This is the last post we'll have about this in this thread - any questions or responses, that's why we have a "Forum Issues" section. Any post after this about how the forum is run that's posted in this thread gets the perp a month off. There's no nitpicking - Admins are essentially the owners AND bouncers, the Mods are our appointed bartenders. You don't have to like any of them, but you d@mn well have to be respectful when they get after you for giving someone grief. You don't have to agree with a suspension but it's more important to look at why YOU got suspended than why someone else didn't. You don't always see what happens behind the scenes - you don't know who all gets suspended, or reprimanded. It isn't done arbitarily, we have a process that gets input from as many Admins/Mods as reasonably possible.

 

If we gave everyone who got a suspension a chance to state their side, do you have any idea how much time that would involve? We don't get paid to do this. Now, when it's YOU who is in charge of maintaining, organizing and running a forum with 4,000+ members along the lines of UrbanOhio, making sure threads stay on topic, that forumers aren't fighting with each other, and oh - not getting paid for any of it, then you judge whether the system here is extremely flawed.

 

I can't believe I didn't see your response to me until tonight.  Anyways, all I'm requesting is that when your bartenders (? - bad analogy, IMO) kick me out of the bar, they take their mask off and tell me why I'm being booted.  Right now it's done anonymously and oftentimes with weak reasoning.  I was accused of "borderline racist" language when it's clear to any neutral, unbiased reader that was a ridiculous claim.  I wasn't giving anyone "grief."  Some of your "bartenders" are too uptight and need to stop letting other posters, and perhaps their cushy relationships with them, influence their decisions.  And I have it on good authority that the first time I was suspended, the person with which I was arguing was not.  Doesn't really matter now, but the rules should be enforced evenly.

 

In fact in general, this site may not be such a headache to run for you if you guys relaxed a little bit and stopped being so rigid.  I've said it before, this site is one of the best I've found to discuss issues regarding Cleveland and Ohio, but some of the "bartenders" make it difficult to have honest and thoughtful discussions.  Maybe that's the way you like it, but in my opinion, things would be better if you loosened up a bit. 

I've been here damn near since the beginning.  If I can be suspended anyone can.

 

However, I do think that it would be more transparent if a person was going to be suspended they receive an email, so they have an opportunity to responded if needed.  Once you're suspended, you cannot communicate or look up a Mods email to inquire as to what happened.

 

First things first - just in case anyone thinks otherwise - I'm not the owner; I'm one of several Admins.

 

"this site may not be such a headache to run for you if you guys relaxed a little bit and stopped being so rigid."

 

I've been a Moderator on a site that did just that - and it's gone to pot. Everyone thought it'd be a great idea to just let things go a little - within a month it was overrun.

 

"they receive an email, so they have an opportunity to responded if needed."

 

That's a nice idea, but in reality there are so many times when threads need to be shut down faster than immediately and offenders need to be suspended asap before situations escalate even further. It isn't just what one forumer posts, it's the dozen or so followup posts that also need to be dealt with. The Admins and Mods don't have the luxury to sit around and wait for someone to try to justify why they made an offensive post. It's a hell of a lot easier if forumers wouldn't make such posts in the first place :-)

 

I'm not sure why there's selective reading going on here: "You don't always see what happens behind the scenes - you don't know who all gets suspended, or reprimanded. It isn't done arbitarily, we have a process that gets input from as many Admins/Mods as reasonably possible." 

First things first - just in case anyone thinks otherwise - I'm not the owner; I'm one of several Admins.

 

"this site may not be such a headache to run for you if you guys relaxed a little bit and stopped being so rigid."

 

I've been a Moderator on a site that did just that - and it's gone to pot. Everyone thought it'd be a great idea to just let things go a little - within a month it was overrun.

 

"they receive an email, so they have an opportunity to responded if needed."

 

That's a nice idea, but in reality there are so many times when threads need to be shut down faster than immediately and offenders need to be suspended asap before situations escalate even further. It isn't just what one forumer posts, it's the dozen or so followup posts that also need to be dealt with. The Admins and Mods don't have the luxury to sit around and wait for someone to try to justify why they made an offensive post. It's a hell of a lot easier if forumers wouldn't make such posts in the first place :)

 

I'm not sure why there's selective reading going on here: "You don't always see what happens behind the scenes - you don't know who all gets suspended, or reprimanded. It isn't done arbitarily, we have a process that gets input from as many Admins/Mods as reasonably possible."

 

 

This is what I completely understand.  So is it possible to list the process?  This way everyone definitively knows what is and is not tolerated.

And then there's this:

 

Clevelander17, since you've decided that you couldn't just ask a question, you had to give the Mods grief, you get to enjoy a week off. The next time it happens, you get two months.

 

What's the logic behind making such a post here on the forum when you know that I won't be able to read it for a (business) week?  The email thing makes sense, it's something you should consider looking in to.

The logic is that you see the message when you return, and others realize that giving the Mods grief isn't the best way to start off.

The logic is that you see the message when you return, and others realize that giving the Mods grief isn't the best way to start off.

 

Okay, it all makes sense now.

I should clarify - back when the forum had a few hundred members, we didn't need to "make an example" out of anyone. Now, with over 4,200 members (and a sizable amount are active participants), sometimes the best thing we can do is nip things in the bud - unfortunately the fastest way to do that is to dole out punishment and let it serve as a warning to others. Your suggestion of sending an email has been taken into consideration, and I personally think it's a good idea but it's a matter of what our techy-types think is manageable.