Forum members gone too long. Where is The_Beyonder 3 3

[Domo Arigato]

13 minutes ago, greggy said:

I would

I spent seven days in the hole because of that post.

And there's no such thing as easy time in the hole.

Get busy living or get busy dying.

[greggy]

1 minute ago, Domo Arigato said:

I spent seven days in the hole because of that post.

And there's no such thing as easy time in the hole.

Get busy living or get busy dying.

I wasn't the snitch

[Domo Arigato]

1 minute ago, greggy said:

I wasn't the snitch

I know. 

I have a pretty good idea who it was though.  

And I gave the sisters a pack of cigarettes each to pay him a visit when they get out.

[greggy]

24 minutes ago, Domo Arigato said:

I know. 

I have a pretty good idea who it was though.  

And I gave the sisters a pack of cigarettes each to pay him a visit when they get out.

What if he fights better than Andy?

[Get Marwood & I]

Please Dufresne, sorry, refrain from all the Shawshank references.  

[Get Marwood & I]

5 hours ago, Domo Arigato said:

My recent experience does lead me to believe that the moderation in here sucks balls (oops....sorry......very sorry.....need to be politically correct) testicles. 

I was given a vacation recently and in the notice it said "The post in question is linked above if you'd like to review what was removed".

There was nothing linked.  There was nothing given to me to review.  

Yep. The 'new' process as it is laid down isn't followed, and never has been, and the admin team display no interest in that when it is put to them. For the reasons we've all already pointed out, probably.

5 hours ago, Domo Arigato said:

Now, it did say that I can request a moderation review after my vacation was over and I was allowed to post again.  What the hell is the point in that?  The punishment is over at that point.  Stellar process, guys! 

I commented on this earlier. I did a change request or whatever they were called when the new boards went live to have an appeals channel opened up for that very reason. You can't request a moderation review until after your suspension ends. Good job we don't have the death penalty here isn't it! Arch did respond to it, to be fair,  but still declined to pursue it. 

 

[Get Marwood & I]

8 hours ago, VintageComics said:

I've sent two clear, calm emails. Never even received a reply

That goes back to our points about getting what you pay for. They don't have time. I sent one such mail once and the mod did a detailed reply and noted that it had taken them 2 hours to construct it. They aren't actually as technically competent with the board software as we are, as they don't use it. So the mod was annoyed, as I'd effectively wiped his day out. We shared replies, each time with me making what I thought were clear and a factually accurate points in support of my case and the mod each time would gloss over those points.  So it was a waste of both our times on that occasion. On the flip side, I have had points overturned.

I have always had mixed feelings about this subject. One day I don't give a damn, the next I feel that sense of moral indignation. One day I'm on the mods side - let's face it,  what a job, moderating us lot - the next I want to scream when moderation actions blatantly 'fail' (in my opinion of course). Online is no different to real life. If a guy upsets you in the pub, you react, however calm and dignified you may be. If the guy on the phone at the company who has mucked you about won't listen to reason, it drives you nuts. And you react.

So that's why some of the most prolific boardies, and me, are here in this thread discussing a topic which some might say we should all get lives over. 

I have humped the button about three of four times in the two and a bit years I've been here. Two were retaliatory, and two were to test the process. I felt petty each time. So its not something I think I'll ever do again. Until we get a full time admin person on here,  who can add the value I outlined in earlier posts, we're stuck with this system. So best we get on with it. The resource isn't equipped to assess each button hump in a contextual way. The rules are clear enough, so if the mod sees they've been broken they'll likely act. They don't have time to say "oh, it's greggy, so that's an in joke". They probably don't know who greggy is even.

Who does? 

The main issue with the process as I see it is that it is inherently unfair. As I said earlier,  if person A masks swearing ten times, and no one reports,  they get away with it. If person B swears once, and gets reported,  they get moderated. So it is possible to get someone banned by reporting their every transgression. Hence people like lizards2 starting to back away for fear of a total ban. Lizards2 is a great, long time poster here. It would be a sad day indeed if he were banned. And others like him. So the mods need to look for the patterns,  to see if people are being 'ganged up on'. But they don't have time, do they. And admin,  in the main, fail to intervene preferring instead to put their faith in the process. The cheap, poorly conceived, inaccurately administered, unfair process. 

