Please take note:

rschultz

Member
Originally Posted by ophiura
LOL.... Folks ya can't even make this stuff up.
Yes, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome back yet another banned member who has returned just for this very thread.
Well we are truly honored.
Thanks for proving the point.

Yup, they leave in a flurry of messages about how this board and moderators....uh...measure up (but using more colorful language and visuals), and yet they always want to come back???
We do have something good.

I hit a big nerve! Did you spend a lot of time for the information? Because it took me 10 seconds for mine.
 

37g joe

Member
Originally Posted by rschultz
I hit a big nerve! Did you spend a lot of time for the information? Because it took me 10 seconds for mine.
Lets try to be civil. This should not be some sort of battle where its you against the Mods. Do you expect the mods not to react. Give me a break. Thier are consequences for actions I just dont get were the attitude of anything goes and thier should be no limits comes from. Respectr the rules and the mods and you well get respect in return.
 

rschultz

Member
As far as I can understand, they are saying "chatting" using this board is pornagraphy.
Either that or the somewhere in this thread the topic was hijacked.
 

ophiura

Active Member
No, there is chatting, and then there have been several people who have actually posted real true nasty nasty pornography on this board for fun. So there are several issues.
 

speg

Active Member
Originally Posted by ophiura
No, there is chatting, and then there have been several people who have actually posted real true nasty nasty pornography on this board for fun. So there are several issues.

Could I have a link to that?
I kid I kid...
 

beth

Administrator
Staff member
Originally Posted by ophiura
I would like to see it reported through legal channels, personally.

IMO, 99% of the people on this board are here to share and learn. There literally are very few - who come in under different names - that are real problems. So I do want to emphasize that we highly value the majority of our members and appreciate your patience!
Please help us by reporting posts, posters, and by not escalating or empowering certain members.

Ditto with that. We have some great members here who are also sick and tired of the few who act like dorks. There are only a very few who think it is cute to break the law. I wonder how cute their mommies and daddies will think it is? Don't think that being anonymous on the internet is safe. Many criminals get nailed via their computers.
Chatting occurs when you have a few people shooting the breeze in a topic that is of no interest to others. Topics and conversation in this forum should be of general interest to the many, not just you and your pals. There is AIM or MSN. Why in the world don't you use it? Chatting is not considered a reason to ban someone, unless it keeps up after we have closed it down. Unless the chatters go ballistic because a chat has been closed down. If a chat is closed down, don't post up more of the same. Don't open a topic crying, "Why did you close it??" Don't send the mods a message using the report button crying about, "Why did you close it??" The report button is designed for members to report problems, not to complain about moderator actions.
Please consider that this is a fish board, not Chat City USA and not your personal domain to talk.
Just accept that we have a problem with it, and move on.
 

schneidts

Active Member
Maybe there should be a sticky at the the top of the forum titled "Aquarium rules", with some very detailed guidelines set out. I think one of the problems with the aquarium is that there are no set guidelines. Even after reading this thread I'm not certain what exactly constitutes a "chatting" type thread...but who knows, maybe the answer is to put the forum to sleep for a while...
 

nm reef

Active Member
Speaking of rules....all of the other "hobby" related forums I frequent have strict guidelines in place for the "off topic" forums....specifically absolutely no topics with religion and/or politics. I think that would be a good start at curbing problem threads in ours as well. In regard to the definition of "chat" threads....personally topics like "complete this sentence" may be appropiate....they are playfull and can go on and on forever.....but threads that are just basically full of members sayin' hello I'm here and this is what I'm doing are pointless and need to be kept to the IM type sources. But...that may just be me.
 

