Posts by Megan White4

William Green4 said:it seems certain mods have zero grasp of the topics they're supposed to be overseeing...
they're basically just filling seats and aggravating the community...

I find myself in agreement with that assessment.

Of course, my post was deleted because people will tolerate just about anything except the truth... ☕

Nicholas King said:Since I’ve already written quite a bit regarding my disapproval of her publishing things about the President, it feels only right to add this: your text isn't "biting" or "sarcastic"—it's just loaded with disgusting insults that have absolutely nothing to do with how someone chooses to interpret them. I don't see any wit or sarcasm in throwing around references to morons and mental institutions.

So be it. It’s simply the inevitable result of someone constantly messing with my head—and everyone else's on this forum.

kika As requested:
Look, I’m going to stop spinning my wheels here because I have no intention of wasting any more breath on this. Whether they lobbied for it or not, that permanent ban isn't going anywhere.

"Sometimes losing is actually a win." I honestly just feel bad for the other members who still have to endure your "principled" outbursts on this forum... 😁 To paraphrase Thuleta: thank God I won't have to spend any time in that corporate cult of yours. 🙄

Benjamin King2 said:Give me a definition of "legitimate." Look, if we’re talking about a situation where everyone knows exactly who the other person is, you don't run to some forum moderator—you call the police. But if it’s just some random internet nobody threatening some other random internet nobody...🙄

Precisely. There is a clear distinction between a direct death threat or physical violence and something like, "I hope your holiday season brings you a lovely blend of gourmet takeout and intense stomach cramps." Sarcasm is inherently subjective. One person takes it as an insult, another fires back with equal snark, a third laughs it off, and a fourth might actually stop to wonder if they did something wrong. In the end, those reactions tell you exactly who a person is.

hollowtrucker77 said:Just a quick heads-up here, since we seem to be drifting, the whole point of this thread is...

...that Steven Ruiz, in an attempt to spin the narrative and stop the users from the photography sub-forum from lobbying to have my permanent ban lifted, leaked a private message intended solely for her. Granted, the tone of the message was somewhat sharp, but then again, it seems many people these days mistake plain truth and sarcasm for insults. ☕

Steven Ruiz said:Quote : Nicholas King

Most people on this forum actually follow the rules and don't let things get under their skin at all... In fact, they’re usually the first ones to point out when someone breaks the guidelines, especially if we happen to miss a violation ourselves...
Furthermore, the rules on our PDF have always been developed in close collaboration with the community members here, so they aren't just my own personal set of regulations, but rather a collective effort that everyone helped shape... Everyone played a part in drafting them, really. So, the idea that you can just act like you're above the rules is a completely different matter entirely...

And honestly, if I happen to lash out with some sharper words every once in a while, there’s a very good reason for it... But really, does anyone actually stay perfectly composed all the time? Is there anyone here who truly hasn't let a bit of heat slip through? Because before anyone tries to cast the first stone, I'd love to see them do it without a single flaw themselves... ☕

You might be surprised to find out, but most people on this forum actually stay pretty civil and don't throw around heavy insults... It’s honestly quite refreshing, because that's exactly why the Governor earned his position in the first place... Not because he was busy dealing with spam or trolls, but because he stood firm against all that nasty verbal abuse...

Where on earth am I failing to follow the rules? I’m still looking at that very first post where I kicked this whole thing off and specifically asked if we could make an exception, but apparently, "rules are absolute" means my photo gets deleted immediately... and honestly, isn't the whole point of making exceptions to prove that the rules actually have some flexibility in them...

Usually, people reach out to ask for an exception before they go ahead and start posting without following the rules, which is just how most other members on the forum handle things... It’s also important that we don't hand out too many exceptions, because if we do, everyone else will start blowing up the President's Office with messages asking why one person got a pass while they didn't!
Neither I nor any of the other moderators have the slightest desire to deal with a President like this on a regular basis...

I requested an exception right here in the thread specifically so everyone could see I was asking. If I had sent you a private message, there's no guarantee it would have worked—either you would have declined based on your "rules are rules" stance, or we simply wouldn't have reached an agreement (given your usual approach)... so there's really no need to try to wiggle out of it or justify anything.

