Ok, so here i am wondering if i should say my bit on this matter.
But first,
my views do not reflect the views of Ryan or any of the other admins/moderators of this forum (But i do support Ryan's decisions). If anything i say riles you, let me know and do not quote anything here out of context.
It's sad how fast n furious things can get when a few key members are banned a couple of days with harsh words flying here and there.
I'd like to believe each of the admins/mods moderate the forums in their own way and capacity. You don't see us participating doesn't mean we are not working behind the scenes removing posts/threads.
Perhaps my relaxed way of moderating might have contributed to how things have degenerated and i guess it's partly my fault for not enforcing rules as strictly as "VAG-SG" or even "MCF" to a lesser extent. On good days, that means the atmosphere is pretty chilled and everyone can pretty much talk cock and just relax. On bad days, it becomes a cowboy town.
Do some of you hand on heart
REALLY REALLY want us to moderate the forum by the book? I think as an admin/mod i've been pretty relaxed with the rules here. Maybe other admins (not just from here) might not like it and i think seasoned members will know i am pretty chilled with the rules. Sometimes they push it and i delete their posts without any warnings and i hope they do get the message after they see their posts removed. Sometimes when things do get really really too far, i will send PMs out instead of a straight ban. Sometimes we will miss posts too because at everyone one time there are so many threads out there, it's just not easy to keep up. That's where that "report" button comes in. Help us by using it.
Some might think what we did is sometimes right, some might think it is wrong. It isn't really a fun job (well, sometimes it is, zouk girls don't get impressed though.), we can't mouth off (as much), and we have to toe the very fine balance between what is right, what is fair, what is expected of us and what we don't want to do but have to.
I have had personal threats issues to me before when i ban ppl, some even somehow get a hold of my HP number. Unfortunately, non of those issuing threats were hentai ladies, but you get the point. It's extremely bothersome especially on a friday night when all you want is to have dinner after work.
You don't see us participating does not mean we are not behind the scenes quietly observing.
I
do agree with some of you that, yes, noobs should use that search button (or google if your search is 3 letters or less). But also to an extent, everyone else should (yes, me included) chill and read our replies before hitting the "post reply" button. It takes a little bit more effort, but it does make for a better online experience for everyone.
If you srsly want us to go strictly by the book, a boatload of ppl can and would have been banned already. I personally don't like that as i believe it will make the forum too sterile (I prefer a more "Laissez-faire" style but that is
my view), and tbh, internetz is internetz. Just take it easy. Don't like what you see, go ez141 or go wash your car. Life is bigger than some words on a screen. It took me a really long time to realize that when i first became an admin. But after all this, if you don't like how things are run here, you are welcome to visit other forums. If you think the admins are strict here, head over to mcf and vag and see what happens to you, if you think seniors' replies to newbie questions are too vile, go check out the US forums and see how quickly they will get eaten up. It's hard to keep the balance.
Stuff like:
- events
What's stopping non moderators/admins from getting together, organizing or suggesting events?
It's been done before...
OH wait! Here's an event, go sign up!
http://www.bmw-sg.com/forums/track-section/77138-sign-up-bmwsg-sepang-td-28-july-2013-a.html
- monthly meetups
I personally do agree it's due for a revamp or to just cut down on the frequency of the meets (or gasps! change location). But that's just my view. If you have views on this, start a thread and start contributing.
Peace out. Back to work.