As you can see, you've got your hands full. Even on what would seem to be an innocuous thread like this things can start to get out of hand. I hope you're still up for it, and wish you the best of luck. God bless!
-- MT
Edited because I forgot a word.
[ edited by MarieTherese on Dec 9, 1999 03:05 AM ]
posted on December 9, 1999 03:49:36 AM
Does everyone here live on the west coast?
Welcome Gila, I post as Meya, my real name is Melissa.
Good luck to you! You're gonna need it.
Edited to add this, do some of you really take offense at the schoolteacher remark? ( I just went back and read the whole thread )
Talk about hyper sensitivity and looking under rocks. It was a valid comparision and pointed out no one person in particular. Gee, chill out.
[ edited by Meya on Dec 9, 1999 04:21 AM ]
posted on December 9, 1999 04:18:22 AMMeya - **big smile**! I was wondering the same thing. I missed the introduction, and I missed the party again.
Gila - Welcome. And good luck. You are gonna need it, and not necessarily for dealing with those you think you're gonna need it for. (Oh...did that make sense? MORE COFFEE!!!)
posted on December 9, 1999 04:20:24 AM
GILA - that was not casperlady who made the comment that was me.Actually I was taking up for you meaning "look at what the new moderator is going to be dealing with" which is what others had wrote.I don't think that I was in anyway labeling people I was making a general statement about the behavior.Unlike others who have used specific names and was said nothing to.
I am still a newbie here and have only posted a couple of times.I first began to post somewhere near the end of the "Brenda" threads and even made a statement that I was afraid to post because I did not want to be slammed. I have always had such nice comments from
everyone - thank you
I would also like to thank Disenchanted and Justmare for some help they gave me through e-mails
In my last post I was trying to come out of my shell and show a little of my personality but instead got slapped on the hand by the new moderator.If I offended others in my comment I am sorry that is not how I meant it.I am not going to start a thread saying I am leaving like others have in the past because I have not been here that long and frankly I doubt if anyone cares.I will not be posting here anymore.
thanks to you all for your help in the past.
Allison
posted on December 9, 1999 04:25:31 AM
Hi zoogal2,
Actually, another poster made the substitute teacher reference early on in this thread. I believe right after my smiley fit
You know the old saying, "it's not what you say, but how you say it".
Don't be afraid to post! Say what is on your mind and if something is posted that you feel offended by, just stop reading the post and merrily scroll along.
posted on December 9, 1999 04:35:10 AM
zoogal2 - I thought that Gila's admonishment of that post was out of line, and I said so.
Sadly, I attributed it to the wrong person, as Gila had. I never bothered to check back through the tread to make sure. Seems to be the day for mix-ups. Sorry for that, Zoogal2!
I must however say that if such a mild statement is going to be concidered taboo because it is about "personalities" then I doubt I will be posting here much longer either.
Frankly, if that is the kind of treatment we are going to get, AW can shove this message board. I do not want to try and post somewhere that the slightest thing said that is not a droning monotone gets you rapped on the knuckles with a ruler.
posted on December 9, 1999 04:38:47 AM
Hi Toollady -
I did go back and read and found the post.Guess I didn't see it the first time because of all the smilies.LOL
Darn...and I thought I was original.
Yes I do ignore most post and not respond but I guess when I thought it was the moderator that "spanked" my hand it bothered me more since I was taking up for her.
Guess I will just need to thicken up my skin and keep posting...noticed Ross did that earlier in this thread.
For now I think I will just go back to the kiddie pool and watch the big kids swim......it's safer that way.
posted on December 9, 1999 04:41:15 AMzoogal2 - please don't give up yet. I value your comments, and would encourage you to give Gila a chance before turning tail. I'm gonna wait it out a few days...she admitted right off the bat that she would likely make some mistakes. FWIW - I didn't think it was nearly as out of line as a certain "what WACA said" comment.
And I got no smileys going with that, either....in fact, I have now sworn off smileys completely. However, I have not sworn off welcoming "newcomers", and I extend my hand to you in welcome and fellowship. Please don't jump ship just yet.
posted on December 9, 1999 04:42:47 AM
toollady - I cannot find a post where anyone else said the same thing as zoogal2 did. Can you point me to it a little more specifically, please? Who posted it?
---
Not dragonldy on eBay!
posted on December 9, 1999 06:22:19 AM Welcome Gila I am sure Bob will appreciate the help. And to start off with a Thank you for being here!
OOPs I guess your on your own....
Thanks Kris
[ edited by rons1961 on Dec 9, 1999 03:15 PM ]
posted on December 9, 1999 06:57:50 AM
Welcome, welcome. Being a moderator for a group of people with so many diverse opinions is a little like lion taming. Sometimes a whip and chair is appropriate. You and Bob will make a good team.
posted on December 9, 1999 12:56:29 PMGila: Welcome to the Zoo! Have a drink, my treat, and then a quick dip in the hot tub to relax...BUBBA! DRINKS, PLEASE!