So to conclude, the only way to improve things is to ramp up the resource. Hence my suggestion of an annual fee to pay for a full time administrator who's sole focus is to make this place as fair and effective as it can be. It'll never happen of course, as who aspires to excellence nowadays, when the bare minimum gets them by? And if a few valued contributors fall foul, hey, it's a chat forum. No one died. 

 

[Prince Namor]

6 hours ago, COI said:

Hence why some people stop posting, which is the general topic being discussed in this thread.

You "play the obstacles" when there's still some value to extract from the game, and you leave when the value is no longer there. The fun I got from this board was directly impacted by the changes in moderation and the general culture of the board. I don't think it's whining to point that out when the topic comes up and I feel like crawling out from under my rock for a few seconds.

But what value is that?

What is it you got from this place that you no longer feel you can get?

[Prince Namor]

7 hours ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

I respect the hell out of you for playing the obstacles. But if no one ever knows there's a problem, it's true, nothing can ever change. As COI said, if you find no value, you'll stop playing entirely.

 

But what is the value?

I came here originally to learn more about comics. NOW, there's a whole host of people I know that I can ask questions of. I don't need to post in Comic General ever again if I don't have to - though if I choose to share the information I've learned - it's right there for me to do. There's still knowledge that can be gained from this place. 

But people are going to come and go regardless of moderation - they either enjoy the interaction or they get bored with it and leave.

7 hours ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

And it's not true that no one's paid to be here.

Are mods paid? Who's paid? How do I get on THAT gravy train?

[Get Marwood & I]

54 minutes ago, Chuck Gower said:

But what is the value?

I came here originally to learn more about comics. NOW, there's a whole host of people I know that I can ask questions of. I don't need to post in Comic General ever again if I don't have to - though if I choose to share the information I've learned - it's right there for me to do. There's still knowledge that can be gained from this place. 

Can I play Chuck?

The value is simple for me - interaction with other people. If I post something, and someone interacts, I enjoy that, and usually regardless of how they respond. They have to be pretty unpleasant, or wholly unfair, for me to really take real offence. I joined to interact with people with whom I have a shared interest - a love of comics. I like to share my thoughts and research, and get feedback on it. I also like to have a bit of fun, play devils advocate, and make suggestions as to how things could be better here. It's all done with a good spirit, I like to think. But if I do all that, and get no reaction, no interaction, then there is no value for me. It's like standing in a crowd of people in a pub and everything you say they ignore. No fun.

So interaction, surely, is why we are all here. No one wants to post in a vacuum, do they?

Having established that, there has to be a level playing field. If things are seen to be unfair, then that doesn't promote value. If someone posts extensive detailed information about comics and gets their due reward for it from those that appreciate it - thanks, recognition, respect, input - that's all good. But if they then fall victim of what I would call a 'hunting with the hounds' scenario whereby a few people who disagree with them chase them down constantly leading to increased moderation activity, then that is not fair. There are clear patterns of activity which result in threads being locked etc, and moderation and admin appear to do nothing constructive about it. So we have the perception that the playing field isn't fair. 

I will continue to post while I enjoy doing so, and feel that I am being treated fairly in the process.  If people stop interacting with me, or the 'powers that be' treat me unfairly, I may stop one day (stop now! the masses cry!). It won't be the end of the world, just a personal choice.

54 minutes ago, Chuck Gower said:

But people are going to come and go regardless of moderation - they either enjoy the interaction or they get bored with it and leave.

Or, they enjoy it (the interaction) but the failures of moderation swing the balance away from them staying.

54 minutes ago, Chuck Gower said:

Are mods paid? Who's paid? How do I get on THAT gravy train?

They must do. Who would do this for nothing?! 

Correct me someone of I'm wrong, but I presume CGC contract out the moderation and administration of this site to third parties. The mods, Arch, Scott etc are not CGC staff, correct? So if they are paid to provide a skeleton / minimum service, this is what we get. It's not their fault if so.