Steven Ruiz said:Exactly.
The President announced that they aren't lobbying for Megan White4 to have access to the Photography section anymore. That's it. Nothing more.
If I were the President and had forwarded that to the administrator, the lobbying would still be happening because he’d still be seen as this perfect, exemplary user who simply can't do anything wrong...
It's actually pretty telling that not a single moderator over at Photography wants him there, though... after all, the mods usually have a much better grasp of the actual situation on the ground than the general users do...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poisoning_the_well☕

Steven Ruiz said:Exactly.
The President announced that they aren't lobbying for Megan White4 to have access to the Photography section anymore. That's it. Nothing more.
If I were the President and had forwarded that to the administrator, the lobbying would still be happening because he’d still be seen as this perfect, exemplary user who simply can't do anything wrong...
It's actually pretty telling that not a single moderator over at Photography wants him there, though... after all, the mods usually have a much better grasp of the actual situation on the ground than the general users do...

Not surprising, considering who the moderators are—people who don't actually know me personally, unlike the users I interact with here. ☕

Steven Ruiz said:No moderator on the Photography board exists just to swoop in and undo Toco's suspension...
He had his chance to make things right after the initial ban was issued, but instead of taking it, he just kept up the provocation, and it’s incredibly obvious that he has no intention of actually settling down...
We simply don't need a user like that on this forum, regardless of whether some of you happen to hang out with him in real life...

Speaking only for himself. ☕

Steven Ruiz said:No moderator on the Photography board exists just to swoop in and undo Toco's suspension...
He had his chance to make things right after the initial ban was issued, but instead of taking it, he just kept up the provocation, and it’s incredibly obvious that he has no intention of actually settling down...
We simply don't need a user like that on this forum, regardless of whether some of you happen to hang out with him in real life...

We certainly don't need a moderator like that on the photography subforum...

Quote : Nicholas King

placidmarlin3 said:And besides, who's to say that certain moderator hasn't had her own mental breakdown because she was being played for a fool?☕
We've heard from several people that Toco's contributions to that specific sub-forum were quite decent, if not excellent, and it's certainly not a case of him being just some low-level spammer or a typical troll.
Furthermore, don't worry, Steven Ruiz could have handled this without making a public scene very, very easily—just like she's done every single time before—though I highly doubt the admins would have taken her word for it blindly either.😍

I think you're fully aware of that yourself; it just seems like for some reason, it's more fun to defend a pathetic moderator than to admit she screwed up and suggest she offer at least a basic apology.
At the same time, it's fascinating to watch how strictly everyone enforces the rules when an image is just a few millimeters over the limit, yet when there's an obvious violation of the actual guidelines, everyone suddenly becomes an expert philosopher and pretends nothing happened.

You guys are pathetic. Just scrap this whole circus of so-called "rules" and let everyone act however they want.

It isn't just me. If you dig through the photography forum, you'll see exactly how often her posts show up. This violates the rules. I’m going to have to issue a warning and lock this thread. 🙂"If someone doesn't start getting on your nerves after a while, you really have to hand it to them. Unfortunately, you can't just hit "ignore" on certain people.

Quote : Nicholas King

placidmarlin3 said:And besides, who's to say that certain moderator hasn't had her own mental breakdown because she was being played for a fool?☕
We've heard from several people that Toco's contributions to that specific sub-forum were quite decent, if not excellent, and it's certainly not a case of him being just some low-level spammer or a typical troll.
Furthermore, don't worry, Steven Ruiz could have handled this without making a public scene very, very easily—just like she's done every single time before—though I highly doubt the admins would have taken her word for it blindly either.😍

I think you're fully aware of that yourself; it just seems like for some reason, it's more fun to defend a pathetic moderator than to admit she screwed up and suggest she offer at least a basic apology.
At the same time, it's fascinating to watch how strictly everyone enforces the rules when an image is just a few millimeters over the limit, yet when there's an obvious violation of the actual guidelines, everyone suddenly becomes an expert philosopher and pretends nothing happened.

You guys are pathetic. Just scrap this whole circus of so-called "rules" and let everyone act however they want.

I actually know most of the people over on the photography sub-forum personally; we hang out quite a bit outside of these online threads. So, if anyone is looking to form an opinion about me, feel free to ask them directly. And despite how hard Steven Ruiz is working to twist the narrative and paint me as some kind of difficult forum regular... Trolls, spammers, and that whole crowd.I’ve been an active member of this forum since 2003. Up until very recently—specifically regarding the situation involving Steven Ruiz's posts and my subsequent permanent ban—I had never once been banned. That alone should debunk the narrative Steven Ruiz is trying to push about me being some sort of troll or spammer.

