Unfair Mod Decision

Spectator#1

Hi there,

I actually tried to post on the thread FionnMatthew started on this, the Help Desk, about what would appear to an be over-zealous spate of banning by the Moderator Nietzschean on one of the Edu/TCD threads about the Trinity News but it wouldn't let me. Here is a link to the thread.

I didn't receive a PM to inform me that I was banned but (s)he posted a message on the thread, which (s)he has closed, to say that I have been permanently banned from the forum.

I have just PM'd him/her there for an explanation and am awaiting a response. To be honest, I feel that a read through of the thread doesn't offer any justification for awarding me with a permanent banning. My posts were relevant to the thread and I had a very specific point to make.

This point was made all the more difficult to put across by the aggressive carry-on initiated by one particular other poster on the thread, LiouVille, who, interestingly only received a two week banning. I suspect that the Mod and this poster are acquainted personally as LiouVille appealed to someone called Ian to close the thread a few posts before the Mod did just that and then banned me.

On the same thread, I was reprimanded by a moderator called John, who is not the mod on that forum, for reasons that I don't think were justified in the context. I did PM him to ask him to retract the rather offensive comments he made about me to no result or reply. Needless to say, he was not punished by Nietzschean for his post which was entirely incorrect and wildly off-topic. I find the comport of some of the moderators on Boards.ie a little overbearing and unnecessary.

What can I do to at least have the ban reduced to a term? I really don't think anything I posted on that forum justifies such a harsh punishment, I tried to keep relations amicable in my posts.

I am willing to disclose any of the PM's relating to this matter upon request.

Thanks.

Beruthiel

Spectator#1 wrote:

Here is a link to the thread.

You forgot the link, which we require in order to comment.

Spectator#1

Beruthiel wrote:

You forgot the link, which we require in order to comment.

Ok. Sorry about that. It was pretty late when I wrote it! I've edited it so the link is there. Talk to you soon.

Beruthiel

I believe this thread should cover your questions.
I understand you cannot join in the thread discussion, but I believe that Hulla is working on something, so just give him some time to sort it.

Spectator#1

Just to make it known: I PM'd Nietzschean two nights ago now because he hadn't emailed me to inform me that I was banned and he still hasn't responded with even a cursory recognition regarding the matter.

ecksor

I started reading the thread, found it annoying and concluded that I don't have time right now to read it all.

Spectator#1

Hi, don't mean to rush you but it's been a good while since I posted this, I haven't heard from anyone. No big rush, please do let me know if I can post on the TCD forum again at some stage though.

Spectator#1

So what's happening then? Will somebody please talk to me?

hullaballoo

I will address this with the TCD forum mods now.

Apologies for the delay, but I'm sitting finals, and I think I'm the only one pushing for you two to be unbanned.

Spectator#1

hullaballoo wrote:

I will address this with the TCD forum mods now.

Apologies for the delay, but I'm sitting finals, and I think I'm the only one pushing for you two to be unbanned.

Jingle Bell Jingle Bell Jingle Bell rock,
Jingle Bell swing,
Jingle Bell ring...

Hope your exams went ok, I don't have any for my MA, just essays (I haven't started yet) and a thesis. Kind of wishing that I had exams now that Christmas is here and I have to knuckle down and do some work but I suppose I'm lucky!

Anyway, I hope you told those miserly TCD mods to get a bit of Christmas spirit into them. Mince pies, whatever it takes Hulla', you can do it!

hullaballoo

I re-sent the PM I sent to crash_000 there a few weeks ago. I'm not sure, but it doesn't look like he's willing to unban you. Sorry. If he doesn't get back to me, all I can do is badger him some more.

Spectator#1

hullaballoo wrote:

I re-sent the PM I sent to crash_000 there a few weeks ago. I'm not sure, but it doesn't look like he's willing to unban you. Sorry. If he doesn't get back to me, all I can do is badger him some more.

Alright Hullaballoo, thanks for trying anyway. I'm a bit surprised at how childish and ignorant some of the mods on Boards are. I understand a lot of them are doing it on a voluntary basis but I can't fathom how anyone who would want to moderate a forum in an unpaid capacity would carry on in such an unprofessional manner like ignoring people (even other moderators in this case) with valid complaints.

It's not the first time I've had moderators on this website wilfully misunderstand conversations in such a way as to actually obstruct a good substantive debate; which, I would have thought by the way, was the whole point of an internet forum in the first place as opposed to this brainless verbal dribbling that usually passes for 'useful contributing' on Boards.ie.

This request/query has been up on the help desk for months now and you're the only one who's bothered even replying to me or giving me a heads-up on what's happening (nothing at all!). Thanks for that, at least some people on this forum take their job seriously.

ecksor

I saw your PM to me the other day, turns out the mod who originally banned you is no longer moderating the forum. Have you contacted Apexaviour?

ecksor

I misunderstood what was going on from the above posts it seems.

Please contact either Apexaviour or çrash_000 via PM about this.

Spectator#1

ecksor wrote:

I misunderstood what was going on from the above posts it seems.

Please contact either Apexaviour or çrash_000 via PM about this.

Hi there, just to make it known that ApeXaviour has contacted me about this and the issue has been dealt with.

I'd like to take this opportunity to say that while I do recognise that the moderator's on this website are busy and, for the most part, unpaid. I would suggest that the criteria for the banning of contributors be reconsidered.

I have met with hostility in the past on this website for simply airing an opinion regarding a number of topics, not because the other poster disagreed with me, but because I cared at all enough to discuss it. More than once have I posted a thread or a response to one and met with the reply "why do you care?"

More than once have I been accused of trying to "farther my own agenda" (although what that might be or how I might farther it on an internet discussion board nobody seems to know) or been pigeonholed as a member of some stereotyped social group or other as result of similarities in opinions.

While I would recognise people's freedom to air their thoughts on an internet discussion board, I would also urge Boards.ie to consider my opinion, which is this:

making points like "why do you care at all?" or "you belong to social group a because you think x" does not constitute, contribute to, or in any way farther a discussion and, in fact, serves to disrupt and obstruct such discourse due to digression and unnecessary explanation.

For the most part, people who make points like this - while they should be free to post on the more discursive threads - make life difficult for people who actually have something to say or who want to discuss something with like-minded people.

Anyway, thank you for dealing with my appeal. Hopefully I won't be in this situation again!

hullaballoo

Glad the issue has been resolved at last. The philosophical aspects of a discussion forum are perhaps a matter that would be the topic of a good thread, but it is not for here, as far as I'm aware. Thank you for the feedback, though.