Staff Feedback!

[Stacy]

The toxic atmosphere here originates far more from the members than the staff team. Whenever I see staff enter a discussion, they're usually the more level-headed participants and generally make topics more informative and fun. On the other hand, many members are exponentially more prone to being rude, snarky, insulting, overly-competitive, demeaning, or some combination thereof which poisons the atmosphere of discussion, in turn making the mods more prone to dropping a few "fucks" here and there whenever people either get caught up in the annoying bickering or call out the atmosphere for what it can be. I imagine if people just learned to distance themselves personally from conversation and at least attempted to put on a friendlier face and chill, it would in turn decrease any raging on the mods' part.

Didn't say it was toxic I said it was stormy, I actually try to avoid debates now but half the time that is all I see on here, hence I don't post much now and I don't bother offering a different opinion that's not popular.

Personally I feel we need a sub forum for deep debates like this again:

[Tornado]

What Anger and Rage? I find to be pretty controlled and collective, blunt yes, but tardrage? No, I personally didn't get that impression.

Edited July 9, 2012 by Gilda

[Solkia]

I'm with Cero. It's nice to know our moderators are human, and not feel like a bunch of A.I.s.

[T-Min]

In addition to what Tornado said, I was also very bothered by his pulling of the "O"-card.

They care about moderating the place, but quite frankly, except Dizney, Flyboy, or Dredknux, they're terrible moderators and objectively don't have the heart to respond like a REAL mod or admin would.

Honestly, what gives him the ultimate authority to decide that? Never mind the fact that we're apparently "kissing their @$$es" by disagreeing with him. As far as I have observed myself after being here for going on two years, the way the moderators run the site works for it. Chances are that if you take this much issue with it, this forum just isn't for you.

[theresearcher]

I never knew a topic could be broken down so much it seems like complaining. (Now I know what happens to some of my post when people start to get hostile towards me)

From things I heard in the past I could see his points then I read some of your responses then it gets broken down to nagging and complaining. (Though I dont know how you get rage out of it, the entire thing was very calm... And I mean really really calm.)

I am kinda curious though, do any of you think this topic could "Fix" the mod/member relationship. From what I see some people feel that mods take sides and mistreat others, perhaps not on purpose but the feel of the post (probably from the cussing).

But hearing it here, is it possible that people could get along perfectly from this topic and both mods and members come to a understanding?

(It seems that 5 or so years ago this place was pretty perfect then that dark knight guy came in and ruined it all.)

(I say fix like that because that may not be the right word to use but its the only one I could think of right now.)

[---]

Honestly I haven't really seen an instance where a staff member has taken a side in an unfair manor /:V

[Abominal SnowTaz]

Honestly I haven't really seen an instance where a staff member has taken a side in an unfair manor /:V

Yeah. All the mods hate me, so I think they're fair here.

[Stacy]

I am kinda curious though, do any of you think this topic could "Fix" the mod/member relationship.

That's the thing.

I do think there are some friction between members and mods, otherwise why was this topic created?

Maybe Roarey should set some questionnaire that can be taken anonymously? I don't know.

[Pelly <3's U]

You don't need an anonymous questionnaire. Any grievance you had can either be posted here (like many have done), or PM'd to Roarey if you would rather not post. The whole point of this topic was to open the door for you all.

I would like to state that it is a bit silly to state that member/mod relationships are at some all time low or something when just a look through this topic would show you otherwise. Obviously things will never be perfect, but once again hopefully this topic provides some ground towards that end.

[Stritix]

This hasn't happened to me, but I've seen it happen far too many times to not bring it up.

I think the staff mostly do their job well, but I far too often see staff calling out other users very rudely and insulting, to the point where it appears to be straight up bashing. The 30+ likes that member of staff's message then gets just makes me feel sorry for that user. It's rather embarrassing. Warnings towards users should be given out politely and professionally. Not belittling and insulting.

I think it would be a better if warnings are sent via PM's to avoid this whole 'like' issue, and to keep it private and professional. Mocking/embarrassing users then won't be able to happen. I actually think that's a great idea. It certainly would solve this issue.