Last one into the hot tub has to clean the drains!
posted on December 9, 1999 01:47:53 PM
Thanks Dragonldy for coming to my defense..even if it turned out not to be for me.I still say it was a very general comment and nicer than what I have heard others say.I think I was with you sitting up WAY too late to be reading....maybe I should have had you fix me a drink.Then I could have been reciting The Cat In The Hat.
Thanks Kris for your kind words.
Ok maybe I will wade in sometimes since I have some nice lifeguards looking out for me.
posted on December 9, 1999 02:09:00 PM
I'd like to respond to the reaction to my comment on the use of the school kids analogy. I'm glad these reactions came up so soon; it gives me a chance to expand on what I said in my introductory message without being too long-winded. I believe I accurately implemented the Community Guidelines and Bob’s long explanatory posting on December 7 regarding confining messages to subjects and not individuals. My comments aren't intended to rehash or rag on the poster of the message in question, I want to extrapolate and learn from it.
There were two main themes in the various responses:
1. The analogy was offensive/the analogy wasn't offensive.
2. If this is the tone that moderation will take, the message center will become dull and boring.
Regarding the first. Any given statement of that nature will elicit "pro" comments by some and "con" comments by others. I’ve seen similar instances in other threads; some people reacted that something was ok, and others that it was not, which shows that we all have different personal conceptions and boundaries about what we find offensive. As with any group that comes together for a common purpose, the ground rules are intended to ensure essential common courtesy, and that everyone feels comfortable. We encounter these different kinds of written or unwritten guidelines – and act accordingly - in many aspects of our lives: work, home, a party, or religious setting, are some examples. Thus the guideline about focusing on issues rather than people.
I don't equate the absence or prohibition of personal epithets with dull and boring. I think there can be lively, even heated, discussions and disagreements about points of view without bringing personal stuff into it. I have every confidence that you folks have the skill and creativity to keep the message center a vital place within the framework of the CGs.
Someone asked (maybe in this thread, maybe in another) where I was. I'm trying to keep up with things as best I can. It may be a little slow in the beginning, please bear with me. Thanks.
posted on December 9, 1999 02:19:13 PM
Thanks to all who've wished me well, who may not have seen my earlier thanks.
Aurorah:
Re your request:
"Thank you for the response Gila. Since the amnesty has not been extended since you came, please review nob's thread in the moderators corner would you?"
I took a look, and it appears to me that people were restating things that had previously been said - probably to support their positions. Although I won't condone quoting past postings as a way of circumventing the CGs, unless I've missed something, I'm going to let these go, and will be on the lookout for what people say in the future.
posted on December 9, 1999 02:26:46 PM
This is in reference to thorton's posting defining the word poltergeist.
I'm not issuing an informal warning because it hasn't violated the letter of the Community guidelines. However, I find that it comes close, it's not in the spirit of the Guidelines, is not appropriate, and doesn't really contribute to the community.
posted on December 9, 1999 06:41:54 PM
Gila - People were not posting pro and con on that statement, they were confused and thought I meant another post. If you read back you will see where we all figured out what each person was talking about.
My point, and I think that you will find a ton of posters here to back it up is:
YES - this place can be a zoo.
YES - it does need moderation.
NO - being that nitpicky will not help, in fact it will harm your endeavor from the get-go.
I see you doing it again in regards to the poltergeist remark. That post needed no attention. Singling out everyday chat like that is just going to irritate the masses - EXTREMELY!
Hmmm.... I think someone's popping popcorn - the end may be near.
---
Not dragonldy on eBay!
posted on December 9, 1999 06:51:09 PMVikki, yep, that was a bit silly, when there was so much else to work with...saying to Aurorah, What Waca said was pretty offensive, but yeah, so what? There were just about 100 "smilies" in that message, so no big deal, right?
The e-mail tattling is alive and well, as I've already had a delightful opportunity to experience. And the outcome is clear--already.
Gila, please see my post in the Moderator's Corner. You've done a fine job on your first day...I was sure impressed.
posted on December 9, 1999 06:51:29 PMdragonldy: I was actually glad the Gila said something about the "poltergeist" post. It is sly little digs like that that perpetuate the "wars" here. We all knew who it was aimed at, and it was *not* meant in a kindly, joking way, We all knew that, too.
posted on December 9, 1999 06:59:43 PM
So, Gila, did you see my answers to your questions? Were you going to address those answers and the post that I mentioned? And Beth just brought up again???
--- Not an Anonymous Coward with no accountability! http://ross.adnetsol.com/links.html Ross, [email protected]
