Moderators are being so petty, uncreative, and incompetent

Steven Ruiz said:I honestly have no clue why you ended up with 100 points since I can't see into the backend, but let's be real, not every violation is created equal.
It's like if I'm grading my students' PDFs; I'm certainly not going to give the same failing grade to someone who sends a mother back to her hometown as I would to someone just hitting the caps lock key. One thing is much more serious than the other.

My ban actually would have been extended if it hadn't been lifted, and it wasn't just me getting an amnesty, but that third person was also given a break...
And regarding the whole business of posting a private message (though, frankly, I'm not sure what was "private" about someone insulting me, other than their own lack of manners), everything has already been addressed, the penalties were handed out, and the rule is clearly stated.

Even moderators make mistakes sometimes, and we all learn from them...

So I'll ask one more time, what is the actual problem here? Because from where I'm sitting, I just don't see one...

I can tell you firsthand that I received 100 points for a much smaller infraction than what some of the other moderators pulled.
I agree that people make mistakes, and it’s good that you admitted it. Honestly, I wouldn't even be engaging with you if your local sycophants hadn't started jumping to your defense for actions you've already labeled as errors.
Let me repeat: you guys are supposed to be the role models, not the textbook example of how *not* to behave!

Regarding the private messages, you should have handled that differently—the way everyone else does.
Several days passed after you posted it before any sanctions actually kicked in. And then, suddenly, you're granted amnesty (along with Slafko and that other guy)...
I'm fairly certain this wouldn't have ended this way if you hadn't been personally involved. There you have it.

Linda Rodriguez38 said:I’ve been reading and reading and reading, but I still haven't quite caught the vibe of this thread 🤷
so, how about we switch gears and talk about you for a bit, reddriver35? 🤣

When have you ever felt like you were being called out when it wasn't actually about you? 🤣

mistywolf17 said:I've actually already tried searching for a link to a case like that, since it wasn't something I was previously aware of.
But I couldn't find any link. 😕

Look, just so I don't end up doing your job for you...
I've got my own work piling up that I haven't even been paid for yet! 🤣🤣🤣
Just go look—you'll find it if you try! 🙂
Anyway, I'm out—totally wiped! 👋

Honestly, why is everyone complaining? This feels like typical old man yelling at clouds behavior to me. Forum members and moderators have never been treated on equal footing, and they aren't going to start now. This whole dynamic has been dull since back in 2002. And now we're sitting here in 2010. If I were in charge, I’d probably give you all 578 points for trolling just for failing to read the rulebook. 🤦 🤦

Steven Reed said:And if they start chatting in the ban corner, the thread gets closed immediately, and the user gets a heads-up that their ban is about to be lengthened. 😉

Do you honestly think they're just talking to themselves? 🍿

slywolf45 said:Do you honestly think they're just talking to themselves? 🍿

Ugh, they're just as bored as our girl Kim Kardashian—except they don't even get a choice! 🙂

Steven Reed said:You all got sanctioned because the users revolted and after AXMi made it clear they had no interest in stepping in to moderate, even if they agreed the behavior was unacceptable. Therefore—please—there is no excuse for what went down.

Oh, sure. If you try to offer a different perspective that doesn't align with the original one, suddenly it's an "excuse"... give me a break. I respect your take, 👍, but I'm just not buying it...

Daniel Ward87

Linda Rodriguez38 said:Steven Ruiz, I was catching up on your posts later and realized you're basically a mod with an attitude!
come on, be real—was that actually a way to handle it?

Well, like I said, it wasn't.
But then again, we all got punished too...
And honestly, don't even try to play dumb here...

So, what's the real issue here?
Would you guys really prefer it if we hadn't been penalized at all?

Linda Rodriguez38 said:But when regular users do that, their Ban gets extended, doesn't it, Steven Ruiz?

Honestly, I can't say I've ever actually seen that happen before...
I went ahead and looked into why bans get extended in the first place.

