't schedule cases. I'm disappointed that you had to resort to attacking the medical field and me personally. I'm allowed to enjoy holidays too you know.

Posted via Android Central App

It's not a personal attack. I have no idea who you are. You have obviously been contemplating this ridiculous "moderators should be democratic" premiss for quite some time not just on the 4th of July. Go for it. Enjoy your thread. Hopefully you don't "schedule cases" in San Francisco or I never need a surgeon wherever you do schedule cases although I am certain there are more surgeons that spend their free time arguing on phone forums than just you. That was my point..... not how silly and frivolous you personally may be for doing so.

 

[Spartacus MD]

It's not a personal attack. I have no idea who you are. You have obviously been contemplating this ridiculous "moderators should be democratic" premiss for quite some time not just on the 4th of July. Go for it. Enjoy your thread. Hopefully you don't "schedule cases" in San Francisco or I never need a surgeon wherever you do schedule cases although I am certain there are more surgeons that spend their free time arguing on phone forums than just you. That was my point..... not how silly and frivolous you personally may be for doing so.

I didn't suffer 15 years of training to be told what I should and should not do with my free time now that I finally have it. You obviously have some medical issue that you weren't happy with or a family member or something otherwise you wouldn't be so hostile towards a physician you've never met. I wish them or you the best of luck.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Kilroy13]

Get rid of all the Samsung forums and this would be the perfect forum! Since Samsung started paying people to trash the competition, the forums have gone to hell!

Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk 2

 

[yfan]

In another thread a moderator made the arrogant claim of saying "Doesn't really matter what you say. Its a mods decision on whether the thread stays up or not" after someone jokingly said they should close the thread. Another one went on to say "If that makes us a "boss" then fine, but that's your title for us, not our title for ourselves."

The thing is, both of them are correct. Moderators in a forum get to make certain decisions, by virtue of the fact that they are moderators. Online forums are not all democracies nor republics. They are run however the people who put up the forums want them run.

I run a mid-sized blog with multiple writers, and hundreds of comments a day. By design, I have kept the comment moderator authorities to myself, and I enforce them as I see fit. My site has a purpose, and it is not to be the first amendment soapbox for every Tom, **** and Harry. Because I built that site, I am entirely comfortable deciding who gets to post there, and how I want the community moderated, and even to an extent what I want (and don't want) said. If someone doesn't like the way I run my site, they can start their own. I am not the government, and as such, have no responsibility to abide by anyone else's freedom of speech. AC forum admins get to do the same thing here.

This is an open forum, why not discuss it publicly? If you make people PM you , then all you've done is take the forum out of "forum." You know dictators use a similar technique except its termed "oppression" and "divide and conquer."

Please. A little dramatic, are we? Lay it off with all this references to dictators and stuff. This is not an open forum in the sense that it's a free-for-all. It's a forum with rules and guidelines, and moderators are in charge of enforcing them. If every moderation decision could be challenged in a new thread, the purpose of moderation - to prevent this place from descending into chaos - would be defeated. This is a forum open only to the extent the people who run this site want it to be.

This is not meant to be an adversarial relationship but rather a community. If the health and enjoyment of this board is of any concern you will let an open, civil, and honest discussion occur in this thread.

There are tons of threads where community members themselves act in an adversarial way towards each other, which proves that being a community does not preclude adversarial roles. Moderators sometimes need to be adversarial - because they aren't simply there to plead with you to abide by the rules; they have the responsibility to enforce them. i.e. Sometimes moderators need to be the police rather than the city council.

 

[BOSSY TEXAS CHICK]

This.
I don't feel like getting on the forum as much. I used to help out Evo users back in the day with small Android problems, but it's annoying to do so in this forum because the atmosphere set by the mods and users is horrendous.

Mods seem to love fighting back instead of acting like the bigger person to make the community better.
I personally think the mods for this forum should own Galaxies. It would help their attitude.

I don't know if the mods attitude is indicatiive of them "enjoying fighting back more than helping"... what i think it really boils down to is "burnout"... I mean, they probably start off with the proper attitude and goal, but goodness gracious, how much moderating of ppl's hateful & sometimes toxic behavior can you subject yourself to BEFORE it taints you?

So maybe we consider it "jumping the gun" when its simply a matter of them being down this path a thousand times and they just assume its about to go south, when in some cases it was never going "there"....

Its hard trying to be helpful these days, I know for myself i don't even write a sentence without my guard up, and i consider myself a very friendly, non confrontational (unless ya get out of hand...lol) caring peep...

But i would like to improve on your suggestion... instead of sending the mods to their own Galaxy, can we send the trolls there INSTEAD?!

What i think is going to save these forums as people's behavior become worse & worse is either "paid memberships that become "free" as you rack up "thanks" or for that matter, members with less than a certain amount of "thanks" should have their comments approved BEFORE they are allowed to even post....or only allowing "posting priveliges" to members with "x" amt of thanx/likes... Gotta do somethin'...its gettin' hot in here....:-X

BTC

 

[Habiib]

Get rid of all the Samsung forums and this would be the perfect forum! Since Samsung started paying people to trash the competition, the forums have gone to hell!

Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk 2

I said something like this earlier in the year. Out of all the forms on this site, why is this the only one having this type of dialog? Why do some of the threads that get locked involve the same topic and the same members? Then I step back and see that a resolution is being sought here. Hope it all works out

Posted via Android Central App

 

[delta7]

Just about any tech forum or any forum in general has disagreements between members, especially cell phone forums. Any cell phone forum you'll be sure to find arguments that leads to locked threads. I still believe the mods just don't get involved for the hell of it, if this was something as boring as Windows phone 8 forum were it's nothing to talk about it wouldn't even be a issue (arguments).

 

[tony bag o donuts]

All,
As a former advisor for this site, I can tell you that the mods and everyone else involved in this site are putting in countless hours in improving this site.
It is one of the best on the net. I have seen this site grow from a few forums to an explosion when the Dinc rolled out as well as other devices. There are so many out there that it is tough.
I agree, that language by anyone should not contain vulgar language (after all, kids do visit these sites) but reps of AC should be held to a higher standard and most if not all comply.
I have even rubbed people the wrong way whether it's the timing of something or just misinterpretation.
I gave up my advisor status when Corey was around because the hours required or expected were just too much for me to contribute at the time.
While Jerry and the gang get paid by Mobile Nations I can assure you the mods, advisors, etc. are not and do it on their free time to help others because they want to.
I have been apart of a lot of site for various thinks where mods are the worst. Here, I think the mods are some of the best around. Especially when people start slinging accusations at each other. I have seen them warn both parties that a thread would not be kept open if things don't simmer down, etc.
A lot gets discussed behind the scenes and they do the best they can. I don't aways agree with them or this site but IMHO it's still one of the best sites out there for anything and in my few years as a member I can tell you it is the friendliest site of all the Mobile Nation sites.

Keep up the good work to the editors, mods, current advisors, etc. It is appreciated.
This probably should b moved into another forum, not just the S4.....