Posts by rustydrifter10

We don't hand out permanent bans just because someone asks.

Look, a partial ban isn't just some six-month timeout; once it’s handed down, it’s permanent. You might have the right to petition to have it removed after six months, but let's be real—the moderators aren't under any obligation to actually grant that request.

Grace Thomas15 said:I just really want my email address to match the username I actually like using. Right now, if I try to set up a new profile, the system forces me to use a completely different email address.

Since you haven't really posted anything on Reddit yet, I can actually go ahead and change this username for you manually. Just shoot me a DM with all the details so we can figure out exactly what's bothering you and get it sorted out the way you want.

Look, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but that warning wasn't meant for you—the only person who can actually lodge a formal complaint about it is the user who actually earned it. As for the whole moderation thing, if you truly feel like a moderator isn't pulling their weight, we’re going to need more than just pointing out a single warning handed to someone else; we'll need actual links to back up those claims. For more specifics on how this all works, we might just have to wait for a moderator to weigh in.

Larry Sanchez30 said:It’s pretty obvious to me that on this forum, the rules set by the moderators don't actually apply to everyone equally.
It’s honestly sad when the moderators themselves seem to have their little "favorites" who are allowed to break the rules, and they even encourage it with comments that don't contribute anything to the discussion—they actually make things worse!
I get the feeling that some moderators just can't handle certain topics because they aren't well-versed enough in them, so they jump to conclusions without any actual basis. Shouldn't they be neutral and just enforce the rules? They seem to forget that there's a real person behind every username, someone who has every right to express an opinion or an observation, even if it doesn't always align with what might be considered "scientific" thinking.
The fact that after asking for help regarding users using other members' names in their signatures just to mock and belittle them—which is a direct violation of the rules on this (and every other) forum—nothing happens, really speaks volumes about the admins and moderators over at "NRA Alternative."
Some people are constantly allowed to resort to the lowest form of insults (attacking mothers, families, religious beliefs, etc.) even though they don't know the slightest thing about the person they're attacking.

Aren't the rules supposed to be the same for everyone?

Look, just read through the PDF of the rules and file your formal complaint according to the proper procedure. That’s basically the bare minimum amount of effort you should put in before you start throwing out accusations left and right. We don't allow people to barge into other people's threads, and complaints that aren't backed up by evidence won't be entertained either.

Melissa Roberts22 said:This isn't anything new; I actually stumbled upon this thread that was started five years ago by space_xd, which dealt with these exact same issues on Zel—having problems with both the moderators and the forum members they're tight with. I tried complaining (in my infinite naivety) via private message, but they just ignore me persistently. Even here in the Complaints section, they won't sanction them, yet they threaten me with penalties. Of course, since they have no grounds to actually penalize me, they don't do anything, because they’d essentially have to punish their friends, and they clearly don't want to do that.
Here is the thread I opened in the Complaints section where you can see everything for yourself— , and it includes a link to the thread on Zel, where the moderator declared me the guilty party without even studying the topic or coming to an objective conclusion. And naturally, I didn't receive any punishment afterward because there were no grounds for it. But despite that, I'm still being publicly vilified by the moderators.

You already have your own dedicated thread for this. Besides, you sent me a message just a few hours ago, and I replied telling you I would look into your complaint within the next couple of days. Then, an hour later, you're barging into someone else's thread. I honestly don't know why, after my message, you found it so hard to just wait a bit. If it was such an issue, you could have just told me in your message. You have your own space; stop obsessing over everyone else's business for no reason.

You got flagged on June 3rd because that’s when you officially crossed the hundred-point mark. Just a heads-up, the next ban will trigger once you hit the next milestone. If things still feel a bit fuzzy regarding how the points and bans actually work together, you can find all the details in this thread.

Nathan Moore6 said:Could one of the admins please clarify things regarding moderator Trisha Q. on the Washington, D.C. subforum? I mean, how can someone become an admin with only 103 posts, especially since I haven't even noticed her being active over there?

Thanks!

