@Gary thank you for being willing to share ALL of who you are. We are all perfectly imperfect souls here. Thank you for sharing all of this with us.
@mark as always…. Thank you for starting this community and having a vision that is beneficial for all of us. Your heart shines. I agree with all before me saying thank you for being solid in your desire to do AND TALK ABOUT what’s best for the community.
You both are an extremely valuable part of the changing of many lives.
I can't say much about recent mod behavior as I've only recently been persauded to come back to the site but can say that I've seen abuses of power from mods before.
I used to be quite active here a few years ago but left (and deleted my account) due to the disturbing trend of favoritism by mods that I saw and eventually fell prey to. I protested, tried to reason but was closed down because they stated that the posts did not violate site policies only to see extremely similar posts deleted. It was very clear to myself and several others that certain people were allowed to push the boundaries of policy and any user comeback was suppressed.
I'm not saying that mistakes don't happen, we are human after all, but when it becomes a trend that's when it becomes an issue. Cuddling is a very much about trust and such things erode that (as have been mentioned several times in this thread) and when it is gone, it is v hard to regain it.
The next few weeks will be crucial for this site and I don't evny those trying to find the way forward.
I will end with a quote that sprung to mind as I read the first thread about this.
Who watches the watchmen?
Or in our case
Who moderates the moderators?
@FWCuddles ~ "Who watches the watchmen?" "Or in our case" "Who moderates the moderators?"
I'm resubmitting a part of one of my posts from earlier (incase it got lost in the mix) and adding to/clarifying some of it too...
For Moderator Accountability: How about implementing periodic peer review system???
@Mark could do his own sort of standards check every three to six months or so by looking at what each mod has been accessing/doing on the backend.
He could solicit opinions from various users in good standing (other mods, pros, enthusiasts, clients) and could check in with those who'd recently received warnings on how the process did or didn't work for them.
They could all be asked to provide feedback on various things we look for in a moderator (timeliness, objectivity, professionalism, fairness, etc.)
Perhaps the Mods (and Mark) could each be encouraged to do their own self-critique so they can highlight where they believe they're doing well, areas for improvement, and assess their mental health too (like do they maybe need to take a break for a bit?)
And I think doing a scan once or twice a year for additional moderators might be a good move too. There may not be anyone, but efforts should be made to ensure the moderator pool reflects the users (ahem - women and nonbianary folks need to be at the vision and decisions table too - that we finally had one and she's now deactivated is a real shame and deserves examination and efforts made to repair).
@FWCuddles I know 1st hand you won’t find many allies with everything you just finished writing (for different reasons - could be that some don’t agree or some don’t want to speak out,ect, but I agree with everything you said, mark just stated that every volunteer will always be from the community (which brings many of the concerns & issues you laid out) but i know he doesn’t hold any bias at all & is looking for the absolute best interest of the site & the community… so that is to be respected, just hoping that with the changes comes fairness from certain mods (I say certain because by not saying certain, I’m voicing that all mods were a problem, which I honestly don’t see it as truth or believe whatsoever / … hoping for no picking & choosing on who should be subject to rules & whose not, or who best fits the interpretations - for or lack of.
@Mark @Gary I have nothing but confidence that you are both good people who have nothing but good intentions and a love for the community this site has become.. I appreciate the transparency of these posts and it helps us to gain good insight into how things impact you all behind the scenes. You are people, not faceless pieces of carbon. I have been on here longer than many and have met more on here than many , so I know first hand that there are so many people who are able to connect, whether via online or in person, because of what you have created. You did that.
@Squeaktoy She would delete posts all the time in the disguise of 'misinformation' or other silly abuse of moderator powers. I know of handful of people who have either been booted or quit because they would just get in arguments.
She did a great job, @Libra0 . Check your account. [-Sid] update This is resolved.
@Libra0 Oh man, please be joking. The only time that was happening was when people would:
a) give fuel to ridiculous COVID-19 conspiracy theories b) spew their anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric (if it wasn't clear then, it should be now - CC is an inclusive community that is very supportive of LGBTQ+ identity and struggles) c) spew sexist/racist etc. garbage (pretty much nobody thinks these "opinions" are good ones to have...there is having an opinion, and then there is being an outright bigot either knowingly or unknowingly)
All of the above is ridiculous and has no place on this forum. It's very low and telling that you've chosen to call someone out after they voluntarily left. Someone who was dedicated to the safety and comfort of this community.
Eh @Libra0 sounds like a troll. No use to entertain it.
also @sillysassy hate to say it, but told ya
I felt like I was in the twilight zone, I understood what Mark was saying, but no one else seemed to, so I felt it necessary to reiterate it.
Don't feed the trolls
But they're hungry! They keep coming back and screaming like infants to be fed!
Oh, wait. That's just my cat.
@Catloaf cats are cute and forgivable though
@pmvines Yes, trash goblins are much better and much cuter than forum trolls.
