Question about Skoda

Emily Fisher23 said:I don't think we need to merge the US subforum with anything else, but honestly, Herbie actually has a point about certain things.
It’s not just about reacting at all... it’s about actually being on top of stuff happening on the US side before it spirals.

Take the classifieds, for example. If people actually dealt with ads that have fewer than 100 posts way faster, maybe folks would actually respect the rules. But instead, someone clicks on the classifieds, maybe skims the first post... then they scroll through the last two or three pages and realize half the crowd isn't even following the 100-post rule. Their ads have been sitting there for days, and it leads to that classic logic—if everyone else is cutting corners, why shouldn't I?
Even Brian Johnson called out how messy the classifieds were. I noticed his post got nuked, yet the people breaking the 100-post rule are still chilling there perfectly fine. Seriously, I’m scrolling back through the last few pages and seeing ads from December 21st, 2014, that break the rules and are STILL up! 🤷

With the homework assignments, I literally had to ask a few days after the deadline if there was even going to be a vote. 🤷
And yeah, this thread that's clearly meant for teenagers sat on the US board for almost three days. The very first sentence says the kids are 16. 🙄

This past summer, I started a bunch of threads for people to hang out, and several times I actually had to beg for days just to get my thread bumped to the top. And I mean, begging in all sorts of ways—messaging mods privately or reporting my own thread as spam just to get *someone* to finally notice. Isn't that just ridiculous? 🕺

Look, I get it. The mods and admins aren't servants who are supposed to be babysitting the US section 24/7, but surely someone could take a quick peek now and then to see what's going down...

That’s really low, and this post says a lot about you. The admins can see exactly how much "peeking" goes on in the US, so those claims from the US clans are taken with a grain of salt.

The mods respond when they can. They have actual lives and responsibilities outside of this site; they aren't exactly on call 24/7 to jump on every little thing. Everything being complained about here—moving threads, deleting spam, all that stuff—isn't exactly an emergency that can't wait until someone logs on.

I could get behind the idea that the moderators aren't doing their jobs, but that’s just not true, so I don't really see the point in dragging this whole debate out any further.

Matthew Anderson said:Some posts get wiped immediately after being reported, some take a few hours, others up to 24 hours. Since mods aren't obligated to jump on every single report instantly, and the thread is being cleaned properly—please stop accusing me of twisting things just because rules aren't being enforced perfectly. The link you provided had ads that hadn't been removed yet; they are gone now.

The link she shared contained ads that were 7 to 9 days old (from January 4th to the 6th). If you look at the two pages preceding her link, there are three more ads violating the rules.

(Dec 21st)
(Dec 29th)
(Dec 29th)

So no, the thread isn't being cleaned properly.

It wouldn't be an issue if you just admitted you were on vacation, or caught up in work, or just plain busy lately. Instead, you respond with this suppressed hostility and aggression ("stop twisting my words") simply because someone pointed out—quite accurately—that you are currently failing to perform one part of your job. Your job, or at least it should be, is to listen to grievances and respond professionally, rather than picking fights with users just because they raised a concern.

The Classifieds are a specific example here because they involve your new rules (which I personally find unnecessary, but you implemented and vigorously "defended," which is your prerogative). It shouldn't even matter whether a specific post was reported. You should be monitoring the thread yourselves.

Michelle Phillips54 said:Mods react when they can. Everyone has a life and responsibilities; no one is required to pull double shifts on the forum or respond instantaneously.

No one is disputing that. But when a mistake or oversight is pointed out, the response should be, "Thanks, we'll fix it, things have been hectic lately" (as Herbicidna was polite, regardless of whether she nitpicks certain things or not), rather than accusing someone of "twisting words" when they are clearly right.

John Castillo7 said:So, no, the thread isn't being cleaned up properly.

Actually, the thread gets cleaned up just fine—sometimes it happens right after a report, sometimes a day later, and occasionally something slips through the cracks. If a post gets missed, I just delete it once someone points it out; I don't think it's the end of the world. If your definition of "cleaning up properly" requires everything to be wiped within a specific number of hours, then we clearly have different definitions.

John Castillo7 said:It wouldn't be an issue if you just said you were on vacation, or that you're swamped with work lately and can't get to it immediately, instead of snapping back with this defensive aggression ("please stop nitpicking") just because someone accurately pointed out that you aren't currently doing part of your job.

