Regarding the topic: I am SO surprised that some people don't even know the "ignore" function exists—or why they bother reading someone at all, let alone arguing with folks they can't stand or think are totally clueless, etc. Like the old saying goes: "If someone's crazy, don't be their friend." Or my favorite joke: "Never argue with an idiot; they'll just drag you down to their level and beat you with experience."
And I'm talking about everyone here, not just specific users.
Seriously, if you just don't vibe with someone (to put it lightly), the best move is to give them a wide berth. Getting worked up over someone else is basically just wrecking your own mental health over somebody else's nonsense. If everyone actually followed this, we wouldn't even need moderators on any American forum...
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Bone please, unless it’s absolutely necessary, try not to quote entire posts from other people. That's pretty much the standard rule on every forum out there anyway. Just grabbing the start of a post and adding maybe three little dots is enough to show you're replying to their specific point.
I love reading your stuff because you bring such a breath of fresh air and plenty of śale to the Alternative, but because of the long quotes, I constantly run into things I really didn't want to read—so, what happened to that "Ignore" button? lol...
This is purely a friendly request, though! 🙂
By the way, it blows my mind how people will debate with individuals who have clearly read mountains of books and news articles, yet still don't have a clue what they're talking about or can't tell the difference between dress shoes and sneakers (which are footwear, not dress shoes—just like how heels aren't technically dress shoes, they're just footwear). It's like they didn't learn the basics in school, or they just completely forgot everything they were taught.
Kate Wilson said:Look, this isn't the way or the place to pick moderators—and y'all know that. Plus, this thread shouldn't be some playground for bickering and back-and-forth arguments; it's meant for actual complaints andsuggestions, just like the rules say.
Don't you feel like something is seriously off with how we choose mods? Because honestly, everyone’s feeling the lack of them (especially the active ones!) across the whole site, and there hasn't been a real alternative for months now.
When something isn't working out in life, trying the exact same thing over and over is basically like trying to break through a brick wall with your forehead... kinda painful, right?
So, maybe it's finally time to shake things up a bit. What if we did something like other online communities where the users themselves vote for mods—sort of like a democratic election style? First, people who actually *want* to moderate a specific section or sub-forum would volunteer, and then the rest of us could vote on those candidates. That way, you get dedicated help chosen by the community itself!
With the current setup, we're seeing fewer mods—not because they stopped showing up (just look at bluemason3's activity), but because there's just zero incentive to stick around. If we switched to this new system, people would step up voluntarily, giving us a guarantee that they'll put in the work for a set amount of time because they actually *wanted* to be there (thanks to the vote!).
As for whether these democratically elected mods actually do a good job? Well, you could always give every new mod a trial period to see how they handle things. If they flop—new elections, new mods. Easy.
Honestly, just closing threads about the lack of mods and shrugging your shoulders isn't going to fix anything constructive here.
The issue with the site search lasted over a year, but I think we can all agree that was a much smaller headache than what we're dealing with now regarding the moderator shortage—and that's the backbone of any forum!
Ethan Barrett22 said:Look, I'm just gonna put it out there—straight up and without any hesitation—I would absolutely recommend YOU to Nica! Sure, if you even can—and if you actually want to...
Thanks so much for the kind words, really! But like I’ve mentioned a few times over the last couple of months—and I mean it—I’m just not interested in moderating. Not here, and honestly, not on any other forum either. It’s such a huge responsibility, and it takes up a ton of time—time that I simply won't have to spare anymore. If I actually had to step up and moderate, I’d focus exclusively on alternative medicine—period. That’s the only way I might actually feel like I’m doing my part for people looking for real help. Honestly, I've been there myself, searching for answers and finding support, and it breaks my heart seeing folks get totally shut down or treated like they're crazy just for asking questions...
Mark Cruz15 said:I am hands down the absolute best choice for moderator! Seriously, let's make it happen!
Since you’re still the most level-headed guy I know when it comes to calling out those "alternative medicine" scams—and honestly, I’d totally nominate you for the job—I’d suggest you in a heartbeat! But, since you actually believe that rubbing mud on your skin is a legitimate way to heal... well, let's be real, that choice would just be straight-up irrational, because... The whole point of being a mod isn't just playing referee—it’s about actually growing the community's vibe. But honestly? You’d probably just spend all your time shutting people down and trying to "silence" anyone with a different opinion!. ================
Logically speaking, mods should really be the ones championing alternative views—just decent, level-headed people who keep things civil. Take Elizabeth Jackson, for example—look, nobody’s a saint, myself included, but she doesn't go around insulting people or making everything about herself! Or, you know, they could just be totally neutral bystanders who don't even know much about the alternative scene and just focus on keeping the peace—basically just making sure there's no bullying, trolling, or people hijacking the threads.