If I occasionally let a sharper word slip, there’s a reason for it. Besides, does anyone actually refrain from doing so? Who here is truly without sin? Be the first to throw a stone. ☕

Quote : Nicholas King

placidmarlin3 said:And besides, who's to say that certain moderator hasn't had her own mental breakdown because she was being played for a fool?☕
We've heard from several people that Toco's contributions to that specific sub-forum were quite decent, if not excellent, and it's certainly not a case of him being just some low-level spammer or a typical troll.
Furthermore, don't worry, Steven Ruiz could have handled this without making a public scene very, very easily—just like she's done every single time before—though I highly doubt the admins would have taken her word for it blindly either.😍

I think you're fully aware of that yourself; it just seems like for some reason, it's more fun to defend a pathetic moderator than to admit she screwed up and suggest she offer at least a basic apology.
At the same time, it's fascinating to watch how strictly everyone enforces the rules when an image is just a few millimeters over the limit, yet when there's an obvious violation of the actual guidelines, everyone suddenly becomes an expert philosopher and pretends nothing happened.

You guys are pathetic. Just scrap this whole circus of so-called "rules" and let everyone act however they want.

It’s true what they say: birds of a feather flock together. ☕

Aaron Garcia36 said:It’s not about being embarrassed; I know she was the last one to touch that post because we had to add some info, and otherwise, outsiders wouldn't realize who is responsible for enforcing our guidelines.

Look, regarding this "blindly following the rules" thing... here is how I see it: I want to participate in a discussion or an online community. I check the threads, I read the rules, and if they suit me, I join in; if not, I move on. I don't consider myself special, nor am I above the rules. I would certainly face consequences if I uploaded five photos when only allowed one, because as a long-time member (just like Megan White4), I know exactly what the boundaries are. There is simply no reason to break them.
Why should 99% of users follow the rules while he gets a free pass? If you are a user who follows the regulations, why shouldn't Megan White4 be held to the same standard? Is he somehow better than you? Above you?
Everyone deserves equal treatment, and I believe the rest of the community would want to be treated that way too.
Of course, we moderators aren't perfect (speaking strictly about myself here). I've made mistakes, misjudged situations, or handled things through private messages instead of public posts. BUT, that only happens when a user is being reasonable and the situation can be resolved normally. When I receive a message similar to his, my experience tells me that those confrontations can spiral indefinitely.
There is absolutely no need to communicate like that with anyone. Situations can always be settled civilly without someone stooping to the level that Megan White4 has chosen to take.

In what way am I failing to follow the rules? In the very post that started this whole mess, I specifically asked for an exception, rather than insisting that "rules must be followed" leading to the immediate removal of a photo. After all, exceptions are what define the rules.

Aaron Garcia36 said:It’s not about being embarrassed; I know she was the last one to touch that post because we had to add some info, and otherwise, outsiders wouldn't realize who is responsible for enforcing our guidelines.

Look, regarding this "blindly following the rules" thing... here is how I see it: I want to participate in a discussion or an online community. I check the threads, I read the rules, and if they suit me, I join in; if not, I move on. I don't consider myself special, nor am I above the rules. I would certainly face consequences if I uploaded five photos when only allowed one, because as a long-time member (just like Megan White4), I know exactly what the boundaries are. There is simply no reason to break them.
Why should 99% of users follow the rules while he gets a free pass? If you are a user who follows the regulations, why shouldn't Megan White4 be held to the same standard? Is he somehow better than you? Above you?
Everyone deserves equal treatment, and I believe the rest of the community would want to be treated that way too.
Of course, we moderators aren't perfect (speaking strictly about myself here). I've made mistakes, misjudged situations, or handled things through private messages instead of public posts. BUT, that only happens when a user is being reasonable and the situation can be resolved normally. When I receive a message similar to his, my experience tells me that those confrontations can spiral indefinitely.
There is absolutely no need to communicate like that with anyone. Situations can always be settled civilly without someone stooping to the level that Megan White4 has chosen to take.

All users are equal, but some users are more equal than others—Quote : Orwell: Animal Farm.

Aaron Garcia36 said:It’s not about being embarrassed; I know she was the last one to touch that post because we had to add some info, and otherwise, outsiders wouldn't realize who is responsible for enforcing our guidelines.

Look, regarding this "blindly following the rules" thing... here is how I see it: I want to participate in a discussion or an online community. I check the threads, I read the rules, and if they suit me, I join in; if not, I move on. I don't consider myself special, nor am I above the rules. I would certainly face consequences if I uploaded five photos when only allowed one, because as a long-time member (just like Megan White4), I know exactly what the boundaries are. There is simply no reason to break them.
Why should 99% of users follow the rules while he gets a free pass? If you are a user who follows the regulations, why shouldn't Megan White4 be held to the same standard? Is he somehow better than you? Above you?
Everyone deserves equal treatment, and I believe the rest of the community would want to be treated that way too.
Of course, we moderators aren't perfect (speaking strictly about myself here). I've made mistakes, misjudged situations, or handled things through private messages instead of public posts. BUT, that only happens when a user is being reasonable and the situation can be resolved normally. When I receive a message similar to his, my experience tells me that those confrontations can spiral indefinitely.
There is absolutely no need to communicate like that with anyone. Situations can always be settled civilly without someone stooping to the level that Megan White4 has chosen to take.

