Should moderators be elected by membership?

[hagrid]

1) Shell Gadus 2200

2) conventional in a straight SAE grade

3) Power Service "Strawberry Blast" flavor. Mix 1 pint per gallon of fuel.

 

[Trailrated]

This is not productive. Please close this thread. It was my mistake to open it.

I'm just a peon here and have no dog in the fight, but just reading his replies, you're not going to get a professional discussion from him.

 

[chim]

I enjoy this forum for the information and the way that most of us can get along and help each other. It's a great resource. No reason to change anything. Having mellowed in recent years it's been easier to skip past stuff that I don't want to see or participate in.

I sometimes picture the regulars here doing an eye roll when I post "Summer Reruns". It is easy to answer questions - particularly from new members - by restating something I previously posted. I'm not getting so senile that I believe I'm posting something new and exciting, just trying to speak with the newbies. So if it is old stuff for you, please just scroll past it.

 

[William1]

I am an admin on a few sites, a moderator on others. Site owners and other moderators are the ones to select a new moderator. Usually based on level of activity and calm demeanor. A 'calm demeanor' does not mean ignoring those that refuse to follow the rules and the spirit of the site. Being an 'expert' generally does not mean a site wide moderator but a subsection specific one (imagine if OTT had a health section), then a good doctor might be the moderator for that section only.
OTT is one of the more 'gentlemanly' sites and as such, I expect members to be polite.
People get upset because either they are not clear in what they are saying or simply, ask a question they don't really want to hear the answer to, just the answer they have already decided they want.
Being a mod is usually a thankless job, 1,000 complaints for one compliment. Walk a mile in a moderator shoes with a problem member pebble. You will understand the blister.
So... Thanks OTT

 

[JimmyJazz]

100% up to the owner of OTT. Moderators do a terrific job, members who disagree have the absolute right to depart the forum.

Who is the owner?

 

[NorthwoodsLife]

Who is the owner?

Great question.

"Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain"!

LOL. It's just a joke kids. I fear the wrath of the OZ. Just a joke.

 

[Gaspasser]

Joined this forum just over 2 years ago as I was researching the upgrade from my little BX23 to a bigger tractor and implements appropriate for working my woodlot. I was originally a city kid before moving to rural NH a little over 20 years ago, so had/have little experience with agriculture / forestry/ tractor work.

This forum has been and continues to be invaluable in helping me to learn and understand the intricacies of using my equipment safely and efficiently. As a newbie, i have often asked basic questions that probably sounded inane to more experienced members. And yet, I have always been treated with respect and given solid advice along with the occasional well-intentioned, well-deserved humorous jabs about my inexperience.

If I post something questionable, I expect and hope a moderator steps in to ensure forum policy is adhered to. We are all human and since posts/ texts lack personal interaction cues ( tone of voice, body language, facial expression, etc, ), the genuine intent of a message can sometimes be misconstrued, leading to frustration/resentment when none was intended. When I encounter such a post, I try to give the poster the benefit of the doubt (not always successfully <grin>).

In short, this forum is a great place to learn and share ideas and I am greatly appreciative of those who work to keep it this way.

 

[NorthwoodsLife]

....... Anyway, I honestly think that he got a raw deal. That puts me in a distinct minority. I will live with it. Life goes on.

This forum is a business. It is not a democracy. The 'Group' does not rule.

If the owner and moderators upset too many folks the folks will just quit coming here. And the business will 'go bankrupt' and end.

If you walk into a Kubota dealer and the police show up and escort someone out of the store, he was probably stealing, or being disruptive or threatening. Would you step forward and ask: "What the heck is going on? Lets hear his side of the story"? Or, "I want a vote from all the customers here"?

Probably not.

We, as forum members, are not in a position to say "Hold on. let me hear his side of the argument."!

Or, "Lets be a democracy and vote in or out the owners employees".

I know things and people and decisions can upset the smoothness of operations. But, Sir or Ma'am, its a business, and not a democracy.

I understand your anguish, in general. And I don't know the parties involved.