[Pelly <3's U]

First of,

Secondly, did you ever have a teacher call you out in front of the whole class? It sucks yes, but there's a motivation behind it. Public warnings on the forum serve as a deterrent to all members against unwanted behavior, we would lose quite a bit more then we would gain (if you ask me) if all warnings were privet. Most members on the board learn how to integrate themselves into the board by observing, and seeing what warrents a warning is pretty beneficial to everyone.

[theresearcher]

Good point Pelly, some people need to be called out in public.

Now have you ever seen a teacher cuss out a student while making fun of and mocking him in front of the entire class?

Maybe on the news but that never ends well, it ruins the child, possible mental issues and most of all, makes the kid hate everything that is related to that topic.

[LATER BUDDY]

I'm sorry, but we aren't a school.

Look, I advise everyone here to go look at Roarz's thread on the matter here if you haven't already:

[theresearcher]

It was an example, pelly used school as an example where a teacher will call you out. Then according to some of the complaints about being harsh I took her example and gave it the kind of tone members are seeing.

But I am kinda bored with this now, all the things that are going to be said has already been said, at the end Roarz said that the staff will try to be less scary (Or harsh as many others put it) but I had my fun, the beginning was fun, the middle was a blast and the ending was calming and seems to end on a good note.

Why do I talk like I am responsible for this? I dont know, its just fun for me.

[Stritix]

I didn't see that topic. I just read it now. I don't often browse the first two forums, so I missed my chance to send in proper criticism. Though good to hear that improvements will be made in this area. I certainly have gained more respect for this site.

Also I didn't mean for all warnings to be done via PM. Instead of calling one specific person out in front of everyone, that should be done via PM. I often see moderators warn just one user in a thread which isn't needed at all. A certain amount of privacy is needed when it comes these things. If several people are doing it then a warning should be given out publicly, but still respectfully and with no cussing/insults.

It's just an idea. I do believe it would greatly improve this area though.

[Danielius]

I read this only now so sorry for not giving feedback in time but you can guess, if I haven't gave it so far then everything is good and I'm just enjoying my stay there

What can I say. I haven't noticed any problems. I'm surprised, that someone says staff is harsh to new members. As a new member I haven't be treated like some kind of person who don't deserve to be here because I joined so late, not being a native English speaker or wasn't a true Sonic fan for a long time. Also I felt a few times like I got a bit off topic as I often do this without noticing it. If I ever have a ban it will be for this

I was once a moderator of one forum and I also used to be the nice guy so when something pissed me off and I swore for first time some thought like "What a show-off" when I wanted to calm everyone down with the best intentions for the community.

The heated discussions is the #1 problem in forums and everyone react differently. It's the hardest when you need to calm down your friend. But rules are rules, they're for everyone and it's good that staff is keeping that way.

P.S. Not negative feedback, just my own thoughts about one thing. The titles like " sound harsh for the newbies from the first sight. When I came her I thought like "what the ..." as I felt like you think I feel break the rules with my very first post In rules I would avoid words like "shit" and metaphors like "you will be out of here quicker than rabbits can go at it" ..Or maybe I'm just not used to British humor (if it is). This is just my opinion as I prefer short and clear text in rules.

Edited July 11, 2012 by Danielius

[Remy]

Also I didn't mean for all warnings to be done via PM. Instead of calling one specific person out in front of everyone, that should be done via PM. I often see moderators warn just one user in a thread which isn't needed at all. A certain amount of privacy is needed when it comes these things. If several people are doing it then a warning should be given out publicly, but still respectfully and with no cussing/insults.

If you warn people through PM, odds are they are going to ignore it, if they even see it in the first place. There's no dodging around a public warning. It also serves a practical purpose, it tells not only the person warned that there's a problem, but everyone else reading the topic too.

If you're a good member, odds are we aren't going to have to warn you in public anyway

[Stritix]

If you warn people through PM, odds are they are going to ignore it, if they even see it in the first place. There's no dodging around a public warning. It also serves a practical purpose, it tells not only the person warned that there's a problem, but everyone else reading the topic too.

