Afraid to post?

[JenBayles]

Hi senor! I'm very happy to see some other mods popping up in this thread, so thanks for stopping by. I think we have a pretty good idea from the current member responses that we would like a bit more relaxed atmosphere here at S2K. Obviously, since we are members only, we don't have an opportunity to see what you Mods have to deal with behind the scenes. No doubt it can be as contentious as it sometimes get on any controversial public topic. At this point in the conversation, I would really like to hear what all of our mods and admins are thinking and dealing with as this thread has grown over the past couple of days.

[Janie2006]

The rules here are more restrictive than asking for respect of other members. There is too much control over the member experience, and it's frustrating.

What do you mean by "control over the member experience"? I for one don't want the board to become a flame-for-all. I've seen this happen one time too many. Storm 2K is too valuable a resource...care has to be taken here.

"Control over the member experience" to me means rules that limit the open & honest discussion that would occur between people in real life. I would never advocate a "flame-for-all", but certainly there should be a balance struck between the two. People are shocked that this thread is even here, and that says something.

What sort of balance would you advocate? Do you mean a balance between discussion and flame? Between restriction and freedom? It seems to me that for the most part the Admin/Mod team has been trying to do just that: strike a fine balance. Its not easy in an internet community with this many members. Besides, everyone slips up and makes a mistake now and then. Its unavoidable.

It isn't my intention to be blunt, but internet boards are not democratic societies. Ultimately you have to find a way to reconcile the desires of the board members with the purposes of the board. If purely political discussions continuously devolve into flame wars or result in hard feelings among posters in the community, they will impact Storm 2K's effectiveness as a member of the Wx community. Under those circumstances, I don't know how the team could have made a better decision at the time.

[chadtm80]

Great feedback everyone.. And it is appreciated it. We will take it all in and address them all at the same time.. Changes.... They will be coming.. Thats a promise!!!

[breeze]

Well, I'm like Kelly, as I've been following this post for the last few days. It's always good to
stand back, take a deep breath, and learn what people are really thinking.

After all these years, this site is still bookmarked as my home page. It's my place to come
and "hang out" and have some good conversations. I have never felt that I had to walk on
eggshells here. If you treat fellow members as you would like to be treated, there would
be no excuse for Admin/Mods to call any attention to you. You have to know the difference
between a healthy discussion, and, out-right blasphemy towards another person/people.
I have never felt "picked-on" by Admin/Mods. Yes - they ARE watching - but, if they weren't,
this place would be a runaway train. I have never felt that I could not PM any of them with
a problem - I know it would be addressed, ASAP.

Janie's suggestion of "respect" is something that all of us need to step back and consider.
We've grown over the years, and, we've got a lot of different personalities on this board.
We've got to work together to NOT be that runaway train, or, else we just sink into
cyberspace with other "URL Cannot Be Found" sites.

That's my brutally honest opinion.

~Annette~

[Stephanie]

Okay, my first time in here.

First off, thank you for that compliment, Regit. As Jen had suggested, the "Golden Rule" is something I do try and follow, but I'm not always successful at. I'm human...

I am kind of the lone, liberal Mod on this board, but it doesn't mean that I don't agree with some of the more "conservative" viewpoints. My fellow Mods and Admins have always shown me respect towards how I view things.

I agree that in a way, it is partially a demographic issue concerning the location of the majority of the staff and the members and thus the political viewpoints that follows. However, if I didn't want to be here because of that, I wouldn't. Trust me, I have had my moments and flareups behind the scenes, some of which I would take back.

A lot of people have mentioned the difficulty of trying to follow the rules and regulations on this board and that they are perhaps a little too restrictive. I was glad to read by some of the members that they have actually seen an improvement in the overall atmosphere here after the Political Forum was closed. I was very supportive of that idea, partly for the selfish reason of being in the minority in my political viewpoint, but mostly because I didn't think it was worth the aggravation of trying to be a boxing referee in there. I didn't think it was worth the hard feelings that did eventually spill out into the other forums. There have been some members that have been/were constantly the main source of the bashing in that forum and new ones cropped up everyday. As a Mod, it was mentally exhausting.

Now lies the paradox. We have tried to allow "current event" discussions of what is going on in the world today, including political time bombs. They ALMOST ALWAYS tend to go downhill somewhere down the line and have to be pulled and/or locked because of the bashing. It's the nature of the beast - the topic brings out the passion in people. Once we start warning, deleting, etc. we tend to get crucified for doing so.

