Staff Feedback!

[Indigo Rush]

I love the staff and all the hard work they put into everything (and their trying patience with us when we step over certain boundaries)

I also want to give a shout-out to Pelly in particular - she's one admin whom I've felt very comfortable with expressing my concern and questions in regards to my own personal behaviors and tendencies. I want to express my deepest thanks for that. I suppose what I'm trying to say is that in general, the staff are very willing to work with you if you are willing to work with them.

Keep up the good work y'all.

[Faseeh]

I really can't complain much... All our mods are awesome... I'd like to just say this: After Vizard and Shadzter became staff members, TSS became cooler than ever. Not forgetting all the other TSS staff like Hogfather and Merch Kitty. I just think Vizard and Shadzter stand out to me. The immediate updates, hot news, the new sound tests, mash ups and freaking out. Congrats guys!

I'm sorry if I am not supposed to comment about TSS staff here but yeah.

About the SSMB staff, they are good. Really good. They are human so they might make mistakes and their emotions might overpower them but yeah... Criticising TSS and SSMB staff is like finding needles in a haystack... For me.

[Pelly <3's U]

I also want to give a shout-out to Pelly in particular - she's one admin whom I've felt very comfortable with expressing my concern and questions in regards to my own personal behaviors and tendencies.

[Tylky]

I've had no problems with the mods in the past, though that could be down to my many posts over the past couple of months.

I do agree with members when mods appear to side with the more regular, older members here.

I never have much to say since members have already said it for me, I see no point in echoing what someone else had said!

But yeah, keep up the good work mods! Just contradicted myself, but I have nothing else to say.

[Indigo Rush]

Oh wow thank you for that, but I want to clarify just in case anyone had any confusion (though for the most part from what I've seen everyone seems aware) that I am a mod, not an admin (:

Now everyone can get back to shamelessly smearing us =D !!

Oh, my bad! Thanks for not getting mod. Er... mad.

Sorry.

[Roarey Raccoon]

The following is some feedback from another member who was sending this to others outside of the SSMB. It was, however, leaked to us anyway XP. It appears his only worry was getting banned should this be posted here, so I'm going to illustrate what I said in my opening post and put this feedback here with no repercussions on the member who wrote it. You are free to criticize the staff here if that is what you wish to do, that's part of what this topic is for.

Anyway:

EDITED AT REQUEST OF MEMBER:

The one reason why I left is this:

For the past year-plus, the majority of the moderators/admins here tend to be so stressed out and vulgar in their attitudes when sending out reminders and warnings to people that it became very uncomfortable for me to post here anymore.

Back on Fanfiction.net, I ran as an admin for a small account-based forum. I've since abandoned it, but I always went by this conduct: be an admin, but be respectable. The rules that I've displayed I must also follow. Refrain from rudeness and vulgarity, for that doesn't a good mod or admin make. In addition to that experience, I participated as a member in other forums, where they handled their work in a professional manner, namely the Concept: Mobius forum. When I first saw the SSMB in 2006, I read the rules, and the way they ran it scared me. It looked too controlling and sometimes rather rude. Therefore, I didn't register until mid-2008 when the rules relaxed. Everything looked relaxing, and the staff appeared frank, but professional.

But that was in 2008.

Fast-forward to 2011. The SSMB was wiped out in March 2010, and they had to start from scratch. It was basically the same, but then the moderators slowly started to become a bit more volatile. Cursing when moderating others was slowly becoming the norm, and while the conduct was still…orderly, for the lack of a better word, it was also becoming a tad bit disorderly.

That all changed in July last year when a user named thedarkknight started posting pro-Shadow-fanboy gibberish. Drama exploded, and the mod team basically lost it. Sean, who was temperamental already, got nastier. Carbo, who became a mod earlier that month, was already caught in the web. Pelly, who was a rather tame mod, completely lost her cool. I didn't get to see about half or two-thirds of the drama because I was away on vacation, but I heard it was really bad. It was just as volatile as the NYC Transit Forums at their most dramatic peak, which was earlier that year.

When stricter status updates were posted and thedarkknight banned, the SSMB seemingly began to cool down, and I was fine with their anger because it was very dramatic throughout. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. The moderating staff became, quite frankly, vulgar and—in some part—absent in Sonic discussion, with posts just to moderate forums. It got so bad that I went to discuss the matter with other users before deciding, "You know what? I have to take care of it myself." So I called out the entire staff in another thread. It laid out the issues regarding the moderating/admin-ining, and as a member in this forum, I can definitely notice problems whenever I see them. Although others may not, I sure can. My biggest concern was their attitude, as I was heavily severe in point number three above the rest in my first list.

