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On technical difficulties, mod coverage and other things:
DJ Eebs
Moderator, Administrator admin
Moderator, Administrator admin
Hey folks,
First off: I’ve been absent from my duties here for a while. There are reasons for that, but ultimately they’re not extremely relevant to most of you. I want to apologize for that, first of all. Between the big flare ups we’ve had between everyone and the technical meltdowns going on with our forum software, you deserved better from me there. I’m sorry about that.
First of all: I’m collecting all of the error data to send over to Higher Logic/Vanilla. Unfortunately, it’s Friday, so we’ll probably be holding out until Monday for any response, so I’ll ask for some patience from them, if not for me. I’m confident that that will be resolved as quickly as possible, and is likely due to some update that isn’t compatible with our own bullshit.
Regarding the moderation/admin duties, and the recent calls for more transparency and help: there’s clearly a lack of trust here, and that’s on me. Our first step is that we’re looking to add new moderators to the team. The entire site shouldn’t fall apart when one person is absent.
I’ll be transparent about one specific thing here, though, and it’s that this is a forum for a site primarily built around a video game focused webcomic, and it is attached to a real company. I see many calls from people for very specific changes that they’d like to see, and while I can understand where those calls and requests are coming from, I’m just going to tell you right now that we have limited resources to work with both in terms of manpower and in terms of how much technical work we can really do. There are also going to be hard limits on things many of us would rather not have limited.
These forums can be a community gathering place, and it can be a place where we can, ideally, discuss difficult subjects. When I say that we’ve got to maintain a certain respectable tone here, it’s not just to make our moderators jobs easier, or to maintain the good image of Penny Arcade. I’ll be frank: nobody who pays attention to Penny Arcade as a company is likely going to care what people on the Penny Arcade forums get up to, at least in terms of the company’s image. We’ve got clear rules in place about public threats because that’s a very clear and hard line that’s easy to point to and say, “that could get you in real trouble with law enforcement, and that, by extension, can get us in trouble with law enforcement. That’s not the only thing that can get us, and you, in trouble, and I want you all to really internalize that fact.
Lastly: we’ve got some pretty stark divisions between people here. There’s not a way to moderate that out of existence without, I believe, just obliterating the forums entirely, and you’ll understand if I consider that a last result. I can’t and won’t ask everyone to get along, and I can’t and won’t ask everyone to not get angry. There are plenty of things going on right now in the world that are horrendous, and I know asking everyone not to be enraged by them is extremely patronizing.
That said: it is not tone policing to require people who post here to not blow up at the slightest hint that someone is not 100% on your side. If we want these forums to continue to exist as any sort of community, I am begging everyone here to give each other the bare minimum of the benefit of the doubt. Stop assuming the absolute dirt worst out of each other at the slightest provocation. Stop assuming that it is your job to take out the trash because you don’t feel the moderation staff here isn’t going to deal with it effectively. If you don’t think these forums are worth keeping around, that’s fine. I’d sure prefer that if you do not think your time here is worthwhile, that you instead find literally anything else to do with your time voluntarily. If you can’t make that choice for yourself, and you instead want to escalate things further, you’ll be shown the door.
I don’t plan on any mass bans, or to kick anyone off the current moderation staff. There are clearly people on the staff who are not active, and we’ll be addressing those as soon as we’re able to, on a technical level. Obviously the top priority right now is to get the forums to just…fucking work on a technical level, but we’re going to work on everything else as well.
Thank you. I’ll be around in here to answer questions as best I can this weekend, and again: I apologize for just…not being around enough in the past few weeks.
First off: I’ve been absent from my duties here for a while. There are reasons for that, but ultimately they’re not extremely relevant to most of you. I want to apologize for that, first of all. Between the big flare ups we’ve had between everyone and the technical meltdowns going on with our forum software, you deserved better from me there. I’m sorry about that.
First of all: I’m collecting all of the error data to send over to Higher Logic/Vanilla. Unfortunately, it’s Friday, so we’ll probably be holding out until Monday for any response, so I’ll ask for some patience from them, if not for me. I’m confident that that will be resolved as quickly as possible, and is likely due to some update that isn’t compatible with our own bullshit.
Regarding the moderation/admin duties, and the recent calls for more transparency and help: there’s clearly a lack of trust here, and that’s on me. Our first step is that we’re looking to add new moderators to the team. The entire site shouldn’t fall apart when one person is absent.
I’ll be transparent about one specific thing here, though, and it’s that this is a forum for a site primarily built around a video game focused webcomic, and it is attached to a real company. I see many calls from people for very specific changes that they’d like to see, and while I can understand where those calls and requests are coming from, I’m just going to tell you right now that we have limited resources to work with both in terms of manpower and in terms of how much technical work we can really do. There are also going to be hard limits on things many of us would rather not have limited.
These forums can be a community gathering place, and it can be a place where we can, ideally, discuss difficult subjects. When I say that we’ve got to maintain a certain respectable tone here, it’s not just to make our moderators jobs easier, or to maintain the good image of Penny Arcade. I’ll be frank: nobody who pays attention to Penny Arcade as a company is likely going to care what people on the Penny Arcade forums get up to, at least in terms of the company’s image. We’ve got clear rules in place about public threats because that’s a very clear and hard line that’s easy to point to and say, “that could get you in real trouble with law enforcement, and that, by extension, can get us in trouble with law enforcement. That’s not the only thing that can get us, and you, in trouble, and I want you all to really internalize that fact.