I am NOT saying that mistakes don't happen on our side. As Kelly and many of the other Mods and Admins have stated, PLEASE pm a staff member if you see something or feel something is being done unfairly to another member or whatever. That is the only way that things can be resolved.

I've been a member of a weather board for at least 7 years, including TWC, which is where I started. I'm online almost everyday and this is the first place I come to and usually stay at while looking at other sites, etc. I don't know what my life would be without it. I know I would miss it terribly.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and concerns. This thread was a long time coming.

[sunny]

Steph, I appreciate that. But what if the problem IS a mod? There is the fear that if you PM a mod about another mod, then the mod being reported is tipped off, gets their story straight and then the member is left floating.

[therock1811]

Again, I bring up the point: If you feel like going into a particular thread is going to cause you to blow up, maybe think twice about THAT THREAD. Don't let anything get between you and the comraderie(sp?) on this board. If there's a problem, definitely pm one of the mods. I remember right in the midst of all the commotion with Rita in 2005, me and Duck got into a little bit of an argument(if I might call it that), but cooler heads prevailed after talking it out via pm.

[Stephanie]

Steph, I appreciate that. But what if the problem IS a mod? There is the fear that if you PM a mod about another mod, then the mod being reported is tipped off, gets their story straight and then the member is left floating.

I know that is a concern that many have brought up.

Your BEST bet, IMHO, if you don't feel comfortable pm'g another Mod, contact one of the Admins.

therock - that is probably the BEST advice to give anyone regarding threads. Everyone has a choice and control over their own actions. I know we're in a day and age where it's ALWAYS someone else's fault but we really do have control over we CHOOSE to do. We have to take responsibility for our own actions.

[GalvestonDuck]

Steph, I appreciate that. But what if the problem IS a mod? There is the fear that if you PM a mod about another mod, then the mod being reported is tipped off, gets their story straight and then the member is left floating.

I can tell you based on a certain previous experience, I took it to an admin, who then communicated with the reported mod. So, aside from the fact that the member involved and the mod involved probably figured it out by process of elimination, there shouldn't have really been a way that the mod got tipped off. Of course, that was a pretty serious offense.

In minor cases with misunderstandings, we've probably discussed it as a peer group and helped mediate things between the member and mod. I'm sure if you look around, you will find a handful of posts where we've apologized to members for misunderstandings or miscommunications. Then again, some may have even been dealt with via PM, as Jeremy said.

Was that the whole "living on a barrier island" thing, Jeremy? (I don't remember much else during Rita...except a long, line of traffic.)

[therock1811]

therock - that is probably the BEST advice to give anyone regarding threads. Everyone has a choice and control over their own actions. I know we're in a day and age where it's ALWAYS someone else's fault but we really do have control over we CHOOSE to do. We have to take responsibility for our own actions.

EXACTLY! That's what I am getting at! Members can help by policing themselves sometimes too.

I think it was Duck. Not too sure myself as most of the second half of '05 was a blur for me.

[Jack8631]

I wanted to make a comment about political/religious threads. If you are going host an off-topics section, there should be no limitations as to what can be discussed (within reason, or course). Separate forums for these subjects? Horse hockey. This is a weather forum.

I've always been treated well by the staff on S2K, so I cannot comment on whatever issues other members are experiencing.

[southerngale]

Steph, I appreciate that. But what if the problem IS a mod? There is the fear that if you PM a mod about another mod, then the mod being reported is tipped off, gets their story straight and then the member is left floating.

If the problem is a mod, you can still contact a mod you're comfortable talking to or just go straight to an admin. I have received complaints about other mods before and sometimes it's just a simple misunderstanding and can be worked out to everyone's satisfaction behind the scenes. The only way to improve things is by being open and honest about the problems. If you can't post it on the open board, don't hesitate to contact a staff member.

[Lindaloo]

Steph, I appreciate that. But what if the problem IS a mod? There is the fear that if you PM a mod about another mod, then the mod being reported is tipped off, gets their story straight and then the member is left floating.

The right thing to do would be to PM an Admin first and foremost.