Afterwards, I let it slide, although I did communicate with Diz about the thing as well as another member at the time (who I won't name the user for his sake). At one point, the mods began moderating professionally, and thought I could finally put it behind… I suddenly saw a wave of vulgarity again, From Sean to Pelly to Carbo to Wolfy (a relatively level-headed mod), of all people (If I recall correctly, had the word "fucktard" at one point before he edited it out; if I said that as a member to someone else, I would've been kicked out at once!). I had enough, so I PM'd Diz to have the posts investigated by an admin in hopes of having the culture changed. Although Diz forwarded it (and I gratefully thank you for this), nothing more happened, and Chris apparently looked it over, because I saw him reviewing the pages.

I put it behind me for the time being, but I did make a comment here or there. One of them was a direct, frank criticism of a useless action: One of a previously new user's first posts asked in a one-liner to discuss the possibilities of Sonic Adventure 3, only to have it locked and pinned as a shining example of what not to post. The user matured greatly, and I was fervent into having that topic no longer pinned because it wasn't necessary anymore. The topic isn't pinned anymore, but a blanket reminder from Wolfy is now; based on the way Wolfy initially stated it and Pelly's subsequent sarcasm, it's just as unnecessary. It would've been better if it were something like this to start with:

In late-March, the new rules were posted, and I made a comment suggesting what I'd do if a mod or fellow admin breaks the rules (with an extra post saying because I've seen a mod submit an image- or macro-only post as a reply, which is outlawed there—I would've put in quick one-liners or one-word posts, too, but I forgot at the time).

It got really bad, with Pelly and then Sean getting themselves chewed up, followed by Roarey threatening a ban at my direction. Although I apologized to Roarey for seemingly going to far, after reviewing what I wrote earlier, I wonder why I did that in the first place. If you ask me, I've got nothing to apologize for, and I don't regret unleashing some necessary public criticism/critique of the staff and their attitude. To put it bluntly, they don't like me, and I don't like them, and if they can't handle the fact that I've pushed a few buttons with hopes of getting some logical conversation out of them, so be it. I decided to retire from the SSMB the following morning after a talk with a family member. They care about moderating the place, but quite frankly, except Dizney; Flyboy; or Dreadknux (unfortunately, I haven't followed much from Roareye Black or Remy), as moderators themselves, they handle their conduct unprofessionally to the point whether or not they should be replaced by people who can run the whole situation professionally. This impression from a formerly dedicated member here like myself is not what I expect from any staff of any forum, let alone one that's been in the public eye for several years such as The Sonic Stadium. "Doing it for free" or "having a bad or rough day" or whatever are lazy excuses, and if you know me, I don't tolerate excuses. "We're human" was a good reason when thedarkknight was parading around, but it's no longer one anymore.

If they thought I was an "unappreciative dick" then, then they could've REALLY seen me being a dick to them such as talk badly about about a sensitive real-life issue at their expense. But I won't because that's not me, and I'll never stoop that low. Many of the members of SSMB call Retro rough and cold to post there partially because the moderators and admins can be rather rude. Unfortunately, the SSMB has become Retro 2.0, and that's NOT a good title.

Lest I see a change for the better, one of them being a severe change in the moderators' conduct, you won't see me submit another verified post here again. Don't let my last status update fool you. I'm still uncomfortable being around there because the mods are just that temperamental, and I still consider myself "retired" from that board. After witnessing:

• this type of comment like from Carbo (I don't care about the fact that he apologized for telling the member, "You're a cunt." That initial comment was inexcusable and shouldn't have been posted in the first place.)
  
• unnecessary mod-insertions like from Sean
  
• inflammatory video links/inflammatory statements (like in these two statuses, one by Carbo via a video link to a sockpuppet and another with the phrase "fucking douchebag" by Sean to a banned member)
  
  …all of these but one after I left, I don't see that ever happening. I'm quite glad I decided to post permanently in the NYC Transit Forums, Sega Forums (the mods aren't bad there, by the way; just hit a report, and they tend to respond fairly swiftly), and the MLP Forums nowadays. The Sega Forums may not have the best moderating, but they're great moderators. For instance, Cochrane is blunt, but he's very professional. The NYCTF will see this unprofessional hiccup occasionally, but I've got very close ties to there (one of the mods a real-life friend), and they've improved drastically since their latest drama spill last September. The MLP Forums have the best staff: great moderating and great moderators. They're patient, and they conduct themselves very well, even during huge drama storms. They lead by example, and we respect them for this.
  
  To illustrate two examples from the MLP Forums:
  

1. 
   