@FWCuddles - The community here will let us moderators know how we're doing, what we're doing, what we're not doing. The forums here are not like other forums. Pros and enthusiasts both police and monitor while participating in the forums and via messages, and it is everyone's collective diligence that sustains this platonic space from transgressors and trolls, who end up getting flagged, suspended, timed-out, and sometimes banned. The reports and flags start FLYING, as they should. Moderators have an internal ticketing system that ensures lateral communication and oversight - that hasn't changed and it's not going away. We have less moderators now, but we'll have more in the future, and we will work with them and train them AND better improve how we coordinate in the future.
@Sideon you get ALL the gold stars!! 💫💫💫
I also want to chime in with my appreciation of Sideon.
This has been an enlightening and, at times, endarkening thread to read (yeah, I just made up a word). It is good to see the community storming and norming to get this site performing better (see Tuckman, 1965).
As one who flagged the replies @Gary posted to @MalVT in the Gripes and other grievances thread, I am concerned with what happens to flags on discussion replies: do all mods see the flag and what the person who flagged wrote about what they were flagging? If the person whose replies are flagged is an admin or a moderator themselves, can they take action on the flag without peer review from the others? If the admins and mods are willing to continue in the vein of transparency, would you let us know a bit more about your moderation process? I understand proprietary information needs to be protected, but would appreciate any insight you can share.
@nurturingman - All mods get notice of flagged content. Flagged content OF moderators would get picked up by another mod. All mods see what happened, or didn't happen with flagged dismissals, whether items were edited or moved offline. As of right now there are three acting mods, so if my posts or profile get flagged, Gary or Mark will pick those up.
There are tiers of severity in terms of content and moderator responses. In no particular order, these are the typical examples:
Lastly, let me be clear and repetitive: Pros and enthusiasts flag things constantly - but not all content is actionable. Mods can see ALL forum posts: flagged, posted, edited, and moved offline (looks deleted to you, but is in the Moderator forum).
😴
@sideon your example #6 I flagged a comment for review which I thought was wrong .
The response to me from a moderator was
That was improperly flagged , please refrain from flagging forum postings like that or your forum privileges will be revoked .
Thoughts. Comments ?
@cuddlerforu24 For whatever reason (personal dislike for the poster, I’m guessing) you improperly flagged something that the moderator(s) clearly deemed a non-issue in the end, hence the response you received.
Not sure what the point of your comment is other than to falsely imply that the mods are too trigger happy.
@catloaf.thank you for input . And you admit you are guessing . I would think that if the flagged comment I brought to their attention , was compliant with the forum rules , there would be no response at all from them .
I Flag posts frequently, by which I mean at least every day. Many are just technical - wrong board, for example. The response time varies with time of day, but it's always measured in hours at most.
@Sideon is a very good moderator indeed. Squeakytoy was still learning, and did a great job right out of the gate. She is a great loss.
@CuddleDuncan you flag posts frequently you say . Have you ever been threatened with forum privileges taken away ?
I flagged a grand total of three , in a multi year period .
The moderators response was
That was improperly flagged , please refrain from flagging forum postings like THAT or your forum privileges will be revoked .
I think the point here @cuddlerforu24 is that the moderators said it was IMPROPERLY flagged. Maybe instead of all of the community GUESSING about what made it improper, you should just directly ask the moderators.
OF COURSE I have to say one more time..... OUR FABULOUS MODERATOR IS SO AMAAAAAAAAAAZING and he has never been unjust or subjective. He always does what is best for the community. 🥰😊😁
(SIDE NOTE..... @squeakytoy is just DEACTIVATED and her profile still says Moderator. Hopefully these boys will find a way to win her back because we all NEEEEEEEEEEED HER!!!!!)
@sillysassy how does someone properly flag a comment ? It says in the top corner right corner ( the * ) it give you an option of “ flag this comment “. There’s no instructions to follow . The exact words of the response to me now that I remember better is that the comment was “ flagged in bad faith “ . My additional comments to the flag was “ please review this and tell me what you think “
If I had flagged in wrongly or they decided it was in bad faith , then certainly, shouldn’t you think that a response like
Your comment was reviewed it is deemed compliant .
I wouldn’t expect to have been told if you do that again your forum privileges are revoked
@cuddlerforu24 : there's a difference between flagged content and official warnings, but you did experienced both in one event (#2, below).
@cuddlerforu24 - Let me know if you have further questions on this matter in PM.
It would be wonderful to have @squeakytoy back.
I appreciate the care and thought that @Mark and all the moderators are putting into the issues that have been raised. I’ve been a part of communities that had ongoing serious problems that were not addressed because they did not have the courage and the maturity. I appreciate the open and prompt attention.
I’m not sure I completely understand all that has gone down recently, seems like there was a second incident after the first that I missed.
One suggestion that I think was raised: not allowing moderators to connect with other members in real life. If that’s the case, then that means they are no longer allowed to cuddle with anyone? That makes no sense. Perhaps I misunderstood something.
Again, I appreciate those who are working to keep this community safe and functional, including members whose input is thoughtful and constructive.
@sillysassy , every time I read a post from you, I wish we could cuddle so I could absorb your positivity and joy I read in your posts (I wanted to pm you, but I guess this public comment will have to do.)
Clear communication is always the best solution.
❤️