Exactly. Your logic is elementary; you seem to believe that in every situation, the consequence is at fault rather than the cause. 😂

Nicholas King said:Look, let's set the nuances aside for a second—that whole logic of "he sent insults, so I have a right to be rude too" just isn't my cup of tea.

We could sit here counting angels on the head of a pin until tomorrow, but the reality remains: Steven Ruiz missed a colossal opportunity to effectively bury "the other side"—sometimes, I suppose, a simple, plain admission of a mistake is actually the deadliest weapon you can wield. If you do that, the opponent is left standing alone on the "battlefield," looking pretty damn pathetic.

Two wrongs don't make a right. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_wrongs_make_a_right

Aaron Garcia36 said:Secondly, I am the one who established the rule for the diaspora community (not a colleague), and Steven Ruiz simply agreed to it when he accepted his moderator role. I don't see any reason for Steven Ruiz to be crucified for a decision that was entirely mine.

You can't really compare two PDFs that have such vastly different image policies; calling them "opposites" is a massive stretch.
The topic at hand is "publishing the President's info," not "images in the diaspora group." I stand firmly by my specific rule regarding images in the diaspora section, and so far, nobody there has complained. Why? Because there's no need to—uploading photos there is quite rare. On one hand, you can easily count how many forum members actually post photos regularly; it's limited to two specific threads, and everyone stays happy (at least, that's what I've been told).

To use a comparison, it would be like setting a speed limit of 31 miles mph on a racetrack and 62 miles mph in a residential neighborhood just because nobody drives a race car in a suburb. ☕

Douglas Cook9 said:Honestly, you all really stepped in it together this time.
Look, we all know people say some pretty wild stuff during a heated argument just to get a reaction, but once the momentum starts, there’s no stopping it.
If high-ranking politicians can smirk and say, "Maybe it isn't fair, but it's legal," then we shouldn't be shocked when moderators cling to the letter of the law—even when those rules are ridiculous or things they basically made up themselves. This whole mess started over one single image (the fifth one in a row), and let's be real, it feels incredibly unfair to play stickler for the rules when that rule wouldn't even have been broken if things were handled differently on another sub-forum.
Speaking of photography, it’s pretty pathetic that in a place where visuals are everything—and honestly should be hosted in its own dedicated photo section—this specific shot was completely nuked.
It also felt totally shady how they aggressively enforced the rule against a fifth image, especially since the same moderator defending it would go write on a different part of the site that multiple images are perfectly fine. It's the same story with the resolution limits; they used to claim nothing could be larger than 640x480, only for us to find out certain sections allow 800x600, and even then, getting that rule updated in the photo guidelines was an uphill battle.
And honestly, leaking private messages is just tacky. It's bad taste, plain and simple, especially when that content was meant for one person only.
Since everyone involved has gone overboard here, the best move would be to bury the hatchet, make up after the PM drama 😁 and just lift the ban.
Why? Because Megan White4 actually wrote quality stuff that added real value to the site.

@Steven Ruiz, you’d really show what you're made of if you just stepped up in this thread, said "lift the ban," and settled this once and for all.

That’s exactly what I’ve been saying all along.

For those who aren't particularly tech-savvy, two posts containing four images each actually consume more bandwidth than a single post with eight images. This is simply because the browser has to load a separate "header" for every individual post. Furthermore, if the images are hosted on an external server, it doesn't matter whether there are four, five, or twenty in a post; they pull bandwidth from the host server, not from this forum.

Douglas Cook9 said:Honestly, you all really stepped in it together this time.
Look, we all know people say some pretty wild stuff during a heated argument just to get a reaction, but once the momentum starts, there’s no stopping it.
If high-ranking politicians can smirk and say, "Maybe it isn't fair, but it's legal," then we shouldn't be shocked when moderators cling to the letter of the law—even when those rules are ridiculous or things they basically made up themselves. This whole mess started over one single image (the fifth one in a row), and let's be real, it feels incredibly unfair to play stickler for the rules when that rule wouldn't even have been broken if things were handled differently on another sub-forum.
Speaking of photography, it’s pretty pathetic that in a place where visuals are everything—and honestly should be hosted in its own dedicated photo section—this specific shot was completely nuked.
It also felt totally shady how they aggressively enforced the rule against a fifth image, especially since the same moderator defending it would go write on a different part of the site that multiple images are perfectly fine. It's the same story with the resolution limits; they used to claim nothing could be larger than 640x480, only for us to find out certain sections allow 800x600, and even then, getting that rule updated in the photo guidelines was an uphill battle.
And honestly, leaking private messages is just tacky. It's bad taste, plain and simple, especially when that content was meant for one person only.
Since everyone involved has gone overboard here, the best move would be to bury the hatchet, make up after the PM drama 😁 and just lift the ban.
Why? Because Megan White4 actually wrote quality stuff that added real value to the site.