2. The admins announced that they hired section moderators, and there was not just a lot of confusion, but also drama about possibly making the site a bit more "controlling," especially after older posts were removed along with reasons why. While I was indifferent in the staff hiring section staff, the whole team responded professionally and fairly. Each answer from the staff was patient and professional all the while displaying individuality.
   
   
3. At another point prior, trolls who impersonated as bronies invaded the boards, resulting in pretty bad drama. The trolls were banned, but the mods and admins responded fairly and firmly.
   

But at no point did the team resort to calling members "fucking douchebags," "not acting like fucktards," "this is retarded," or whatever I see in the SSMB when addressing moderating issues. I have massive respect for the team as both moderators and moderating because they handle themselves the way they SHOULD be as a staff team.

In fact, my lone regret was not calling out the whole SSMB team the second I got back from vacation—when the darkknight drama ended. Their attitude should've been called out sooner, and I didn't have the wherewithal to realize it at the time. Such a shame, because the SSMB houses dozens of intelligent members, and I'm very good friends with several of them. Unfortunately, most of the disciplinarian staff in the SSMB are just completely loose cannons, and I'm absolutely uncomfortable being around here when the staff—particularly Pelly, Sean, Wolfy, Roarey, and Carbo—have a tendency to snap.

[Soniman]

So we're ass kissers for not having an uhealthy grudge against the mods/admins?

LOGIC!

Edited July 9, 2012 by The Noodle

[---]

So where ass kissers for not having an uhealthy grudge against the moss?

LOGIC!

I'm not gonna lie, that part's kinda true. Not that I think we should have a grudge or anything like that, but there's definitely some truth in that post and mod butts ARE kissed, I think I lightly pointed that out before in a status or something but didn't delve deeper.

EDIT: Mind you the mods are nowhere near as bad as he's making them out to be, you just have to be acting really dumb to trigger something.

EDITAGAIN: Besides, no one's perfect, and I'd rather a mod keep it real with a few flaws than not participate at all and only come through when there's trouble and it's time to bark rules. Besides, the staff actually shows creativity unlike some others, they participate in discussion, plus they have a (while not always politically correct) great sense of humor.

Edited July 9, 2012 by OneDoesNotSimplySuperJXJ

[Blue Blood]

Hahaha, I'm glad this got posted. Quoting what I said to him when he sent the message to me:

You sound like a total idiot. Please stop.

[Diz]

I apologize for the short topic lock. A report came in about something, and I felt things were going to go out of control. Someone else deleted the post, so the topic has been unlocked.

Roarey posted the quoted feedback on the grounds that it stays anonymous. Please respect it if content is posted anonymously within this topic, keep guesses as to who wrote what to yourselves. =)

[Stacy]

So we're ass kissers for not having an uhealthy grudge against the mods/admins?

LOGIC!

[Remy]

Personally sometimes it makes wish they can the like system.

[#EndyGate]

The thing is, I kinda like the unprofessionalness of the mod/admin staff. If anything it's nice to know that the staff team is acting like themselves, and are fully willing to drop their 2 cents on a matter that arises. They don't put up some mask to act professional, but instead they act like any other member, aside from the fact that they're all powerful and junk. Plus I'm sure most of us can agree that for the most part whenever one of them closes a topic or calls out a member, they're posting pretty much what everyone else is thinking at the time. Sure they have their faults and quirks (and I mean a lot of em), and I'm sure they're asses are covered in smooch marks, but if anything I find it endearing to see such odd characters controlling the boards, instead of some kind of robotic hardass.

[Cola]

This has been discussed actually, but we were unsure as to whether members would go for it.

[Scott]

Not posted in this topic yet...

I've only have a few minor issues, more pet peeves if you will. Been here on this forum for 6 years, been pretty good for the most part. But over the time I have seen certain times when...

Mods Curse/Swear (I don't care for my sake, as I swear a lot both on the forums and IRL )

Mods take sides ( This one I feel affects both users and mods, doesn't happen all too often, but I have seen an instance or two and normally it's due to popularity )

Mods state their opinion as fact ( Only seen this with a couple of mods, but it also effects a number of users too )

That's about all I've got, other than that, I don't think I've ever had a problem with a mod so far here, though I've never really contacted a mod either, other than Wolfy to just ask what music software/hardware he uses

[Katzii]

I would love to see the "Like" system go, myself, especially since it does seem to encourage members to like instances where other members/moderators have been nasty to other people.

I don't think the majority of the members are "ass-kissers", per se, but there is a lot of merit in that quoted post. One of the staff members in particular seems to be particularly abrasive (not going to name names just because I don't want a load of people lynching me for it), but I certainly don't approve of seeing 60+ likes for a moderator/admin calling out a member in a belittling way, or posting a macro when apparently nobody else is allowed to.

