JRV
02-01-2005, 09:19
[Please post your support for...]
We, the people of the Rping community of Nation States, in order that we might form an environment more conducive to fun and worthwhile Rping, do most respectfully request that the following issues be addressed in a proper and appropriate manner.
1) A process of democratically electing moderators so as to assure a diverse cross-section of moderators from various backgrounds and various ideologies to decrease the likelihood of political vendettas.
2) Actual legitimate reasons for deletions. “Trust us we had to get him” or “You don’t need to know” are not acceptable explanations. Nor is the locking of all threads discussing the matter at all acceptable.
3) Openness in decisions. “The matter is between us and the nation involved” that doesn’t work too well when often the nation involved is unable to post because he was deleted or issued a temporary ban. Open communication never hurt anybody, unless one side has something to hide.
4) Admission and correction of mistakes. End the practice of, “We know we did wrong, oh well, we’re sorry…” and then flat-out refusing to correct the problem whatever it may be. Admission of mistakes is a key part to being unbiased and mature. We need people who can admit when they are wrong or might be wrong, not those who hold firm to theories with little supporting evidence other than wishful conclusions that they pray are true so as to save-face and so that they can appear to be correct.
5) An end to the refusal to take action against the godmodding spammers (Hataria and Sephiroth being prime examples), whom the community at large agrees contribute nothing and are “useless posters” who waste space and thus valuable bandwidth. If moderators have time to police IC content, they have time to decide that a poster with 100 “I nukz you111!!” threads, is a waste to the community at large.
6) An end to the political biases so prevalent and evident amongst the moderation staff. The posts they have been known to make in General forum would lead most reasonable individuals to conclude the moderators are very opinionated, and no person on the face of the Earth can keep biases from leaking into their opinions. Biases can and often do, whether consciously or subconsciously, taint opinions. We need moderates who are less opinionated in matters of ideology and not aggressively and blatantly hostile towards opposing viewpoints.
7) A real system of Moderator action review. We need a system where reviews are real, and not just for show. A system where fellow moderators look for two minutes at the issue, rule in favor of their friend, and then lock the thread, is nothing more than a farce and an event for show, and we need to stop pretending it is anything but a show. Nor is the system of letting weeks go by without issuing a decision anything more than a blatant attempt to hope that the issue is by then, largely forgotten and nobody is paying attention, anything more than a tactic whose use is evidence of the very nature of abuse of power.
8) A real system of Moderator accountability. Countless times have many innocent nations fallen prey to moderator abuse, even admitted later by the moderators involved. When has a moderator ever been called to account for their actions? When have these wronged nations ever received justice, rather than just “Oh well, we’re sorry.” Sorry doesn’t cut it when the problems persist and no attempt at reform is made.
9) An end to stifling and silencing debate. Whenever a topic appears that is distasteful to any mod, it is immediately and quietly deleted, and follow-up topics asking about it are often deleted immediately. Such censorship of legitimate and unoffending material is only counter-productive to a friendly and open RP environment.
10) One million users, so what? The boast that NS is special because over one million nations have come through her doors is an illusionary boast at best. How many of those one million have actually contributed to the RP environment of NS? How many post solely on general? How many were just there to spam with advertisements. Instead of making sensational statements about the success of the game due to quantity, NS should pride herself on quality, and seek to create an atmosphere that discourages random folks from just dropping in and posting a few “I nukz you11!” threads and leaving. Let it be clear, there are older and experienced Rpers willing to help greenhorns learn the ropes, but that noobs and immature folks are just not welcomed.
We believe that these changes would be much welcomed by the NS community at large and would lead only to improved Rping. Without change, stagnation results, and in stagnation grows disease and decay, bacteria, and a whole host of unhealthy things. Change when necessary is a wonderful thing and can, and often does, usher in a new era of prosperity. Without change, one could potentially wither and die from ill health. It is time for the sake of the health of the RP environment, the change be ushered in, and a new era proclaimed.
