Moderation on Foodie Forum

How long is this forum just going to keep deleting posts? Is scrubbing content really the answer to everything?
For the last six months, I’ve been under constant fire. It feels like I can't even write a single post without someone jumping down my throat, which, if you ask me, is straight-up harassment. Every time, the posts just get deleted, and we're stuck in this endless, repetitive loop.
Pringles I know, you'll probably claim I'm imagining things or being unfair, but the sheer number of private messages I've received from other members offering their support tells me I'm not crazy. Maybe I'm just voicing what everyone else is thinking but is too afraid to say out loud.
Look, I can take a ban if I deserve one—I know I can be a bit impulsive sometimes. But this constant deleting of posts? It’s become completely pointless.
And let's be honest, there is a "clique" here on this forum; everyone knows exactly who leads it and who acts as the second-in-command.😉
I still remember what Bodyhalleck wrote when they first became a moderator. It really stuck with me. They suggested we ask ourselves why we aren't seeing any new members in the food section, and whether people are being unnecessarily attacked just for having different opinions—which is exactly why new users don't want to join the conversation here.

Just because the posts were deleted and you can't see them doesn't mean they weren't banned.

Michelle Robinson said:Just because posts are deleted and hidden doesn't mean the user hasn't been banned.

Look, Michelle Robinson, I get it. But what's the point of even posting here if my contributions just get flagged and wiped out every other day?
I’ll admit, I made a mistake when I first joined this forum years ago by openly stating that being a chef is my actual career. I was young, naive, and honestly, just inexperienced.
If people are really going to be bothered by the fact that I'm a working chef instead of some celebrity pro—like Filip Horvat, for instance—then why don't they put in the effort to actually bring a real expert onto this board?

Look, I don't know what else to tell you besides maybe try not taking things so personally. 🤷 The mods aren't sitting at their desks 24/7 waiting to jump on every single thing the second it happens.
Posts got wiped from one thread, and then you felt the need to go into another one to rehash your explanation and defend yourself. Naturally, you reignited the whole debate with some pretty unpleasant comments. It is what it is—this is an online forum.

Garga, I imagine that as a moderator, you probably have a pretty clear sense of how many active members we currently have in the Food & Dining section compared to what we used to have. To me, it feels like the number of regular contributors is steadily dropping... perhaps because when newcomers arrive, they run straight into a tight-knit clique that thinks they know everything? If everyone acts like an elite gourmet expert right away, maybe that’s why people don't feel like hanging out here anymore.

Which specific clique are we talking about? 🤔 Honestly, any corner of this forum where people have differing opinions or tastes ends up looking like that. Just because some users are blunt and love to stir the pot doesn't mean they've formed some exclusive inner circle—sometimes they aren't even part of the regular foodies crowd.

There’s a bit of a clique forming here over this whole situation. It isn't just my own take, either; based on the private messages I've been getting, quite a few other people feel the exact same way...
I’m off to grab a quick snack—just some bread with hummus. It says "Chef Select" on the container. I can't help but laugh thinking about David Skoko and that Canadian guy seeing that label right now. Honestly, what a mess! All because I mentioned I picked up some hummus at Walmart and actually enjoyed it.

rustymason82 said:there's a tiny little clique here with their own agenda

And who would those people be...? 🤔 What exactly do you suggest we do about it? 🤔 On any forum, just like in real life, people tend to gravitate toward those who share their views and attitudes.

Michelle Robinson said:And who would those people be...? 🤔 What exactly is your solution here? 🤔 After all, just like on any online forum or in real life, you always find people who align perfectly with their own specific perspectives and beliefs.

I suggest management brings in Philip Horvat to write the culinary pieces 👍
since I’m just a cafeteria cook who isn't even allowed to mention that I enjoy the hummus from Walmart without getting attacked or insulted.

But honestly, I see this discussion is going nowhere, so let's just pretend everything is fine.
Please close this thread.

rustymason82, give it a rest. You saw how much support you got from people who actually get what you do—folks who aren't just looking for a fight or trying to insult you.
The food industry has room for everyone, regardless of what they’re tossing in the pot. I argued this point fiercely a few years ago and I'm still standing by it. If we want to improve the quality of what people eat every single day—not just when they hit up a restaurant once a month—then there has to be space for those working within strict corporate guidelines. That includes the folks using margarine in their pastries or seasoning everything with salt substitutes. From what I've seen on this board, plenty of users started out with set-in-stone cooking habits and slowly began stepping outside their comfort zones.

Whether it's an online forum or the real world, you run into all kinds of people with different backgrounds, budgets, and palates. Some even use the anonymity of the internet to vent the frustration they picked up during their workday.
Here’s an idea: take the ingredients you were assigned for a single shift, list the mandatory nutritional standards you have to meet, and ask the community what they would make with those constraints. Some answers might surprise you, and others might help people realize that being creative isn't easy when you're boxed in by administrative rules.

rustymason82 said:since I'm just some cafeteria cook who isn't even allowed to say the hummus from Walmart tastes good without getting attacked and insulted

You aren't the only one being targeted or insulted, whether it's on the gastronomy forums or here on this board in general. That’s what mods are there for—to handle that stuff. Honestly, I’d find your complaint more valid if you were actually saying that none of the mods stepped in and those posts are still sitting right there on the threads.

but clearly, there's no point in arguing. let's just pretend everything is fine.
please close this thread.

There's no point because your suggestion in that first sentence isn't constructive at all—it's just trolling.

Usually, I only stick to the specific thread where a controversy breaks out just so I can keep track of the details, but here’s the reality: during what should have been a perfectly normal discussion, two users started dropping side comments and insults aimed at Ivica. He eventually fired back with a sharper response, but—and this is key—he didn't resort to personal attacks or insult anyone else, unlike them. After Ivica posted his rebuttal, I believe two other users stepped up to support him, and that's when the moderation kicked in and deleted everything.

Look, I don't personally have an issue with posts being removed, but as I've said before, once they're gone, we lose all evidence of whether those posts were actually sanctioned or not. It feels more transparent to leave them up so everyone can see where the moderation stands—that way, other users can judge the severity of the infraction and understand the actual boundaries of acceptable communication. Besides, just because you can't see a post doesn't mean action was taken; ignoring the behavior is insulting to the users who were actually targeted by the insults or mockery.

I'm speaking from experience here—I once lost my cool and insulted two people on a different sub-forum. Instead of a real penalty, the mod just wiped my post and sent me a private message saying, "take it easy," adding that he’d probably say the same thing to them if he wasn't a super-mod. That sparked a whole mess, and in an attempt to settle things, I ended up repeating the behavior elsewhere, where Nica rightfully could have handed me a formal warning. When it comes to insults, deleting the content is fine only if the victim receives the same level of sanction as the offender. But since that isn't how it works, deleting posts just leaves people wondering and leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of whoever was being attacked.

I’ve taken a close look at the recent logs, and honestly, I don't see any issues with how the moderators have been handling things. They’ve been cleaning up the problematic posts—and unfortunately, some of the collateral damage that comes along with them—and some of those warnings were definitely well-deserved. I haven't seen a single hint of bias or unfairness in the process, even though I totally get why people who aren't seeing the full picture might feel like it's happening. But look, this forum has its rules for a reason; off-topic stuff gets scrubbed to keep the discussions from spiraling out of control and to help cool down the tensions, and let's be real, for some people, having their post deleted is the harshest punishment there is anyway.

I really think we've covered everything there is to say on this matter.