I'm neither annoyed nor aggressive; I just consider certain posts to be nonsense.

John Castillo7 said:Just like your job/task (at least it should be) is to listen to complaints and respond politely, rather than picking fights with users simply because they voiced a grievance.

I just can't view a post titled "Merge US and LJES groups" as anything remotely serious in any known universe.

John Castillo7 said:The classifieds are a perfect example since they involve your new rules (which I personally find unnecessary, but you implemented them and vigorously "defended" them, which is your right), so it shouldn't matter whether someone specifically reports a single post. You should be managing the thread yourselves.

We've explained the reasoning behind those rules several times now. We never claimed we'd be pulling 24/7 shifts over the classifieds section to wipe every single thing the second it appears. If something is missed -> it was missed. That doesn't mean the rule isn't being applied.

John Castillo7 said:Look, nobody is disputing that. But there’s a difference. When you point out a mistake or a slip-up, they actually say, "Thanks, we'll fix it, things have been hectic lately"—because Herbicidna has always been decent, even if they get a little nitpicky sometimes. They don't just start spinning everything when someone is clearly right.

If you think they're right, then fine. I think it's pure spin. Thanks for reading. 🙂

Herbicidna was anything but polite. That fake-modest, overly humble act she put on for the mods is just an insult to anyone with half a brain, especially considering the absolute circus they run normally.
And don't even get me started on my friend who suddenly decided to bring up something that supposedly "offended" her from back in the summer of 2014.

Whether you're looking at ZuD or the US forums, there are plenty of genuinely good people hanging around. You know what they actually do? They'll shoot you a private message if they notice you forgot to delete something or if the server crapped out right while you were trying to clean up a thread. They don't go posting on the public boards acting all submissive and pathetic, calling you an idiot who can't follow the rules or claiming you've forgotten how to moderate after two years on the job.

Do you have any idea how many posts actually get nuked over in the Classifieds section? A handful of posts being deleted is a tiny, tiny percentage.

I think we’ve covered it all... this whole thread is pointless now. It’s basically just turned into a playground for one specific little clique.

Matthew Anderson said:Yeah, the thread is being cleaned up regularly—sometimes upon report, sometimes a day later, and occasionally things slip through. I delete missed posts when someone points them out; I don't consider it the end of the world. If you believe "regularly cleaned" should mean "deleted within X hours," then we simply have different definitions.

I don't. But what do you (or the mods in general) consider the definition or the deadline? Obviously, there can't be a rigid boundary, but there should be a general framework. We are talking about a specific page here (the penultimate one, not some random page buried in the middle that happened to get missed months ago) that was legitimately packed with rule-breaking ads, all of which were 7 to 9 days old (or 6 to 8 since the link was posted yesterday). I even left links to three posts that were 15 and 23 days old. Fine, mistakes happen, but why not just say, "My bad, we missed it, we aren't on duty 24/7," instead of calling it "spin" when the complaint is valid?

I simply cannot accept a post titled 'Merge US and LJES groups' as anything remotely serious in any known universe.

Well, I wasn't talking about that part (just as she received a standard response, whether she liked it or not), nor was I suggesting a teenager should be forced into the teen subforum if their thread links to it.

We have explained several times why we implemented these rules. We never stated we would be on call 24/7 monitoring the Ads thread and deleting everything the moment it appears—if something is missed, it was missed. That doesn't mean they won't be deleted eventually.

You think they're right; I think it's spin. Thanks for reading.🙂

Look, it’s obvious that this thread has been neglected lately. No one expects you to be on duty 24/7, but if a significant number of posts ranging from 7 to 23 days old go "unnoticed" (especially that cluster of 7-9 day old posts on page 22), then I don't see the issue with saying, "We've been busy lately, we'll fix it now." I don't know what the "spin" is supposed to be, but fine. Regards.🙂

Emily Patel70 said:Do you have any insight into how many posts actually get deleted in Ads? A few missed posts represent a very small percentage.

I am certain they are being deleted. And at no point did I suggest the US moderators are lazy or that I think you guys are bad at this (not at all). I'm just saying I don't see the reason to get defensive just because someone pointed out that you temporarily overlooked the Ads section for various reasons. The fact remains that the famous page 22 (the penultimate one) was heavily filled with rule-breaking ads, almost as if everyone coordinated to fill it during those 2 or 3 days. This doesn't make you incompetent, nor is it meant to be dramatic, but I don't understand why it's an issue to admit, "Yeah, we missed it during that window, we're handling it now" (which, by the way, has been handled).

