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Mods not replying

  • 15-02-2025 07:25PM
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,621 ✭✭✭


    Hello. I think this is the right place to put this. I've received a few warnings over the past number of months and some mods have just stopped replying or never replied at all. I think on some forums you can't appeal a warning for a good while? Is that why mods are just ignoring anyone asking about warnings they hand out? I'm very courteous in my messages by the way so that's not the issue. It's no big deal but I don't think it's too big an ask to receive some courtesy back? Thanks.

    Post edited by Big Bag of Chips on


«1

Comments

  • Administrators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 15,375 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Big Bag of Chips


    If you've picked up warnings in CA/IMHO forum then you can't appeal so moderators don't have to reply to you.

    Some PMs don't require a reply.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,621 ✭✭✭Musicrules


    Hello. Seems very unfair and rude. Who came up with this system? Mods can just hand out warnings to view points they don't agree with and then they don't even have to explain why.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 661 ✭✭✭lmk123


    I had the very same experience with a moderator in January. 2 warnings in 5 minutes (precious to that I had only received 2 warnings ever). I messaged explaining exactly why I thought it was unfair. No answer, I left it a few weeks and messaged again, the reply I got was just pure arrogance and rudeness. I got warnings because he disagreed with what I said, nobody on the other side of the argument got a warning despite what they said. Some people love their little bit of power I suppose.



  • Administrators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 15,375 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Big Bag of Chips


    The content of the PM generally dictates whether it necessitates a reply. If you approach the moderator for discussion, you're likely to get discussion. If you approach the moderator accusing them of loving their little bit of power then a reply to that isn't really necessary.

    There is a process for disputing warnings.

    Warnings in CA up to 6 months ban cannot be appealed. I do know some warnings have been reversed following civil PM exchanges between poster and moderator.

    Nobody "came up this this system". The tone and content of PMs dictate whether or not a reply is necessary, as with pretty much all avenues of communication.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,621 ✭✭✭Musicrules


    Well I told you that I'm always very courteous so that's not the reason. So if you approach the moderator for discussion in a very polite way, how can you explain their rudeness?



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 661 ✭✭✭lmk123


    just to be clear I didn’t mention anyone loving their little bit of power at any stage in my previous posts or in the PM’s, or I didn’t make an implication of same. I’m not sure why you choose to make that assumption. It is the conclusion I came to after seeing his arrogant replies, the post above is the first time I have mentioned it.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 967 ✭✭✭geographica


    I put forward a question in finance and it was closed and told to read the terms and conditions of the banks credit card I was asking about, despite it being nothing to do with the terms and conditions.


    pure ignorance and pointless, it’s the likes of that person why boards is dying 🤷🏼‍♂️



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 661 ✭✭✭lmk123


    this is a good example of what happens when people appeal etc. circle the wagons and blindly defend the mods.



  • Administrators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 15,375 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Big Bag of Chips


    I never said you did.

    I cannot speak for every moderator on the site. I can speak for myself. But I'm fairly confident the PMs I get, are similar to the PMs other mods get. So my reasons for not replying are probably similar to other moderators' reasons.

    If someone comes to me to discuss something I will generally discuss it. If someone comes at me with an accusation of something or other or making a statement of what they believe I've done, or the type of person they think I am then those PMs often don't require a reply. Because let's face it, I'm unlikely to change their mind.

    There's also the matter of the amount of PMs that moderators send and receive. It's easy to read something and mean to reply later but then the PM gets dropped down the list by other PMs.

    If a poster is seen as a PITA (pain in the ass) a moderator might not reply because they know there's no point and it's likely to end up in an endless volley of time-wasting PMs.

    If I get an essay of a PM I don't even read it. So I'm definitely not going to reply to it.

    I'm not "circling the wagons" (that's such a lazy phrase on this site) I am answering the question that was asked, giving the usual reasons for why a PM might not get a reply.

    Post edited by Big Bag of Chips on


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 661 ✭✭✭lmk123




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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,672 ✭✭✭Working class heroes


    Ignore and hope they go away seems to be the modus operandi.

    Racism is now hiding behind the cloak of Community activism.



  • Administrators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 15,375 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Big Bag of Chips


    Sometimes it works. Because sometimes much like they don't post in good faith, they don't PM in good faith either



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,621 ✭✭✭Musicrules


    It just seems like a very arrogant, dismissive attitude. Is this boards.ie policy here? It doesn't matter how polite or however you interact with mods, they're in charge so they can ban or chose to not interact with you and you can't do anything about it.



  • Administrators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 15,375 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Big Bag of Chips


    No it's not policy. Everyone has the option of replying or not to anyone who PMs them. Moderators are no different.

    If anyone has an issue they can provide feedback on it. They can contact the category moderator highlight their issue. They can ask Admins to look into it.