But as a very small business owner myself, I know that the customers or staff cannot take a vote about my decisions as owner.

Thank goodness. My business is MY business. Or, My company is MY company.

The owner of this forum has this business. It is his or her decisions...

Edit: If you were an Army Lifer and are used to having 3 stripers or Brass to complain to, this isn't it. You can't call on the Staff Sergeant or Division HQ, or the Major or Division Colonel and file a complaint. The transition can be eye opening. It is not that serious here. People don't die over bad decisions like they do in the armed forces.

Thank you for your service.

 

[Tom Sestito]

Those that voted yes need to turn in their Kubota's and ride Rural King's for the next year.

 

[Mr. K]

Hey everyone, Mr. K here, sorry I'm late to the party. Will toss my perspective in here -

1/ Appreciate armylifer (and others) speaking up and voicing both what they appreciate about the site and what could be better. Please keep doing this. I welcome feedback on how the community could be better for current and future visitors, it's been part of the process since the beginning - just iterative improvement. I also appreciate that the thread stayed on track and everyone was respectful in getting their points across. Thank you! I would say that's not all that common on the internet these days.

2/ Mods have a tough job. I think ours do a wonderful job of keeping the site free from spam, keeping threads on track, keeping members unblocked and so on. As others have pointed out, this is an unpaid position. Some of them have put thousands (tens of thousands?) of hours into it and sometimes I am sure it feels like a thankless slog. Is every decision they've made perfect? No, but that's not the expectation. On the whole, their presence here and ongoing efforts have greatly improved the culture on the site and its tidy and efficient operation. I am very thankful and appreciative as I think I've read that many of you are as well.

3/ The original mission for OTT was (and remains for 16 years now) to provide a place on the internet for Kubota owners and enthusiasts to meet, ask questions, get help, swap stories and generally be excited about their Kubota equipment. That is the primary goal of OTT - to provide a venue for all of you to help both each other and newcomers. And while OTT is technically "a business" and you see ads on the site, even if it made no money and only cost money, I would still run the site since the primary mission remains to provide a welcoming place just for Kubota enthusiasts.

4/ Related to #3, since the primary mission of the site is Kubota, and given there are lots of other places on the internet to get into politics, sensitive/divisive topics or R-rated content, we have a pretty low tolerance for their presence here on OTT. My perspective is that since there's an abundance of places elsewhere to explore those topics, OTT can be made a little more welcoming if that content is excluded here. If you see moderators enforcing this rule, they are simply trying their best to adhere to the guidelines for content that I've asked them to follow.

5/ NIW is right about Sidecarflip, I was the one that made the call to ban him. We actually permanently ban exceedingly few members and only as a last resort. I think I can count on 1-2 hands, and that's only after many warnings and timeouts asking for improvement in behavior that does not align with our mission.

The last thing I will leave you all with is gratitude. I am so thankful that you all come onto the site and spend your time here, helping each other out and generally nerding out on all things Kubota. I am thankful for our mods. And, I will admit, I am thankful for the membership fees that help offset the cost of running the place! When the site started back in 2009, I never expected that one day it would grow to have so many members and so many of you going on 3, 5 or 10+ years! Thank you for helping build OTT up and being part of this community.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Since everyone is here posting, I have three questions:

1) which grease is the best to use on my loader?
2) should I use full synthetic engine oil or semi synthetic?
3) what is the best diesel anti-gel additive?

Although not necessarily tractor related, you forgot one.

What round is the absolute, all around, best, for "self defense"?


(JK....everyone knows it is the 45 ACP...............Now lets have a good ,clean fight......)

 

[miket1]

I don't think we should vote for mods, but absolutely have seen favoritism here from one mod. At this point I mostly lurk because it has been made clear that any statement can be interpreted as opinion and on some subjects ( especially if they are contrary to one particular members opinion) that is not allowed.

That being said, the owners have every right to have whoever they want moderate their forum.

I stay because there are a lot of smart, experienced and helpful people here.