darth tang

Active Member
First off, I have great respect for the Moderators as I have done the exact job before. It sucks to be completely honest. It is a tough job, actually and the pay is horrendous.
I understand completely wherer the moderators are coming from. To be honest I see it getting worse before it gets better. Here is why. One of the message boards I used to frequent allowed us to rib and "flame" each other for a while as it was in jest. This was ok for a while and actually fun for all as it was done intellectually and funny. But this deteriorated over time. Eventually you had the trolls like we have now that would come back and cause problems like now. The trolls actually started getting very personal in their actions to the point of even hacking into computers. The mopderators got involved and started doing massive bannings of ANYONE involved, even those that just responded to the posts.
The solution...there really wasn't one. I myself know I am guilty of the "chat" aspect on occasion. I do not post much in the other forums unless I have insight or knowledge that hasn't been previously posted. No point in repeating what has been said. I mainly try to help with seahorses as this is where my knowledge is most extensive compared to the other members of the site. I feel there is nop point in giving my opinion on subjects I have some knowledge of when there are other, more in formed people. Which is why My posts in the other forums have started to dwindle. I also use the search feature as much as possible to try to prevent asking the same questions over again. I feel this helps a lot.
Ultimately this site is at a crossroads. The removal of the off topic forum will NOT cure the problem as I see it. It seems certain people have nothing but time on their hands and use it in a nonconstructive manner Saturday nights. This seems to be the witching hour foir the trolls. Imagine that.....
Anyway, my suggestions are as follows if anyone cares:
The members must Incorporate a "sitting on your hands" policy. This means when something is said or posted that is vile and offensive, you do NOT respond. Click the triangle warning and let the moderators deal with it. Responses from us only further their goals of getting a rise or reaction from people.
Second, when someone you know or even like is banned, do NOT inquire why. This only gives them a feeling that they are wanted back by people and encourages their behavior. Ultimately your behavior may cost you a banning as well. The Moderators do not NEED to give an explanation why something was closed or someone was banned. Go back and read the thread, I have done this and figured it out everytime. No reason for me to ask. If you can't figure out why, then you should read the rules of the site again.
Third, use common sense. If you wouldn't say it around your parents or kids, don't do it here. (I am guilty of this on a lighter note, but not the extreme some take it).
Darth (sitting on my hands) Tang
 

beth

Administrator
Staff member
Darth Tang gets my vote on these recommendations. Very sound advise.
As for eliminating religion and politics....in my view, those are the only topics I've consistently seen with a level of maturity and adult participation, rather than the child-like, nonsense that usually appears in this forum. Yes, sometimes those type of topics get closed too because members with strong beliefs get hot under the collar, but usually we don't see hissy fits when they are closed.
Seriously, though, some guidelines for the aquarium may be in order and worth a discussion with the mods.
 

oaktree

Member
Well I love this site And I love the chat infamous chat thread but we have moved that thread to a new forum just for chatting alot of people have already moved there for our "chats" and it will continue to grow we tried posting a link here for that new forum which was deleted now we have sent out emails and IM's to alot of Individuals who we thought might like to use the new forum I appreciated the Fever threads but if yall don't want it here hey we don't run this site
so we have taken it somewhere else we would like to post a link to it but hey that's on yall I personally have seen no

[hr]
pics come from the fever and I would not agree with any being posted on this site I myself did not see any the other night
So as far as the chat thread it has been moved as for people who have been banned coming back I don't know the chat thread was not made for that Well thats jmo and we would like to post a link to the new forum but that is not our decision as far as the sat. fever chat thread it has been moved It will be missed but it has a new home so we will continue it from there I will still continue to use this site to get Info on my tanks I just will not frequent it as much ***) ***) ***)
 

keleighr

Active Member
One of you that respond above was guilty of some extremely foul/offensive/fulgar langauge recently and my thinking is you should not be allowed on this site because of it.
ok 6 of us responded to that but you made it quite clear that you did not want to point fingers which of course you did.
i have participated all over this board i have even been insulted by many of the "pros" when asked a simple question. I seen many newbies get attacked, especially when they have a tang in a 55glln. The famous sentence around here is "I don't mean to be rude BUT" and then they proceed to tear into that person. So i can see why some people would feel like they need to say something back. All they did was ask a question and then they are made to feel dumb because they did. We were ALL new at one point in this, try and remember that.
Second, when someone you know or even like is banned, do NOT inquire why. This only gives them a feeling that they are wanted back by people and encourages their behavior. Ultimately your behavior may cost you a banning as well. The Moderators do not NEED to give an explanation why something was closed or someone was banned. Go back and read the thread, I have done this and figured it out everytime. No reason for me to ask. If you can't figure out why, then you should read the rules of the site again
it is out of curiousity that we ask. When the thread has been deleted how can we know what the person did. A lot of the times I have had no idea they have been banned, i just assumed that they no longer were coming to this site. It is because someone else has asked why the person has been banned.
I didn't get to see any of the pics. that you all are referring to and I am extremely happy that I didn't. But there have been MANY threads that people have said some really racist things that have been allowed to go page after page after page. When I replied and stated that it was racist and gave reasons to why I was told to stay on topic.
The Mods need to not noly montitor the "bad" such as cussing and pics or what ever but they also need to reprimand the peopl who make racist statements as well. Just as you have said, there are children on here reading this.
 

