Headless fly

I know the headline makes it sound like I’m about to start throwing shade, but that’s not really my intention 😁 I just want to offer one single observation, a bit of advice 🙂
There’s always been someone acting as the main organizer on this forum—the head administrator, if you will. We’ve all noticed it; you can feel that person's presence and their specific style of politics. From what I recall of this place, it started out with Mr. Pes, though back then I was just a lurker and didn't really feel her influence. After her, we had Cats. A solid admin. It felt like she managed the moderators best; there was actual order. You got the sense the mods actually respected her—maybe even feared her a little. Regardless, she knew the job. Then came Bellwether. At first, I thought she was just a clone of Cats. She acted similar enough. But then I realized she wasn't, because she brought something different to the table. She actually joked around with the regular users, something Cats never really did (unless it was with her inner circle). Either way, Bellwether defined an era, and she wasn't bad at it 🙂
But now? Now we hit the point of my headline. Desiree and Axmi24 aren't the head admins. So, who is? Nobody 🙂
And you can tell. There's this sense of total anarchy here. The forum is crawling with trolls and spammers, which isn't surprising given that the moderators have started trolling themselves. I won't take sides against them right now 🙂
I think I've made myself clear enough. When are you going to bring in a new boss to get things under control and put this site back on the map? 👍

Justin Peterson13 said:I think I made myself pretty clear. When are they actually going to bring in some new management to clean up this mess and turn this site back into a proper gossip hub? 👍

What do you mean "gossip hub"? It’s time we finally grew up and moved on.

Look, over my few years and those 7,000 posts, I’ve never felt some massive, overwhelming force driving this forum. It’s always been a chaotic mess, and honestly, it always will be. That’s just how it works when you give this many people a microphone... you can't expect anything else.

The Admin doesn't actually hold all the cards either; it's mostly the mods, and even they don't always need to make themselves known.

Noah Fisher15 said:In my few years here—and I've clocked about 7,000 posts—I've never felt some massive, driving force behind this forum. It’s always been chaotic, and honestly, it always will be. That's just how it works when you give this many people a microphone. You can't expect anything else.

The Admin doesn't hold that much sway. It's really just the moderators, and even they don't always need to be front and center.

I think you're mistaken. The Administrator actually wields significant influence. Think of the forum like a major corporation. The Admins are top management; they set the long-term strategy and the overarching policy. The moderators, whether they like it or not, have to align with that roadmap. If there isn't a plan, then the moderators are essentially running wild. It's precisely because the medium is so inherently chaotic that someone needs to teach their team how to swim through it. We need creative chaos, not just mindless disorder. 😉 That’s just my take on things. No offense intended.

Justin Peterson13 said:I think you're mistaken. The Administrator holds a lot of sway here. Think of this forum like a corporation. The Administrators are upper management; they set the long-term strategy and the overall forum policy. Moderators, whether they want to or not, have to align themselves with that direction. If there isn't a clear plan in place, then moderators just end up doing whatever they feel like. It’s because the medium itself is chaotic that someone needs to teach their people how to swim through it—so we can achieve creative chaos instead of just pure disorder. 😉 That’s just my take. No offense intended.

I agree. 🙂
Actually, it really depends on a lot of different things. 😉 A plan might exist, and rules might be established,
just like everything is laid out in the forum rule. It's similar to how various laws are drafted in the US,
whether they are constitutional, criminal, or civil. Now, all of that exists
whether it's written down on paper or exists virtually. The real question remains: are those laws and rules actually
followed and enforced, and are they applied equally to everyone—whether in the country or on this forum?
In day-to-day life, we see a different reality quite often.

It isn't just the medium that's chaotic; anything can become chaotic depending on what is being implemented,
whether it's law and order or total lawlessness. Disorder creates chaos, and in times of chaos, it's usually the ones who
created it that thrive. And that shouldn't be called "creative chaos"—it's just disorder. People don't fix the consequences;
instead, they should be daring enough to address the root cause. But "causes" are almost always
hidden within the chaos or disorder, by hiding behind and quoting laws
(often without actually enforcing them, or selectively enforcing them whenever it suits someone). The result is
people feeling miserable and surrounded by frustration, often stemming from a sense of helplessness.
The same applies to management in companies. You can't just create chaos in a firm and expect
to be forgiven for it. If people are going to invoke a Western work ethic, then they should also embrace
the Western way of thinking and how that work is actually valued. Whether you are in management
or any other position in a company. Unfortunately, though, the indicators we see here are more than disappointing in
many cases. We are still far from real examples; a certain outdated, "every man for himself" mentality still prevails.
🥳

It’s the same thing happening here, citing the forum rule, but applying it
only when it serves their own interests. Because they hold moderator authority, they end up creating the very disorder and chaos they claim to prevent.

