User Brim and the forums

Sorry Homer, but we don't answer to you. We answer to the community as a whole, as well as the HOA which funds these forums. Access and use of these forums is a privilege, NOT a right. We're all volunteers here; if you want us to answer to you, then by all means, offer each member of the Tech Committee a job.

As a quick note, we have 11 users currently with a lifetime ban. All 11 were banned because of 'spamming', such as users creating an account for the sole purpose of posting to the forums a set of links for folks to click on and getting slammed with banner ads. We currently have 1 active suspension of a user, which will be lifted on Monday around 9am, 3 days after the rules infraction. This user ignored multiple warnings from admins about continuously posting the same message to the forums, mocking how the forums were being run like our own little Communist Empire and was suspended for 3 days per our rules. Over the past 2 years, we have suspended about 3 other users for rules infractions. Those users are still active users here today and still visit the forums. So, if we ignore the 'spam' accounts, we're talking about 4, maybe 5 users that were suspended and reinstated within days, over the past 2 years. We currently have 1397 users on the forums. According to my math, we 'made up stuff to ban users we don't like" and suspended 5 users out of 1397, or 0.004% of our userbase. Yea, we took the time to make up rules to suspend 5 users and reinstate them after a short period of time, over a period of 2 years. You're right, we're definately exceeding our powers here...

On multiple occaisons you have publically voiced your extreme dissatisfaction with the Technology Committee and what we do. Multiple times, we asked you to come discuss it at one of our meetings; it's been over 2 years now and you've never come down to talk with us. Yea, we know, you're extremely busy and can't find time to attend a 1 hour meeting planned months ahead of time... On multiple occaisons you have voiced your dissatisfaction with the HOA and some of its decisions. You were invited to come discuss them at a regular HOA meeting. I may be wrong, but I don't think you ever showed up to those meetings either.

Homer, it's easy to point fingers and blame others for everything you feel is bad around here. You're getting your story from Brim and Boomer, which is fine. They of course will give you THEIR side of the story and how bad, mean and unfair the forum admins are, and how the Tech Committee is run by a bunch of idiots. I couldn't care less honestly. We have a policy in which we don't discuss actions taken against users publically. If you want the full story, then talk with the HOA. Until you get the full story, please don't post around here mocking us and accusing us of running these forums like our little playground.

The Technology Committee created this website and created these forums as a service to the Broadlands community as a whole, over 3-4 years ago. We've been doing all this voluntarily and on our own time. In the past year, a core set of users have decided that these forums are their own personal soapbox and that they can do anything they want around here. As soon as we try to bring order back, the backlash from the same core set of users comes up, with the same accusations, etc.

Honestly, and not speaking on behalf of the Tech Committee as a whole, I'm really fed up with all the crap we take day in, day out around. We're trying to run these forums in a civilized manner, with rules in place that help keep order. If everyone hates the rules so much, I'll be glad to just stop moderating at all, and let everyone just fight it out on their own. Without moderators enforcing rules, this place will be shut down within 90 days, in my opinion.

As for rules that change, well yes, rules DO change. Just like rules in everything else in life. You think we can really have a clear-cut set of rules that will prevent all bad things from happening in the future? That's impossible; rules need to change over time to adapt to changing situations, etc. Just as Hornerjo mentioned earlier, we add/change rules as events happen and we determine that there's a 'gap' in our rules. At that point, we make a decision and modify our rules.

Finally, I take offense to comments made by yourself as well as some others, accusing us of running these forums at our whim. We spend HOURS each week moderating here and making sure order is kept. I have far better things to do with my family and friends than to spend my days here "on a power-trip". We do this for the community as a whole, not for our egos. Feel free to disagree, but that's the truth.

You've heard from a lot of folks about how unhappy they are with the way we run these forums? Have you or any of these people contacted the HOA about this? Why not? If I'm unhappy about something that I deem important, I take the time to bring the issue up with the people in charge and try to get the problem rectified. Sure, you've brought it up here, but you still seem to be unhappy with the way we're running things, so you need to move to the next level. I would STRONGLY urge you and all these 'other folks' to come to the next HOA Board meeting on Tuesday October 10, 5:30pm in the Nature Center Conference Room. Come voice your issues DIRECTLY with the Board and tell them why you are unhappy with us and how you believe the forums should really be run. In fact, I would propose that you and your group ask the HOA Board to remove the Tech Committee as the forum admins and that you Homer, become the lead forum admin, with your own team to run these forums. You indicate that you and the other folks you talk with have a better handle as to how to run these forums. Please, ask the HOA that you would like to take over; I will gladly give you the reins. I would rather someone else take over than have to spend hours each time we take an action to detail why such action was taken, how it was taken, who was part of the decision, etc, in order to satisfy you and the rest of your 'unhappy group of users'.

Do you feel so strongly about the issue this time around that you are willing to put some time towards it and get involved? Then bring your team to the next HOA Board meeting please and ask to run these forums yourself and propose YOUR set of rules as to how these forums should be run.

 

That's BS. One person ALWAYS makes a difference, if they feel strongly about the issue. Thinking otherwise is simply a 'cop-out', and the same excuse you throw back each time someone asks you to come and discuss the issue in person. Don't feel that one person can make a difference? Then why are you and I discussing this issue here?

That was put in place in order to protect the forums. If that rule wasn't there, and a user just walks into the meeting for the first time and says, "Ok, I want to moderate the forums, give me the passwords.", should we just give them full access? That's nonsense. Administrative access to these forums is gained over time and through some 'trust'. Don't agree? I would love to come over to your place next weekend and get the keys to your car for the next couple days. While I'm there, let me get the keys to your house too...

As I mentioned previously, you're getting your facts only from one side and refuse to believe what we have to say. Either way, yes, we got complaints about a user. It wasn't from one user, it was from more than that. We don't take action on someone if ONE user complains. If that was the case, we would be suspending about 1-2 users a WEEK... Your friend is simply telling you what he wants you to hear, so that you take his side. If you want to base all your assumptions simply on what he's telling you, then go right ahead...

It's only a hassle when we have to spend the bulk of our time fighting a firestorm from an enraged user who was banned from our forums and refuses to accept the actions taken and use the proper outlets/process to overturn the decision. It's a hassle when instead, the banned user dissemnates 'half the story' to his friends and has THEM do his dirty work, and then get suspended themselves. It's a hassle when I have to spend time posting here defending myself and the work of other volunteers who run these forums. It's a hassle when people complain about everything, but when asked to get involved, turn around and walk away...

 

That's why we have as a policy that we don't discuss actions taken against users out in public. If the user affected wants to discuss the issue, we do it offline and/or at an HOA meeting. If we had to post why we made each decision taken publically here in the forums, we would end up in never-ending discussions about how unfair action x was or how unfair rule y is. We'll never be able to satisfy everyone and we would always have someone complaining about what we did; it's just human nature, as well as the occaisonal user who just wants to stir the pot. As soon as we would begin to post why user x was suspended, etc, we would then get a slew of complaints from that very user saying "How dare you discuss this out in the open without my consent!" If this were our full-time jobs, then yes. We do this on our spare time, and as such, I don't want to spend my weekends explaining every decision we make; my family deserves better of my time.

So, we apply the rules and we move on. There's a process in place where the user affected can contact the HOA and request a review of the decision. Unfair? Probably to someone yes, but that's the way we decided to run these forums and that's the way the HOA Board agreed they should be run. Have issues with that? Go to a meeting, ask questions and get your needs met. Otherwise, we're just rehashing the same things over and over here...