darth tang

Active Member
Kelly, you are missing the issue at hand.
If a thread is removed, just assume someone in the thread did or said something vulgar. There is no reason to ask why it was removed, because then you open up the door for the action to occur again. If you think it was something you did, then think about what you did and deduce if it fit into a vulgar or offensive category. Again, if you feel you did nothing, there is no reason to ask why. Most threads are just closed and not removed however. I have gone back read those threads and ALWAYS figured out why.
The mods have how many posts a day to monitor. They WILL NOT catch them all. You are one person out of many and if you were slighted by rudeness in the form of information that is one thing....but many of the closed and deleted threads were done so because of hatred and vileness. There is a difference.
The mods didn't point any fingers. I knew not of who they were refering to....your own admission shows some guilt and remorse. If you had not stepped forward and felt slighted by the comment no fingers would have been pointed. By your own admission, you pointed the finger at yourself.
I have NOT seen any racist comments in threads that have not been closed down.
Everytime this issue is brought up you seem to take offense to it. Makes a person stop to think why that is. Regardless, the mods have the liberty to delete, close , or leave open threads at their choosing. Like a prosecuting attorney, they get to pick their battles. To ask them to do more and create an even playing field all over is preposterious and impossible as they CAN NOT see and view every thread.
Ask yourself, in the threads you felt were racist, did you report them? If the answer is no....then there is nothing to complain about. I have reported 1 thread in my tenure here. It was dealt with.
Ultimately it boils down to this, if you don't like the moderators handling of a situation it can be solved easily. There is an X you can click. You choose to come here. You can also to choose to leave if you feel unfairly treated. I have seen no favortism on their part.............When I first got here I even had an arguement with one of them. I was warned they could ban me for it by another poster. I wasn't banned. But if I was, it would have been for my own actions and not something forced on me. I have read the rules and know them. just because someone gets away with something on occasion does NOT mean you should.
OJ got away with murder is the general consensus....should you go out and kill someone because he got away with it?
Darth (hands add cushion) Tang
 

rustysdad

New Member
I personaly would like to see the aquarium open, it allows people to find comon bonds . It's very hard to conect and empithize with a user name and an avatar . but when you get in to small talk you start to find people that you can identify with. But I also agree that it just invites trouble .
As far as the chatting issue goes there is also a very real problem with the main boards . Full access is granted to children with no means of limitation of what they post . and while it is no where near vulgar or obscene. it is still a problem . Younger useres are allowed to go wild with posts? and they are granted immunity because of their age and they are currious about the hobby and asking questions . This becomes quiet frustrating to wade through all the nonsence to find information, or to help with issues that truely need to be delt with . I think there needs to be a limitation on the posting abilities of the younger users . There parents might be ok with them spending mind numbing hours online, but that doesn't mean that we should have to spend excesive amounts of time going thru threads. I'm not saying that this should become an adult only forum. It should be for people of all ages , but there needs to be some sort of guidlines that deam when a younger user neeeds to be guided along by mods rather than other users . I will not use the persons name but they are known to give addvice on fish(sharks) and tanksize/setup even even though they have never even kept saltwater fish. Those of us willing and able to give advice on keeping these fish are drowned out by the regurgetated information. This becomes increasingly frustrating . Even when asked then told to mellow out by others this person continued to go wild . with lets see pictures of _______ threads filled with replys that consist of the maximum amount of smiles allowed . While this is not physicaly harmfull it detracts from the serriousnes of the forums. The answer that is curently used to address this problem is to ignore that person and not to go into threads they posted in. How are we supposed to know what the thread ucontains till we read it ? how are we supposed to filter out the dribble and get to what we need help with or help others ? Also to fall under the younger users are some of the troll's that haunt the AQUARIUM with the sole idea of baiting threads for fights . They don't just limit them selves to this forum they are all over baiting the "TANG POLICE" with threads of humu's housed with tangs in nano tanks . A lot of other forums only allow you to access limited amounts of their forum untill you can be verified and then your granted access . Maybe thats a system that needs to be looked into . after all would it really take that much more time to varify user ISP addresses then to sweep out the trash posts ?
There is also a problem with users feeling the need to jump in and fight for no better reason than to prove they "KNOW IT ALL" Some users will pourposely follow others around just to flame them . They have the mentality that they are right about every subject they feel the need to speek on . They have a do as I say not as I do attitude . These users will post there rude coments and then disapear for a few days and then pop back up with another comment . This keep's them out of the cross hairs so to speek .
 

