PDF: History and problematic mods

So, I previously flagged this specific post.

After waiting a few days and seeing absolutely zero movement on the matter, I filed another report. This time, I actually went as far as asking the moderators if I should just start a dedicated thread over on the Amtrak boards to get this resolved properly.

Since I haven't received a single word in response—and considering the offending post hasn't even been removed—I figured I'd address this here.

It is rather curious to observe that Spike continues to post regularly on this same thread without interruption. It leads me to suspect that he finds no issue with insulting anyone whose perspective happens to diverge from his own worldview.

I would appreciate some clarification on how this situation was handled, and specifically, why the verbal abuse directed at other members remains unaddressed.

And from what I can see, even the mods over at Amtrak aren't doing any better.

Honestly, is there anyone actually competent here? Is anybody listening? Hello?

The Amtrak moderators have absolutely nothing to do with this matter. Your critique is directed at the PDF History section, and someone from that department should be the one stepping up to provide an answer.

So, where do we go from here, seeing as they clearly couldn't care less about reports regarding offensive posts?

Are we actually going to file a formal PDF complaint with the Water Department administration?

Why don't you, William Bennett53, give them a nudge and remind them that they have a moderation job to actually perform? I mean, what exactly is your role here?

How can you be certain no one has prompted them yet?
If they continue to sit there without taking action, some higher authority will eventually have to step in. 😉

Since the mods aren't really able to jump in and handle things at the moment, I went ahead and boxed up this post myself. Thanks so much for flagging it, and sorry to keep you hanging!

rustydrifter10 said:Since the moderators aren't available to step in at the moment, I've gone ahead and locked this thread. Thanks for the report, and apologies for the delay.

Understood, thanks. On another note, I have a couple of questions if anyone can shed some light on things.

1. When I flag a post, who actually receives that notification? Looking at this specific case, for instance—who was alerted that this PDF regarding the history of reaching spike needed attention?

2. How is it even possible for three different moderators to be completely unreachable for several days straight?

bluecyclist64 said:Alright, thanks! I actually have a couple of things I'm curious about, if anyone wouldn't mind shedding some light on them.

1. When I report a post, who actually gets that notification? For instance, looking at this specific situation—who was notified when the report for this PDF thread was filed?

Reports go straight to the moderators assigned to that specific PDF. For reports originating from the History root, they go to Spike, Cicero, and the Scotsman. As for Pudding, he only receives notifications related to the VP since that's his only assignment there. These alerts hit the email address used during forum registration; if that isn't someone's primary inbox, or if they haven't set up forwarding, those reports can unfortunately sit unnoticed for a bit. That’s why we always suggest our moderators use an email they check religiously. Honestly, it would be much more streamlined if everything just popped up directly in their forum accounts instead.

bluecyclist64 said:2. How is it even possible for three different moderators to be MIA for days at a time?

I won't get into the specifics of what happened here, but I'll admit, having all the moderators for a single PDF unavailable for several days can definitely be an issue. We are actually looking into recruiting more moderators for the History section because our current team just doesn't have as much free time for the forum as they used to, so some extra hands would be great. Pudding has stepped in to cover for the VP, and we're hoping to find someone to help out with the rest of the PDF very soon.

One other thing you didn't ask, but I wanted to mention: the reason you were waiting days for my own reaction, too. I prefer letting the moderators vet a report first. Even though—as is clearly the case here—it looks like an obvious rule violation that needs a penalty, the person being reported isn't always the only one breaking the rules. If I jump in and react to *only* them, it risks looking like selective moderation, and that's something I really want to avoid. The moderators need to look at the whole discussion and clean up everything necessary. Since I'm not as deeply embedded in the day-to-day drama or the specific players involved as they are, I think it's better to leave it in their hands. If they—or their super-mod—can't handle it for some reason, then I step in. However, my criteria might differ slightly from theirs, which is a risk we all collectively accept.

Anyway, I hope that clears things up and answers everything you were wondering about!

I appreciate the thorough breakdown you provided. 👍