Matthew Anderson said:How fast should we be acting? Look, sometimes we jump on things within minutes of a report, sometimes we don't. Threads get checked and cleaned. Can stuff slip through? Sure.

Meadow will handle the classified ads. And as for this thread sitting here for three days—feel free to eyeball it all you want. It’s not like she caused some massive crisis in the US.

Maybe it's just because it was summer, so response times are slower than usual.

Claiming we don't step in occasionally is just a flat-out lie.

I don't know how the review process works, but look, these ads that Brian Johnson complained about have been sitting there for a week already.

Fine, maybe she missed the classifieds. Not exactly a mortal sin.
But it isn't about whether a specific thread is causing problems; it's more that, since this has been up for three days, it feels like none of the mods or admins have even been online in the US for three days. That's just how it looks to me—I'm not claiming it's absolute truth.

I get that things move slower during the summer. But sometimes an explanation would go a long way.

Like I said before. If nobody reacts to a problem for days, personally, it makes me feel like none of the people in charge are even present in the US.

Emily Patel70 said:That's really nasty, and that post says a lot about you. Admins can see exactly how much "stepping in" happens in the US, so claims from certain US clans are taken with a grain of salt.

I don't see what was so nasty about what I said. I was just pointing out some issues I think are happening in the US. Not because I'm trying to attack anyone, but because I want the US to be a better place.
And I have no idea what "clans" you're talking about.

Emily Patel70 said:Herbicidna was anything but polite. Her fake modesty and overly submissive attitude toward the moderators is an insult to common sense, especially considering the circus she usually runs.
Not to mention that friend of hers who suddenly remembered being upset about something back in the summer of 2014.

There are plenty of well-meaning users on both ZuD and the US. You know what they do? They send you a PM when they notice you forgot to delete something or if the server crashed while you were trying to moderate. They don't post publicly in a groveling, pathetic way, calling you either an idiot who doesn't get the rules or someone who hasn't learned how to moderate after two years.

Do you have any idea how many posts actually get deleted in the Ads section? Missing a few posts is a tiny percentage.

I think we've said it all; this thread is pointless now because it's just turned into a playground for a specific little group.

Herbie and I aren't friends, and there’s zero "clique" behavior going on here. Not even close.
I didn't just suddenly remember this out of nowhere; I'm pointing out that these issues aren't new—they've been dragging on for quite some time.

No, no, no... I didn't say any of you were a certain way. That wasn't my intention. It just feels like nobody has the time.

I have no idea how many posts actually get deleted. But I see some still sitting there despite the warnings.

Just because two people agree on something doesn't mean there are little groups forming.

Look, fixing my own mess isn't even the issue here. It’s not like I’m some clueless newbie—not that Herbicidna was trying to be subtle about it, by the way—it’s just that the server crapped out right while I was trying to clear my posts... leaving them all sitting there like junk mail.

The real headache? It's this constant pattern of the same little clique playing favorites with the USA mods. I mean,
don't get me wrong, I'm not taking this personally. Every single subreddit has its own little inner circle that lives for this kind of stuff, but we really shouldn't be letting them run the show.

Anyway, that's my two cents...

It honestly feels like we’ve been battling server issues forever. Things have actually been running pretty smoothly over the last few months, but lately, for the past several days, everything has just been lagging like crazy. We're seeing duplicate posts, double warnings, and messages or threads just failing to send entirely. It’s also very likely that some flagged content hasn't been cleared out yet. If you notice the moderators missed something, please just hit that little report icon or shoot them a DM. If they don't get back to you, remember you've always got their head super-mod available too. The Classifieds section is currently absolutely crawling with rule-breakers, and honestly, I really admire the mods for having the patience to keep that whole thread organized in a single PDF. Looking at their recent activity, it's clear the mod team is working hard, and the overall structure of the forum is actually in great shape. Sure, things slip through the cracks sometimes, the server glitches out, or the mods just can't keep up with the sheer volume of moderation in real-time, but that’s just part of the territory. There’s really no reason to go after them for it.

The US forums and the LIES boards aren't going to merge because, even if there’s a bit of overlap in certain topics, they’re fundamentally different communities with totally different vibes and subject matter.