Why Are Mods So Eager To Control Everything

[Nick Sw]

I do know that things have been going off topic slightly recently and I can understand the moderators "toughning up" on some of the posts and topics maybe it needs to be done ?

The point I`d like to make is This section is really friendly and possibly more compact than the other sections (?), consequently I think a lot of the members that post feel like they know each other so posting a picture of your cat or letting other members know you`ve got a bargain filter has more relavance than posting in the General sections and gives members an opportunity to get to know more about the people they talk to via the forum. Maybe some of the topics would of been best in the other sections like general chat but would they of got lost and not had as much of a response.

Anyway great forum / site, I would be lost without it keep up the good work guys. (Especially the Mods)

I`d just like to add that Brewyn has been a great help to me and had really helped out with several query`s also several PM`s to help me out when I needed a quick answer, hope he`s back soon.

Nick

 

[CFC]

The staff here have gone to great lengths over the years to create the forum we have today, one that is user friendly and easy to navigate so information can be searched for and found quickly and easily, allowing off topic posts wherever people feel like creating them clutters the fish specific forums and makes searches longer and more difficult, this is why we created off topic forums such as the Other Pets and Hobbies forums. These sort of chatty posts also create the feeling of clickyness and can put off potential new members from joining if they feel like they may be unwelcome. We have always asked that topics be kept in their specific forums and the African Cichlids forum is no exception to this, nor have the rules changed in recent times.

 

[Ferris]

OK, i think all points of view have been made, lets get back to the African's

I've never seen so many members viewing this section, lets amaze them with our knowledge of fish and not anything else.

 

[Cheffi]

Anyway great forum / site, I would be lost without it keep up the good work guys. (Especially the Mods)

I`d just like to add that Brewyn has been a great help to me and had really helped out with several query`s also several PM`s to help me out when I needed a quick answer, hope he`s back soon.

Nick
[/quote]


Hear Hear...I've obviously missed all the hoohaa but I like Brewyn and hope he's back soon too

 

[aberdeen aquarist]

The staff here have gone to great lengths over the years to create the forum we have today, one that is user friendly and easy to navigate so information can be searched for and found quickly and easily, allowing off topic posts wherever people feel like creating them clutters the fish specific forums and makes searches longer and more difficult, this is why we created off topic forums such as the Other Pets and Hobbies forums. These sort of chatty posts also create the feeling of clickyness and can put off potential new members from joining if they feel like they may be unwelcome. We have always asked that topics be kept in their specific forums and the African Cichlids forum is no exception to this, nor have the rules changed in recent times.

Thats it in a nutshell!!
I can see why people want to post about other topics, which is why we have other sections to post them in. After all, why would we want to confuse new members by making them trawl through posts of general topics in what is a specialist section of the whole site?

 

[mamafish68]

I'm not going to waste my time, just relaying a message....

brewyn ; " 2..... can you tell muse that I did use the pm to inform william of my signatures being stolen, I did this while william was browsing the forums (so I knew he had got the message) but he chose not to reply back to me.......THATS WHEN I MADE THAT THREAD.

4.... they keep pointing out this PM system, if they only knew how many PMs I have deleted ( over 100) they would realise that we are infact keeping most of the chit chat of the forums,and I have deleted plenty of e-mails to from yourself, ferris and tanks."



GL&GR



DR WHO runs rampant around here

 

[Neal]

I think both you and the mods have a point, they like to keep all the posts about fishkeeping, rather than using it to chat, but I know how you feel mamafish. I don't think that brewyn should have been suspended at all, and it was probably my fault too. So mods if your reading this, then I think you should undo brewyns suspension and put it onto me. Atleast they didn't open numerous threads about it, and kept it to one, people weren't complaining about the thread at all, and it was only a handfull of people that were actually have a little chat in it, and it wasn't causing any harm. It was only 2 pages big, it wasn't as if it had been going on for months.
This is just my opinion, and I respect your moderators but I think you were out of order for suspending brewyn.

Neal

 

[CFC]

Brewyn was suspended for his reaction to the closing and moving of a few posts, i wont go into details as it is none of anyone elses business but it was not directly because of the chatty posts.

 

[Phantom Thief]

Firstly, i'm not muse

Secondly, try pm-ing the guy who stole the sig instead of Will.

Thirdly, most of the chit-chat, but not all, apparently. And i fails to see the relevance.

P.T.

 

[Neal]

Ok, I see CFC, I did not realise that, and if I did I wouldn't of said anything, so firstly I appologise to you CFC. Also, it was me who was stealing the sigs (I wasn't really stealing them, just having a laugh), and he did PM me, therefore I removed them. Again, I applogise CFC I didn't know.

Neal

 

[Bradders]

Ok, I see CFC, I did not realise that, and if I did I wouldn't of said anything, so firstly I appologise to you CFC. Also, it was me who was stealing the sigs (I wasn't really stealing them, just having a laugh), and he did PM me, therefore I removed them. Again, I applogise CFC I didn't know.

Neal

Help me out here please for going forward. I have no problem with my question relating to Filters going under a different heading SO LONG AS the audience I am trying to reach will access it - this would appear not to be the case. As someone who has just started accessing this forum i would make the following comments - Phantom Thiefs comment "Not to mention that all the filtration they really need is a large amount of it, and something that won't reduce a high pH" would appear to suggest a demeaning attitude towards a question that is obviously meaningful to the person who asked it - even if it is regarded as a basic question.

