124 replies to this topic

[Random Poster]

Thirdly, I forget why you were even suspended... I don't think I knew that it happened. But if you feel like you got punished for something that others are guilty of then you should definitely take it up with the owners and mods of this site. Provide some comparables and maybe it would help them keep an eye out.

Waste of time, IMO. For the sake of starting a fire and re-hashing old problems ill keep that experience, the way it was handled by this site and it's members, who said what and who was behind it to myself.

The great thing is, i know who was behind it.

However, it's really puzzling how two member are still allowed to post here in relation to what i was "suspended" for.

Edited by SJP20, 12 December 2011 - 11:59 AM.

[njdevil26]

njdevil26 didn't have to name names because bad posters who consistently get reactions bring the entire board down, regardless of who they're fighting with or what their fight is about. The goal here isn't to find the problems - that's the moderator's responsibility. It's to discuss how everyone can tolerate one another better.

Exactly.

I thought this thread would bring the issue to light so everyone can think about anything they've said and done and if they can change it without having to alienate anyone or call out specific people. We've all been guilty of it at some point.

We're all here for the same reason: the Devils. We should all start off as friends for that reason.

This place is important to me because I've met great friends, my GF, gotten tickets, and so on and so forth.

[Daniel]

Next time you're at a Devils game, start doing something positive, knock off the childish "you suck" chants, maybe others will follow your example and we can finally take our fandom to the next level.

Guess you're really occasional, since the "you suck" chant has been discussed ad nauseum here. However, I can't stand it either, so perhaps it's good to still harp on it.

[njdevil26]

Waste of time, IMO. For the sake of starting a fire and re-hashing old problems ill keep that experience, the way it was handled by this site and it's members, who said what and who was behind it to myself.

However, it's really puzzling how two member are still allowed to post here in relation to what i was "suspended" for.

Well either take action or think long and hard about whether you want to stay somewhere where you are treated unfairly. Otherwise, help us bring up the morale and general mood of this place and move forward.

Guess you're really occasional, since the "you suck" chant has been discussed ad nauseum here. However, I can't stand it either, so perhaps it's good to still harp on it.

I like it when the Devils are winning. I like the chants... our crowd rarely does anything in unison so I'll take it... but there should be the unwritten laws of not acting like that when we're losing.

[DevilMinder]

Msweet and I have always believed in self moderation. I have recently removed two long term members who just couldn't post positively. It is hard to make a correction to the discussion if the general sentiment is negative. The Devils season hasn't been great the last two years so you are bound to have more negative Nellies.

If you see or feel someone is crossing the line send me or Msweet a message. I agree the GD threads are unreadable at times which is why I like the chat crowd. Personally I don't want to ban everyone who posts a negative thread but when it becomes a trend yes it is time to correct it.

[devilsrule33]

Msweet and I have always believed in self moderation. I have recently removed two long term members who just couldn't post positively. It is hard to make a correction to the discussion if the general sentiment is negative. The Devils season hasn't been great the last two years so you are bound to have more negative Nellies.

If you see or feel someone is crossing the line send me or Msweet a message. I agree the GD threads are unreadable at times which is why I like the chat crowd. Personally I don't want to ban everyone who posts a negative thread but when it becomes a trend yes it is time to correct it.

Good to know. Really, I think it comes down to banning 4-5 posters who bring nothing to the table but negativity/name-calling etc...and this place will be fine.

[puckrock]

The OP in this thread is bang-on with a lot of the issues I've been noticing as well. I may not have 20,000 posts, but I've been on this board for almost 8 years. I've seen a lot of bickering and pointless arguing throughout that time. But what it all boils down to is that I'm thankful to have a place full of (mostly) knowledgable fans to interact with.

The biggest favor you can do yourself is to remember its just a forum, take it with a grain of salt. I personally dont use the ignore feature because i dont like my experience to be edited. There are going to be some batsh!t crazy posts, but not everyone of em needs to be flamed. I'm sure enough people are laughing at their desks anyway. If the MODs are swamped maybe we should see if anyone here is up for lending a hand?

Everyone just chill and be thankful we all have a place to talk Devils. We all know damn well we would be devastated if NJDevs shut down. I know I would.

