I have seen SEVERAL comments recently berating mods for doing their jobs, and talking about the attitudes of mods.
Please let me be clear. No rules have changed. Rules are being enforced. Pretty much the same as they always have been. Have there been periods when things were missed more often? Yes. But not for so long that anybody should have gotten the message that this is a free-for-all in terms of what is permissible to upload and what proper crediting is.
If people flout the rules or continuously "miss" what the rules are, yes, more strongly worded messages and warnings are sent. Necessary to be clear.
This is OUR JOB. We didn't make it up - it is there in the Code of Conduct and our job descriptions. As members, it is every member's responsibility to follow the CoC. If you make a mistake? If you think we made a mistake? Then act like the grownup that a few people have professed to wish to be treated as and deal with it in an adult manner.
This is an adult manner:
"Whoops, my bad."
or a PM to a moderator as outlined in this thread that I created so people would have a process for getting answers.
"Hey, my image got rejected, can you explain what specifically was wrong?"
Accept that not having different rules for different people means that the mods will not hunt down anyone and provide preferential treatment when they're rejecting an image. They will reject it, and it is up to the member to do one of the 2 things above.
Inform and familiarize oneself thoroughly with both the CoC and copyright laws. Not the ones you *think* exist, but the ones that actually do. Understand where something may be borderline and accept that the mods may need to err on the side of caution.
NOT to participate in the backbiting and undermining of the work of the mods - who YES - MAY have made a mistake. MAY. And there is an avenue for recourse. Because MAYBE they didn't, and it's possible instead that YOU made a mistake. Unless you ask for clarification, you won't know, will you?
So sure - build a support group of people who will tell you how awful it is that the mods - who are doing their jobs - rejected your image oh so wrongfully. Make snide comments about the mods and who they think they are, and how awful they are when you don't even know the full story. Believe that the mods are at fault because it's not possible your friends may have made mistakes. Go right ahead.
But lemme tell ya - I have worked diligently for the better part of the past 3 months to try and be helpful, available, to bring community spirit back, provide answers, address issues as they have arisen, and I am SICK AND TIRED of continuing to see mods being slammed for doing our jobs.
Sick and tired of seeing mods slammed for things they don't do which are NOT their jobs.
I will readily acknowledge that moderators have said things that should not have been said - and ALL of us have been dedicated in the past months to retaining our tempers despite the flack that comes our way.
However, I will also defend the integrity of every moderator of this site, that *none* would have made the suggestion about Cynlee on the poll because part of our job is to promote positive movement on this site, and that suggestion is yes both negative and insulting. Just as negative and insulting as the one made above it.
Yes - I recognize that not all members participate in the backbiting and snideness. However, I am extremely disappointed in some of the ones who I have seen participate, because I honestly thought they would not. So - I am sick and tired of it. At the rate this is going *I* may choose to leave rather than deal with this nastiness. So far I have not because this site has been valuable to me for many reasons and I believe in the site and what it has stood for. And because not everyone participates in the nastiness, and I believe that those people who do not continue to deserve the work that I and the other mods put in here.
Yeah, I'm done ranting now. Pardon me - I've just been human.
Please let me be clear. No rules have changed. Rules are being enforced. Pretty much the same as they always have been. Have there been periods when things were missed more often? Yes. But not for so long that anybody should have gotten the message that this is a free-for-all in terms of what is permissible to upload and what proper crediting is.
If people flout the rules or continuously "miss" what the rules are, yes, more strongly worded messages and warnings are sent. Necessary to be clear.
This is OUR JOB. We didn't make it up - it is there in the Code of Conduct and our job descriptions. As members, it is every member's responsibility to follow the CoC. If you make a mistake? If you think we made a mistake? Then act like the grownup that a few people have professed to wish to be treated as and deal with it in an adult manner.
This is an adult manner:
"Whoops, my bad."
or a PM to a moderator as outlined in this thread that I created so people would have a process for getting answers.
"Hey, my image got rejected, can you explain what specifically was wrong?"
Accept that not having different rules for different people means that the mods will not hunt down anyone and provide preferential treatment when they're rejecting an image. They will reject it, and it is up to the member to do one of the 2 things above.
Inform and familiarize oneself thoroughly with both the CoC and copyright laws. Not the ones you *think* exist, but the ones that actually do. Understand where something may be borderline and accept that the mods may need to err on the side of caution.
NOT to participate in the backbiting and undermining of the work of the mods - who YES - MAY have made a mistake. MAY. And there is an avenue for recourse. Because MAYBE they didn't, and it's possible instead that YOU made a mistake. Unless you ask for clarification, you won't know, will you?
So sure - build a support group of people who will tell you how awful it is that the mods - who are doing their jobs - rejected your image oh so wrongfully. Make snide comments about the mods and who they think they are, and how awful they are when you don't even know the full story. Believe that the mods are at fault because it's not possible your friends may have made mistakes. Go right ahead.
But lemme tell ya - I have worked diligently for the better part of the past 3 months to try and be helpful, available, to bring community spirit back, provide answers, address issues as they have arisen, and I am SICK AND TIRED of continuing to see mods being slammed for doing our jobs.
Sick and tired of seeing mods slammed for things they don't do which are NOT their jobs.
I will readily acknowledge that moderators have said things that should not have been said - and ALL of us have been dedicated in the past months to retaining our tempers despite the flack that comes our way.
However, I will also defend the integrity of every moderator of this site, that *none* would have made the suggestion about Cynlee on the poll because part of our job is to promote positive movement on this site, and that suggestion is yes both negative and insulting. Just as negative and insulting as the one made above it.
Yes - I recognize that not all members participate in the backbiting and snideness. However, I am extremely disappointed in some of the ones who I have seen participate, because I honestly thought they would not. So - I am sick and tired of it. At the rate this is going *I* may choose to leave rather than deal with this nastiness. So far I have not because this site has been valuable to me for many reasons and I believe in the site and what it has stood for. And because not everyone participates in the nastiness, and I believe that those people who do not continue to deserve the work that I and the other mods put in here.
Yeah, I'm done ranting now. Pardon me - I've just been human.