rustysdad

New Member
As far as how to deal with people that break the rules . There needs to be a set way to deal with this. When you register theres a box that you can check or uncheck that allows moderators to contact you via E-mail . This is option is never used by them . It's my OPINION that first time you act out you are warned in the thread to "keep it civil/ on topic" and posibly edited post. Second time a warning in the thread and an email sent out to ask you to comply with the board rules . Third time a temporary ban inacted on that user as well as a Email addressing the problem . fourth strike and there should be a permenant ban. This should be a firm guide line for corective action. this should also be on a rotating basis if some body gets repremanded for something once every six months then the steps taken should be less severe , never the less though When somebody reports an indivdual it should be handled the same way regardless of the moderators veiws on the subject . some Mods are known to be less strict while others are know to be down right rude at times . After all you as mods are here to moderate not to impose personal opinion of users they feel are ok .
I felt the need to speek up and add to this thread simply because I'm one of the banned people. One of the ones that posted "vulgar" pictures . I have since been banned again and again . even after I have cleaned up my act and writen to SWF to appolagize for my inapropriate actions . I have a tried very hard to keep my responses to this site on an approprite level . What I and a few others did was wrong and while it's no excuse it was done out of frustration . I can't speek for the others but I can for my self . I was not in an appropriete state of mind to be posting and things got way out of control . I except the responsability for my actions and sincerly appolagize .
 

keleighr

Active Member
The mods didn't point any fingers. I knew not of who they were refering to....your own admission shows some guilt and remorse. If you had not stepped forward and felt slighted by the comment no fingers would have been pointed. By your own admission, you pointed the finger at yourself.
I guess unlike you I read the posts. When some one makes two statements in one paragraph that don't mesh i call it out. Unlike some I stated right off the back that i am a huge Chatter and have NO problem admitting it.
Also if i have a problem something, you are totally right, I AM going to say something. It's called Freedom Of Speech. NOT guilt.
Everytime this issue is brought up you seem to take offense to it. Makes a person stop to think why that is. Regardless, the mods have the liberty to delete, close , or leave open threads at their choosing. Like a prosecuting attorney, they get to pick their battles. To ask them to do more and create an even playing field all over is preposterious and impossible as they CAN NOT see and view every thread.
unfairness being done
Really EVERY issue, doubt it. But when I feel that there is an unfairness on how things are being picked and choosen you are right I sure am going to say something.
Seems like you do the same thing yourself there Darth, Totally calling the Kettle Black.
Have I used the Feature no, why should I have when there was a Mod in the room participating with the conversation. That's when I was told to stay on Topic. So please, don't get all high and mighty about me not reporting.
I orginally came on here as a customer and then found the forum. There were many helpful peopl on here that allowed me to get my tanks up and going.
I have spent a nice amount of $$$$ at this site as well due to people's responses but the all the other crap(nm used this word so it must be OK to use) that has been going on for the last few days has completely soured me to the actualy company.
I was sending friends here left and right. Not anymore. I have had two friends getted ripped to shreds cause of simple questions asked and the "Tang Police" did their normal assault.
Nice way to keep memebers, yet chatting is a problem.
 

darth tang

Active Member
Callin it Black?
Life is unfair, And freedom of speech does not expand to the internet realm when the site is owned by someone else.
Bottomline, comply with what the moderators are asking or be banned. Or worse and a punishment on those that have conducted themselves well and innocent, the forum is removed.
You have a choice either way. You are free to choose.
Darth ( I will not argue with you) Tang
 

keleighr

Active Member
didn't ask you to argue cause for me all i am doing is throwing out the facts.
but for someone who participated in the It's Saturday and Saturdaynight Fever you sure are now jumping the fence to the "other" side.
Make up your mind Darth.
Same goes for you, you can leave anytime
 

darth tang

Active Member
Originally Posted by keleighr
didn't ask you to argue cause for me all i am doing is throwing out the facts.
but for someone who participated in the It's Saturday and Saturdaynight Fever you sure are now jumping the fence to the "other" side.
Make up your mind Darth.
Same goes for you, you can leave anytime
Yes I paticipated....never denied that, maybe not as much as some, but I still participated. I have not jumped to the other side, as there is no other side. We have been told, no, asked to stop the chat threads. Their site. Some other problems have also been brought up. I offered advice on those problems.
We have two choices comply or leave. I have chosen to comply as I can understand and see the other side of the coin.
What is served by continuing to arguing with the moderators over this issue.....you do it everytime and still haven't changed.
Darth (I am staying) Tang
 
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