If you're a good member, odds are we aren't going to have to warn you in public anyway

When you receive a PM, you see a big red thing at the top notifying you. Of course they'll see it. Also everyone knows how to use PMs. Most of the time when users receive a warning in public, they don't bother saying anything else to explain themselves/apologize. It's most likely because of how degrading it is. You certainly don't want to apologize/explain to an insulting message when everyone's looking and giving the message 30+ likes. Chances are also, the moderators aren't going to be cussing/insulting via PM. As there's no one around to see it besides that specific person. I've gotten in trouble only once the whole time I've been here, but I see this happen far too often not to bring it up.

This PM idea may have a few flaws, but it has far less flaws than the current system.

[Abominal SnowTaz]

Now have you ever seen a teacher cuss out a student while making fun of and mocking him in front of the entire class?

Maybe on the news but that never ends well, it ruins the child, possible mental issues and most of all, makes the kid hate everything that is related to that topic.

You seem to be dwelling on the fact that the mods swear. Roarz clearly stated that judging the mod's speech patterns (freedom of Speech), is pretty petty. Hell, I swear all the damn time and nobody says shit about it. Sure swearing gets heavily used but the point is, people will say what they want.

Edited July 12, 2012 by Abominal Taz

[Noir]

The point of calling someone out publicly is so everyone can learn from the mistake. If the staff was sending warnings privately it would be much harder for someone new to see the proper way to act and what not to do. Your proposal only benefits whoever's getting the warning (by saving them very minor embarrassment) while the current method is helping everyone keep the board nice and happy like. There's just no reason to change.

[Carbo]

This PM idea may have a few flaws, but it has far less flaws than the current system.

Except it really doesn't, partially because if a member being disruptive is the cause of a topic stirring into darker territories, mod intervention is not only for calling out a member, but also to restore a topic to order, and you don't get that by doing a PM. If it's a matter of attitude I can understand and as we've said, we're going to try being a bit more friendly in creating the atmosphere here. But other than that I don't see the problem.

The staff is here to bring balance to every member equally, and not just the lone individual. Only during some occasions do we use the PM system to notify people, particularly during status update dramas, but the current system is here to stay, whether you like it or not.

[Tornado]

When you receive a PM, you see a big red thing at the top notifying you. Of course they'll see it.

About that: I've gone months before without seeing PMs because the notifications didn't update properly, or I opened the thing without without noticing that there were PMs stacked back behind whatever the notification was for, or I opened the thing to see what it was but had to leave and forgot about it. I know of several others that have commented in the same way for the notification system. So not only does the deterrent aspect of public warnings that you keep ignoring not happen, but it is very possible that they would never even see the warning if events conspired against them.

Edited July 11, 2012 by Gilda

[Mollfie]

When you receive a PM, you see a big red thing at the top notifying you. Of course they'll see it.

[Stritix]

There's just no reason to change.

Given the feedback, there's plenty reason to change. The whole point of this topic is to share feedback like this. I understand improvements are going to be made to the way users are treated, but it's just an idea. It's how I personally would handle the situation.

Except it really doesn't, partially because if a member being disruptive is the cause of a topic stirring into darker territories, mod intervention is not only for calling out a member, but also to restore a topic to order, and you don't get that by doing a PM. If it's a matter of attitude I can understand and as we've said, we're going to try being a bit more friendly in creating the atmosphere here. But other than that I don't see the problem.

I'm not saying for all warnings to be via PM. Certain warnings need to be pubic (Still with no swearing/insults, etc), I understand. But I also think there are certain warnings that should be private.

The staff is here to bring balance to every member equally, and not just the lone individual. Only during some occasions do we use the PM system to notify people, particularly during status update dramas, but the current system is here to stay, whether you like it or not.

I thought the whole point of this topic was to leave feedback for possible change. Whether my idea is bad or not, if the system is going to stay the same no matter what, then what's the point of us leaving feedback?

[Pelly <3's U]

Because you've had your chance to give your feedback and it was found to not be a solution worth implementing. It's not a matter of the system will stay the same no matter what, it's a matter of the system will stay the same unless some decidedly better way comes along that's aligned with the reality of things......which we don't find your solution to be.