Can you question a moderator's actions?

[Ya Pops]

Don't go nuts guys, I know how trigger happy some of you are

It is possible for you guys to be wrong sometimes though, so is there any way to address any issues without getting into a dangerous war of words with that particular mod?

Just so you know, this isn't regarding any action taken out upon myself.

 

[Northstar]

You can, not sure it would actually work though.

This would be the guy to talk to.

 

[Ya Pops]

I dunno man.. God's scary. Isn't there a Gabriel in here?

 

[Hun200kmh]

Don't ever let yourself get into a "... dangerous war of words ..." and also, don't be "trigger happy" yourself. If you follow these rules, both towards mods and towards other members, what you say in any discussion will always be respected.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

The moderators do encourage you to question us if you need clarification on something. It's usually best to ask the moderator who performed the action first, and if their response does not satisfy you, then move on to another moderator. Only then should you go to Jordan, though this is more of a suggestion than an outright rule. However, we do ask that you do so privately, especially if you are asking after a warning or an infraction, because the matter is between you and the moderators. The rest of the forums do not need to know. We have had several occasions where members make a public thread questioning actions taken, which are usually written in a way that tries to get the support of the rest of the forums. I can tell you now, while there are certain conditions under which a warning or an infraction can be repealed, having public support is not one of them. If you create a thread questioning what has happened, the moderators will respond, but we will not be happy about it.

 

[Ya Pops]

Don't ever let yourself get into a "... dangerous war of words ..." and also, don't be "trigger happy" yourself. If you follow these rules, both towards mods and towards other members, what you say in any discussion will always be respected.

Well, by posting this question, I aimed to avert those problems.

The moderators do encourage you to question us if you need clarification on something. It's usually best to ask the moderator who performed the action first, and if their response does not satisfy you, then move on to another moderator. Only then should you go to Jordan, though this is more of a suggestion than an outright rule. However, we do ask that you do so privately, especially if you are asking after a warning or an infraction, because the matter is between you and the moderators. The rest of the forums do not need to know. We have had several occasions where members make a public thread questioning actions taken, which are usually written in a way that tries to get the support of the rest of the forums. I can tell you now, while there are certain conditions under which a warning or an infraction can be repealed, having public support is not one of them. If you create a thread questioning what has happened, the moderators will respond, but we will not be happy about it.

Thanks Interludes. Like I said, it wasn't about any action taken out on me, I just think the Moderator in question has made a pretty bad judgement call and I've noticed a history of petty actions (imo) where it seems to be a matter of making examples and proving a point, rather than providing justifiable moderation.

If anything, it seems to be be a case of not moderating his own actions when moderating if you know what I mean?
Sorry if I can't be more specific, but I'm sure you understand why.

 

[niky]

Gasp. Everyone here is talking about me!

Moderators are only human. In other words, we are not always perfectly logical and not always perfectly calm.

I can honestly admit, myself, to have made mistakes while moderating (first month on the job and all that). But when I do make a genuine, uncalled for, mistake in issuing an infraction or closing a thread, and it's explained to me in a satisfactory manner as to why I was wrong in doing so, I have actually reversed it. (I suppose there should be a Mod-History function so people can see this!)

I guess the taboo against "complaining" comes from the fact that many who complain publicly were infracted for valid reasons... or had their threads closed / posts deleted for valid reasons, and they never got any satisfaction from the feedback process.

We encourage feedback. Greatly. Even if they are about us. I have read a lot of negative feedback about my moderating. Much of it was complaining about things that I have no control over (AUP matters, for example, and the general rule-of-thumb about not having duplicate topics). Some of it, though, is valid, and I've taken note of the criticism for future reference.

 

[astrosdude91]

Yes, if you need clarification or just want to know why any action was taken, the mods welcome this. And it's usually met with an appropriate response leaving everyone involved happy.

Just don't be one of those people who open a thread in the feedback section saying "Teh luzer mods r gramer nazis! I moder8 anuther forum tats waaaay beter" That will never lead to anything good.

 

[Ya Pops]

Niky baby, if you must know, you're my favorite mod
You seem to be pretty chilled with good sense of humour and not as itchy with the trigger finger as some others are.

Maybe you need a few more months in the job to get that jaded Judge Dredd zero tolerance thing going on?