How much better would it be to have a full time person(s) with a deep understanding of comics, conflict resolution, people management, procedures, problem solving etc, paid for by a subscription. Tailor the site to its audience, not the other way around. Work with the members, not in isolation of them. Look at what Brittany does for the CGC brand - she creates more positivity than the average ten people and makes people feel that their views are important. Imagine a similar person running these boards on a daily basis. Imagine someone with vision, who could take the board forward into new territories - eat into the GCDs space maybe, a proper selling function.

So Rock's notion earlier is correct - the only way to make such a thing happen would be to write to CGC leadership team direct, not the mods / admin. In my experience in life, the people at the top often don't know what is going on as the people in the middle don't tell them what the people at the bottom are saying / feeling. I'm not saying that's the case here, but I can say that whenever I contact CGC direct, they answer. 

[Prince Namor]

23 minutes ago, Get Marwood & I said:

Can I play Chuck?

The value is simple for me - interaction with other people. If I post something, and someone interacts, I enjoy that, and usually regardless of how they respond. They have to be pretty unpleasant, or wholly unfair, for me to really take real offence. I joined to interact with people with whom I have a shared interest - a love of comics. I like to share my thoughts and research, and get feedback on it. I also like to have a bit of fun, play devils advocate, and make suggestions as to how things could be better here. It's all done with a good spirit, I like to think. But if I do all that, and get no reaction, no interaction, then there is no value for me. It's like standing in a crowd of people in a pub and everything you say they ignore. No fun.

So interaction, surely, is why we are all here. No one wants to post in a vacuum, do they?

2

Yep. And that is still there. 

Quote

Having established that, there has to be a level playing field. If things are seen to be unfair, then that doesn't promote value. If someone posts extensive detailed information about comics and gets their due reward for it from those that appreciate it - thanks, recognition, respect, input - that's all good. But if they then fall victim of what I would call a 'hunting with the hounds' scenario whereby a few people who disagree with them chase them down constantly leading to increased moderation activity, then that is not fair. There are clear patterns of activity which result in threads being locked etc, and moderation and admin appear to do nothing constructive about it. So we have the perception that the playing field isn't fair. 

 

Play the obstacles. Understand the game, and adapt. 

Quote

I will continue to post while I enjoy doing so, and feel that I am being treated fairly in the process.  If people stop interacting with me, or the 'powers that be' treat me unfairly, I may stop one day (stop now! the masses cry!). It won't be the end of the world, just a personal choice.

 

People come and go everyday. The forum continues on. None of us here are 'the forum'. I've heard about 'how it used to be' since the day I joined a little over 9 years ago. People come and go everyday. The forum continues on. 

Quote

Or, they enjoy it (the interaction) but the failures of moderation swing the balance away from them staying.

 

It IS different now. I'm playing Devil's Advocate here, because I would prefer it was how it used to be (which even then wasn't exactly perfect, but...)

Example: Many years ago, a poster who is no longer here, made what I thought was the most offensive post I'd ever read and I straight up responded by calling him a male appendage, but written as the offensive slang for it (there's a way to do it without it getting censored). I didn't get a warning OR a strike for it, because moderation actually understood what had happened. The other guy got a month vacation and is currently the competition's forum regular.

NOW - I'd probably get a strike for it THESE DAYS, because a) in a B&W world I broke the forum rules, b) moderation DOESN'T know and understand what's going on here and c) I have a few people who troll me simply to report any of my posts they feel are worth reporting.

I could cry about it. I could whine about it. I could say, "I'm leaving!" and come back on occasion to remind people "I'm leaving", or I could just get bored by it and go. ME, it'll probably be the latter. I ain't beggin' no one to stay and I don't want anyone beggin' me to stay. When the time comes, I'll just go. Play the obstacles and when you get bored, move on.

I DO have an ego, but believe it or not I don't see any more value in the 800 word posts I make as in the 5 word posts someone else might make. When I'm bored of the game here, I'll be playing another. No FDQ exit necessary. I said my piece, its there for anyone to read. It's a big world out there. Plenty of other entertainment.

Quote

They must do. Who would do this for nothing?! 

Correct me someone of I'm wrong, but I presume CGC contract out the moderation and administration of this site to third parties. The mods, Arch, Scott etc are not CGC staff, correct? So if they are paid to provide a skeleton / minimum service, this is what we get. It's not their fault if so.