Secondly CFC's comment "i wont go into details as it is none of anyone elses business" also doesn't come across as very warm and friendly either.

If new people are going to be attracted to the forum they will make judgement errors to start with, I'm sure, but constructive coaching would be a better approach rather than some of the phrases, and tones, used in this thread - I would suggest.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

I am sure that CFC's "cold tone" was meant as tactful restraint as it is would be highly inappropriate to air brewyn's affairs for him--essentially, the circumstances behind the dispute are brewyn's to disclose and it would be disrespectful to reveal those details without his permission.

A quick glance around the forum will quickly reveal that, for the most part, newbie mistakes such as posting a question in the wrong category are tolerated and often corrected without mod intervention. In my experience, mods rarely intervene unless a post is reported and reprimands are rarely issued unless the rules have been flagrantly disregarded (either through repeated violations or direct confrontation with mods).

As is frequently mentioned, TFF is a kindergarten compared to the rest of the internet. Heck, we're cleaner than Wikipedia. This relatively professional atmosphere and dedication to being a family-friendly information source is a key aspect of William's vision for the forum. It is to this end that the "mods are so eager to control everything". We have designated areas for designated types of topics. To maintain order, topics in the wrong forum are relocated so that they can contribute appropriately. Supercillious remarks and idle chatter don't contribute to the general pool of knowledge. Thus, as topics degenerate, they are locked or cleaned up for clarity.

If the mods really felt like it, any topic they disapproved of could just disappear. We've all seen this happen. Yet we have topics that are locked. Why? Because the mods recognize that even if the last three pages are mostly gibberish, the first page may still have some merit. There was a question asked or a story told that may later prove helpful. Even most of the trolling threads and flame wars are allowed to stay visible. I point this out because it underlines this forums general commitment to being a source of information. This is not an exclusive circle of friends or a bulletin board. TFF has a chat room, not a chat forum. If you want to socialize with only certain members of TFF, then you should feel free. There are instructions in the Suggestions forum on how to set up a unique chatroom on our IRC channel. But TFF rules clearly establish that the various subforums are not the place for this.

TFF has rules. When you sign up for the forum, you agree to those rules. If you don't like the way the forum is run, then either you adjust or you leave. Its a simple fact: people don't spend their free time in places that they don't think are fun. There have been more than a few people in the past who haven't liked TFF and eventually just stopped posting. I've seen at least two groups exodus simultaneously; I can even refer you to these other sites. But there are others among us who like the benefits of a tightly-run organization.

TFF is 99% work-friendly. Kids can safely use it for school projects. Flaming/trolling is kept to a severe minimum and spamming is almost completely nonexistant. Most of the subforums are quickly navigated and easily searched. Public feuds are rare. Few cliques exist and (with a few recent exceptions) anyone is welcome to post anywhere. I like all of these things and I firmly attribute them to tight mod control and a strict code of conduct.

 

[Nick Sw]

Ok, I see CFC, I did not realise that, and if I did I wouldn't of said anything, so firstly I appologise to you CFC. Also, it was me who was stealing the sigs (I wasn't really stealing them, just having a laugh), and he did PM me, therefore I removed them. Again, I applogise CFC I didn't know.

Neal

Help me out here please for going forward. I have no problem with my question relating to Filters going under a different heading SO LONG AS the audience I am trying to reach will access it - this would appear not to be the case. As someone who has just started accessing this forum i would make the following comments - Phantom Thiefs comment "Not to mention that all the filtration they really need is a large amount of it, and something that won't reduce a high pH" would appear to suggest a demeaning attitude towards a question that is obviously meaningful to the person who asked it - even if it is regarded as a basic question.

Secondly CFC's comment "i wont go into details as it is none of anyone elses business" also doesn't come across as very warm and friendly either.

If new people are going to be attracted to the forum they will make judgement errors to start with, I'm sure, but constructive coaching would be a better approach rather than some of the phrases, and tones, used in this thread - I would suggest.

I completely agree with you Bradders there about both points I think it was the right place to post a topic about what kind of filter to buy for an African Cichlid Tank as they require different methods of filtration such as buffering the water and generally more filtration is required. I think it was overkill to move that topic maybe the mods were just trying to show they are clamping down on this section and that was collateral.
And I think CFC could of maybe handled it a bit more friendly but then again his avatar is a T-REX !

 

[andywg]

To all the people moaning about CFC, would you rather he sugar coated it and said everything is all right? Did the fact he put it in a very matter of fact tone to prevent undue discussion of the circumstances around it upset you?

Face it, he's a mod who is performing his responsibilities, one of which is moderating the board. Most people realise quickly that direct confrontation with the mods is a bad idea. CFC is one of the most knowledgable people on this board. I would far rather have a CFC who has a short temper for idiots and rule-breakers than have a nice mod with less knowledge which is far more detrimental to the forum as a whole.

As Pica said, if you don't like the way the site is run, you don't have to stay here...Most people can cope with the hardware forum being for hardware questions.

 

[mark7616]

im not here to start an argument cause to be honest im not in the mood today to argue with different people i can see the view from both sides. But 1 the filter topic didnt need to be moved as it was cichlid related where as other topics that have been closed i can see why. 2. The hardware forum is not very good at all people hardly go there i have made 3 different topics in there and probably had about 2 replies so i can see why people use the other forums to ask as things dont always get answered in there.