Batboard

Alex, why do you lock active disussions topics and move misplaced topics all the time?

1. Locking an active discussion because you dont like what a few people are saying ruins it for everyone. Why not just address those that you have issue with and let the disussion continue? Instead you kill a ongoing dialog and leave everyone hanging. That makes no sense.

also

2. What is the point of constantly moving posts that you feel are misplaced? all it does is draw attention to it by placing an attention grabbing "Moved:" in front of it. That just draws eyes to the fact that it isn't supposed to be there in the first place. The point?


Yes, i'm sure you can go on your, 'I'm the moderator, I do what I want....if you dont like it go elsewhere' attitude, however it would be nice to keep other board members in mind when you do things like lock very active topics. Not many of us want to go elsewhere to discuss.

If you have any interest in caring what others think on this idea, how about taking the time to really think about what it's like to have someone not activly involved in the dialog show up, shut it down, and display a 'nothing to see here.....everyone please disperse' attitude.

Thoughts?

-c

Like other Duscussion Boards There A FEW
That Want To Make The Board LOOK BAD.

This Is One Of The Best Radio Boards Around.
We Have A Few That Want To Make It
Look And Sound Bad.

KEEP UP THE GREAT Job ALEX.

We Like This Board In Canada

Don't Let A couple Of Whatevers Make
Us Go Looking Somewhere Else.

From The Great White North (Canada I Mean)

Susan157 de va3srm

I agree, why let a few ruin it for everyone.

Talk to those FEW and don't kill the thread for Everyone.

clavo wrote:2. What is the point of constantly moving posts that you feel are misplaced? all it does is draw attention to it by placing an attention grabbing "Moved:" in front of it. That just draws eyes to the fact that it isn't supposed to be there in the first place. The point?

Well here's my thoughts:

1. Keeping topics in their correct forum lets info about a subject be in a 'common' place. Go looking for Astro info, there's a forum for that. Imagine that a post with good info is in the feedback forum, it'd be a pain to find that.

2. Alex (and all the other mods) is (are) doing a great job -- keep up the good work!

Have to agree with Dkouz on this one. Moderaters are doing a great job! I fell in love with this board the first time I saw it, and usually try to check it at least every other day, have even checked it several times in the same day. Keep up the good work, guys!

1. Because they always turn in to screaming matches and once they venture so far off topic, they do not come back. If you were a member of other high-traffic discussion forums, you would see this all the time. It is the best way to do it and he is in no way out of line. It isn't personal like you seem to think it is. It is his job as a moderator to keep the boards civil and that is how it is done. That is how it is done on EVERY discussion forum. You seem to be the only one having an MI over it.

2. Why move it? Hmmm. Maybe because it didn't belong where it was posted?? Thats like asking "Why did you move my truck from the car parking section to the truck parking section??" So when someone is browsing the forums or running a search, it is 100 times easier to find. The "Moved" line in the originating forum eventually get pushed down and out of sight and the real active topic is in the correct forum. It has nothing to do with someone having too much time on their hands. Believe me, Alex has anything BUT too much time on his hands but you obviously didn't think of that either. In fact, the one with too much time on their hands seems to be the one repeatedly complaining about it fo no apparent reason. Most people who get a topic moved say "Thanks, sorry I put it in the wrong section".

Hi:

Although I am not able to speak about what Alex may think
or the reasons for locking, moving , or moderating various
posts here on the forum;

Be asured there is always a very good reason for it.

Due to the " wide variation " of members from
Professionals to young kids who make post here, not all
Posts may be " looked upon " in the same manor.

What you may think is perfectly acceptable; may be obtrusive
to another. Hence it is a " Very Difficult Job" to handle the
1000's of posts which show up on a open forum and review
almost each and everyone to maintain a healthly forum.


In all due respect, there is only a very few posts of the
1000's of topics that get moved, moderated, nuked, or locked
from the forum. Its trully a very small percentage, and this is
done to " Help " new persons understand what forum topic
to use and to follow the forum rules.

Pretty basic stuff here if one understands english.

