The original post by Techgirl did not warrant the reponse that N727NK posted. It was a personal attach (as was the thread, for that matter, but that's another issue).

If you tend to "go off" in that type of manner regarding the type of trip report that TG originally posted, I'd suggest re-lurking. In effect "I don't like the content of your trip report" does not give you carte blanche to insult another FT member, thus breaking the FT TOS.



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Saving the world, one clue at a time.

I am a system administrator on a large chat site. At any time there are maybe 150-250 people on the site and between 5 and 10 people with varying admin privledges. We have problems with trying to keep things civil as well as allowing some pretty provocative chat. Much more so than on FT. We have strict rules as to how and when an admin acts as a moderator of our chat. My biggest suggestion would be that moderators not participate in the forums that they moderate and that you have specific guidelines as to when to warn, erase a post, or close a thread. My experience comes from moderating hundreds of hours of live chat. I would note that many problems could be solved by stopping posters from starting inflamitory post after post. There is a fine line between heathly debate and total inflamitory in-fighting.

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dallasflyer

[This message has been edited by dallasflyer (edited 05-22-2003).]

I admit I dislike the first idea (moderators may not be participants). I really enjoy Sean's trip reports. His "connection" with Air India offers a very interesting insight into the "other side" of air travel that most passengers never see.

Some of the moderators are also well-versed and knowledgeable in the airlines they help moderate. This allows them to help answer questions and "keep the facts straight", so to speak.

Moderation of FlyerTalk is not a paying job, though it probably easily could be a full-time one. If my only purpose was to troll threads and warn/rebuke/remove posts that violated the ToS, I'd quickly grow very bored and "retire" so I could participate.

As for the second part (specific guidelines), are they not already outlined in the ToS? I know most people probably did not bother to read them (I didn't, but then I have a modicum of common sense and understand that picking fights with other posters and being personally disparging would likely have the FSA - Forum Security Agency - escorting me from the server), but I would like to think the moderators have read them and use them as the guidelines to follow.

Moderators are people too, and they should be as equally welcome to offer constructive, informative, and positive posts as any other member of FT. Should they be held to a "higher standard"? Not really, for all of us should be held to that higher standard and act accordingly.

I read Sean's trip reports also. He participates on Trip Report forum. He could then volunter to moderate another forum. This could be true of all moderators that meet your criteria. If you want to give back to FT and moderate a forum, great. Just follow a pre-set formula for moderation and don't participate in that forum. Less problems, less issues.

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dallasflyer

DallasFlyer ... I can understand that what you say has merit. However on FT AFAIK Moderators in almost all (maybe 100%?) cases volunteered for the Forums they were allocated. And from my observation - and human nature dictates this anyway, folks chose Forums they mostly visit.

In many ways that makes great sense, as the person is gonna be on that board anyway, so can see any transgressions first hand in many cases. If cblaisd volunteered for the Air France board but never flies them, I guess it is natural to spend minimal time there.

Sean,

I agree with the others above that you write superb trip reports. Both content and writing style are excellent and a pleasure to read.

Sadly I cannot say the same for your skills as a moderator. The whole "counter report to TG's report" issue has been mentioned enough and it is obvious that that was not a great idea but to "recruit" your friend N727NK to flame and attack established and regular FT'ers is one of the worst things I have ever seen on this board.

For this alone, I think you should not even hesitate to resign immidiately from your role as moderator of the trip reports board.



[This message has been edited by JohnG (edited 05-22-2003).]

Sad but true.

First off, does the AirFrance forum even have a moderator? Secondly, it is not hard to see a problem forum. I am checking on FT almost everyday, exceptions are some of my international travel. I could easily check on an extra forum and if there was a problem try and take care of it. I would volunter to do that on a forum that I didn't regularily post to. That is just giving back to FT. Now, Oz, I am not sure there is a forum that you don't regularily post to, so?

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dallasflyer

dctorres is the AF moderator

I actually really liked that trip report, but agree it could have just been presented as a "Slice of Life" post, and not as a "counter-view" to Jen's/TechGirl's "Amateur Hour" thread.

