Is it something in the water???

[ByronBlack]

storm in a teacup.

 

[matt]

Just a thought... is there a way of addressing the moderators without posting a thread? I less public way of discussing the rules, their application, and the actions of moderators. Perhaps giving an insight in to how moderators are perceived via their posts and therefore making a constructive and positive contribution to the forum. More to the point - would moderators appreciate feedback in a discrete manner? With such a large and vibrant community, there is a real risk that a relatively small team of moderators applying the rules may not truly represent the feelings of the majority unless the community have a "rule" free zone to provide their feedback, to inform & guide the governing body.

For the record - no immediate axe to grind - it does just strike me that useful member feedback can get lost if one is trying to abide by the rules within the public arena of the forum itself.

Any Mods care to comment? I'm genuinely interested to know what action I should take if I want to provide constructive criticism.

I think it would benefit the forum if all members knew that they could provide feedback (without resorting to a public post) if they felt aggrieved or confused by the actions/posts of the mods.

If I were a Mod, I would welcome such feedback. The fact that it was via a private route would underline the sincerity of the comments. I would want to know if my actions were misunderstood or if there were a number of complaints perhaps I would question my suitability as a Mod.

I could, of course, contact a Mod directly. However, I think it would be more prudent for the Mod team to filter comments via another Mod. Therefore, if I wanted to comment on Mod A, I would contact Mod B who could then decide whether to take any action and/or mediate.

I've not forgotten the voluntary aspect to the Mod role and the potential workload. Therefore, members should be limited on the volume of feedback they can give (perhaps 1 comment per month). This would make every member think carefully about how strongly they really feel. The comments must also be based on a personal feelings rather than someone simply wishing to pass on a few sage words to "protect" other forum members...

In truth, if such a system were implemented, I suspect it would be rarely used. There's a vast difference between the psychology behind the tentative post that seeks to test other member's feelings on a subject before, if support is there, it gets on a roll; versus the lone voice in a private message to a mod (always left wondering if one is being churlish, too sensitive, etc - how many times have you written something and then scrapped it without sending...).

Just some thoughts...

 

[Anonymous]

Matt

We do welcome feedback and receive it from time-to-time in pms from members. If you feel that you wish to provide such feedback, then simply pm any mod and they will discuss with the others.

A mod canshow it anonymously to the others if requested, but at least one mod should know the original source or else we cannot judge the validity of the information - e.g. was the originator recently subject to a moderator's actions etc.?