Also, you have made it sound like a Moderator or Administrator
just will lock or change something at a whim; again, this is just
not true.

A moderator has a real tough job ( period ) ; a Administrator
is even tougher, and if you have to PAY THE BILLS, its even
worse. Instead of complaining, why not offer ideas to help
improve the forum.

I would not rock the boat, or you may find the one you are
in sinking one day.

The best thing you can do is offer appreciation for the time
and effort for the ones who Moderate, Administrate, keep
the forum alive pay the bills instead of making it sound like
we are somekind of control freaks.

This idea that Moderators / Administrators are
some kind of control freaks from space is simply
not true, and can be taken as very offensive in
lieu of the time and effort they put in for others
to benifit.

And yes, sometimes one has to step in and bring a
sensless Discussion Posts to a close by moderation
or locking the topic.

PS: You do not have to be a Moderator to do this ! All you
have to do is make a report to one, and let them make the
final judgement if you feel a post may be offensive.

Moderators / Administrators get alot of senseless flack
from forum members from time to time, and its delt with
on a case by case basis.

So, I hope this may clear the air which is
"my point of view" and may or may not be shared
with others.

Monty

1. Because they always turn in to screaming matches and once they venture so far off topic, they do not come back. If you were a member of other high-traffic discussion forums, you would see this all the time. It is the best way to do it and he is in no way out of line. It isn't personal like you seem to think it is. It is his job as a moderator to keep the boards civil and that is how it is done. That is how it is done on EVERY discussion forum. You seem to be the only one having an MI over it.

They always turn into screaming matches? Maybe in the threads you read, but that hasn't been my experience. Many discussions do branch off into multiple other side discussions. Whats more disruptive then to stop them all in mid conversation, leave multiple discussions hanging, and then try to continue it later. Most times those interesting discussions die. For the ones that are started again, good luck trying to find their beginnings because now they are fragmented threads.

This is done in "EVERY" discussion forum? Maybe in your world. Thats not the case for the majority of forums on the net, and I'm not talking USENET here , and they manage themselves just fine. I've spoken to others that this also bothers on batlabs, so NO im not the only one that finds this excessive. Unlike others who just speak up for brownie points from moderators, I don't mind stating my opinion. I am slandering no one. I appreciate the work of the moderators and all i'm doing is raising ideas to consider. If you don't have the ability to consider it, I feel sorry for you.

2. Why move it? Hmmm. Maybe because it didn't belong where it was posted?? Thats like asking "Why did you move my truck from the car parking section to the truck parking section??" So when someone is browsing the forums or running a search, it is 100 times easier to find. The "Moved" line in the originating forum eventually get pushed down and out of sight and the real active topic is in the correct forum. It has nothing to do with someone having too much time on their hands. Believe me, Alex has anything BUT too much time on his hands but you obviously didn't think of that either. In fact, the one with too much time on their hands seems to be the one repeatedly complaining about it fo no apparent reason. Most people who get a topic moved say "Thanks, sorry I put it in the wrong section".

Not entirely true. For example when there is a topic called "For JoeBlo, Don't Read Me", everyone takes a peek to see what it says. It's human nature to be curious. The same happens with moved topics, people read them to see why it was moved. They get decent hit numbers and they stay higher on the list for a while. If the topic is going to be moved, then move it. Why leave an attention grabbing title of it's existance behind? If this is a limitation to phpBB then that is understood. If not then explain why it's necessary to leave it behind.

I guess with the patriot act free speech went out the door.

-c

You say,

"I would not rock the boat, or you may find the one you are
in sinking one day. "

Is that some sort of threat? Don't voice my opinion because it's not in line with yours?

I have spent a lot of time on this board, and give appreciation where appreciation is due. I also point out when I see otherwise.

That is my OPINION and you should think very carefully if you want to turn Batlabs into a place where opinions are oppressed.

-c

-c

To quote a great movie that I feel applies very well to Mr. Clavo and his "opressed opinions"...

"Well kids, this brings us to our next lesson... Don't smoke crack."

Or

"Mr. Madison, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."