Lastly: we’ve got some pretty stark divisions between people here. There’s not a way to moderate that out of existence without, I believe, just obliterating the forums entirely, and you’ll understand if I consider that a last result. I can’t and won’t ask everyone to get along, and I can’t and won’t ask everyone to not get angry. There are plenty of things going on right now in the world that are horrendous, and I know asking everyone not to be enraged by them is extremely patronizing.
That said: it is not tone policing to require people who post here to not blow up at the slightest hint that someone is not 100% on your side. If we want these forums to continue to exist as any sort of community, I am begging everyone here to give each other the bare minimum of the benefit of the doubt. Stop assuming the absolute dirt worst out of each other at the slightest provocation. Stop assuming that it is your job to take out the trash because you don’t feel the moderation staff here isn’t going to deal with it effectively. If you don’t think these forums are worth keeping around, that’s fine. I’d sure prefer that if you do not think your time here is worthwhile, that you instead find literally anything else to do with your time voluntarily. If you can’t make that choice for yourself, and you instead want to escalate things further, you’ll be shown the door.
I don’t plan on any mass bans, or to kick anyone off the current moderation staff. There are clearly people on the staff who are not active, and we’ll be addressing those as soon as we’re able to, on a technical level. Obviously the top priority right now is to get the forums to just…fucking work on a technical level, but we’re going to work on everything else as well.
Thank you. I’ll be around in here to answer questions as best I can this weekend, and again: I apologize for just…not being around enough in the past few weeks.
Sterica on
+199
This discussion has been closed.
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An actual SE++ mod that is still active.
Non actual mods to have the badges removed (if it is too hard they can always make a new account)
Transparency on account that some people feel that mods are tone policing.
Satans..... hints.....
she just has a different bar for what the point at which a mod has to step in and say "stop talking about this" than some people
Both of the first two points were addressed in that post: I'm looking to add new mods, and to clean up mod staff that is and has been inactive.
Also, yes, like Gnome mentioned, Whippy is very much active, and has been suggesting new moderators from SE in private, and we're in those discussions right now.
Effectively, yes. All I can really do here is apologize for not handling it earlier and work to get it fixed now. I'm aware that that sucks ass, but unfortunately, I can't undo that it happened.
Please help my sick dog
We have threads in both D&D and SE for those sorts of post, though we've all gotten out of the habit of using them, I believe. We'll try to make sure that we use those more going forward.
Mind you I want to be clear that frustrations over a web forum are not top priority. I do get that. You have a whole ass job that is not this. I am very appreciative of the effort you do put in.
Expecting former mods to make a new account is kinda silly. Make a mental note and move on.
Take your time for you first, that goes for all the rest of the staff here. If the community here can't fall apart without mods keeping us in line, that's as much on us as anyone else. I feel like alot of us have forgotten the Golden Rule in the last year and it shows.
Just a higher class of poster with special powers and no responsibilities, that look exactly like the ones with...the same powers and theoretical responsibilities that don't actually seem to exist in practice.
I started this post trying to make a joke about this situation and just made myself sad.
We still have posters running around on DnD who play politeness politics while being absolutely vile in what they're pushing, but because they're very careful whcih lines they go up to and how many points they accumulate, they've not been banned. The treehousing has absolutely been reinforced by the moderation in DnD.
Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/id/TheZombiePenguin
Stream: https://www.twitch.tv/thezombiepenguin/
Switch: 0293 6817 9891
But I do hope we get new moderators soon, and things become a bit more transparent. This is a good start on that front, at least
PSN ID : DetectiveOlivaw | TWITTER | STEAM ID | NEVER FORGET
So...theoretically, if someone was infracted for mentioning something questionable leadership said in public, the expectation would be for them to explain that decision?
Theoretically of course
Please help my sick dog
Please help my sick dog
On a personal note, I know that coming forward with a public "I've been making mistakes, and I'm going to work on that" admission is really hard as opposed to just keeping your head down and trying to quietly improve. Thanks for speaking up.
PSN: Wstfgl | GamerTag: An Evil Plan | Battle.net: FallenIdle#1970
Hit me up on BoardGameArena! User: Loaded D1
No one made a public note about it, so it just looked needlessly retaliatory for something as simple as repeating information that had been posted publicly by the person involved, verbatim.
Your obsession with me is genuinely unsettling and the spectacle of people who flippantly call other people 'fascists' and 'mass murderers' being mad that they're receiving a tiny fraction of that heat is beyond risible.
I don't think this is the best or most healthy attitude for a highly visible community manager to have.
All that told me is that mods are allowed to lash out at people for saying things they don't like. Without explanation or accountability.
I think it would be helpful to clarify.
Was the problem that DarkPrimus didn’t say the mod’s name who was posting kind of gross things about having an affair and so Kosh jailing him wasn’t a conflict of interest, aside from crossing out of his jurisdiction in D&D?
If DarkPrimus had specifically named Kosh as the person posting kind of gross things about having an affair then would someone else have had to do it?
You are literally a mod of this forum
Yeah man, people are gonna look at you different because you visibly carry power and authority in the community.
Your entire subforum is about lashing out at people you don't like.
No wonder you can't stay out of it.
DoR is a D&D poster lmfao.
If you don’t want people commenting on your lack of ethics, have you considered not proudly boasting about your complete lack of ethics?
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better
bit.ly/2XQM1ke
I post far more in D&D than anywhere else. Seriously, this is the god damned problem.