How much better would it be to have a full time person(s) with a deep understanding of comics, conflict resolution, people management, procedures, problem solving etc, paid for by a subscription. Tailor the site to its audience, not the other way around. Work with the members, not in isolation of them. Look at what Brittany does for the CGC brand - she creates more positivity than the average ten people and makes people feel that their views are important. Imagine a similar person running these boards on a daily basis. Imagine someone with vision, who could take the board forward into new territories - eat into the GCDs space maybe, a proper selling function.

So Rock's notion earlier is correct - the only way to make such a thing happen would be to write to CGC leadership team direct, not the mods / admin. In my experience in life, the people at the top often don't know what is going on as the people in the middle don't tell them what the people at the bottom are saying / feeling. I'm not saying that's the case here, but I can say that whenever I contact CGC direct, they answer. 

CGC has always seen this forum as an after thought. I doubt they've grown any more fond of it than that. Writing ownership? I'm not saying some good COULDN'T come of it. I'm just saying, don't hold yer breath.

Edited April 22, 2019 by Chuck Gower

[Get Marwood & I]

7 minutes ago, Chuck Gower said:

Play the obstacles. Understand the game, and adapt. 

I do. I think most members do actually. But I also like, occasionally, to test the appetite to have some of them removed. The obstacles that is.

9 minutes ago, Chuck Gower said:

CGC has always seen this forum as an after thought. I doubt they've grown any more fond of it than that. Writing ownership? I'm not saying some good COULDN'T come of it. I'm just saying, don't hold yer breath.

Only one way to find out...

[Pirate]

I've taken my game to facebook to make fun of comic newbs.  The moderation here is run by a gang of insufficiently_thoughtful_persons.

[THE_BEYONDER]

14 hours ago, comicdonna said:

Why can't you access your old id, Chris?  

It used to be that we just entered our user name and password.  Now it’s member # or email.  

 

I’m old and confused.....and can’t get in 

 

 

 

 

[Get Marwood & I]

9 minutes ago, SCSQP said:

It used to be that we just entered our user name and password.  Now it’s member # or email.  

 

I’m old and confused.....and can’t get in 

 

 

 

 

Then you are not welcome here!

Only kidding, fill one of these in and they'll merge you back to your old self 

https://www.cgccomics.com/boards/forum/80-account-merge-requests/

Or send Scott or Dena a pm. 

[THE_BEYONDER]

9 minutes ago, Get Marwood & I said:

Then you are not welcome here!

Only kidding, fill one of these in and they'll merge you back to your old self 

https://www.cgccomics.com/boards/forum/80-account-merge-requests/

Or send Scott or Dena a pm. 

Thanks for the help 

[THE_BEYONDER]

Is ARCH gone?

[Get Marwood & I]

5 minutes ago, SCSQP said:

Thanks for the help 

No worries. If you need to know how to do anything, drop a question and I or others will help. The new place takes a bit of getting used to,  but it's worth it once you've mastered the software. 

[Get Marwood & I]

2 minutes ago, SCSQP said:

Is ARCH gone?

No, he's still about. I was told dena is the first point of call now in admin for routine stuff. 

[1Cool]

11 hours ago, Domo Arigato said:

My recent experience does lead me to believe that the moderation in here sucks balls (oops....sorry......very sorry.....need to be politically correct) testicles. 

I was given a vacation recently and in the notice it said "The post in question is linked above if you'd like to review what was removed".

There was nothing linked.  There was nothing given to me to review.  

Now, it did say that I can request a moderation review after my vacation was over and I was allowed to post again.  What the hell is the point in that?  The punishment is over at that point.  Stellar process, guys! 

Now....if I had to guess which post of mine the slack-jawed, button-humping monkey reported, it was probably one in the thread where the guy was complaining about CGC losing his books.

Now granted......I did say that when I went to CGC to find out what happened to his books, that I witnessed CGC dragging a forum member (greggy) into a dark room with an alter in the center of it.  And I may have mentioned that they killed this certain someone (greggy) and poured this certain someone's blood all over the missing books.  And I might have stated that this could only mean one thing....that they sacrificed a virgin (greggy) over his missing books.

But, good grief......we're talking about greggy here.......NOBODY IS GOING TO MISS HIM!!!

I would!