[Amberite]

For what it's worth, this place does need a few mods appointed by DM and msweet. I used to be one of the mods on another, much bigger board (not Devils related), and I can tell you that it worked really well without people feeling abused like happens so often on HF. If the right mods are chosen, you don't need to worry about people getting power hungry, and the place can be kept civil. I've always felt like NJDevs is a bit of a free-for-all because of the lack of moderation, and I can certainly understand DM's and msweet's desire to police things themselves, but as others have said, they both have lives and there's way too much going on here for two people to keep track of.

Asking people to "stop" like the OP asked is admirable, but ultimately fruitless. Trolls are trolls and dicks are dicks. Moderation exists for the same reason police forces exist - you simply cannot trust a community to moderate itself because there are always bad apples that don't give a damn about your desire to make this place better, more of a community, etc.

Edited by Amberite, 12 December 2011 - 12:40 PM.

[njdevil26]

I'd volunteer to do it. I can monitor the boards most days because I have a desk job primarily.

[mmajeski06]

I think we need to hire Shanny as a forum mod

"As the screenshot shows...."

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Msweet and I have always believed in self moderation. I have recently removed two long term members who just couldn't post positively. It is hard to make a correction to the discussion if the general sentiment is negative. The Devils season hasn't been great the last two years so you are bound to have more negative Nellies.

If you see or feel someone is crossing the line send me or Msweet a message. I agree the GD threads are unreadable at times which is why I like the chat crowd. Personally I don't want to ban everyone who posts a negative thread but when it becomes a trend yes it is time to correct it.

In bold: I think that sums up a lot of it. You have a whole generation of younger Devils fans who've known nothing but winning hockey since they became fans, until last season. And though there are clearly older fans who do remember the darker days, that doesn't mean anyone is in a rush to go back to them. I'm a Met fan, and years like 1986 were a hell of lot more fun than the present. Struggling teams aren't fun for anyone involved.

It's a rough time to be a Devils fan. We're watching an all-time great and the long-time face of the franchise nearing the end of his career. We keep reading stories about the Devils' financial struggles. A fan favorite and one of the most popular players ever to play for the Devils might be leaving after this season. I think deep down, with the exception of the pot-stirrers and the trollers (not really many of 'em in the grand scheme), everyone here wants to enjoy the Devils and talking hockey...it's just that there's been so little to be positive about.

A lot of this is a slow build...despite the Devils putting up good records the last several seasons (until last), it has often been an ugly team to watch...a team that, by the time the season was over, you looked at their point total and wondered how they managed to amass as many as they did. For years that tricked us all (me included) into thinking they were better than they were...and then they'd get exposed in the playoffs yet again, and often in the same manner: looking so much slower than their opponents. Making the playoffs is obviously not a right and is very much a privilege, but watching our favorite team get dismissed so easily since the last '03 Cup run takes a toll. It's hard to look at that and say "Well, at least we made the playoffs," especially when rivals like the Hurricanes (twice), the Rangers (once), and the Flyers (twice) are the teams giving you the playoff boot.

And despite this year's respectable 14-13-1 mark, it remains a difficult team to watch...sure, there's positives like Henrique, but there are also so many nights where these guys look like they've never played hockey before. And I think everything I've just posted is wearing just enough on everyone that we have, almost to a member, gotten a little more quick-tempered, a little less respectful, and a little more defensive.

[aylbert]

I would be less of a fan to be honest. Self-policing is what makes this place great. We just need more mutual respect between us, not add babysitters.

If you have issues with a user over personal attacks,etc send a PM to them and work it out. If that doesn't work, talked with DM/MSweet etc. I think the issue right now are personal vandettas and arguements against each other are being played out in the forums - rather than being addressed. Rather than resolving it privately, you see it accumulate and spread as 'acceptable'. I had issues with Crasher in the fantasy forum this past summer, we worked it out in PM, and things are fine. Simple.

Start adding layers of hierarchy and you'll get more cliqs and the likes of other forums. I would hate to be on a forum where we need someone to tell us how to behave.

[FloyddGondolli]

Long time Lurker here. Read here, hf, dr and fire and ice and various blogs via google feed. Post other places and enjoy reading the banter and was reading the volleys from the GDT. Felt compelled to sign up after reading this thread. I have seen the same type of posts on dr.com from those two and they got called out for calling out others because they drive two hours up until last season.

