posted on March 30, 2001 03:47:01 PM new
or is it just a place for power-tripping?
Is it the kind of discussion board that will survive?
I don't want auction services. I want discussion, preferably with logical, rational people, with logical rational moderators (if they are utterly necessary).
So.. what do you think the future of the RT will be at Auctionwatch? Will the critical mass of posters remain, or will they leave to find new homes?
I think there must be something going on at AW... they have had an amazing pattern of pissing off as many people as they possibly can.
posted on March 30, 2001 03:51:35 PM newMivona: What exactly has AW done that is SO HORRIBLE? They've removed the Moderator's Corner. So what? They're charging fees. Can you blame them for wanting to make a buck like everyone else? I think everyone's "knee jerk" reaction to these piddly little changes is totally unwarranted.
In the grand scheme of life, what is so earth shaking here?
posted on March 30, 2001 04:01:03 PM new
Hi Fez. I think you've missed the boat. It's not necessarily the demise of the Moderator's Corner that have folks wondering. Look in Diana's "policy change" thread starting at about page 6, and you will see why posters have questions about new "changes". This morning threads posted to Marty were summarily and without explanation, deleted. Diana has responded that this may have been in error, but the "changes" that everyone are wondering about are the fact that open discussion and honest discourse with the moderators about their actions or interpretation of the "rules" is no longer allowed at AW. It must all be done "secretly" via private email, meaning that everyone else who might be wondering what a particular "action" meant will be left to "wonder" or email "privately" and hope their question is considered "legitimate" enough to be answered. That is what the discussion is about..not whining about the MC (or lack of) or new fees...just wondering what the big secret is about being able to interact and discuss with the moderators openly, honestly, and publically.
posted on March 30, 2001 04:06:23 PM new
The fees were implemented with very little notice, with all discussion of the fees curtailed to specific threads. Responses by AW to the questions that arose from those threads were not quickly answered, and when they were answered, sometimes it was quite clear that they had not thought things through (the mythical "email from Ebay" for FVF refunds springs to mind).
They knew that the email policy at Ebay was changing, but did nothing to amend their policy in light of that change. When pressed, they said "post the auction link, but no discussion of the seller or bidder". This got the sellers on AW going, and then they changed to "no discussion of the seller or bidder - only general discussion of the auction", knowing that the sleuths on AW will ferret out the auction/bidder/seller and BANG! the discussion gets locked up. No appeals, no alternatives, no inviting of anybody. Zip.
Once they did that, the MC went... no discussion of whether there was value in the MC, no discussion of how moderation would be administered in future. Just gone...
And now, when people wish to discuss the new moderation policy, the threads get zapped or locked.
It is not about the money.... it is about the process.
typos
[ edited by mivona on Mar 30, 2001 04:08 PM ]
posted on March 30, 2001 04:12:06 PM new
Well hello,
I guess it just can't be done. I will have to lock this thread and if you want to discuss policy you can do it in Diana's thread.
Let me just get a few things straight here though.
1. Locked threads will generally have a statement as to why they are locked. MartyAW apologized for the oversight on a thread this morning and promptly submitted a post of explanation to the locked thread.
2. It has been made clear that the Round Table will not turn into another Moderator's Corner.
3. Posts about moderation policy can be made in the Round Table forum after email corespondence with a moderator to get the go ahead. This will not include moderator bashing or hashing over why a thread was deleted.
4. If you start a moderation thread without going through a moderator, it will be deleted and the originator will be emailed.
I think that about raps it up. If you have any questions at all, you will always have rapid access to moderators at the email in our sig lines.
Oh, and one more thing. There is no conspiracy. Don't look for shadows where there are none.
