Thank You for Running a Clean Forum

[VanWinkle]

Another pat on the back..... nice job Mods.

 

[atmsmshr]

I agree, we have great mods and admins. Thank you all!

+1

 

[SumDay]

+1. I rarely leave this form in a bad mood.

 

[Amethyst]

For those who want the gritty reality of unmoderated Internet nastiness, there are more than enough places to find it.

In other words, the forum isn’t allowed to reflect reality, and that is considered a good thing?

 

[REWahoo]

In other words, the forum isn’t allowed to reflect reality, and that is considered a good thing?

When this forum was first created there was a sign over the entrance that read, "We only have one rule: don't be a jerk". From the comments on this thread it's clear the vast majority of the membership appreciate the continued enforcement of that requirement. I know I sure do.

 

[Pellice]

What I find interesting is that all but one of the "moderators" here are just fictitious artificial personalities created by the AI bots that do all the actual forum administration. Pretty impressive!

+1 for the Max Headroom citation. Still trying to figure out why that silly premise was so influential to me!

And, yes, thanks Mods, for keeping house nicely here!

 

[Rianne]

I agree, a huge shout out to the mods for excellent oversight. Must include a shout out to the posters who follow the rules (most of the time ). Those who don't like the rules shouldn't be here anyway. Every post deserves thought and consideration.
BTW isn't Max Headroom the wizard behind the curtain at Apple? I thought I read that somewhere.

 

[marko]

In other words, the forum isn’t allowed to reflect reality, and that is considered a good thing?

My 'real world' rarely involves endless exposure to profanity, rudeness, hostility, ad hominems, false information, agendas, xenophobia, intolerance, etc etc etc.

I like it here just fine.

 

[Amethyst]

male-bashing, female-bashing, not to mention having one's face slammed into other people's religion and politics (although the nutrition threads do take on a religious-wars mantle at times!)

My 'real world' rarely involves endless exposure to profanity, rudeness, hostility, ad hominems, false information, agendas, xenophobia, intolerance, etc etc etc.

I like it here just fine.

 

[audreyh1]

In other words, the forum isn’t allowed to reflect reality, and that is considered a good thing?

We create our own reality here, thank you very much! We don’t have to be like everyone else. What’s the point of that?!?

I make sure my personal life is free of most of the nasty crap too. If this forum weren’t reasonably civil I wouldn’t be here either.

 

[copyright1997reloaded]

In other words, the forum isn’t allowed to reflect reality, and that is considered a good thing?

Yes, it is a good thing. While I've been not super happy that a mod modified a post or two of mine, and sometimes would like to see some threads go on (that are stopped), I quickly realize that of all the online forums I see and/or participate in that ER is the one I most like to read --- precisely because the 'tone' here is (for the most part) respectful.

If you want a crazier, less respectful environment, there is always city-data. Or if you want to go all in, Twitter.

 

[marko]

We create our own reality here, thank you very much! We don’t have to be like everyone else. What’s the point of that?!?

One could argue that retiring young-ish, LBYM, saving your money, careful investing, thoughtful commentary and keeping one's political views to oneself do not reflect the general reality out there.

So maybe Cessna has a point?

 

[athena53]

In other words, the forum isn’t allowed to reflect reality, and that is considered a good thing?

There are different ways to provide your view of reality. I am saddened by some of the posts I see on FB that are mostly venting- lots of profanities, lots of making fun of appearances, little substance. Just last weekend I listened to a BBC podcast interview with the Dalai Lama in which he shared his opinions on some of the same issues- clearly, unambiguously but with grace.

I also appreciate the more respectful atmosphere here.

 

[REWahoo]

One more thing this forum has going for it is the best satisfaction guarantee in the industry. Those who aren't completely satisfied with how the forum is moderated can leave at any time and get a full refund of their membership fee - no questions asked.

 

[samclem]

Must include a shout out to the posters who follow the rules (most of the time ).