At the end of the day, you have to wonder: is this perhaps some new forum plan
that the admins aren't aware of yet? 😬 Or maybe they don't want to know, or perhaps someone from the mod team is trying to seize an admin spot
by being "zealous in harassing users and quoting the rules." 🙄 😉

Everyone else is left just trying to keep their heads above water in these chaotic waters.
And the architects of this disorder, carrying their tanks of "oxygen," pull down anyone who is still
struggling to stay afloat. They drown them in disorder by quoting rules that they themselves refuse to follow. 😁

How can you say there isn't one? We've officially entered the era of the sponsored topic. 🙏

Oh yeah, sponsored topic is a massive risk for this whole community. 😬

But hey... we’ve got Axmi, so who else would we even need from the admin team? 😛

Justin Peterson13 said:I know the headline makes it sound like I’m about to start spitting venom, but honestly, that’s not the case here. 😁

So, which current or former fashion icon are you actually a clone of? 😁

For sure, Bellwether defined an entire era of leadership, and she definitely wasn't half bad. 🙂

👍

Well, at least now I finally figured out whose clone you aren't 🤣

And you can really tell. There’s this sense of total anarchy taking over the forum lately. It's just crawling with trolls and spammers, which is bound to happen once the moderators themselves start acting like trolls. I'm not trying to go against them right now, though. 🙂

It's all just in your head. 🤣 Everything is working perfectly fine, really. 😂

jadetrucker43 said:Oh yeah, sponsored topic is basically a threat to the survival of this entire forum. 😬

Especially since you can't even ban that particular menace anymore.
🤣

Susan Brooks83 said:I agree. 🙂
It isn't that simple; there are too many moving parts. 😉 A plan can exist, rules can be drafted,
it all looks great when you read the forum rules. It’s much like how we draft legislation back home,
whether it's constitutional, criminal, or civil law. We have all of that,
whether it's written down or exists in some digital space. The real question remains whether those laws and rules
are actually enforced and applied equally to everyone, whether in the U.S. or on this forum.
In daily life, we see a very different reality. Most of us notice it.

It’s not just the media that gets chaotic; anything can turn into chaos depending on what's being implemented—
law and order, or total disorder. Disorder breeds chaos, and in chaos, those who
created it are usually the ones navigating it best. And let's call it what it is: it's not "creative chaos," it's just disorder. People don't solve the consequences;
they should be tackling the root cause that led to them. But those "causes" are,
almost always conveniently hidden within the chaos, often by citing and quoting laws
(while ignoring them entirely or cherry-picking them to suit a specific agenda). The result is
a bunch of miserable people surrounding us, fueled by anger and helplessness.
The same goes for corporate management. You can't just run a company into the ground and
expect to be excused for it. If people are going to invoke a "Western work ethic," then they should also embrace
the Western way of thinking and how that work is actually valued. That applies to management
or any other position in a corporation. Unfortunately, looking at our local indicators, the results are often depressing.
We are still a long way from actual professionalism; instead, a certain "every man for himself" mentality prevails.
🥳

The same thing happens here. Some people quote the forum rules, but they only apply them
when it suits their whims. They hold moderator authority, yet they are the ones creating the mess and the chaos.

Ultimately, you have to wonder if this is some new forum plan
that the admins aren't aware of yet? 😬 Or maybe they don't want to know, or perhaps someone is trying to usurp
the admin role from within the moderation team, masking their behavior as "zealous enforcement of the rules." 🙄 😉

Everyone else is left just trying to keep their heads above water in these murky depths.
And the architects of this disorder, armed with their tanks of "oxygen," drag down those who are
still struggling to stay afloat. They pull them under using the very rules they refuse to follow themselves. 😁

You make some good points, but I can't quite connect some of your thoughts to the forum itself. I don't think this forum is a federal agency where every single movement needs a rigid, established protocol. A little creativity and thinking outside the box would actually be a good thing. BUT! There have to be boundaries. Those boundaries are set by the administrator through the rules, and he's responsible for protecting those limits and guiding moderators back onto the right path. Look at the moderator list. There are probably 150 of them. It's simply impossible for everyone to think exactly alike, for everyone to be identical, or for no one to ever make a mistake. That's why the administrator has to keep them in line, like a shepherd tending to his flock (forgive the comparison, but it's the only one that comes to mind).😁). With moderators this perfectly aligned, possessing such a crystal-clear vision for the forum, they can easily herd regular users like sheep 😁

feraltrucker5 said:Which current or former mod are you supposed to be a clone of? 😁