Nice movie quotes.

I have to agree that the moderators do a great job. Remember who is reading these posts and contents of this site.

This site is for experience and knowledge, for new people to learn and actually for the experienced to continue learning. The site is to identify new idea's and concepts, to share experiences so that others may gain this knowledge or just enjoy life alittle more.

Keep up the good job Alex, Monty, etc. I have to also thank everyone that participates professionally on this board. A majority of the topics have enlightened me as well as made things more pleasurable in my two-way learning experience.
Dave.

Case in point. I put out the bait, it was taken hook, line and sinker.

I would not rock the boat, or you may find the one you are
in sinking one day.

Clavo Quotes:

Is that some sort of threat? Don't voice my opinion because it's not in line with yours?

Clavo reads this as a threat, what it means that one
should apprecite the forum, or it may not be here one
day for his " Free Speach "

Many forums ( like the old Trunked Radio Forum ) Sunk
under the Non-Sense mentioned above.

What one person may " think a post says " can be
taken completely out of context by another.

But thats what discussions are all about, and proves
a point.

Sorry you missed the boat


MS

I think everyone has made their points and made valid points and arguements in favor of their cause. Do I agree with the moderators and administrators all the time.... no. Do I respect their decisions? Absolutely. That's my job as the general plebe of a member just like the rest of us. If you don't like something feel free to take it up with them. Not neccesarily in a public forum but privately. The mods and admins are humans and do make mistakes and have misunderstandings. I think Monty and I had a rational discussion (in a thread which I still feel badly about) over moderation methods probably 4 or 5 monthes ago at least. I think I came out of the experience a little more knowledgeable and a little more respectful of the job function that he performs.

Moderating a diverse group of people is not easy by any stretch of the imagination. We all have different ages, backgrounds, knowledge, education, and life experience. Put all those differences into the melting pot of 3500 some odd members here and you have a potential bomb on your hands. Overall the messages here are pretty tame. Yes.... Some of the antics in the Lounge forum have been beaten to death many times but entertaining none the less. That is what the lounge forum is there for. I think because of the common bond of Motorola radios binds us all together into this freakish cult of geeks.... YES I SAID IT!!! WE ARE GEEKS!!!!

It is sometimes difficult to distinguish between someone "out to get you" and them actually doing there job. The moderators and admins have a very specific and very difficult task on their hands. I have been there. Albeit a much much smaller board... but statistically a larger BS to reasonability ratio. Very very volatile forums. I'll dig up the links to the old boards for some of the fights if you want to see... talk about a bunch of catty little bitches.... They put any pissing match here to shame.

So in the end... cut them some slack. If you have a question or concern address it with them personally. Don't take it up here in the public forum... you could be charged with mutiny..and K4WTF can confirm it for me but isn't that an offense punishable by death?

In my humble opinion this is one of the best sites around, the administrator & the moderators deserve a pat on the back for a job well done!!!!

Keep up the great work!

Mike

JAYMZ, thoughtful post. I believe I have a better understanding of the difficulties of a moderator as you present them. Forgive me if my original post gave a different impression. As Monty stated:

What one person may " think a post says " can be
taken completely out of context by another.

It seems as though some have taken my original post as flaming all the moderators. This is not the case. I was expressing my irritation with Alex's, and only Alex's, recent topic locks. That's why the topic and the message was addressed to Alex. I just call it how I see it. Leave it up to others to fill in all the spaces with what they want to hear.

I do see the moderator's point of view, and recognize this difficulty of the job, however I still stand by my original statements. Mainly my viewpoint that topic locking is destructive toward the productive dialogs in ongoing topics.

If anyone wants to comment on THAT and keep on topic I'd love to hear some feedback. Who knows, I might even be wrong.

-c

Just be glad that the topic is only locked and you can go see it and have a chuckle or two...most boards, when the topic degenerates, the entire topic (good points as well as bad) is nuked completely

As for the Free Speech thing... this is technically NOT a public forum, this is a forum where the public is invited to share knowledge and experiences and the content allowed is COMPLETELY up to those who decide whether or not the post is within the rules/guidelines/spirit of the board....i.e moderators designated by the site creator/owner

...Z

You are welcome to start your own forum
and their are 2 or three here that can join with you.
Alex, Monty and the other GOOD BATLABBERS
Keep Up The Great Job.

