Moderator overplaying power to manipulate posts

[bonnie]

That said, you can have lots of fun with the reputation feature :wink:

Really? My most recent post in this thread received two negative reputation points with the following comments;

"You get feedback because you are so far off the mark it's not funny"

"Nothing you said here is accurate"

It's clear that some TMC members cannot stomach any criticism and IMO some of the moderators do overplay their power as suggested by the OP.

Maybe people were 'having fun' with the reputation feature? ... the problem is that when your reputation goes negative, you cannot impact the reputation of others. So then the 'fun' is over.

 

[Kevin Sharpe]

Maybe people were 'having fun' with the reputation feature? ... the problem is that when your reputation goes negative, you cannot impact the reputation of others. So then the 'fun' is over.

Not at all... you just open another account and play some more... that said I'm shooting for a negative reputation record

If you read the comments in this thread you'll see that serious debate on this topic is impossible. My response has been to stop investing time in TMC and I know some other 'old timers' have done the same.

 

[bonnie]

Probably don't need to point out the obvious - new accounts also have no reputation power. It would be great if you wanted to contribute, rather than figure out ways to tear down the community.

Plenty of people have disagreed with me (and called me out publicly), but that doesn't make them bad people. It just means we have a difference of opinion. Dismissing everyone who disagrees with you as a non-thinking fanboy is unfair, and perhaps that is part of the reason for the backlash you've experienced.

 

[StephenM]

Really? My most recent post in this thread received two negative reputation points with the following comments;

"You get feedback because you are so far off the mark it's not funny"

"Nothing you said here is accurate"

It's clear that some TMC members cannot stomach any criticism and IMO some of the moderators do overplay their power as suggested by the OP.

I can stomach most of the criticisms on this forum, but found yours to be a constant nagging that ceased IMO to be constructive. Just saying, from a non-mod that had to read a lot of your posts early on when I joined. Perhaps your intentions were to better the community, but to me it came across as trolling, whatever your bonafides.

 

[NigelM]

Not at all... you just open another account and play some more...

Sooner or later you'll get caught and the result is not pretty.

If you read the comments in this thread you'll see that serious debate on this topic is impossible.

Maybe because the vast majority are happy? Shock!


None of us are perfect, but we try to do our best even if we make mistakes. We're happy to read your contributions on the subject.

 

[dirkhh]

Really? My most recent post in this thread received two negative reputation points with the following comments;

"You get feedback because you are so far off the mark it's not funny"

"Nothing you said here is accurate"

It's clear that some TMC members cannot stomach any criticism and IMO some of the moderators do overplay their power as suggested by the OP.

Yes, any even remotely critical post risks negative feedback. But that's not the mods being zealots, it's other members.
I received negative feedback on an article joking about the cost of adding supercharging to an S60... but hey, who cares about feedback (which reminds me, I need to check if my numbers have changed since an hour ago...)

 

[Kevin Sharpe]

It would be great if you wanted to contribute, rather than figure out ways to tear down the community.

During the last three years I've contributed plenty but you can't or won't hear what's being said... as a moderator I suggest you take the OP seriously and have an internal debate about the potential for overplaying power on TMC. At least then you'd know whether the OP has any validity.

 

[dirkhh]

Not at all... you just open another account and play some more... that said I'm shooting for a negative reputation record

I'm sure that's one way to get banned...

If you read the comments in this thread you'll see that serious debate on this topic is impossible. My response has been to stop investing time in TMC and I know some other 'old timers' have done the same.

No, I think you'll learn that most people here are happy with the mods - and most have a strong sense of humor

 

[Kevin Sharpe]

Yes, any even remotely critical post risks negative feedback. But that's not the mods being zealots, it's other members.

No, it includes the mods as well :smile:

 

[AlMc]

Yes, any even remotely critical post risks negative feedback. But that's not the mods being zealots, it's other members.
I received negative feedback on an article joking about the cost of adding supercharging to an S60... but hey, who cares about feedback (which reminds me, I need to check if my numbers have changed since an hour ago...)

