mbdoc is an example of a mod who has earned the respect of members. IIRC I have contacted him once & he was super helpful.
You could say a model mod !!

__________________
Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group

I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort....

1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket.
1980 300D now parts car 800k miles
1984 300D 500k miles
1987 250td 160k miles English import
2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles
1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo.
1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion.
Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving

I was asked to be moderator by the former owner of Peach Parts, Bill Wood.

It's a little bit of work every day, but not bad.

The most irritating part for me is when I infract someone for a clear violation of the rules (which I always copy and paste to the infraction), and they want to whine and complain about it, and how unfair it is since another member did the same thing.

It's like dealing with my 9 year old twins.

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

I dont believe that I have ever had such a PM from you. Luck?

It would be fair to say that we experience a minimalistic approach from you in your mod style & that is a good thing!

Your comment highlights a problem that some have experienced. We see a member get infracted for calling another say a liar, yet later some one does the same thing to another member & its not acted on.
The life of a mod is not easy, I dont envy you!

__________________
Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group

I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort....

1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket.
1980 300D now parts car 800k miles
1984 300D 500k miles
1987 250td 160k miles English import
2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles
1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo.
1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion.
Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving

Yep, sadly it's part and parcel of a moderator's job.

What is even worse than the above is when the same member runs to the site owner to complain when he doesn't see another member get a similar infraction. Say, for example, that someone posts some deliberately fabricated information about another member and is called out on it because they lied. Since they don't get the infraction they want, they run to the owner for redress. It's really sad.

This behavior is like dealing with a two year old and it usurps the authority of the moderator because, in reality, the site owner doesn't really care about the whining on the forum. He simply wants the complaints to stop.

The second thing that really annoyed me is the sycophantic behavior exhibited by some members. They will do everything possible to kiss your ass on the forum and via PM in the valiant hope that you'll avoid giving them an infraction. Truly pathetic.

Brian,

Any number of members here in the past have found it necessary to go directly to the site ownership level, when they believe injustices are being practiced by other members, whether they be moderators or not, all the while going without repercussion or consequence.

I don't believe you're being singled out unfairly by any means.

Being a mod is to much drama, everyone acts like little kids. The interweb is serious business.

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Well said!
It would be fair to say that the previous site owner would not remove a mod or member if only one member was to complain. When there is a flood of members approaching him both on & off the forum with concerns that the actions of a mod are not appropriate & his own investigations confirm this, one would expect he would act as he did.
Some ex mods may have been smart enough to see the writing on the wall & pull the pin before the axe fell. It may be interesting statistics to know how many infractions they issued in the time just before their departure.
Many would see accruing 5 points from those who are no longer mods as far less significant than having moderator status cease.

This thread was about how people become mods on here & good moderating. Until a few posts ago it was.

__________________
Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group

I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort....

1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket.
1980 300D now parts car 800k miles
1984 300D 500k miles
1987 250td 160k miles English import
2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles
1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo.
1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion.
Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving

That is the fundamental point I was attempting to make. Instead of respecting the decision of the moderators and taking the medicine (one point), the individual runs to the owner of the site for redress.

Personally, I find it a bit childish and the site owner is really ill prepared to properly research the situation and respond in an appropriate manner. If enough members can't take enforcement of the rules and complain to the site owner, he simply decides to remove the moderator. It's the easiest path to take rather than actually determine if any of the issued infractions were not appropriate. The fundamental desire of the site owner is to have nobody bother him. That requires very lenient moderation and such moderation resulted in the closure of OD back in 2004. It was never my desire to repeat that unfortunate time period and the rules were enforced per the TOU. Some folks didn't like that enforcement and they cry about it to this day.

You might recall the late BillyBob. This individual accumulated a slew of infractions, but never once ran to the site owner complaining about the moderators, even if he frequently disagreed with them.

Others however, run to the site owner at the drop of a hat. One of them is right on this thread.

This behavior has been ongoing during my tenure and continues to this day..........in fact, it occurred again about three weeks ago.

I hear ya, but here's the deal.

I don't get paid to read the posts in Open discussion. I'd have to shoot myself in the head if I was forced to read them all.

Things only come to the moderators attention when someone reports a post. Then I read the flagged post to see if there's a violation, but usually have to go back and read the whole thread and see how the whole argument started. The problem frequently is that many, many people are violating the rules. It's impossible to infract everyone. Usually I infract the worst offender and just close the thread.

It isn't always fair, but it's a judgement call.

And the killer is that I have almost no free time. I've flown 1.6 million miles in the past 13 years, and I'm raising 9 year old twins with my lovely wife of 24 years. When I'm home, the twins have piano practice, soccer practice, dance school, soccer games on the weekend, etc.

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

Some people, unlike yourself, have no life.

Therefore, they can find every single person who violates the rules, without the necessity of waiting for a report from the crybabies.

It is possible to infract everyone.

However, it is not conducive to the longevity of the moderator. People don't like infractions and they have no qualms about crying to the owner about it or walking off the forum in a blaze of glory. You're speaking to one of them on this thread.

Your approach, whereby you manage to hit about 25% of the transgressors, is probably the best solution for the long term.

Try to avoid the sycophants, however.

If the "medicine" was justified the (ex) mod would have nothing to worry about. When the (ex) mod behaves in an inappropriate manner & lets his perceived authority go to his head, the action is reasonable. The site is not a totalitarian place. If you want that, best go make friends with the Chinese or some extream M.E. muslim countries.

This is a slur on the ability of the site owner !
Both the previous & current ones are very successful business men. The ability to be able to interact with others without resorting to dictatorial means is a hallmark of modern business.

On a larger scale you can draw parallels with civil wars in dictatorships.

Could it be that the site owner doesnt want the site run like a dictatorship?

There is only a small number of members that have posted. It is a free world, any one can contact who ever they like. Are you suggesting members do not have the right to do so.

Well guess what? It was not me !! Best you find out who else has been receiving venom spitting.


BC,
You have a lot of good technical knowledge to offer this site & believe it or not, I have in the past even said to others in authority that the site would be poorer with out your presence. I have also said that in no way would I want you to be prevented from posting. I believe that to this day.

How about taking some of the advice you have rightfully given others in the past, calm down, if some one upsets you, put them on ignore & remember its only the internet !!

__________________
Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group

I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort....

1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket.
1980 300D now parts car 800k miles
1984 300D 500k miles
1987 250td 160k miles English import
2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles
1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo.
1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion.
Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving

I'm not permitted to respond to you in any fashion due to your complaints to the site owner.

If you have any further problems with my past moderation (nearly three years ago!!), I respectfully suggest that you complain to him again.

I'm sure you'll get the redress you seek.