The Best Radio FORUM I Have Been On.
Thanks For Helping KEEP IT GREAT.

From The Great White North (Canada I Mean)

Susan157

For what it might be worth, in my judgment this forum is moderated effectively and with restraint, and I hope nothing changes.

This is true. Freedom of speech rights may not legally apply here.

Does that mean that we should strive for anything less?

-c

Some folks on the Batboard at least appear, on occassion, to have little, or no, sense of humor. For instance, not long ago, I was clearly kidding around by posting (I'm paraphrasing) that "the RS FRS is the best radio in the world---far superior to the ASTRO line." I think the subject was the age-old debate of XTS vs/ ASTRO Saber. Well, someone got all pissed off at my post, saying it was off-subject, ridiculous, childish, etc.

HELLO---I was just KIDDING!!!

Nevertheless, some folks seem to get all worked-up when it's pretty plain to see that the author is just trying to get folks to lighten up a bit.

Dear Administrator: Where can we mail donations for the ongoing operations of The Batboard? I'd sure like to send a check. Do you have suggested levels of support, and/or levels or bands that you'd like Users to shoot for? I think it's unfair for us to get all of the benefits for free. Would $25 or $50 be a starter, or would it be better to build to a higher level and then send? I just don't know what the operating costs are, and how much you might be in the hole vs/ the number of active users. Folks donate a lot more than this to United Way, etc. and a lot of times they support questionable causes, let alone fund their corporate jets, etc.

We appreciate your EXCELLENT work, and this is THE BEST RF board going on the entire internet (especially for Motorola gear!)!!

Larry

ASTROMODAT - I hope you were kidding about the Nextels too

Well, since this is directed at me, I feel obligated to answer.

In regards to topics locked, and as I have done in the past, I will elaborate why my decisions were made, and hopefully with some understanding as well. Anyone is more than welcome to question me, I would normally prefer it in a PM, but again, it's a free country, and I'm not about to lock a topic that's about me unless it gets far out of hand.

1) Batlounge topic regarding George Jefferson. This person contacted me regarding changing his name because of what happened, and he wanted the opportunity to clean his slate and start anew. I didn't want him creating a new name and just deleting the old one. Part of the biggest thing I've had to learn (and I'm not that old...) is that people make mistakes, but living up to them and making good and realizing them is something that's a strong point. I changed the name, but you can go right back into the thread, and see who it is. You can check the posts by that user, and still see that he was responsible. I like giving second chances. If you can't prove yourself to the community after the second chance - than why even bother. I think we owe it to people to say look, we gave you a lot of $*(% because of what you said - regardless if you deserved it or not, but lets take a deep breath, take it with a grain of salt and move on. I'm hoping that's what happens. Cowtheif (I think) is starting to ruffle some feathers, but we'll see what happens there.

2) The amateur radio topic in general... First of all, I'm not sure if it's in the right forum anyway. I've though about moving it into lounge. Instead of turning into a productive discussion, it turned into this person bashing that one. As I stated, there were some VERY good points made in the thread, but there were some other ones that could have been left out. There have been some AWSOME discussions started here, only to be turned into name calling, bashing, etc. In fact, there's another good discussion going on about amateur licensing, and it looks like that's something people want to support and help with here. If that's the case, I could even make another forum for it. Regardless, I stand by my decisions for the most part, and I think there are probably a couple people I've pissed off. So be it. But I'm also open. How am I to know you have an issue if you don't talk to me about it? I don't know about it, then there's nothing I can do to make it better for you.