How does one check their 'reputation'?

 

[dirkhh]

as a moderator I suggest you take the OP seriously and have an internal debate about the potential for overplaying power on TMC. At least then you'd know whether the OP has any validity.

But if 99% of the people responding say "moderation is good as it is and 1% are complaining... I think the internal debate will result in "yep, we're doing the right thing"

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How does one check their 'reputation'?

Click on Settings in the top right.
It will show you your reputation points, the latest comments people made when giving you reputation, and your "reputation power" (not quite sure what this means, I think it's the number of points you can give when leaving people reputation)

 

[brianman]

Dismissing everyone who disagrees with you as a non-thinking fanboy is unfair, and perhaps that is part of the reason for the backlash you've experienced.

Sound a lot like JP frankly. Take from that what you will, Kevin.

- - - Updated - - -

If you read the comments in this thread you'll see that serious debate on this topic is impossible.

I read three things into this comment:
1. The concern wasn't taken seriously.
2. There is no debate.
3. This thread has gone off-topic.

I disagree with #1. The early posts had some healthy back and forth, and the current state includes some of that as well.

I mostly agree with #2, but not in the way I think you meant. I don't think there is a debate because there is a growing chorus on one side (appreciating the mods) and few specific examples or arguments on the other side. Hence, no debate, but rather more of a chorus of agreement.

Regarding #3, perhaps. But if the moderators moved some posts from the thread because they are "off-topic" would you then immediately jump in to say "See! We're right!" So basically the mods are in an odd position with regard to #3.

- - - Updated - - -

I can stomach most of the criticisms on this forum, but found yours to be a constant nagging that ceased IMO to be constructive. Just saying, from a non-mod that had to read a lot of your posts early on when I joined. Perhaps your intentions were to better the community, but to me it came across as trolling, whatever your bonafides.

Agreed. There was a definite shift from "worth reading" to "what is he trolling about now" in Kevin's posts. I mostly don't read them anymore. So I guess it makes sense that you spend your time elsewhere since you've pushed away your audience.

 

[NigelM]

No, it includes the mods as well :smile:

But at least you'll know who it was. The mods voluntarily sign reputation that they give.

 

[Kevin Sharpe]

The mods voluntarily sign reputation that they give.

not in my experience...

 

[dirkhh]

not in my experience...

How would you know if they didn't sign?
I have started to sign reputation comments as well... only seems fair and open to me (and frankly, I got annoyed by anonymous reputation feedback as on some of them I would have liked to engage in a conversation...)

 

[NigelM]

not in my experience...

How would you know?

On a more serious note, are you accusing me of lying?

 

[brianman]

not in my experience...

Yes, it's much simpler in your world view to assume it's mods and blame them than to take NigelM's statement as fact. Or, you could expand your mind a bit and consider that what he's saying is "standard practice" agreed among mods and generally followed -- and that you've improperly attributed some reputation comments you dislike to mods and been wrong all along.

A little too grown up perhaps to contemplate given your conscious decision to take the low road:

That said, you can have lots of fun with the reputation feature :wink:

Not at all... you just open another account and play some more... that said I'm shooting for a negative reputation record

 

[StephenM]

here we go again...

 

[Kevin Sharpe]

How would you know if they didn't sign?

I can't know for certain but you can usually take a stab at matching rep comments with posts from people engaged in the discussion...

On a more serious note, are you accusing me of lying?

I think you need to stand back and read the posts again...

You stated "The mods voluntarily sign reputation that they give" and I responded "not in my experience" because that's what I have found... are you saying that I cannot share my experience of TMC? Is it not possible that the voluntary scheme isn't working or the posts in question predate this scheme? Or is this just another example of intolerance to criticism?

You are a moderator on TMC and I think you should be more careful about engaging in personal attacks. Trust me if I thought you were lying I'd say so!

 

[brianman]

I can't know for certain but you can usually take a stab at matching rep comments with posts from people engaged in the discussion...

So you're calling Nigel a liar based on your guesses? What a classy move.