[chadtm80]

To Clarify the chain of command here at storm2k

Owners (also admins)no particular order

Chadtmo80 (Chad)
mf_dolphin (Marshall)

Forum Admin

vbhoutex (David)

Head Mod "acting admin when none around"

southerngale (kelly)

Rest of Mod Staff
http://www.storm2k.org/phpbb2/groupcp.p ... 49fa386900


So to answer your question sunny you can follow that chain or just go straight to a staff member you feel comfortable with

[wx247]

I have been deciding the last few days whether or not to post my thoughts into this thread mainly because I am not sure how they will be received. I decided after rereading all of the comments that I would write. First off, let me say that I love the premise of Storm2K and I have made some amazing friends here. No matter how bad things get here I will always come to the boards and at least browse. I am too connected to the place to ever leave. That being said, I have had my ups and downs with many on the forums. I have been told horrible things to by the admin of this site via pm always and I can't necessarily say that I haven't deserved. I have had my fair share of run ins with the mods as well and some have acted very cruelly toward me, but we are human. At the same time, I have been praised and thanked by the mods for reporting things many times as well. While I cannot forget those things that have been said to me, I am willing to move on and have.

To be quite honest, for many months of my life S2K was home. I spent hours here. I am still one of the highest posting members here, even though I do concede many of those were game posts. My biggest problem was probably a selfish one, but last year I became upset because I had never been asked to be a moderator nor I had ever ONCE been nominated for Member of the Month. Childish, yes! But I felt that I had given so much time to this place that maybe just once someone would recognize what I did. I don't need constant reinforcement or praise. Maybe I wouldn't make a great moderator, but I felt left out in the cold, so to speak, anyway. That is when I started putting my energy into my own forum.

It has never taken off the way S2K has and never will. My goal wasn't to take over s2k, but rather to create a place that gave me the chance to create a place with dreams of what I wanted to see... things that would never happen here. It was then that I invited a few members and mods over to the site from here, just to post. Soon, they were informed that they could not be heavily involved in posting there (if at all). Once again, I felt betrayed.

We are all human and this site is just one part of our lives, to varying degrees. This place is a valued asset to the weather community. Communication has not always been the best by the admin and the moderators and I feel that this has led to the thread that we have today. Some of it is growing pains, some of it is very valid constructive criticism that needs to be addressed by the admin and mods... not just for a few weeks as this thread is being discussed... but every day. I love this place and I want to be a part of it, as much as I can be, but the issues that have been brought up need to be addressed. This site means the world to me and I know that it means a lot to many others. Sometimes we don't communicate that well either. I just want what is best. I hope that is understood.

[Miss Mary]

Garrett - your post really tugged at my heart. Yes you are one of the highest count members and one of the most respected as well. I am very surprised you were never nominated for MOTM, let alone win! I realize those words may sound hollow but they are heartfelt. What I noticed most while reading your post was Regit's comments that there's a clique here. I just want to say as an S2K member, I'm sorry you have felt left out or betrayed along the way. Judging by the replies and past topics/comments elsewhere, regarding S2K, others have felt left out too. I'm hoping that is one of the changes Chad mentions. Less strict, including everyone (excluding trolls, we can all agree on that I think). Just saying those words is fine, putting them into practice is completely different. And one I would support, 100%.

I also noticed you weren't around as much but I honestly thought it was because you were busy teaching now! Perhaps I should have just asked you - what is new?

Back on topic, I love this place too. Like you've stated. What you said was completely understood by this member. Loud and clear.

Mary

[Lindaloo]

Garrett, you are one of my favorites here. You would make a GREAT moderator here and you can certainly have my spot as long as you promise to continue to stay the way you are and never change. Promise you will always be a friend.

[wx247]

Just to clarify... I wasn't posting this as a way to get sympathy or attention. I hope that is understood. I just posted my thoughts and the matter. That being said, I appreciate the heartfelt responses.

[GalvestonDuck]

Garrett, I have always enjoyed our conversations and your many informative, thought-provoking posts. I, too, think you would make a great moderator.

I would like to address one point that confused and concerned me:

Soon, they were informed that they could not be heavily involved in posting there (if at all). Once again, I felt betrayed.

That's a new one on me. Lots of people here post at other boards on a regular basis. The only thing I know for sure is that the admins ask that the staff here aren't also staff on other boards (loyalty and time, being the main concerns, which I understand). And speaking of loyalty and betrayal, although no one here is restricted from reading, posting, or belonging to other boards, we don't really appreciate the two-facedness displayed when members post here with shows of support and friendship and then post negative, insulting thoughts about S2K on other boards.

[sunny]

Chad, I adore you but I am done beating around the bush here. So off comes my head.

I had a situation that WAS brought to the attention of admin. A member who was banned here not once but THREE times kept coming back under different screen names and harrassing me. He was 'involved' with another mod and she KNEW he was coming back here. I handed over all of the evidence. Nothing was done about it, absolutely nothing. Given that she knew a banned member was back and hid it - is that not in complete violation of rules? But I guess it doesn't matter.