rules and regulations

I've made more than a thousand posts and to my recollection, I've been admonished by a mod in a thread only once or twice when I was getting really off-topic (and certainly never through PM because I just checked) but that's all. I honestly can't say that it's unfair tho, and the way they delivered it - in a neutral tone and reminding everyone in the thread in general and not me specifically to stay on topic - is respectful, really.

Or maybe you're referring to the reading threads where if you made a post and you get feedback from other members, you would have to comment on their interpretations? Because for me, I dunno it just sounds fair. You get some, you give some. And they did spend some effort trying to help so maybe it's just courteous to acknowledge that and reply. Or is it the allowed response time that you may have a problem with, that it should be lengthened or something?

Aside from that, I'm a straightforward person and I say what's on my mind so that when I have a dissenting opinion, I give it. But in my professional life I've learned to couch my words so that it's implicit that tho I may have a different stance (which I can vigorously defend if I have to), I still fully respect other viewpoints. I never got in trouble for any of my opinions. I'm not implying that you aren't like this OP, but I wonder what happened that made you feel this way? And just to be clear, is it the rules and regulations that you find severe, the manner in which the mods implement them, or both?

I've been to a few forums where the mods were heavy-handed, and this isn't one of them. I did however steer clear of the the very few firestorm threads where people were ripping each other because that's not my thing. Those were few and far between tho.

I spend a lot of of time on 'your readings', 'using tarot cards' and 'talking tarot' where newbies have actually left the forum due to the strictness/pettiness of the posting rules. I usually only post replies because of the rules myself and I was just wondering if anyone else was feeling stifled and afraid of putting a foot out of place that's all.

headincloud said:

I spend a lot of of time on 'your readings', 'using tarot cards' and 'talking tarot' where newbies have actually left the forum due to the strictness/pettiness of the posting rules. I usually only post replies because of the rules myself and I was just wondering if anyone else was feeling stifled and afraid of putting a foot out of place that's all.

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Well, in Your Readings there's the possibility to end a thread now if one has got enough answers. That should make it more easy, maybe? And I never felt it was too strict to demand feedback for every answer there or in UTC, especially since I learnt and still learn a lot by actively talking about Tarot card meanings instead of just passively reading about them.

I would say yes moderation strangles the flow to a certain extent but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I remember years ago when moderation was a lot more lax than it is now; there was a lot more activity and participation, but not all of it positive. People started getting tossed out and other people left because of it. Things have slowed down a lot since then but I'm not sure if it's because of stricter moderation or other factors. I like lively conversations but when it comes down to it I'd rather have quality over quantity.

I once got modded for talking about moderation

headincloud said:

I spend a lot of of time on 'your readings', 'using tarot cards' and 'talking tarot' where newbies have actually left the forum due to the strictness/pettiness of the posting rules. I usually only post replies because of the rules myself and I was just wondering if anyone else was feeling stifled and afraid of putting a foot out of place that's all.

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I personally feel like these forums require heavy moderation, and that the posting rules actually aren't petty. Without the rules as such, the readings and using cards forums may devolve further into "speed readings" with little or no learning curve, and also little depth. As it is, I see many folks asking the same questions over and over, and the same type of readings and feedback given to the questions. At least the feedback guidelines require further engagement.

As far as the Talking forum goes, again I don't see the rules as petty. This forum comprises thousands of threads, so from an archival standpoint I totally understand the desire to stay on topic. I personally have been modded as well, and each time has been an educational reminder of why I'm here to begin with, and how best to use this living archive. (Although I've never been modded for discussing moderation; how meta! )

AJ said:

I once got modded for talking about moderation

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Oh dear I may be too then.

I'm not referring to an incident just the specific rules. Impression is then that I'm in the minority with my feelings but most certainly not alone because people have pm'd me in agreement which says a lot really. Thanks for satisfying my curiosity.

Headincloud...specifically what rule or rules do you think are too strict?

I think moderating is really only needed for trouble makers and to set boundaries. I have seen a room hacked once that literally melted down to nothingness and all you could see was lines of text scroll and scroll from top to bottom endlessly. No one could do anything. And it did not end there - next hit within a short time was the owners of those rooms etc and in ways you would not want to imagine. Thank goodness I was just a visitor.

So, sometimes moderators are needed and not just them. On some websites they have "invisible monitors" that manage rooms and do all the tech stuff behind the scenes. These are the ones that usually clean up the hacking and viruses etc that can be attached in PMS or even via a WEBCAM port.

I think CHAT is the place to carry on conversations and anything in TAROT or whatever should be limited to Tarot or whatever. I have seen some TAROT threads and one LENORMAND recently that went in to conversation and sharing links, but not really to do with the readings or cards themselves.

So, are the regulations really that harsh when this is relatively a safe learning environment overall.



DND

headincloud said:

I spend a lot of of time on 'your readings', 'using tarot cards' and 'talking tarot' where newbies have actually left the forum due to the strictness/pettiness of the posting rules. I usually only post replies because of the rules myself and I was just wondering if anyone else was feeling stifled and afraid of putting a foot out of place that's all.

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