👍

Well, at least now I know whose clone I am not 🤣

It's all just in your head. 🤣 Everything is perfectly fine. 😂

Especially since it’s become impossible to even ban this particular nuisance. 🤣

I'm not some moderator's clone. 😁 I just actually care about this forum, so I offer my thoughts and a little advice from time to time. 😛😁

Justin Peterson13 said:In principle, you've got a point, but I can't quite see how some of that connects back to the forum. I don't think this forum is a federal agency where everything needs to follow a perfectly synchronized protocol. A little creativity and thinking outside the box would actually be good. BUT! there still have to be boundaries.

How can you say that? 😁 It doesn't even matter whether the forum is a government agency or not—we all know
it isn't. What matters are the Rules that aren't being followed. You said... a little creativity and
thinking outside the box would be good, BUT. Yeah, that "BUT" is the Rules or the boundaries.
The same goes for the Protocol; there are Rules and limits there too, yet nobody complains when there's a little creativity during
communication. Just look at statesmen, secretaries
of state, prime ministers, heads of government, etc. Many of them skip strict
protocol rules sometimes, but they never cross the line of good taste. Anyway, let's get back
to the forum. 😁

Those boundaries are set by the admin through their rules, and they protect those lines while guiding the moderators in the right direction. Look at the moderator list. There must be 150 of them. It’s just impossible for everyone to think exactly alike, for everyone to be the same person, or for no one to ever make a mistake. That’s why the admin has to guide them, like a shepherd tending to sheep (sorry for the comparison, it's just what came to mind 😁). With well-guided moderators who share a clear vision for the forum, they can then keep the regular users in line like sheep 😁

To be honest, I’ve never even looked at the moderator list; I haven't really
been interested. 😬
It's possible, totally possible—they're all Borg, resistance is futile, just go watch Deep
Space Nine. 🤣
I mean, the admin has to be Picard or Janeway to catch, say, a couple of rogue mods
hiding skillfully in a space nebula. 😂 Even with all the sensors detecting them.
And I won't say who they are, haha, 😵 because I don't want to get banned again for calling out mods in a thread. I'll
just say they're acting like Ferengi. 🙂

🤣

Justin Peterson13 said:I think I made myself pretty clear. When is management going to bring in a new director to actually fix things and get this forum back to being about the actual gossip? 👍

Let's go!

Bell, come back nowa> 🙂

😬

slywolf45 said:Bell, come back already 🙂

😬

👍 she can jump in too, if there isn't anyone else new around here.

slywolf45 said:Bell, come ooooooon now 🙂

😬

Yeah. 👍 😢

Honestly, if I were in her shoes, I wouldn't even bother. 🤣

It’s pretty obvious to me that Anderl doesn't give a damn about any of this.🙄

So, where did Bell go??

I honestly feel like this whole forum has gone downhill ever since they started handing out red cards for nonsense like spam, trolling, flame wars, off-topic chatter... all that stuff.

Look, I get it if someone's being a nuisance and overstepping, but constantly slapping people with red cards feels less like moderation and more like slapping a toddler just for being annoying. People are losing interest in participating under such a ridiculous system because, frankly, it ends up feeling totally unfair.

Just look at how they handle things over on the BUG forum.

They actually have "awards" for high-quality posts that users vote on, which helps build up your rating. The idea there is to incentivize good content, whereas punishment is subtle. But here? It feels like punishing people is way more important than actually encouraging anyone to write anything worthwhile.

over the last three months, our forum's traffic has slipped by 3%. Even worse, the time people are actually spending on the site has dropped by 8%, and search engine referrals have cratered by 16%. That’s a direct hit to our Alexa and Google rankings. It’s a pretty pathetic way to run a forum 👍

Justin Peterson13 said:Over the last three months, this forum has seen a 3% drop in traffic, an 8% decrease in user session time, and a massive 16% plunge in search engine referrals—which basically means our rankings on Google and Alexa are tanking. Truly brilliant management we have here. 👍

Look, just hand me the keys to the admin panel and I promise I can double those numbers. I mean it!
Let's get to work 👍

Justin Peterson13 said:The site’s seen a 3% drop in traffic over the last three months, people are spending 8% less time on the pages, and search engine hits are down by 16%—which basically means our Google and Alexa rankings are tanking. Truly brilliant management here. 👍

That whole secession mess is definitely hitting the forum too.