The problem with the "AH" thread was not whether Jen is a "mean" person, but that some people found it humorous while others found it humorless. Sides were quickly drawn, flags were raised, and everyone rallied to one or the other. Taunts became jeers, jeers became attacks, and then general war broke out.

It should have been closed as soon as the sides rallied, as human nature implied (and later proved) that it could only go down from there - which it invariably did.

Sean, unfortunately, phrased his follow-on post as a "counter-view". And both sides from Jen's thread immediately carried their battle over to this new thread.

If Sean had started his trip report at the third paragraph ("A few days ago I headed out on a routine trip to Singapore...) and ended it with the paragraph before the last, it would have been a great report that nobody would have had an issue with.

[Edited for clarity]

[This message has been edited by SEA_Tigger (edited 05-23-2003).]

My feelings exactly (as I posted earlier). Without the somewhat mean-spirited introduction, I loved B747-437B's report.

But I really object to anyone "going off" on another member because of an innocuous comedic trip report. That makes me

Again, I very rarely go off like I did at anyone. Now, I am not apologizing, and I'd also like to say it is none of your concern if I re-lurk or not. I did not post what I did to downgrade her trip report, but I DID make it a point to address how insulting and downgrading she was to "amateur" fliers.

Why DO people care if you are Elite this Platinum that? Does it make you a better person? No.. If you act in the way that Techgirl's report was showing, it makes you a WORSE person. I look at a lot of your little side-bar-info-thingies, and it goes on about all the award levels you have achieved.. I have one question.. We care WHY? anyway..

For those of you who like and may have used the word recruit to describe Sean's calling my attn to the thread, it was nothing of the sort.. Friends Help Friends...

Oh, by the way.. I registered last year.. look at the date..

Chris

PS- For those of you who want to (and have, for that matter) put me in the same league as Sean, please, be my guest.. It's an honor to be in the presence of him..

(Edited twice for UBB errors..)

[This message has been edited by N727NK (edited 05-23-2003).]

[This message has been edited by N727NK (edited 05-23-2003).]

Will you please give it a rest, "friend"? Thank you.

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-Otto

[This message has been edited by OttoGraham (edited 05-24-2003).]

You know, it's amazing. "I rarely go off like I did" is not a justification for your posting. Once was clearly enough.

She was pointing out the raw truth about what she saw on her flights and if that happens to be downgrading to "amateur" flyers, I'd suggest then that we've all learned something.

Regarding the rest of your post: you are, like many others of late, trying to troll the entire FT membership (eg, questioning why people place their status into their avatars). I'm not taking the bait.

(the obvious answer, is of course that some people are facinated by aircraft registrations, and some of us simply prefer to fly on them enough to gain status).

Quote:

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">
Why DO people care if you are Elite this Platinum that? Does it make you a better person? No.. If you act in the way that Techgirl's report was showing, it makes you a WORSE person. I look at a lot of your little side-bar-info-thingies, and it goes on about all the award levels you have achieved.. I have one question.. We care WHY? anyway..

For those of you who like and may have used the word recruit to describe Sean's calling my attn to the thread, it was nothing of the sort.. Friends Help Friends...

Oh, by the way.. I registered last year.. look at the date..

Chris

PS- For those of you who want to (and have, for that matter) put me in the same league as Sean, please, be my guest.. It's an honor to be in the presence of him..

(Edited twice for UBB errors..)

[This message has been edited by N727NK (edited 05-23-2003).]

[This message has been edited by N727NK (edited 05-23-2003).]

Re-lurking is your prerogative. If you don't post, no one knows you're here and it doesn't matter. The fact that you 'rarely go off like that' doesn't justify your outburst, which would've been out of line from any member of the community no matter how long standing. If I utter a racial slur once, are my actions justified by saying that I only occasionally offend people? Does the lack of frequency make it right? No.

Many people on the board have flamed and ranted, the difference is that they were wise enough to realize later on that their message was lost due to the stridency of their tone. I'm very guilty of going off at people. The difference is that I'll admit I'm wrong in either message, delivery, or both and rephrase or retract my statement accordingly rather than blather on about how I don't care what anyone thinks and offering up limp justifications for sophomoric ravings.

As far as being in Sean's league... hardly. Even he recognizes when he makes mistakes and makes amends for them.