It’s not exactly unheard of for someone to think they got banned for one thing and go telling everyone that's the reason, when they actually got hit for something else entirely...
Specifically, I had a situation today on the diaspora forum where a user was insisting her ban for trolling was totally baseless because she was just talking about some tennis player, and she couldn't see how that was trolling, but the reality was she actually insulted another user in that same thread and provoked a full-on argument...
Luckily, since we mods have access to the archived posts, I was able to check everything immediately and see exactly what went down...

Steven Ruiz said:I am genuinely trying to figure out where the catch is here...
It feels like a total lose-lose situation because if the mods get penalized, people complain that it was done just because, but if they aren't penalized, then everyone cries foul about discrimination
...
If we stay silent, we're told we're ignoring everyone...
And if we don't stay silent, we're told we should have just kept our mouths shut in the first place...

I really don't know who could possibly be happy with those kinds of rules... 🤷

Oh, please, 🙄
I'll say it again: do you want us to build you monuments or something?
You knew you were going to get punished. Anyone chatting with you should have seen it coming.
A red card is a big deal; it's basically your sign that you're "real people" and rebels in the moderator world.
I've got two warnings on my record at work, so what? 🤷 It's not like I'm getting fired unless I actually screw up big time. But I went toe-to-toe with David Jones once, and I knew exactly what was coming next.
The forum works the exact same way.
I've even had a 500-point penalty for way less, and a permanent ban during break time for absolutely nothing. Nobody gives a damn. There were two threads about that situation, so what? 🤷
When it doesn't involve your own asses, nothing ever gets done. We can open thread after thread for all it matters.

Steven Reed said:I have never whined about a single warning I received, whether I deserved it or not.
People who intentionally flagrant the rules usually face a 100-point penalty—and lately, in many cases, a permanent ban from that specific PDF. To be perfectly clear, I've seen people get permanently banned over just a few posts on that PDF (stuff that wouldn't even bother a decent mod).
And yes, if I believe mods who break the rules should face harsher sanctions—especially when they do it maliciously or just to be jerks—so be it.
If you actually bothered to read my posts, you'd notice an unusual amount of consistency 😍
you aren't your average users!!!!
you are the moderators tasked with upholding the standards of this forum, not making a mockery of them!
I am still genuinely stunned by your attitude—and I hope your admins are too.

Steven Reed said:Don't troll. 😉
No matter how much effort you put in—it’s simply impossible to turn this thread into anything resembling a joke. 😉

Steven Ruiz—I’ve gotta hand it to Desiree; unlike you or mistywolf17, she actually had the guts to admit she was wrong.
Daniel Ward87, this behavior is frankly embarrassing for a moderator—whether you choose to admit it or not, it’s the plain truth.

Why isn't Steven Reed a mod? She's smart, level-headed, doesn't smoke, writes intelligently, doesn't insult anyone, and knows how to be tough when necessary. If I had to pick someone... 😁

slywolf45 said:Do you honestly think they're just talking to themselves? 🍿

Now, every single time, I find myself looking for at least one mod (depending on my mood, obviously) to come chat with me in the ban corner.
Pleeeeeeease 🙂

The sheer amount of grinding you people do never ceases to amaze me. 🤣

Listen, fellow moderators, I believe this is what the rest of the commenters are actually looking for:

Yes, people were chatting on the KZB, which isn't permitted, and it turned into a tasteless joke.
Yes, the KZB mods messed up by not closing the thread immediately with a warning and some bans.

But those are the only mistakes. As for everything else, IMHO, the penalties were appropriate. Though I suspect you’d much rather see Steven Ruiz's ban extended and everyone else banned too. 🤷

Steven Ruiz said:Well, like I said, it wasn't.
But then again, we all got punished too...
And honestly, don't even try to play dumb here...

So, what's the real issue here?
Would you guys really prefer it if we hadn't been penalized at all?