Even though some people aren't exactly fans of the moderator KLCCLK—honestly, I’ve picked up maybe one or two warnings from him over all these years (but zero for being rude!)—I still think he’d be a killer choice to moderate the Alternative section. He might not know every single little thing about that specific area yet, but he’d be a fantastic "enforcer" to keep things running smoothly.
bluemason3 is also a great candidate in my book, but since he already stepped down from moderating, I don't think he'd want to jump straight from the kiddie pool into a boiling pot of drama—especially if there isn't even any cash involved! 😁
When it comes to those annoying trolls, honestly, most of the blame lies with the users themselves—you know, because people keep "feeding" them by replying to every single provocative post instead of just hitting the ignore button or staying silent.
Don't get me wrong, that doesn't let the mods or the admins off the hook—they’re definitely guilty of being lazy or just skimping on the budget to keep things running.
"You get what you pay for," right? 😉
I'm guessing that just like most sites out there, only Nice gets a paycheck while everyone else is basically volunteering their time.
I'm just saying this so people realize it's not necessarily the mods who are to blame for all the drama—it's actually the owners who refuse to invest in high-quality moderation.
Logic tells us that Nice isn't some kind of magician; she can't fix a mountain of flaws that are mostly the owner's fault anyway.
From what I can see, the owner still hasn't faced reality—plenty of forums have gone belly up for this exact reason, but people usually don't start complaining until it's way too late and they're already migrating over to a competitor's site.
So, here's the deal—if you think certain posts were deleted or that mods/admins just made them invisible to regular users (meaning they're still technically sitting right where they were before), well, they actually aren't being deleted most of the time.
The stuff that gets totally wiped out is basically just the "trash"—you know, things that don't hold any weight for law enforcement (like slander, insults, etc.) or anything that targets the mods and admins of the forum itself.
See, when an admin gets a formal subpoena from a court or the FBI, they are legally required to hand over whatever material is requested via that written order. Because of that—and because of the extra scrutiny it puts on the mods and admins too—any posts that could be considered illegal ARE NOT DELETED.
When the next event rolls around, how many mods will actually be handling the PDF Alternative section? Because—as most people here already know—for quite a while now, only Astrology and magic have any actual moderation going on over there. Everything else is just... floating.
hippopotamus has completely vanished from her list of moderator duties, and BAT Kol is basically just an "optical illusion," much like a few other similar situations we've seen on this forum.
I’m not starting this thread just to kick off some fresh back-and-forth argument between sides—I'm doing it because all the PDF users need some actual info! People have been left in the dark for way too long, and it feels like nobody in administration thinks it's necessary to keep us in the loop regarding
Closing threads about this stuff here on PŻK is like trying to gag everyone—and I think you’ll agree that isn't a solution, and it’s definitely not civilized.
Waiting on your reply. Best,
PS: Could you please fix the typo in your username in the thread title? Just a little bit—total printing error! 🙂
Where do reports using the little flag icon actually go on a specific PDF thread?
Does it just land with the moderator in charge of that particular PDF where the flag was used?
If it only goes to that specific mod, what happens if a PDF doesn't even have an assigned moderator—like, if it's just "on paper" or isn't really active right now?
Who's actually checking those reports then, and how long does it usually take?
In a case like that, should I be reporting a post somewhere else instead of just using the flag icon?
Wait, didn't someone mention on here before that you aren't allowed to post in the same thread using two different accounts? And also—wasn't there something about how you can't use a private message to help someone get banned by using a second profile?
Is there an actual rule written down somewhere on the forum regarding this (using multiple profiles)? Just asking because I haven't seen it explicitly stated, but it seems like something worth knowing!
electricnomad3 said:Wait, is that even possible? Like, can you actually block someone unless you've added them to a friend list first? Pretty sure I'm definitely not on this person's list—I haven't even seen this username before!
If you put someone on your "ignore" list, they won't be able to send you any messages.
The people running around with alt accounts—you know, the clones—can get banned on one sub-forum and just hop right over to another one using their other profiles to keep talking. Meanwhile, the honest folks (or maybe just the "clueless" ones!) who only have one single account? As soon as they get banned from one section, they're basically exiled from the entire site. It’s a total wipeout.