3) Moving Topics in general. A couple people here hit the nail in the head. The reason why is because people POST IN THE WRONG FORUM. OH, I'll ask my astro question in general... No, there's an astro forum for a reason. Your topic gets moved, done, so be it. You can search JUST the ASTRO forum for the answer to your question and come up with fewer threads than if you searched the entire board. It simplifies things. It's also going to soon become a rule here that you have to post where your topic belongs. This board is becoming large, which is great. Many new people here from diverse backgrounds with lots to bring forth. The sooner things are worked into peoples heads, the easier it becomes on my part to manage things. That's why I want to develop a place for people to find answers fast (like a FAQ to read before posting.) Some of this stuff will be covered in it. And, come to think of it, there aren't a whole lot of posts in there with feedback either! A couple of good suggestions that will be taken into consideration are already there, and thank you to those who took the time to put them there.

We have a number of people who really know what they are doing here, and who want to help out. Most of them are "on the ball" with what's going on, and do their best to take time out of their day to help you out. Whatever I can do to keep them on board, happy, and keep the BS to a minimum (hey, I created a forum just so that YOU GUYS (and Gals ) have a place to BS... keep it there:-D). I'll moderate, lock, throw my $0.02 in where it needs to be, and that's the way it is.

And there are other boards out there that are really harsh when it comes to enforcing the rules... Probably the biggest one that gets broken here is the simple rule of "Profanity, pornography, defamation, or slanderous remarks directed towards anyone" and I join in too sometimes. Not setting the best example I guess, but well, it's not something that's always enforced. (Well, we don't have a huge porn problem..... thankfully). But I think you guys get the idea.

I'm a person who is wrong, doesn't always make the right decisions, maybe sometimes doesn't think things through, but I'll do my best to admit when I am, and back my decisions as I see the need to. I'll also stand behind them. If I unlocked every topic, or unmoderated everything that I have done, then there wouldn't be much point to it in the first place.

I've told people before, if you don't like it, aren't happy here, etc, I'll delete your account. IF that's what you really want. It doesn't bother me, and I do honestly hate to see someone leave, but for the most part, I'm reasonable. Hey, I could have deleted Astro_Saber's account LONG ago, but I haven't. I've said, come back, say you’re sorry to us, and you'll be welcome back. I think that takes a lot as it is.

I'm not responding to this in a manner that makes me feel like I'm being personally attacked, but I think I have justified my means well, and for the most part, don't do that horrible a job here.

I love being a part of this community, and I enjoy spending time reading everything here. Who knows, in 5 years that may change. When it does, I'll step down, and hand the rains off to someone else. But for now, I'm enjoying it, and I'm welcome to critism that people have.

I will say this. If the opportunity presents it self for you to speak up and make a difference and you don't - Don't come to me and start with some bs about it. I gave you the opportunity, you didn't take it. That's one thing that I don't like, and won't tolerate.

My PM box, and email are always open, and I'm pretty quick usually when I respond. I welcome any comments, public and private, though if you have a issue you want taken up, try in a PM first.

Thanks for your time, and hopefully I've made my point... a couple of times... whew.

Thanks.

-Alex

[and I'll add an edit in here]

I seen and understand the diffuclty in having a topic locked when there is a topic within a topic. This makes it even harder to find relative information if you want to again search for it. I think there's been 1-2 topics that i've split because they have trailed off into another discussion. If you want to change the topic, start a new thread. Then maybe someone can find it without having to remember what the origional topic was...

It's a fine line...

Well, my first inclination was to steer clear as NOTHING good/productive will ever be produced from this particular thread. However, Alex has helped me more times than I can count via AIM, I couldn't call myself a man if I didn't get his back on this one. I will admit, there have been a few topics that have been locked that i've questioned, but for the most part he is a good moderator/administrator and has nothing but the best of intentions for this board. When you consider how many hundreds of threads appear on this board he must review and moderate where neccessary, and as many administrative tasks he has volunteered to assist with, he's got quite a bit of :o to do. Be appreciative that he's there and you have a CLEAN informative smooth running Batlabs to browse. I'm sure at some point or another, he's locked or moved a topic and in the back of our minds we've questioned the justification of such actions, but remember, we're all entitled to make a few mistakes here and there, especially after contributing so much. Give the man a break, he's only trying to do his job.

great job Alex

great board

nuff said

Alex, Monty, keep up the good work! This is a great site, so let's keep it that way guys.