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

I don't think we should vote for mods, but absolutely have seen favoritism here from one mod. At this point I mostly lurk because it has been made clear that any statement can be interpreted as opinion and on some subjects ( especially if they are contrary to one particular members opinion) that is not allowed.

That being said, the owners have every right to have whoever they want moderate their forum.

I stay because there are a lot of smart, experienced and helpful people here.

From what I've seen that's probably true to some degree, a site -whatever site that may be- gets used to certain people speaking a certain way and they get a pass because people know them, whereas someone else who's not as established within a community is treated differently.

There's a whole hierarchy to this, but the part that applies to members that feel this way is: it goes both ways. The member needs to bend a little and conform their speech to the way the site talks and the site needs to bend and try to understand where the new person is coming from and what their experiences are. As they both get used to each other this gets easier.

OTT bends a lot compared to some other sites, that's the good part. Whatever site you join there's an "overall tone," ya just gotta match it.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

From what I've seen that's probably true to some degree, a site -whatever site that may be- gets used to certain people speaking a certain way and they get a pass because people know them, whereas someone else who's not as established within a community is treated differently.

There's a whole hierarchy to this, but the part that applies to members that feel this way is: it goes both ways. The member needs to bend a little and conform their speech to the way the site talks and the site needs to bend and try to understand where the new person is coming from and what their experiences are. As they both get used to each other this gets easier.

OTT bends a lot compared to some other sites, that's the good part. Whatever site you join there's an "overall tone," ya just gotta match it.

Well said

 

[Bmyers]

From what I've seen that's probably true to some degree, a site -whatever site that may be- gets used to certain people speaking a certain way and they get a pass because people know them, whereas someone else who's not as established within a community is treated differently.

There's a whole hierarchy to this, but the part that applies to members that feel this way is: it goes both ways. The member needs to bend a little and conform their speech to the way the site talks and the site needs to bend and try to understand where the new person is coming from and what their experiences are. As they both get used to each other this gets easier.

Sounds a lot like the early days of marriage.

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

Sounds a lot like the early days of marriage.

The divorce rate is lower.

And maybe your straw doesn't get bendy.

 

[RCW]

From what I've seen that's probably true to some degree, a site -whatever site that may be- gets used to certain people speaking a certain way and they get a pass because people know them, whereas someone else who's not as established within a community is treated differently.

There's a whole hierarchy to this, but the part that applies to members that feel this way is: it goes both ways. The member needs to bend a little and conform their speech to the way the site talks and the site needs to bend and try to understand where the new person is coming from and what their experiences are. As they both get used to each other this gets easier.

OTT bends a lot compared to some other sites, that's the good part. Whatever site you join there's an "overall tone," ya just gotta match it.

More I think about this, closer to the truth than I care to admit.

Not necessarily limited OTT, the Moderators, but also routine contributors to any Forum in general.

I have very little experience with Forums and the expected decorum. OTT really is the only forum I’ve been a regular part of for 12 years.

Several years ago I got a membership to a small forum for old farm machinery. Had a particular issue I needed help with.

I kind of got “spanked” by several members when I didn’t deserve it. Wasn’t the Mods. My fault was I was the “new guy.” One member was a gem and fixed me up.

Again, after 12 years on OTT I sometimes lack tolerance for “newbies” when they don’t offer critical information to fix problems, get snotty with advice, etc. Sometimes it shows.

Said it many times; if I were to have a problem with my tractor, there’s honestly about 20 + guys on OTT whose advice I trust because I “know” them and their expertise.

I’ve asked umpteen questions about computers, electrical stuff and many other topics over the years. There’s many folks in each discipline I hope to hear from because I know they aren’t “Whistling Dixie”. You guys on OTT have helped me through many of these challenges.

Sometimes we as members have favorites; they’re our “friends.” It’s part of the Community that OTT can be. Nothing wrong with that, but we sometimes have less tolerance for others.

So, it’s not just the Moderators that can have favoritism……I have favorites too…

Not being critical at all. Just an observation.

In many respects I chalk it up to Human Nature…….