@Steven Ruiz, you’d really show what you're made of if you just stepped up in this thread, said "lift the ban," and settled this once and for all.

Some people simply lack the ability to make exceptions, even when the context of a post clearly justifies it. Exceptions are what give rules their meaning. If I recall correctly, Steven Ruiz mentioned she couldn't make an exception because she’d be flooded with messages asking why she allowed five images for me but not for others. It shouldn't be that difficult to just say, "I made an exception due to the specific context," which would be a perfectly reasonable explanation to anyone acting normally. She also could have easily converted the last photo into a link instead of deleting it entirely. But apparently, she isn't aware that you do that by simply swapping the IMG tag for a URL tag. ☕

Alex Barnes8 said:It's right there in the rules. I read them recently. 😛
Even if it isn't in the latest update, you haven't just joined the forum yesterday.
There was even a case here recently where someone got banned for posting a private message.😉
I find it hard to believe most users know it's against the rules while you, the administrator, somehow don't.🙄
I suppose you know it's forbidden, but maybe you're just playing dumb to protect your colleague Steven Ruiz.🙂

Cornix frames oculos non effodiet ☕

Michelle Alvarez8 said:Stop playing games and making drama out of nothing. 🙄

I told you already—just take a step back, offer an apology, and wave the white flag. Of course, that’s all assuming you actually mean it! If you do, even the moderators will have to step in—even if they aren't used to dealing with this kind of thing—and you'll eventually find a solution that works for everyone.

As for why Steven Ruiz is so obsessed with the rules? Just look at how many years he's been hanging around here. Women tend to lose their minds a little bit in this environment—it happens—so you just have to be more careful and tactical with them. There's really no point in digging your heels in and saying, "I won't apologize, they need to do this and that," because you aren't going to get anywhere. You'll just stay banned, and the mods will use it as a precedent to keep doing whatever they want.

If you can manage to get your access to the photo gallery restored gracefully and smooth things over with Steven Ruiz, maybe the rest of these sheep will finally wake up and realize the mods can't just do whatever they feel like. They're already talking about leaking private messages and potential penalties. This whole situation could be a massive learning moment—not just for you and the mods, but for the entire forum.

Steven Ruiz is whining about the very rules she established, twisting them just for the sake of it. I don't recall seeing anything in that photo that warranted such extreme moderator intervention—you know, the whole deleting posts and issuing permanent bans routine. It’s just a case of an idle person looking for trouble. ☕

By the way, a user named Thule lost their account for similar reasons. They finally reached their breaking point after watching Steven Ruiz repeatedly delete posts in a thread where people were just trying to coordinate a meetup time and location, all under the guise of "maintaining chat decorum" and "enforcing rules."

Michelle Alvarez8 said:Stop playing games and making drama out of nothing. 🙄

I told you already—just take a step back, offer an apology, and wave the white flag. Of course, that’s all assuming you actually mean it! If you do, even the moderators will have to step in—even if they aren't used to dealing with this kind of thing—and you'll eventually find a solution that works for everyone.

As for why Steven Ruiz is so obsessed with the rules? Just look at how many years he's been hanging around here. Women tend to lose their minds a little bit in this environment—it happens—so you just have to be more careful and tactical with them. There's really no point in digging your heels in and saying, "I won't apologize, they need to do this and that," because you aren't going to get anywhere. You'll just stay banned, and the mods will use it as a precedent to keep doing whatever they want.

If you can manage to get your access to the photo gallery restored gracefully and smooth things over with Steven Ruiz, maybe the rest of these sheep will finally wake up and realize the mods can't just do whatever they feel like. They're already talking about leaking private messages and potential penalties. This whole situation could be a massive learning moment—not just for you and the mods, but for the entire forum.

Is it mandatory? Only once Steven Ruiz finally decides to dial back his obsession with strict training. ☕

Quote : Nicholas King

Michelle Alvarez8 said:Stop playing games and making drama out of nothing. 🙄

I told you already—just take a step back, offer an apology, and wave the white flag. Of course, that’s all assuming you actually mean it! If you do, even the moderators will have to step in—even if they aren't used to dealing with this kind of thing—and you'll eventually find a solution that works for everyone.

