Feel free to email me to discuss any moderation issues. We've made some good progress from email in this thread.mailto:wejo@letsrun.com
This thread went off the rails a bit with 1 particular poster hijacking it and trying to make it about one moderator so we have locked it.
Before I give my takeaways, if you have concerns about moderating, or posts, please report them or email me directly. We make it very easy to be heard at LetsRun.com and reach us. But if you sidetrack threads by discussing moderation, those posts will be removed and can lead to temporary bans as they ruin the discussion for everyone else.
But some takeaways. 1) Dealing with the problematic posters/troublemakers isn't easy but we need to make sure in dealing with them we do not go too far and harm the experience for other posters 2) The filters often flag people by accident. Exempt SC members from the filters at the very least. 3) Consider creating a toggle so people don't have to see "this post was deleted in a thread". In the posts where the trouble makers try and takeover, these notifications start to ruin the experience. 4) Consider moving some posts out of the main forum. 5) Look at limiting how often people can post in a thread. 6) Try and get a better handle on the use of VPNs by people posting, reporting posts, upvoting, etc. 7) I will actively monitor all of malmo's moderating and posts for the next week and give him feedback. We already actively communicate but some of your points and emails were helpful.
Summarizing, I see some people upset with malmo's moderating. (Honestly I often think this is the same 3-4 people who constantly complain about him despite being told it is off topic) If you have specific issues with him or any moderation issue, or specific posts, please hit the # button and send me the posts.
So this would imply most of what we do is moderate too much or inconsistently but some complain we don't do enough.
Hi Weldon,
Nice chatting with you briefly on the DFW Skylink while we were coming back from Tallahassee.
I think the biggest issue with moderation generally is inconsistency in what's allowed to stand and what gets removed. There's also unfairness in who gets banned and who is allowed to continually post here despite repeatedly violating the rules.
It reminds me of a common complaint in football, basketball, and baseball: players get upset when refs or umpires don't call the game consistently. Players just want to know where the lines are, and they want everyone held within the same lines. If this forum was moderated fairly and consistently based on the posted guidelines, then I think there would be less complaints.
With malmo specifically, I think the biggest issue is abuse of power. I've seen him personally attack people for expressing opinions that he doesn't like, then remove their replies when they try to defend themselves and call him out on his behavior. I've not only seen him do this to others; he's done it to me.
I previously emailed you and Robert to express my concern about malmo's abuse of power, and I never got a response.
As this thread has shown, there are more than just a few people who object to malmo's moderating.
i have told malmo that just because someone attacks him does not mean he should attack them back.. And if he does that and then bans the person for a personal attack, this is a double standard that can no be tolerated.
The racism, sexism, anti-semitism, anti-Mormonism, anti-whateverism etc., etc., etc., has become so pervasive on this site that I now have to do the double shoulder look-behind before accessing the message board in a public place or at home (I wouldn’t dare access this site from work). The Brojos should be embarrassed that they ever let this place get to this point. This used to be a really good place to discuss running. But hey, clicks are clicks right Brojos?
Interesting as this is pretty much the first complaint of this nature on here.
Most of the complaints have been more from regular posters complaining about a single moderator. Or people saying we should require registration.
But as for the posters complaining about malmo it's crazy how many of htem are using VPNs. Make them less credible to me . The posters using real usernames to complain I am taking more seriously.
Individual users like Steve the Addict or the430miler are simple and easy to block because they use registered names. Ive blocked them both and that has resolved all issues for me with those posters.
Malmo however is a different story. He antagonizes and targets others and then instates blocks. This totally ruins any chance of positive user experience on this site. Seniority does not always rule.
Weldon, why dont you actually listen to your user base for once and correct this issue with the 1 sole moderator who is tarnishing the forum experience and forum quality for all of us?
You dancing around this issue is making you lose visitors by the day and its why professional runners roll their eyes anytime this site is mentioned.
You are going to have to choose between being overly-kind to an elder and still having a business. Make the right choice.
Like the poster above. This is total bs. You're not leaving for reddit. i bet you're the guy who emails me all the time about malmo. You say "overly-king to an elder" no one uses language like that.
Nice chatting with you briefly on the DFW Skylink while we were coming back from Tallahassee.
I think the biggest issue with moderation generally is inconsistency in what's allowed to stand and what gets removed. There's also unfairness in who gets banned and who is allowed to continually post here despite repeatedly violating the rules.
It reminds me of a common complaint in football, basketball, and baseball: players get upset when refs or umpires don't call the game consistently. Players just want to know where the lines are, and they want everyone held within the same lines. If this forum was moderated fairly and consistently based on the posted guidelines, then I think there would be less complaints.
With malmo specifically, I think the biggest issue is abuse of power. I've seen him personally attack people for expressing opinions that he doesn't like, then remove their replies when they try to defend themselves and call him out on his behavior. I've not only seen him do this to others; he's done it to me.
I previously emailed you and Robert to express my concern about malmo's abuse of power, and I never got a response.
As this thread has shown, there are more than just a few people who object to malmo's moderating.
i have told malmo that just because someone attacks him does not mean he should attack them back.. And if he does that and then bans the person for a personal attack, this is a double standard that can no be tolerated.
i have told malmo that just because someone attacks him does not mean he should attack them back.. And if he does that and then bans the person for a personal attack, this is a double standard that can no be tolerated.
Oh I’m sure he’ll listen to you this time
Also, you’re not obtuse. Our point isn’t about Malmo having an issue with people who attack him. Our point is about Malmo apropos of nothing going out of his way to be antagonistic and banning people for no reason.
Also, you’re not obtuse. Our point isn’t about Malmo having an issue with people who attack him. Our point is about Malmo apropos of nothing going out of his way to be antagonistic and banning people for no reason.