Sincerely,
The Concerned Rpers of Nation States
We, the people of the Rping community of Nation States, in order that we might form an environment more conducive to fun and worthwhile Rping, do most respectfully request that the following issues be addressed in a proper and appropriate manner.
1) A process of democratically electing moderators so as to assure a diverse cross-section of moderators from various backgrounds and various ideologies to decrease the likelihood of political vendettas.
2) Actual legitimate reasons for deletions. “Trust us we had to get him” or “You don’t need to know” are not acceptable explanations. Nor is the locking of all threads discussing the matter at all acceptable.
3) Openness in decisions. “The matter is between us and the nation involved” that doesn’t work too well when often the nation involved is unable to post because he was deleted or issued a temporary ban. Open communication never hurt anybody, unless one side has something to hide.
4) Admission and correction of mistakes. End the practice of, “We know we did wrong, oh well, we’re sorry…” and then flat-out refusing to correct the problem whatever it may be. Admission of mistakes is a key part to being unbiased and mature. We need people who can admit when they are wrong or might be wrong, not those who hold firm to theories with little supporting evidence other than wishful conclusions that they pray are true so as to save-face and so that they can appear to be correct.
5) An end to the refusal to take action against the godmodding spammers (Hataria and Sephiroth being prime examples), whom the community at large agrees contribute nothing and are “useless posters” who waste space and thus valuable bandwidth. If moderators have time to police IC content, they have time to decide that a poster with 100 “I nukz you111!!” threads, is a waste to the community at large.
6) An end to the political biases so prevalent and evident amongst the moderation staff. The posts they have been known to make in General forum would lead most reasonable individuals to conclude the moderators are very opinionated, and no person on the face of the Earth can keep biases from leaking into their opinions. Biases can and often do, whether consciously or subconsciously, taint opinions. We need moderates who are less opinionated in matters of ideology and not aggressively and blatantly hostile towards opposing viewpoints.
7) A real system of Moderator action review. We need a system where reviews are real, and not just for show. A system where fellow moderators look for two minutes at the issue, rule in favor of their friend, and then lock the thread, is nothing more than a farce and an event for show, and we need to stop pretending it is anything but a show. Nor is the system of letting weeks go by without issuing a decision anything more than a blatant attempt to hope that the issue is by then, largely forgotten and nobody is paying attention, anything more than a tactic whose use is evidence of the very nature of abuse of power.
8) A real system of Moderator accountability. Countless times have many innocent nations fallen prey to moderator abuse, even admitted later by the moderators involved. When has a moderator ever been called to account for their actions? When have these wronged nations ever received justice, rather than just “Oh well, we’re sorry.” Sorry doesn’t cut it when the problems persist and no attempt at reform is made.
9) An end to stifling and silencing debate. Whenever a topic appears that is distasteful to any mod, it is immediately and quietly deleted, and follow-up topics asking about it are often deleted immediately. Such censorship of legitimate and unoffending material is only counter-productive to a friendly and open RP environment.
10) One million users, so what? The boast that NS is special because over one million nations have come through her doors is an illusionary boast at best. How many of those one million have actually contributed to the RP environment of NS? How many post solely on general? How many were just there to spam with advertisements. Instead of making sensational statements about the success of the game due to quantity, NS should pride herself on quality, and seek to create an atmosphere that discourages random folks from just dropping in and posting a few “I nukz you11!” threads and leaving. Let it be clear, there are older and experienced Rpers willing to help greenhorns learn the ropes, but that noobs and immature folks are just not welcomed.
We believe that these changes would be much welcomed by the NS community at large and would lead only to improved Rping. Without change, stagnation results, and in stagnation grows disease and decay, bacteria, and a whole host of unhealthy things. Change when necessary is a wonderful thing and can, and often does, usher in a new era of prosperity. Without change, one could potentially wither and die from ill health. It is time for the sake of the health of the RP environment, the change be ushered in, and a new era proclaimed.
Sincerely,
The Concerned Rpers of Nation States