As for why Steven Ruiz is so obsessed with the rules? Just look at how many years he's been hanging around here. Women tend to lose their minds a little bit in this environment—it happens—so you just have to be more careful and tactical with them. There's really no point in digging your heels in and saying, "I won't apologize, they need to do this and that," because you aren't going to get anywhere. You'll just stay banned, and the mods will use it as a precedent to keep doing whatever they want.

If you can manage to get your access to the photo gallery restored gracefully and smooth things over with Steven Ruiz, maybe the rest of these sheep will finally wake up and realize the mods can't just do whatever they feel like. They're already talking about leaking private messages and potential penalties. This whole situation could be a massive learning moment—not just for you and the mods, but for the entire forum.

It’s truly remarkable. Whenever there needs to be an excuse regarding moderation, someone always manages to scrape one up. If she finds it too difficult—or if she lacks the capacity for basic common sense and prefers clinging to a rigid set of rules like some kind of zealot—then she should probably just step down. We could use a moderator who actually possesses a shred of normalcy to take her place. Beyond that, I’ve reached an age where my patience for nonsense has evaporated entirely. I have to be careful and tactical with my own reactions, too, so what exactly is the plan here?

Quote : Nicholas King

Michelle Alvarez8 said:Stop playing games and making drama out of nothing. 🙄

I told you already—just take a step back, offer an apology, and wave the white flag. Of course, that’s all assuming you actually mean it! If you do, even the moderators will have to step in—even if they aren't used to dealing with this kind of thing—and you'll eventually find a solution that works for everyone.

As for why Steven Ruiz is so obsessed with the rules? Just look at how many years he's been hanging around here. Women tend to lose their minds a little bit in this environment—it happens—so you just have to be more careful and tactical with them. There's really no point in digging your heels in and saying, "I won't apologize, they need to do this and that," because you aren't going to get anywhere. You'll just stay banned, and the mods will use it as a precedent to keep doing whatever they want.

If you can manage to get your access to the photo gallery restored gracefully and smooth things over with Steven Ruiz, maybe the rest of these sheep will finally wake up and realize the mods can't just do whatever they feel like. They're already talking about leaking private messages and potential penalties. This whole situation could be a massive learning moment—not just for you and the mods, but for the entire forum.

You're mistaken; I've already achieved it. ☕

Michelle Alvarez8 said:Stop playing games and making drama out of nothing. 🙄

I told you already—just take a step back, offer an apology, and wave the white flag. Of course, that’s all assuming you actually mean it! If you do, even the moderators will have to step in—even if they aren't used to dealing with this kind of thing—and you'll eventually find a solution that works for everyone.

As for why Steven Ruiz is so obsessed with the rules? Just look at how many years he's been hanging around here. Women tend to lose their minds a little bit in this environment—it happens—so you just have to be more careful and tactical with them. There's really no point in digging your heels in and saying, "I won't apologize, they need to do this and that," because you aren't going to get anywhere. You'll just stay banned, and the mods will use it as a precedent to keep doing whatever they want.

If you can manage to get your access to the photo gallery restored gracefully and smooth things over with Steven Ruiz, maybe the rest of these sheep will finally wake up and realize the mods can't just do whatever they feel like. They're already talking about leaking private messages and potential penalties. This whole situation could be a massive learning moment—not just for you and the mods, but for the entire forum.

Which is unlikely to happen anyway... then again, she won't be getting banned just for leaking my private messages. ☕

Michelle Alvarez8 said:Look... Steven Ruiz is practically a rookie compared to some of the old-school and current admins—just let her be. She definitely messed up big time with the President, but honestly, you aren't exactly innocent for sending him off like that either. All you guys really need to do is offer a sincere apology to one another and get back to the usual fun stuff.

Is it just me, or is Mafia Wars acting up for everyone else too..? 😵

Perhaps I am, but two wrongs don't make a right. And frankly, I have no intention of apologizing to her until my ban from the photography section is lifted, and she stops harassing people and spamming threads with those rule warnings she's so pathologically obsessed with... ☕

Michelle Alvarez8 said:From this, I know you weren't giving Jane Doe a hard time back then. Because if you were, the FBI would have shown up, taken your head off, and—well, you know—left you in a bad way. 😁

Ah, those classic "we're stepping on you just because we can" moves. It’s like when the teller at my bank tells me my credit card can't be fully paid off—it has to stay revolving. Then the guys in the credit department tell me it *can* be paid in full. So I end up getting jerked around for two weeks straight. Eventually, I just lose it, leave work early, walk into the branch, and chew her out so hard she has to call the manager. And I had already worked everything out perfectly with the manager! Of course, my card ended up deactivated anyway, even though it got reactivated without me signing a single thing.