I would've preferred it if you hadn't leaked those PMs. Seriously.😁

Linda Rodriguez38 said:they should've just given them all a 3-day Ban
get it now? Including you—because y'all knew perfectly well that was NOT allowed

marčelina

troll or not, I shouldn't have to clone myself just to say what's on my mind

🙄 Come on, don't be a hypocrite... How many times have you broken the Lions Club rules without getting slapped with an instant three-day ban? Nobody is disputing what we did, but when the moderators mess up, there should be an immediate 3-day ban—no questions asked. When "regular" users screw up, well, that's where the debate starts.

Daniel Ward87

shadowpilot8 said:The sheer amount of grinding you people do never ceases to amaze me. 🤣

Listen, fellow moderators, I believe this is what the rest of the commenters are actually looking for:

Yes, people were chatting on the KZB, which isn't permitted, and it turned into a tasteless joke.
Yes, the KZB mods messed up by not closing the thread immediately with a warning and some bans.

But those are the only mistakes. As for everything else, IMHO, the penalties were appropriate. Though I suspect you’d much rather see Steven Ruiz's ban extended and everyone else banned too. 🤷

Basically, yeah 👍 ...

Daniel Ward87

Daniel Ward87 said:🙄 Come on, don't be a hypocrite... How many times have you broken the Lions Club rules without getting slapped with an instant three-day ban? Nobody is disputing what we did, but when the moderators mess up, there should be an immediate 3-day ban—no questions asked. When "regular" users screw up, well, that's where the debate starts.

Daniel Ward87

Exactly 😍
because the moderators are supposed to uphold the rules, not break them and turn them into a joke.
It's pathetic that you don't see it that way.

Linda Rodriguez38 said:Ugh, they're just as bored as our girl Kim Kardashian—except they don't even get a choice! 🙂

What I'm trying to get at is that there isn't really a fair way to compare this situation to what an average user goes through. It’s an apples-to-oranges comparison when regular people don't even have the option to jump into a chat like that.

Well, there you have it. A total precedent.😁

shadowpilot8 said:The sheer amount of grinding you people do never ceases to amaze me. 🤣

Listen, fellow moderators, I believe this is what the rest of the commenters are actually looking for:

Yes, people were chatting on the KZB, which isn't permitted, and it turned into a tasteless joke.
Yes, the KZB mods messed up by not closing the thread immediately with a warning and some bans.

But those are the only mistakes. As for everything else, IMHO, the penalties were appropriate. Though I suspect you’d much rather see Steven Ruiz's ban extended and everyone else banned too. 🤷

I'm from the South—it's just how I'm wired. 🤣
Not quite, shadowpilot8—as far as I'm concerned, I just wanted an admission that they messed up with all that chatting. That's it. 🤷
Exactly—the thread should have been closed, people punished, and that should have been the end of it. Instead, Steven Ruiz gets his Ban lifted, while Daniel Ward87 insists that a single post doesn't count as chatting...

Daniel Ward87 said:🙄 Come on, don't be a hypocrite... How many times have you broken the Lions Club rules without getting slapped with an instant three-day ban? Nobody is disputing what we did, but when the moderators mess up, there should be an immediate 3-day ban—no questions asked. When "regular" users screw up, well, that's where the debate starts.

Daniel Ward87

😢
Strile, Mod Vader is calling—get back down to earth!
I'll put it simply
it's just like when a cop robs a convenience store
they lose their job right then and there 😁

Steven Ruiz said:Well, like I said, it wasn't.
But then again, we all got punished too...
And honestly, don't even try to play dumb here...

So, what's the real issue here?
Would you guys really prefer it if we hadn't been penalized at all?

The real issue—if we’re being honest—is that this whole situation has been handled poorly. Just... incredibly poorly. Right from the jump.

First off, there was this universal defense of the Prime Minister's right to post.

Then, out of nowhere, a wave of bans just hits—and suspiciously, they all seem to come in one big package.

After that, people were chatting away about the "banned" users for two straight days.

Then, predictably, a whopping 30 points were handed out for it.

And finally, forum members are being told—from more than one direction, mind you—to stay out of things they supposedly "aren't involved in."

Each of these points deserves a deep dive, really, but if I had to sum them up in a single sentence: don't do this. It isn't right, and frankly, you're just creating unnecessary friction and bad blood.