If the "state of the forum" is 95% about modding, then the forum is in a sorry state indeed!
I think I remember a good old days when modding was pretty rare, and nobody complained about that. It is only words on a message board after all.
If modding based on "personal attacks" was regularly enforced, half the posts would be deleted. I've been insulted countless times, and didn't want anyone deleted for it. I would sometimes insult them back, or move on.
With free speech, he who mods least mods best. Only content that is illegal, a real violent threat (not e.g. saying a country should be attacked in war), or real spam (e.g. an ad, or fake post not intended to engage w/ the thread) should be modded.
Eventually most admins cave to the whiners who demand more modding than that, e.g. to delete political views they find offensive. They will often threaten to leave! But they won't. Smart admins know this.
The racism, sexism, anti-semitism, anti-Mormonism, anti-whateverism etc., etc., etc., has become so pervasive on this site that I now have to do the double shoulder look-behind before accessing the message board in a public place or at home (I wouldn’t dare access this site from work). The Brojos should be embarrassed that they ever let this place get to this point. This used to be a really good place to discuss running. But hey, clicks are clicks right Brojos?
Interesting as this is pretty much the first complaint of this nature on here.
Most of the complaints have been more from regular posters complaining about a single moderator. Or people saying we should require registration.
But as for the posters complaining about malmo it's crazy how many of htem are using VPNs. Make them less credible to me . The posters using real usernames to complain I am taking more seriously.
Individual users like Steve the Addict or the430miler are simple and easy to block because they use registered names. Ive blocked them both and that has resolved all issues for me with those posters.
Malmo however is a different story. He antagonizes and targets others and then instates blocks. This totally ruins any chance of positive user experience on this site. Seniority does not always rule.
Weldon, why dont you actually listen to your user base for once and correct this issue with the 1 sole moderator who is tarnishing the forum experience and forum quality for all of us?
You dancing around this issue is making you lose visitors by the day and its why professional runners roll their eyes anytime this site is mentioned.
You are going to have to choose between being overly-kind to an elder and still having a business. Make the right choice.
Like the poster above. This is total bs. You're not leaving for reddit. i bet you're the guy who emails me all the time about malmo. You say "overly-king to an elder" no one uses language like that.
Registering is still anonymous. That won’t make a difference
. i bet you're the guy who emails me all the time about malmo. You say "overly-king to an elder" no one uses language like that.
Wejo deflects any valid criticism of Malmo with bogus personal attacks: “you’re that crazy weirdo who emails me…even though I told you all to email me.” Or “STOP attacking Malmo and you’ll stop being banned.”
If the "state of the forum" is 95% about modding, then the forum is in a sorry state indeed!
I think I remember a good old days when modding was pretty rare, and nobody complained about that. It is only words on a message board after all.
If modding based on "personal attacks" was regularly enforced, half the posts would be deleted. I've been insulted countless times, and didn't want anyone deleted for it. I would sometimes insult them back, or move on.
With free speech, he who mods least mods best. Only content that is illegal, a real violent threat (not e.g. saying a country should be attacked in war), or real spam (e.g. an ad, or fake post not intended to engage w/ the thread) should be modded.
Eventually most admins cave to the whiners who demand more modding than that, e.g. to delete political views they find offensive. They will often threaten to leave! But they won't. Smart admins know this.
Yes, the forum was much better when moderation was in the background, and a certain amount of foolishness was allowed.
That said almost no one objects to D*h! posts being deleted. That isn’t the real problem. The problem is the way the moderators choose to deal with relatively normal posters day after day.
The racism, sexism, anti-semitism, anti-Mormonism, anti-whateverism etc., etc., etc., has become so pervasive on this site that I now have to do the double shoulder look-behind before accessing the message board in a public place or at home (I wouldn’t dare access this site from work). The Brojos should be embarrassed that they ever let this place get to this point. This used to be a really good place to discuss running. But hey, clicks are clicks right Brojos?
Interesting as this is pretty much the first complaint of this nature on here.
Most of the complaints have been more from regular posters complaining about a single moderator. Or people saying we should require registration.
But as for the posters complaining about malmo it's crazy how many of htem are using VPNs. Make them less credible to me . The posters using real usernames to complain I am taking more seriously.
Yeah, you're totally right, no one ever complains about this place being a bigoted cesspool. OED must be crazy
Continue to work on the filters. The "Running Threads Only" is much better than it was but still has some seepage.
Otherwise, the issue here is that the handful of abusive posters don't tire out and depart. On other forums that type exists but you can fade them and the problem fixes itself within a month or two.
These guys don't have anywhere else to go. There isn't a LetsRunLite. Nobody else would tolerate it. They receive enough attention and feedback here to persist.
One solution might be to regulate the way threads are bumped to the top. The pathetic posters who crave attention abuse that bumping reality. The Reddit method prevents abuse like this because threads do not bump to the top and the worst comments are downvoted to oblivion at the bottom of the thread where nobody sees them.
Perhaps there's a method to vary which threads bump and which ones do not.
Interesting as this is pretty much the first complaint of this nature on here.
Most of the complaints have been more from regular posters complaining about a single moderator. Or people saying we should require registration.
But as for the posters complaining about malmo it's crazy how many of htem are using VPNs. Make them less credible to me . The posters using real usernames to complain I am taking more seriously.
Yeah, you're totally right, no one ever complains about this place being a bigoted cesspool. OED must be crazy
Your sarcasm will be lost on a lot of the dimwits here, including the BroJos.
Only people people who have run 4:06 or faster for the full mile should be able to post.
People who write about the "full mile" should not be able to post.
What's the difference between a mile and a full mile?
Same for those that say 400 flat. What’s the difference between the 400 & 400 flat? I’ve never heard of a track meet in which the “400 flat” was contested. Those that use that terminology should be permabanned.
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