It's the same deal with moderators. Just by being on this forum, you've accepted the fact that you're gonna get squeezed from time to time. And honestly? That's fine. As long as they aren't crushing you completely. Then it starts to sting. But you're smart—you come prepared with plenty of grease and some good old-fashioned Vaseline, which is basically a staple in every household. Including our little forum family.

They hit you with infractions and bans, and you hit them with whatever snarky comments you can muster. We're all just bumping heads like a bunch of wild monkeys. And hey, it's great—provided we don't go overboard. That's why we have administrators to keep us in line. Mr. Pink, White, Dante, and the rest.

Man, this forum has been a mess ever since Vienna left. You could actually have a decent argument with her and settle things. 😢

And because I was "getting under their skin," Steven Ruiz (or some self-important administrator she's cozy with) slapped a permanent ban on my photography. It wasn't even about what I actually did with the photo; it was "preventative." Apparently, mentioning something I might do on another site was enough to make her feel threatened....

Michelle Alvarez8 said:From this, I know you weren't giving Jane Doe a hard time back then. Because if you were, the FBI would have shown up, taken your head off, and—well, you know—left you in a bad way. 😁

Ah, those classic "we're stepping on you just because we can" moves. It’s like when the teller at my bank tells me my credit card can't be fully paid off—it has to stay revolving. Then the guys in the credit department tell me it *can* be paid in full. So I end up getting jerked around for two weeks straight. Eventually, I just lose it, leave work early, walk into the branch, and chew her out so hard she has to call the manager. And I had already worked everything out perfectly with the manager! Of course, my card ended up deactivated anyway, even though it got reactivated without me signing a single thing.

It's the same deal with moderators. Just by being on this forum, you've accepted the fact that you're gonna get squeezed from time to time. And honestly? That's fine. As long as they aren't crushing you completely. Then it starts to sting. But you're smart—you come prepared with plenty of grease and some good old-fashioned Vaseline, which is basically a staple in every household. Including our little forum family.

They hit you with infractions and bans, and you hit them with whatever snarky comments you can muster. We're all just bumping heads like a bunch of wild monkeys. And hey, it's great—provided we don't go overboard. That's why we have administrators to keep us in line. Mr. Pink, White, Dante, and the rest.

Man, this forum has been a mess ever since Vienna left. You could actually have a decent argument with her and settle things. 😢

Honestly, I’m a little afraid to run into her in person. Mostly because I’m worried her condition might actually be contagious... ☕

Michelle Alvarez8 said:Way back in the day, posting PMs was a huge no-no—the admins used to treat it like one of the worst offenses you could commit.

I'm talking about sharing the messages themselves, not the bans. ☕

Those were the good old days... ☕

Michelle Alvarez8 said:No offense intended, but honestly? The current rules are actually pretty solid, especially considering who put them together.

By letting private messages be posted—and not slapping anyone with a penalty for it—we’re setting a really nasty precedent. Just try looking at it from the perspective of someone whose private DMs were leaked. I wouldn't be feeling too great about it myself, whether it was meant as a joke, some teasing, or straight-up cyberbullying.

It gets even messier when a moderator is allowed to post a user's private message without any consequences at all—regardless of what it says. Instead of Kiki and Toc trying to fix things by leaking private messages, moderators should be handling those issues privately with the admins. Plus, I find it hard to believe a regular user would get away with posting a private message from a moderator. And let’s be real—if the mods (and admins) know how to send abusive messages... they definitely do.

Double standards are never a "quality" solution, you know? But since they seem to be a constant here on this forum—I guess it's just part of the charm, right?

Of course. What’s permitted for Jupiter isn't necessarily permitted for an ox... or, to put it more plainly: what's acceptable for a moderator doesn't always apply to the average forum user.

Sam Green73 said:I actually went looking for this in the current terms of service.
I didn't find anything.

Honestly, people should have the right to be protected from spam and harassment through PMs.

It’s hard to argue that a single DM counts as spamming—certainly not compared to someone flooding the boards with endless posts. If you don't start following the Golden Rule, I'm going to have to take matters into my own hands.There are certain points that keep popping up in the photography threads. They’re mostly just facts mixed with a little sarcasm and some lighthearted ribbing—hardly what anyone would call heavy insults. If someone finds themselves unable to take a joke, honestly, that's their own problem. ☕

Kyle King4 said:You took the words right out of my mouth. Just like that whole thing about posting how many sides of cardboard you have. Absolute rock bottom.
Low blows that the mods should, in principle, be strong enough to ignore.