It honestly feels like this unintentionally encourages toxic behavior—like, why bother being a decent person if there's zero incentive to follow the rules?
By letting this slide, the admins and mods are basically shooting themselves in the foot. Instead of someone getting banned and actually taking a beat to think about their actions, those with multiple accounts just feel emboldened. They realize the punishment is practically nonexistent, which makes them even more reckless and arrogant because they know they can just pivot to another profile and keep doing whatever they want.
Maybe a better way to handle this (if the tech allows it) would be to let Forumaš have multiple profiles—since some people definitely want to stay anonymous on certain topics—but if *any* of those profiles get banned, it triggers an automatic ban for every single associated account.
That way, the bad actors get caught, and the rest of us can actually enjoy the community.
This forum is slowly but surely heading straight toward...
Instead of the mods actually stepping in on the Alternative subreddit—because honestly, I’ve never seen such a total mess on any forum before—the trolling and constant bickering is just bleeding over here too...
Calling it a "misunderstanding" is honestly putting it lightly when it comes to mods being unable to slide into everyone's DMs.
I used to be a supermod on this huge international forum—kind of similar to this graphics community—and I remember having to dive into the settings to tweak the PM permissions. Basically, you just hop into the admin panel and check or uncheck boxes to decide who can message who and where. I'm assuming those kinds of permissions aren't held by just Nice alone, right?
John, that one user (like we were already talking about) mentioned he’s totally locked out of receiving any private messages at all.
The only move you've got right now is to "catch" him while he's active on a thread somewhere and tell him to—at least for a little bit—flip his PM inbox to "on" because...
Right now, we really need immediate action regarding all the trolling happening in the cancer treatment thread.
Honestly, even someone who isn't paying attention can see that we absolutely need a dedicated discussion thread specifically for cancer treatment topics.
For example, some of the other subforums have specific threads just for commenting on user photos—where in the photo threads commenting is actually banned and penalized—yet this topic, which is literally life-changing for so many people, has turned into a total dumping ground where people just "throw" whatever they want in there instead of sticking strictly to sharing advice and info about treatment.
The current thread should be strictly for sharing treatment advice, while the newly opened one can be for the actual debates—you know, let everyone argue to their heart's content over there without hurting those who are actually looking for help with their treatment.
That way, nobody loses their right to share or ask for specific treatment advice and info, nor their right to comment on it.
Hey, I’m putting out a huge request for any active supermods or the admin team—could someone please step in and set up at least one organized thread on the unmoderated Alternative board regarding "cancer treatment"? Right now, the trolls are running wild, and honestly, it’s more than just breaking forum rules—it feels downright cruel to watch them mock people who are suffering.
It happens all too often—people dealing with terminal illnesses, or their loved ones, are searching for even a tiny shred of hope, only to hit this massive, cold wall of troll comments that completely bury the actual helpful advice about cancer treatment.
I know rustydrifter10 isn't around right now, but surely someone else has been handed the baton in the meantime...
Maybe gargamels could jump in to help out temporarily since she was already moderating that PDF?🤷
PS: Or, here's an idea—maybe open a new thread with the exact same title, but mark it specifically for sharing advice *only*, with no comments allowed. Then, create a separate thread just for discussing that info. Once a new mod is assigned to the PDF, they could clean up the old thread and merge it with the new one. That way, the original thread stays clean and easy to read for anyone looking for alternative cancer treatment options.
By doing it this way, people seeking help can actually find what they need without the noise, trolls get their own little sandbox to play in, and the skeptics or critics have their own specific place to voice their opposition to alternative methods.
Ethan Barrett22 said:Since Peter Peterson is already bringing up Flat Earth—there’s actually something pretty interesting going on— on this message board, there have already been several threads about Flat Earth locked down...
I gotta wonder—why though? Were they actually breaking the site rules or even the laws of the US in all those specific threads?
Honestly, it’s just an unwritten rule—or more like a habit—for admins on different forums when they’re short on active mods, or maybe just dealing with lazy ones... or even just mods who are way too busy to deal with immature users.
By just locking down the problematic threads or the ones where everyone’s getting heated, it means fewer mods have to work, and hey—everyone lives happily ever after!
This setup is basically "brand new"—I just did a full factory reset on the whole system and reinstalled my browser two days ago. I usually stick with Chrome, but hey, I guess I can give another browser a shot 🙂
So, I found this weird little workaround: after every multi-quote, I just log out and log back into the forum—that way, it stops remembering all those old quotes!
Does anyone know a more "normal" fix for this glitch? 🤔