Here's my take on board spats as having been involved and witnessing them. On another board, the members banded together to ignore a certain poster. It's been two weeks with success. The board is much more civilized and every thread doesn't degenerate with or meltdown according to his agenda. I for one never have a problem with differing opinions, it's the broken records and the sole agenda posters that are what's wrong.

You will always have personality differences, when reality crosses with the cyber world and real personality may also clash. These are unavoidable.

Edited by FloyddGondolli, 12 December 2011 - 12:54 PM.

[Pepperkorn]

more mods sucks! Seriously... self-policing is much better. The board was not a better place with more mods. the infighting got way worse with real and perceived cliques. Now it's just the same people who can't control themselves. They can be group ignored.

Edited by Pepperkorn, 12 December 2011 - 12:53 PM.

[Amberite]

more mods sucks! Seriously... self-policing is much better. The board was not a better place with more mods. the infighting got way worse with real and perceived cliques. Now it's just the same people who can't control themselves. They can be group ignored.

Self policing only goes so far, and it creates a much more segmented experience for most users (ie, if some users ignore an offender, and others don't). Most people here hate mods because of their experience with HF. But HF is over-modded and ego-driven and is not a good example. If DM and msweet pick a small number of mods, and pick the RIGHT mods, most users will never notice a change except for much less drama and much better community cohesiveness. A mod's job is to NOT get in the way, and only make themselves known to users who are truly a problem. Personally, I'd much rather have mods taking care of the problem BEFORE I get heated and have to ignore a user, not AFTER.

[Random Poster]

I'd volunteer to do it. I can monitor the boards most days because I have a desk job primarily.

I personally emailed and volunteered to mod the Marketplace since that was a clusterfvck at one point. People even nominated me to the site owners. What happened? I was told there was enough mods on the site and not a need for one in Marketplace, yet there was clearly issues there.

It's difficult to nominate mods from an existing group of regulars. There's always a question of imparitiality due to friendships, grudges, side picking, peer pressure, etc. That's not to say that doesn't happen anyway, but you open up a can of worms nominating regulars.

[njdevil26]

I personally emailed and volunteered to mod the Marketplace since that was a clusterfvck at one point. People even nominated me to the site owners. What happened? I was told there was enough mods on the site and not a need for one in Marketplace, yet there was clearly issues there.

It's difficult to nominate mods from an existing group of regulars. There's always a question of imparitiality due to friendships, grudges, side picking, peer pressure, etc. That's not to say that doesn't happen anyway, but you open up a can of worms nominating regulars.

I'm not thinking about nominations or anything of the sort.

Just simply stating I'd do it.

[Pepperkorn]

Self policing only goes so far, and it creates a much more segmented experience for most users (ie, if some users ignore an offender, and others don't). Most people here hate mods because of their experience with HF. But HF is over-modded and ego-driven and is not a good example. If DM and msweet pick a small number of mods, and pick the RIGHT mods, most users will never notice a change except for much less drama and much better community cohesiveness. A mod's job is to NOT get in the way, and only make themselves known to users who are truly a problem. Personally, I'd much rather have mods taking care of the problem BEFORE I get heated and have to ignore a user, not AFTER.

We had a very large issue with our mods. A lot of feelings were hurt on all sides.

I dont post on HF or anywhere else for that matter. The horrific mod issue was here and it improved when DM cut everyone off.

[Amberite]

We had a very large issue with our mods. A lot of feelings were hurt on all sides.

I dont post on HF or anywhere else for that matter. The horrific mod issue was here and it improved when DM cut everyone off.

This is not an issue with the modding system in general. It's an issue with the specific mods that were chosen and what they felt their responsibilities were. Mods DO work, and there are very many message boards on the internet which are very happily humming along with mods in place. If you'd like, I can rattle off a good 10 or 15 that I frequent that have such a system in place.

[Random Poster]

I'm not thinking about nominations or anything of the sort.

Just simply stating I'd do it.

I stated the same thing, that i'd volunteer and that's what i was told.

Honestly, no matter how good someone's intentions are no one that's a reg should do it. Keep self-moderation. Most of us that are familiar with the dynamics here have all been around too long, are/have been friends with too many people, seen too much and know too much to really be 100% impartial. It's impossible.