Just to clear things up, she isn't an admin, she’s a moderator. While we definitely prefer our most active members for these roles, this is actually a very active user who just happens to be using a different account on the Washington, D.C. subforum. Since she plans on using this specific handle much more frequently moving forward, it made the most sense to set everything up under this one. If you're still feeling confused about it, feel free to just shoot Trisha a private message directly. 🙂

As for the state of the forum, the mod team is currently huddling up and discussing potential changes. We’ve actually added a few more hands to the team, so reports should be handled much faster and more efficiently now. Also, just a heads-up: political debates won't be allowed in here anymore since we have a dedicated subforum specifically for those discussions. As for the trolls you guys have been reporting, we're shifting them under a different moderation protocol, so that should get cleaned up pretty soon too. Huge thanks to everyone for all the reports and for staying involved.

steelwalker26 said:reporting posts hasn't actually done anything; we haven't seen any changes at all.

I just wanted to jump in and clarify that our reporting system was acting up for a while—it wasn't working consistently, and it was only working selectively, so it took us some time to realize it wasn't fully functional. My bad on that!

Just hit the report button on the little triangle icon and hang tight while the moderators take a look.

Just a quick heads-up: we have a zero-tolerance policy here regarding any incitement to violence or glorifying illegal activities. Our moderators are working hard to keep an eye on this thread, especially since things are getting pretty heated right now. It’s impossible for us to catch every single comment the second it happens, so please just bear with us and give the team a little breathing room to get everything under control.

Just a quick heads-up: we have a zero-tolerance policy here when it comes to inciting violence or glorifying anything illegal. Our moderators are working overtime right now to keep an eye on this thread because things are getting pretty heated, and honestly, it’s impossible to catch every single comment the second it happens. Please, just give them a little breathing room to get everything under control.

All set! Sorry to keep you hanging there.

Which PDF are we talking about, and which thread was it under?

Looks like we finally got this issue sorted out!

Someone already flagged this issue, so we should have it all squared away pretty soon.

That’s actually an Imgur link. If you just go ahead and delete that first "i" along with the period right next to it, the link should start working perfectly fine for you.

Look, user profiles don't actually get deleted from the system; you can just simply stop posting on the forum if you want out.

Well, thanks for giving us a heads-up on that.

Linda Young38 said:Wait, are we actually allowed to talk about the moderators on the General Discussion board?

Well, you can absolutely discuss moderation on the General Discussion board, provided you follow the standard community guidelines and the rules laid out in this PDF here.

Linda Young38 said:It’s true that there’s a specific thread for when you want to pohvaliti moderator, but if someone starts getting critical about how things are being run (like over in the Politics section, for example), the thread on General Discussion gets shut down immediately with the excuse that we aren't supposed to comment on moderation.

Look, if someone goes into the Politics section and starts criticizing the mods and ends up getting sanctioned, and then they try to jump over to General Discussion to complain about that penalty—yeah, that thread is going to get locked pretty fast! The rule about not discussing moderation within specific topical threads is very clearly stated and strictly enforced, so complaining about those penalties in the wrong place just doesn't hold any water.

Linda Young38 said:Is the search tool only working for banned users a 'bug' or a 'feature'?
...
I honestly don't even have an answer for why the forum keeps crashing.

Those are technical issues that fall under the IT department's umbrella; our job here is handling the actual forum posts and user entries. We'll tell you whatever we know and whatever we can, believe me! I know you guys want more details, and trust me, we want them too, but it's simply not within our jurisdiction, and most of the time, we don't have any more concrete info than you do. We aren't in the business of spreading rumors or making wild guesses.

I actually went back and dug through those deleted posts from skinny_girl, and honestly, I don’t see anything that matches what you're claiming at all. Sure, there was some trolling—which the mods handled—and her posts were definitely rude and unpleasant, but they didn't cross the line into actual hate speech. I feel like your take on the whole conversation is a bit overblown compared to what actually went down, especially since nobody even mentioned sending anyone back to where they came from. The thread was moderated because she was posting things that weren't hers to post, and she got sanctioned for breaking rules even under Kokošinjac's pretty relaxed moderation style. At the end of the day, I'm right there with Sabine on this assessment.