Sure. Let's see who actually holds the moderator titles then... ☕

Morgan Rodriguez57 said:Nah... well, at least that was how things worked back in my day—you could say just about anything in the PMs, and a mod (or anyone else, really) wasn't allowed to post them or punish you for them...

The good old days. ☕

hollowtrucker77 said:So, we’ve got a new big-shot head admin on our hands now, and let’s just hold onto a shred of hope that things actually start moving in a better direction for once.
I also find myself having to agree with Michelle Alvarez8 yet again—and honestly, maybe there’s just something fundamentally wrong with my own brain—but it really isn't worth wasting any energy on those self-proclaimed keyboard heroes. Their entire purpose in life seems to be nothing more than trying to reach peak levels of being a total pain in the ass.
Unfortunately for them, though, in about 99% of cases, they can't even manage to pull that off.
😉

I have my doubts. ☕

hollowtrucker77 said:So, we’ve got a new big-shot head admin on our hands now, and let’s just hold onto a shred of hope that things actually start moving in a better direction for once.
I also find myself having to agree with Michelle Alvarez8 yet again—and honestly, maybe there’s just something fundamentally wrong with my own brain—but it really isn't worth wasting any energy on those self-proclaimed keyboard heroes. Their entire purpose in life seems to be nothing more than trying to reach peak levels of being a total pain in the ass.
Unfortunately for them, though, in about 99% of cases, they can't even manage to pull that off.
😉

I assume this is directed my way, but what’s the deal with moderators like Kiki? They can be such a pain in the ass, constantly nitpicking over every tiny rule violation and cluttering the forum with posts like "The Golden Rule must be respected." Is it just me, or does that whole vibe feel a bit too much like "Big Brother is watching you"?

hollowtrucker77 said:So, we’ve got a new big-shot head admin on our hands now, and let’s just hold onto a shred of hope that things actually start moving in a better direction for once.
I also find myself having to agree with Michelle Alvarez8 yet again—and honestly, maybe there’s just something fundamentally wrong with my own brain—but it really isn't worth wasting any energy on those self-proclaimed keyboard heroes. Their entire purpose in life seems to be nothing more than trying to reach peak levels of being a total pain in the ass.
Unfortunately for them, though, in about 99% of cases, they can't even manage to pull that off.
😉

Unless they enjoy the privilege of being a forum moderator... It’s a known truth that in certain situations, there’s a clear distinction: What’s the difference between God and a forum moderator? God doesn't walk around thinking he's a forum moderator. ☕

By the way, I know this is off-topic, but I’m genuinely curious about how that works. On the Diaspora subforum, you're allowed to include up to six images per post.That’s the rule, with a few possible exceptions. Meanwhile, over on the photography forum—where there's actually a legitimate reason to include more than a few shots per post—you're strictly capped at four. If you go over, they just wipe the extras regardless of the context. Honestly, that's exactly what triggered this whole mess between me and Kiki.

Sam Green73 said:Personal data is kept strictly confidential.
Direct messages aren't considered private data.

Then what are they?

I’m curious about the forum rules regarding the sharing of private messages. I ask because Kiki posted a direct message intended solely for her in the Photography subforum... If this constitutes a violation of our guidelines, I’d like to know what steps will be taken to address it.

Sandra Ward23 said:What isn't included?
I'm pretty sure it's already in there (it already has two votes from that Taco Bell guy, Megan White4—whatever)

The poll is live today and allows for multiple selections. ☕

Robert Morgan732 said:The Diaspora subforum and its moderation are a complete mess because of one individual's ego.

And we're talking about Kim Kardashian.

It’s the exact same story over on the photography board, where I was hit with a permanent ban. All because this person didn't like something I wrote on an entirely different website. She actually went to the admin to request a preemptive ban against me—not based on anything I did here, but solely due to her interpretation of my comments elsewhere.

Beyond that, she seems to lack any capacity for tolerance or understanding the broader context of a discussion. Instead, she goes as far as deleting or altering perfectly coherent posts, constantly hiding behind some arbitrary set of rules.

In my view, the community's wishes should take precedence. Users aren't here for the moderators; the moderators exist to serve the users. They shouldn't be stifling discussions or playing tyrant with the rulebook, especially on forums where such heavy-handedness is completely unnecessary.

hiddensailor14 said:The word amateur definitely carries a bit of a sting sometimes, too😉 and honestly, you fit that description perfectly😛😳
Why is this thread even still open...
😕

So you’d have something to ask. :asshole: