Thank you everyone for constructive criticisms and suggestions in this and other forums. Please be assured that your concerns are being heard and all suggestions are seriously considered. I apologize for not responding in depth sooner, but others have, and I thought it was important to be as concise and descriptive as possible. There are two main things I want to address (please forgive the long post!):
Moderators
(In this message, operators and moderators are considered one and the same.) Please remember that moderators are fans. They were chosen in part because they were actively involved in the story/ARG discussion and participated as much as possible. They do this as a volunteer and spend considerable time here because they enjoy the story and/or ARG. Moderating is not easy.
That being said, a moderator should remain intrinsically neutral. No users should receive preferential treatment or detrimental treatment, and despite being friends with many people here, friendships should not come into play. Sometimes this is a hard guideline to follow, and if you feel a moderator is not behaving in a neutral and authoritative manner, please contact another moderator or myself. Be aware that we have guidelines that all moderators are expected to follow, and we are revising/updating those guidelines currently. (Many of your comments/suggestions are included in this discussion!) The moderator guidelines will remain between the moderators, but they will be held to those guidelines. If you feel a moderator behaves inappropriately, please contact me. I support the great staff we have here, but if actions need to be taken, I or The Creators will do so, and no concern will be overlooked, even if we disagree.
That being said, moderators are people too, as others have said, and we all have the same faults. We do our best on a
very busy forum. And if we mess up, we have every intention of using that as a learning experience so it does not happen again.
Moderators are encouraged not to be heavy-handed. So yes, some flame wars will occur, and some threads will be let to continue. If you feel an action needs to be taken, please contact a moderator with a link to the issue in question. Sometimes people see things in different ways and getting another person's perspective is very helpful! But if an action does take place that you disagree with, be aware that there are often issues you are not aware of, such as PM complaints and moderator discussion.
Fans
The
Forum Etiquette, Rules, and Policies are guidelines for users, and all users are expected to abide by these. Obviously there's more leeway in certain things (such as posting off-topic or using nested quotes and such in the areas of the forum for chatting), and some points here are helpful suggestions more than "laws", but these rules are very important. If you receive a message from a moderator that you are not following these rules, please take that message seriously, review the rules, and consider changing your post or action. If an offense is minor, sometimes it's helpful just to have it pointed out. But if an offense is more extreme, users will be warned. Enforcement can include a temporary or permanent ban. Be aware that moderators do not make this decision on their own, especially if it involves banning.
Flame wars are a part of any message board, especially one as large and with as many users as this. But please be aware that the general rules of society should apply here. If you wouldn't call a co-worker or fellow classmate/acquaintance a bad name in public, don't do it on a message board. As Tigerlilylynn pointed out, self-moderation is key. A civil and intelligent discussion is productive, while an angry and offensive discussion only breeds more of the same. Sometimes, everyone just needs to step away and cool down before posting. Again, it's human nature.
Most importantly, this is supposed to be a fun place!!! I know people get frustrated sometimes. Folks feel they're not included at times or not heard. Maybe you don't like someone. But remember that we're all here to have fun, and these issues will come up far more often.
Thanks everyone!
-BK