Short, sweet, and to the point!!!

Robert

[quote="alex"][/quote]

hey! that was supposed to be a secret!

Seriously, I am reminded of memories of camp counselors and teachers and whatnot with the moderators. They do what they think is right and it may give you a hissy fit, but some day you'll have a problem and they will fix it for you.

Now Alex.... why are we naming names here!?????

As far as the lounge goes, I appreciate that you let all of us "bs" in there on someone else's dime, surely the bandwidth is worth something. Of course there is a lot of value in that lounge and without it, people wouldn't check in as often perhaps.

The moving of topics, I like. It's organization. At home, if I drop my dirty underwear on the floor, I can't expect Alex to come pick it up and throw them in the laundry basket, now can I. But here, Alex picks up all of our dirty underwear and puts it in the right place, and for that I say Thanks Alex! All you have to do is click on the link and it takes you to the new location.

Hi:

For what its worth;

This is a Professional Forum, not grade school, and I
for one would like to see all members recognize just
how important this Forum Structure is to the majority
of persons who are in the Two-Way Radio world.

I mean really, just because a individual moderates or
locks a topic, is that a national crime ? Is it going to be
on the Front Cover of Times ? Is one going to make a
course change in life over the issue?

God help us if that is true.

One thing you can bet on. This forum is unique in that
there is No Other Forum on Earth that has embodied the
volume of technical persons in one place.

Do your part, help keep it that way.

I for one can say this; if you have a problem with a
Moderator or Administrator, be a man ( or women ) , and
contact them direct, don't go crying to someone else or
the forum to solve a personal problem you may have with
a Moderator or Administrator. It truly can make the
complaining party look bad in the eyes of others, which is
my observation & opinion.

If it's a oversight, well we are a professional group, and
can handle it, hopefully you understand the meaning, if
not we will be happy to answer what ever questions that
are presented to make corrections ( within reason ).

Judging by the poll I saw sometime back, grade school was
over for most of us years ago.


Monty

Hey now Monty, don't sell us youngins short There are more highschoolers on this board than you'd think. I'm a weasily freshmen. HA HA!

Hi:

Just bait again:

I was leaning more towards grades 1 ~ 6 where
the level of some of these posts over the past few
years appear to originate from.

Sorry about that, most High-School persons can
spell better than I can, but I have a tad more
credentials than just High School Diploma, College,
Professional training, etc and remember very well
my class of 68'

I you think my spelling is poor, one should try
and decipher Dotors notes or prescriptions. But
I am happy if the point is made.

If my comment was considered condemnatory of
any new generation of persons, I do apologize.

Hopefully once we are gone ( retired ) , the yonger
generation(s) will have the knowledge and wisdom to
advance where others leave, and can make the world a
better and safer place to live.

MS

Alex ROCKS!



-Tony

Even after my soapbox adventure I have to say that I support Alex and his decisions... I do because I trust him, and I consider alex a friend. For the most part we all get along here, nothing wrong with a little support for the "parent" group of the community.

So Kudos to Alex and Monty and all the other administrators and moderators. My hats off to you guys...

Speaking of posting in the correct forum, this should be in the Lounge. I have a feeling it was posted in General Discussion so the maximum number of people would see it, which causes me to question the motive.

I honestly can't recall a topic ALEX locked that I thought he shouldn't. In fact, I've sometimes thought the threads were allowed to go on too long. Regardless, this is an excellent board. One of the best I've seen on the Internet, due in large part to the hard work of ALEX, as well as Monty (let's face it, they are the only two active moderators).

It's a fact you cannot please all of the people all of the time. I do think legitimate concerns should be addressed, however I find it difficult to consider the points raised by the poster to be anything but a skewed opinion...and one that hasn't been shared by anyone else in the thread, as of yet.

I'm on the board a lot, and I've seen no evidence of ALEX's "'I'm the moderator, I do what I want....if you dont like it go elsewhere' attitude". I believe this is the quote which really causes people to think the poster is flaming, as opposed to constructively criticizing.