I won't speak for the moderator team, but I can say (for myself) that without the large group of considerate and "self-moderating" folks here, no amount of external moderation would be sufficient. Almost everyone here posts as though they were face-to-face with group of acquaintances/friends (not anonymous avatars on the interwebs). That, it seems to me, is the real key.

 

[MRG]

My 'real world' rarely involves endless exposure to profanity, rudeness, hostility, ad hominems, false information, agendas, xenophobia, intolerance, etc etc etc.

I like it here just fine.

If I wanted that I'd get a job!

 

[eytonxav]

I've been on this forum for a few years and over those years its always been a civil and friendly place thanks to the team of mods and admins. I would even say that the level of decorum has progressed over the years, despite all the turmoil and bad behavior that we see on other forums and in the media in general.

Now I would like to know are all the mods that are now termed "Moderator Emeritus" actually retired from mod duties or are they just trying to lull us into a false sense of security

 

[Mdlerth]

I'd hold the world hostage for... One Million Dollars!

My 'real world' rarely involves endless exposure to profanity, rudeness, hostility, ad hominems, false information, agendas, xenophobia, intolerance, etc etc etc.

For all anybody on this forum knows, each of us could embody every one of those traits and more in the "real world".

I freely admit that I, given the opportunity, could be a major supervillain. (I've got the evil laugh down: Bwa ha ha!)

But as long as we present here using our public manners you'll never learn what lowlifes we are.

 

[Chuckanut]

When this forum was first created there was a sign over the entrance that read, "We only have one rule: don't be a jerk". From the comments on this thread it's clear the vast majority of the membership appreciate the continued enforcement of that requirement. I know I sure do.

Gresham's Law tells us that bad money forces good money out of circulation. The same is true for people who contribute to forums, IMHO.

This is one of the few forum sites where rational discussion take place on an ongoing basis. Speaking as one who has been taken out back to the woodshed a few times in the past, I appreciate the good work of the moderators.

 

[easysurfer]

Good thing there is some wiggle room with extreme sarcasm.

Otherwise if just sarcasm, a bunch of us would've been shown the door a long time ago .

A thumbs up! This is a great forum to visit to avoid the crazy news in the world these days.

 

[Amethyst]

Could it be that a good many of us are [-]even[/-] older and more decorous than we were a few years ago?

I would even say that the level of decorum has progressed over the years, despite all the turmoil and bad behavior that we see on other forums and in the media in general.

 

[Major Tom]

A big +1.

This forum sets the standard for me. There are a number of others that I frequent, which I very much wish were moderated as well as this one. Somehow, the mods keep everyone and everything on track, without also purging the humor.

Fantastico!

 

[pacergal]

When this forum was first created there was a sign over the entrance that read, "We only have one rule: don't be a jerk". From the comments on this thread it's clear the vast majority of the membership appreciate the continued enforcement of that requirement. I know I sure do.

"don't be a jerk"...I love it!
I have always felt welcome here and appreciate the work the moderators do, along with the all around helpfulness of the members. Folks can agree to disagree without being nasty. Its a nice place to be.

 

[W2R]

Now I would like to know are all the mods that are now termed "Moderator Emeritus" actually retired from mod duties or are they just trying to lull us into a false sense of security

Yes, I'll chime in and volunteer that I'm completely retired from mod duties. I do report occasional offending posts that I think might need some attention, though! Just like any member can or might do. Just use the little triangular white and red "!" icon at the lower left of the post, to do this most effectively. That is helpful to the mod team since despite mod superpowers, no mod can read and evaluate as many posts as we have on this forum IMO.

But I no longer go "behind the scenes" and actually do work as a moderator. Ten years of that was enough and I don't want to devote that much time to it any more, although I admit it was fun and every member of the mod team was great to work with. Good people, good times.

 

[eytonxav]

Could it be that a good many of us are [-]even[/-] older and more decorous than we were a few years ago?

Probably one of the more positive aspects of aging, although some are known to get a little more cranky and disagreeable.