Yes, if you need clarification or just want to know why any action was taken, the mods welcome this. And it's usually met with an appropriate response leaving everyone involved happy.

Just don't be one of those people who open a thread in the feedback section saying "Teh luzer mods r gramer nazis! I moder8 anuther forum tats waaaay beter" That will never lead to anything good.

Of course, that's why I posted this.

My speelling and grammor isn't dat bad isit?????

 

[Duke]

Moderator action may always be questioned, though just like with any user, it should be done respectfully and within the bounds of acceptable posting. It's also better done here, or handled via PM to the moderator in question, rather than as a call-out somewhere else.

If that does not settle the matter to your satisfaction, the next step would be to refer the issue to one of the administrators: Famine, Der Alta, or me. We will review both sides of the issue and decide what (if any) action needs to be taken.

Jordan takes user comments pretty seriously, and while the admins are here to handle what we can, he is also available if the issue is still not being resolved properly. Note that many times the answer will not change - after all, Jordan chose each of us because he thinks we share his vision of GTPlanet - but he will always look at the events and review the staff's response. 👍

 

[Ya Pops]

Thanks for the responses guys. Much appreciated 👍

 

[TheToad263]

Well, by posting this question, I aimed to avert those problems.



Thanks Interludes. Like I said, it wasn't about any action taken out on me, I just think the Moderator in question has made a pretty bad judgement call and I've noticed a history of petty actions (imo) where it seems to be a matter of making examples and proving a point, rather than providing justifiable moderation.

If anything, it seems to be be a case of not moderating his own actions when moderating if you know what I mean?
Sorry if I can't be more specific, but I'm sure you understand why.

Im glad to know im not the only one who feels this way. Don't get me wrong, almost all of the admins on this site are cool people, but Duke in particular has made some very petty comments and closed my thread for absolutely no reason (at least not a cogent one.) The problem is, sometimes the admins, even the good ones, get very upset if you question their actions or try to bring up that they can be insensitive and sometimes downright insulting. I often feel like I exist in some dictatorship where your'e never allowed to question the admins.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

You're not endearing yourself to us in the slightest. Accusing the moderators of abusing their power or being dictators, nazis, thugs, goons, Imperial Stormtroopers (we're way more accurate than they ever were), or any variation thereof generally makes us want to start issuing warnings or infractions. Seriously, it's insulting.

 

[AMCNUT]

On a slightly separate note, how do you actually become a moderator? Is there some sort of application process or do you just have to be 'chosen'? I've always wondered that since obviously moderators have lives outside the web, but keeping tabs on a site of this magnitude must be awfully draining and a big commitment!

 

[Peter]

You're chosen by the mods. They will decide on whoever they feel is best for the job.

 

[TB]

You're chosen by Jordan. He will decide on whoever he feels is best for the job.

Corrected.

 

[Azuremen]

You're not endearing yourself to us in the slightest. Accusing the moderators of abusing their power or being dictators, nazis, thugs, goons, Imperial Stormtroopers (we're way more accurate than they ever were), or any variation thereof generally makes us want to start issuing warnings or infractions. Seriously, it's insulting.

And yet he called you none of those things.

He said that at times some mods can be a bit rude, which is understandable as they are human. And that it feels like a dictatorship at times, which happens with ebb and flow of moderation. I made a thread sometime ago on whether people thought the forum was over moderated at the time, and it lead to some interesting discussion.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

And yet he called you none of those things.

I'm just listing some of the names we get called. Before someone gets cute and thinks "hey, I can't call them dictators, but they didn't say anything about calling them Nazis!".

Yes, people do think like this.

 

[Duke]

Im glad to know im not the only one who feels this way. Don't get me wrong, almost all of the admins on this site are cool people, but Duke in particular has made some very petty comments and closed my thread for absolutely no reason (at least not a cogent one.) The problem is, sometimes the admins, even the good ones, get very upset if you question their actions or try to bring up that they can be insensitive and sometimes downright insulting. I often feel like I exist in some dictatorship where your'e never allowed to question the admins.

Have you not made this point already? Several times? Perhaps if you would take note of that, you would understand why your threads are being closed.

Also, please do feel free to point out where I have been "very upset" that my actions have been questioned. If you read my earlier post in this thread, I described exactly the method and protocol to follow if you have a problem with staff actions.