I also fail to see the point about moved topics. Yes, it may well be that having the "moved" next to it might cause people to take a peek at it. So what? It's their time on the board, they can do what they want with it. It doesn't change the fact the topic does indeed belong in another forum, and it also lets the original poster know their thread has been moved, as opposed to deleted.

These are just my possibly skewed opinions, but they seem to be shared by just about everyone else.

Todd

*notices clavo's state of residence* The great liberal state of Washington, eh? Well, it's every liberal's God given right to :o about how other people are "oppressing" them. Just ask one of them, and they will be more than happy to tell you. P.S. Make sure you aren't operating any heavy machinery at the time. But, seriously..clavo? I can understand your frustration at some of these things. However, you have to consider what is right for the board in general. For instance, in the California DMV thread, the Admins were asked to lock out the topic, as it had degenrated into something ugly. They are the ones who put in all of the hours to make this board available. And, I highly doubt that they are paid employees of Batlabs.com, Inc. That means that they do this in their spare time, what little they might have. So I, for one, can cut them some slack if they seem to "jump the gun" a bit. There is so much info available here, in unlocked topics, why even worry about the very few that get locked out?

But generally the locked topics do hang around for a while for any possibly useful information in them. They only get locked because of the fact that they go way off topic... the locking only prevents further disturbances in the grand pool of discussion. Moving only get's the right topics in the right place. I agree with Todd (Wavetar) with the fact that this should be a little more appropriate for the lounge forum. We are not a moderators here so have to hope that one would agree with us and move the topic. But I can see and understand the point being made and can see why someone would want maximum exposure to the topic.

Thrashing the proverbial stick in the mud puddle is what some people enjoy doing. I myself have enjoyed muddying things up a bit. As do we ALL... it's human nature to find humor at someone else's expense.

Hey... "Can't we all just get along?"

<<<EDIT>>>

As promised... a link for messages from the board I moderate/admin for. A little background though. A new ambulance company had come into Sullivan County and the resulting arguements ensued. I would have put a link to the whole message boards but my boss there asked me not to. This is the text from that string. We were about to switch over to a new board and we let it go a little more than other topics because the whole board was going to be nuked.

http://www.kc2kit.com/metrocare.htm

Thank you for those who have replied.

I would still like to hear from Clavo to make sure that I addressed his concerns.

I apprecaite the fact that you guys do think Monty, Bat, Elroy, and myself do a good job moderating, administrating, whatever you would like to call it. I don't know Elroy all that well myself, but I'm sure when he has the time he puts it in.

I don't get anything for Moderating/Admining the board. I don't mind it. Sometimes I think it would be cool to get a dime or two, maybe a radio here and there, something. I have bills to pay too... (Come to think of it, I have to pay off the last 2 quarters of my school myself...)

I enjoy it because it's something I want to do, and somewhere I like to be. If I were in it for the money, I don't know if I would enjoy it as much (ok, unless it was a large sack of cash.) This is largly in response to Larry's comments.

The donations that are put forth goto Bat. I really don't have a lot of control over them, and I can't answer for how they are used or spent.

Regardless, thanks for those who make this the community that it is.

RapidCharger, sorry, but you helped illustrate a point, and I think in the end it's well taken. Someone would have figured it out anyway I dropped clues in that subject as it is.

Thanks guys.

-Alex

Because the initial post was directed at Alex, and not the general moderation of the board, that's how I'll comment.

Alex and I don't always see eye-to-eye on how the board should be moderated. Hell, he and I don't always see eye-to-eye on a lot of things. But this is America and we have that right. And just because I don't always agree with the way he moderates the board, doesn't mean I respect him any less.