Other than that though, the quoted post does seem to have a fair bit of merit to it from the few months I have been here. I think especially with the Sonic Stadium being a place of such high profile, the staff could afford to be a bit more professional in their conduct, but that's ground I've trodden already.

[Urban Flow]

Well, I personally feel it appears that way sometimes, seeing as most Mod posts at least get at a few likes, regardless of the post's content.

Personally sometimes it makes wish they can the like system.

I think this would be a good idea.

[---]

I hope all this criticism isn't leaving a sour taste in you guys's mouths toward us. I mean while some of your methods aren't perfect, we DO appreciate what you guys do, you try your best to keep the board clean and running smoothly and that's very much appreciated just so you know.

[T-Min]

I...legitimately don't get his problem. Really, about the use of swearing and such, well...SSMB's moderation, from what I've observed, basically runs on the logic that if you act like an idiot, you get treated like an idiot. Seems fair enough to me. There are times when being a bit mean is called for, and I've not really seen any instances of unnecessary abrasiveness myself. And about moderators making image-only posts in locked threads...I've only seen that a few times, and besides, image-only posts are mostly banned because they add absolutely nothing to the conversation and are therefore considered spam, right? When a thread is locked, there...really isn't a discussion to add to, and the images posted are generally pretty fitting and make for some absolutely classic moments, i.e. Pelly's "NOW BEFORE YOU START CALLING ME SEXIST, I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW I OWN A WIFE" image that still makes me laugh every time I think about it. XD

But yeah, since I haven't posted here yet, all I have left to say is that you guys are amazing and I love all of you. Keep it up.

Edited July 9, 2012 by T-Bert Fizzlewut

[Chaos Warp]

I really like the Like system and don't want to see it go. I think it allows for people to say "I agree", without a spammy "This", post.

Edited July 9, 2012 by Chaos Warp

[Danj86]

Was I around back in 2010?

I first joined a couple of months before the wipe, then rejoined when it came back, but only ever really logged in about every six months until something like late 2011, when I became a regular, logging in almost every day. I've never really noticed anything as bad as what's been mentioned...

But it would be unfair to attack the quote that Roarz has shared. It is written calmly and I don't get a sense of hostility from it. As someone that spends most of there time in Chit-Chat, PD, Video Games and Showcase sections, I probably would miss any kind of major event that would occur...

It's also silly to get defensive to the "members kissing there asses" comment, as by getting defensive, you kinda prove his point...it's like randomly yelling "Hey idiot!" in a crowded area, and whoever turns to look at you, are acknowledging that they are an idiot. I did that to my brother once. lol

I also have mixed feelings about the likes system, it doesn't bother me what happens to it.

I will also say that if this stuff has been going on, then I am disappointed...that is all...

[Chris]

If you really think that mod favoritism is an issue, I encourage you to reveal (either by posting here or PMing me/Roarey) posts or topics which you feel it has happened. It's a very difficult situation to address without such evidence.

As for the 'like' system, this isn't the topic to discuss it's fate.

[Nintendoga]

This has been discussed actually, but we were unsure as to whether members would go for it.

Why not make a thread with lists of possible alternatives to the Likes system, or ask members what they would want to replace/keep it and make it better.

As for the "Anonymous" post, looking past the rage and anger inside that post, there were some parts that I agree with and all.

Edit: @Chris didn't see post, my bad.

Edited July 9, 2012 by Nintendoga

[Stacy]

As for the "Anonymous" post, looking past the rage and anger inside that post, there were some parts that I agree with and all.

What Anger and Rage? I find to be pretty controlled and collective, blunt yes, but tardrage? No, I personally didn't get that impression.

I have to be honest I miss the way the board was 4/5 years ago, when we had the Soniclans (and no this not a request for them to return), the Atomsphere was much more friendly and we had a debate's sub fourm were deep debates could be avoid much better and wasn't as snarky between mod's and members.

I think we have lost that loving feeling, that loving feeling and now its gone, gone, gone, woah, oh, woah....

I wouldn't say the atmosphere is toxic, but stormy.

[Nepenthe]

The toxic atmosphere here originates far more from the members than the staff team. Whenever I see staff enter a discussion, they're usually the more level-headed participants and generally make topics more informative and fun. On the other hand, many members are exponentially more prone to being rude, snarky, insulting, overly-competitive, demeaning, or some combination thereof which poisons the atmosphere of discussion, in turn making the mods more prone to dropping a few "fucks" here and there whenever people either get caught up in the annoying bickering or call out the atmosphere for what it can be. I imagine if people just learned to distance themselves personally from conversation and at least attempted to put on a friendlier face and chill, it would in turn decrease any raging on the mods' part.