Jocabia
17-10-2005, 21:45
I have been reading moderation for about two years. I find it interesting and I find it makes things easier as far as the rules are concerned. I realize that all or most participants on this forum don't do so, but I wanted to give some background to my points.
I actually stepped away from participating in Moderation for a bit (and even to an extent General) because I became annoyed with the posts here. I have a tendency to back up a couple of steps and take some breaths with things annoy me.
I finally come back and there are like eight thread that are all about the same thing as what annoyed me in the first place - mod bias.
I'll offer an analogy. Me and my buddies come into a bar. We love it so we start coming every day for several years. One day I come in wearing something I wouldn't normally wear. A bouncer at the door stops me and points out that I cannot come in because I don't meet the dress code.
"What? I've been coming here for years and now you're telling me I'm not dressed right?"
"You've haven't been coming here for years dressed like that. It's against the dress code."
"No one told me about a dress code."
"Doesn't make it not exist."
"Okay, just let me in today because my buddies are waiting for me and I'll pay attention from now on."
"Nope, that would be biased and I can't do that."
etc.
We've all heard all the arguments:
But I really like poster X so give them a break.
They didn't know the rules.
This is unfair, poster B didn't get in trouble.
They've been here forever and been a good poster.
We can all see what might create an issue and if we aren't sure what we're doing is right then there are several avenues for finding out, in EVERY case. I've seen threads here every week by new and old alike finding out if something is legal. I refuse to believe these people are inherently more capable of asking then the people who aren't asking and then getting caught and punished.
Popularity nor how long you've been here is no excuse. If anything it's a reason to be more dogmatic about rules. A long-time poster has had adequate time to learn the rules and a popular poster is more likely to be noticed if they are allowed as an exception. Those of us who have been here for a long time and gained a following are obligated to learn the rules and follow them or suffer the consequences.
History is and always will be considered when considering a punishment. Records are permanent. If you don't want to get deleted or treated 'unfairly' the solution is quite simple, follow the rules and it wasn't posted is no excuse. Again there are numerous avenues for finding out if questionable actions are actionable.
But my favorite response to this will always be don't you care what WE think about it? Do bouncers have to ask permission of the entire bar before escorting some patron out? Nope. This is Max Barry's bar and while I'm certain he appreciates your patronage, he gets to decide the rules regarding your behavior and is permitted to ask you to leave for ANY reason. It's not bias, it's just common sense. Max Barry made the rules (with a lot of input from mods and admins past and present, I'd gues) and fashioned them in a way that would make the community and the game operate best.
As users, we simply don't have enough information to make an intelligent decision about the enforcement of the rules nor should we. Arguments about our rights are silly when we're on private property.
You come to my house and you won't swear, you won't call people names, you won't break things, you won't sit on my furniture with no clothes on (Czardas), you won't do these things or you'll leave. I won't discuss them with you and I'm under no obligation to inform you about them ahead of time. It's MY house.
Max has been far more curteous than this and even inspired mods to come here and work for free in order to make YOUR experience better and the response from some is to bitch and moan that you can't make up the rules or about the consequence when you break them. The fact is that if you wish to come here to play in whatever forum you play in, you must follow the rules or you aren't going to like the mods. It's really that simple.
When the user community basically stages an uprising over a blatant violation of the rules because we WANT mod bias for a popular or long-time poster it simply makes the user community as a whole appear childish and unable to understand the very nature of being responsible for one's actions.
As a user and a human being I find the reaction in these situations to be disappointing to say the very least.
I actually stepped away from participating in Moderation for a bit (and even to an extent General) because I became annoyed with the posts here. I have a tendency to back up a couple of steps and take some breaths with things annoy me.
I finally come back and there are like eight thread that are all about the same thing as what annoyed me in the first place - mod bias.
I'll offer an analogy. Me and my buddies come into a bar. We love it so we start coming every day for several years. One day I come in wearing something I wouldn't normally wear. A bouncer at the door stops me and points out that I cannot come in because I don't meet the dress code.
"What? I've been coming here for years and now you're telling me I'm not dressed right?"
"You've haven't been coming here for years dressed like that. It's against the dress code."
"No one told me about a dress code."
"Doesn't make it not exist."
"Okay, just let me in today because my buddies are waiting for me and I'll pay attention from now on."
"Nope, that would be biased and I can't do that."
etc.
We've all heard all the arguments:
But I really like poster X so give them a break.
They didn't know the rules.
This is unfair, poster B didn't get in trouble.
They've been here forever and been a good poster.
We can all see what might create an issue and if we aren't sure what we're doing is right then there are several avenues for finding out, in EVERY case. I've seen threads here every week by new and old alike finding out if something is legal. I refuse to believe these people are inherently more capable of asking then the people who aren't asking and then getting caught and punished.
Popularity nor how long you've been here is no excuse. If anything it's a reason to be more dogmatic about rules. A long-time poster has had adequate time to learn the rules and a popular poster is more likely to be noticed if they are allowed as an exception. Those of us who have been here for a long time and gained a following are obligated to learn the rules and follow them or suffer the consequences.
History is and always will be considered when considering a punishment. Records are permanent. If you don't want to get deleted or treated 'unfairly' the solution is quite simple, follow the rules and it wasn't posted is no excuse. Again there are numerous avenues for finding out if questionable actions are actionable.
But my favorite response to this will always be don't you care what WE think about it? Do bouncers have to ask permission of the entire bar before escorting some patron out? Nope. This is Max Barry's bar and while I'm certain he appreciates your patronage, he gets to decide the rules regarding your behavior and is permitted to ask you to leave for ANY reason. It's not bias, it's just common sense. Max Barry made the rules (with a lot of input from mods and admins past and present, I'd gues) and fashioned them in a way that would make the community and the game operate best.
As users, we simply don't have enough information to make an intelligent decision about the enforcement of the rules nor should we. Arguments about our rights are silly when we're on private property.
You come to my house and you won't swear, you won't call people names, you won't break things, you won't sit on my furniture with no clothes on (Czardas), you won't do these things or you'll leave. I won't discuss them with you and I'm under no obligation to inform you about them ahead of time. It's MY house.
Max has been far more curteous than this and even inspired mods to come here and work for free in order to make YOUR experience better and the response from some is to bitch and moan that you can't make up the rules or about the consequence when you break them. The fact is that if you wish to come here to play in whatever forum you play in, you must follow the rules or you aren't going to like the mods. It's really that simple.
When the user community basically stages an uprising over a blatant violation of the rules because we WANT mod bias for a popular or long-time poster it simply makes the user community as a whole appear childish and unable to understand the very nature of being responsible for one's actions.
As a user and a human being I find the reaction in these situations to be disappointing to say the very least.