Moderating a message board, particularly one this size, is a difficult task. Alex spends a LOT of time going through the messages here. (I'm not going to say how much time, because I actually know.) There are things that are obviously misplaced. Those things should be corrected. Who cares if the 'Moved:' flag gives the thread more attention? At least it's in the correct place, right? Active or not, there are always discussions here that either wander WAY off-topic or wander WAY into territories that shouldn't be explored on this board. If that happens, he does a good job and halting the conversation before things get too far out of hand. While I believe that Alex occasionally tends to moderate things a little more towards the conservative side, he also tries to bear in mind the entire audience of this board. There are some conversations that occasionally should be tamed down because of the age, gender, race, or sexual orientation of some of our members. (And no, I'm not picking on the elderly gay teachers, or the fail 01/90'ed 13 year old transexual biracial members of the board either) Generally, when Alex is 'duty-bound' as a moderator to delve into these discussions, he asks for input from several of the people on the board whom he respects, and then takes appropriate action.

All in all, I don't want to moderate this board. And because I don't want to moderate this board, I won't challenge the moderators of this board in an open forum. If you don't think Alex is doing it right, let's see if you can do a better job.

First off.. I wondered if this was supposed to have been a Private-Message to Alex... not a post.

But, to add something to a topic I think is going nowhere fast...

Here is an idea I was thinking about:

On some boards, in small text below the user-name in posts, it will say something to basically describe that person.

I think that could be handy for this board, too. I think it would be nice to see it say "Joker" under JCobb's name. Just kidding, I think. Or maybe have a line that says "Professional 2-Way Tech" under people who are actually 2-way techs. Now, who is going to verify all this info.. I don't know. But it was just a suggestion. It would be even easier on the moderators if ppl could just select which group(s) they happen to belong to from the Profile option.

What do ya'll think about that?

I agree with Jonathan. But at this point that task would be monumental in size. That I can promise you is NOT easy in the least. On the Sullivan County 911.com message forums we require a name and emergency services affiliation in order to be able to access all the forums. If not you only get to view the general and for sale areas. There are private areas for the 911 dispatchers and a private area for the people that helped me test the forum and new functions that I install.

We have 100 members as of this afternoon and I consistently have at least 5 or 6 that have not given me the required info. Slowly but surely those people are deleted as per the membership agreement.

Where it is a good idea. It is very very difficult to keep up on.

I will reply later today. Don't want you think i'm ignoring you. I'm just real busy today. Look for more later tonight.

Thanks

-c

Just adding my .02 Cent"Z" -

Alex and everyone else is doing a GREAT job keeping this board clean, and "usable". I've been a member here since almost the start of this board (hell, I even remember the OLD board ) but anyway, I think that everything the moderators do, they do for a reason. (Like Alex said, many people are starting to put out of topic posts in the wrong forum areas) therefore, it has to be moved. If everyone continues the proper use of the boards,(and obay the rules) it will be looked at, and viewed by others for a LONG time to come.

Anyway, super job, and glad to be a member of.......................BATLABS !!!

I also appreciate the work of the moderators, although I was a little dissaponted with a PM I got from Alex one day:

alex wrote:If you go posting that crap again, I'll boot you from this board.

Every time you see a post about watch buddy, you post these 2-3 topics.

People have the ability to search all they want for the information they desire, so please let them.

-Alex

This was in reference to the links I would post of previous watchbuddy/Nick/APCOsystem threads whenever a new "nick" thread would start, that way readers could easily click on the links to learn more about this seller, rather than having to go and search for them.

I had never received any previous warnings, yet the tone of the message was a little blunt in my opinon. I could see getting a message like this if I had already been warned and continued to do it anyway, but this was the first time I was told not to.

Other than that, the moderators are really good in my opinion.

Honestly, because your doing that without any explanation, as well as on EVERY thread that's posted about Nick.

It does get quite annoying, and I've equally "yelled" at people for the same sort of thread crapping. Astro Saber comes to mind.

If anything, it's probably because i've mentioned in other threads that you shouldn't do that without explanation, and that was more me being quite annoyed with how you just post 3 links - and that's it.

People need to learn to take the time to SEARCH for that stuff, then it wouldn't ben an issue either way.

But, beggers can't be choosers. If I didn't mention it before, sorry, and my appologies. Hopefully i've made some sense!

-Alex