    You are speaking in general terms in this thread. So am I. If you have a specific complaint against a specific moderator I suggest you start by raising it with the category moderator. List of current moderators can be found here. This list is regularly updated. Please allow a reasonable time frame for reply. Moderators are volunteers and not always available online. If you have not gotten a satisfactory response you can then bring it to an admin.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,621 ✭✭✭Musicrules


    Oh yes, everyone has an option of replying or not to private messages. We're pointing out that mods are choosing not to on a regular basis. This is the feedback on it. You're being told that no matter how nice you are in your interactions with some mods, they just ghost you and that's that. What you do with this feedback is up to you and the people in charge. None of the rest of us can do anything about it. Again, you're allowed to do anything you want with the feedback you're getting. But at least you know it's happening so you decide if you think it's acceptable or not. Thanks.



  • Administrators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 15,375 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Big Bag of Chips


    @Musicrules you have given me no specifics. I don't know who you messaged, what you messaged about, whether you were polite or not, whether your post was one that required a response. So I am not going to tell anyone that they must reply to PMs.

    Moderators are not expected to reply to every PM. Moderators are also site users. People seem to think they are some other "breed". They are users who are and have been posters. They know themselves how to use the site and judge themselves whether they want to get into a PM exchange with a poster.

    If have outlined the steps above if you'd like to raise a specific concern.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,621 ✭✭✭Musicrules


    It's not just one mod and I'm sure the others are talking about different mods also. This is not an individual case but it's probably not sure wide either. I don't know. If you or the site management are not going to send a message out to say you should respond to polite messages asking for an explanation then that's fair enough. Again, it's up to you or them to decide on what's acceptable on their site. None of the rest of us have any say.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,672 ✭✭✭Working class heroes


    And sometimes mods don’t post in good faith.

    They don’t PM or moderate in good faith either.

    Works both ways……

    Racism is now hiding behind the cloak of Community activism.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,621 ✭✭✭Musicrules


    This is true, it works both ways. Also, we're all volunteers here. No one's getting paid apart from the owners of the site I believe. So I think respect is due to moderators who police this site fairly but also respect is due to other posters. I don't think that's too much to ask.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,672 ✭✭✭Working class heroes


    Racism is now hiding behind the cloak of Community activism.



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 925 ✭✭✭Yeah Right


    There is a process for disputing warnings………….Nobody "came up this this system"

    So, there's a process, in which CA warnings are deemed not tp be appeal-able, but nobody came up with that process?

    It just evolved independently and survived through osmosis until it became part of the furniture, I suppose?

    He was quite clearly asking where the "these ones can't be appealed" aspect comes from came from. That was a conscious decision that was made, by somebody, somewhere along the line, with a valid reasoning behind it. You could at least point them in the right direction instead of pretending it didn't happen while also confirming it did.



  • Administrators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 15,375 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Big Bag of Chips


    You are not talking about the same things.

    There is a warning ladder and an appeals process in place in CA, and other forums that was agreed by mods and admins. So they came up with that system.

    The poster was asking who "came up with the system" where moderators are not obliged to reply to every PM. That's what that comment referred to. That's something every individual poster gets to decide for themselves, whether they're moderators or not. Nobody "came up with THAT system".

    Post edited by Big Bag of Chips on


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,621 ✭✭✭Musicrules


    Don't put words in my mouth please. Not sure why you think you can decide what I meant for me.



  • Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 20,282 Mod ✭✭✭✭Leg End Reject


    The new warning system in CA was introduced after a Feedback thread, it was suggested by a poster and there was broad agreement to it.



  • Administrators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 15,375 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Big Bag of Chips


    I didn't "decide" anything or put words in your mouth. I clearly misunderstood you. You were very active on the feedback thread at the time so you were there when changes were discussed. You knew the moderators and admins took the feedback on board and "came up with the system".

    There is a stickie at the top of the forum explaining the new system. So you know about it.

    I did not realise you were asking about the CA warnings, because as I said, you were there when it was all going on.

    When you seemed confused by "who came up with the system" I mistakenly thought you meant "the system" where a moderator doesn't have to reply to every PM. (Because you knew about CA) And nobody came up with that system. It's an individual choice.

    My mistake.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,621 ✭✭✭Musicrules


    Very active on what feedback thread? I accept your apology but I think it's important that you and other moderators don't assume what posters 'really mean'. It clearly is leading to issues. Thanks.



  • Administrators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 15,375 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Big Bag of Chips


    Check your posting history. I'm sure you'll find it.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,621 ✭✭✭Musicrules


    I don't know how to check my posting history. I don't remember having any discussion about not being able to appeal a ban though. Are you sure you're not making another mistake?



  • Administrators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 15,375 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Big Bag of Chips


    Musicrules, your innocent act is not convincing me. I thought this thread was about a general complaint about mods not responding to PMs. Not a specific complaint of a mod not responding after issuing a warning in CA.

    Can you please clarify. Because you know there is no appeal of warnings in CA, and there is also no loophole where you can start a feedback thread to try appeal the warning by a different means.

    So can you clarify what exactly you are talking about in this thread? Because you were very vague with details when offered the various avenues available to you.



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,621 ✭✭✭Musicrules


    I'm not appealing anything. It's been noted by a few posters that mods not replying to polite messages is an issue. One that only the staff at boards.ie can fix. Then I just had to politely correct you for trying to put words in my mouth. I think having these type of constructive discussions are very important and I hope other posters come along to give their view also. And then we'll see if the feedback is taken on board.



This discussion has been closed.
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