The ATS Issues Thread

I have to say I am pretty disappointed by whoever is responsible here. I posted a issue on this thread 3 days ago - www.abovetopsecret.com... and forget about any action no one has even cared to reply.

I even u2u'd the Mod Mirithful who initially moved the thread without citing any reason 3 days ago but he has not bothered to reply.


[edit on 9-6-2010 by YJLTG]

reply to post by Freeborn


Thanks for your support, I couldnt have said it better myself.

reply to post by Freeborn


Yeah, very well said.

Pryde was well-intentioned, was raising a legitimate issue and was only trying to do as he was instructed by a Mod.

Is there any way to reverse a Warn?

reply to post by cupocoffee


Warning tags cannot be removed, the automatically expire after 72 hours.

Originally posted by YJLTG
I have to say I am pretty disappointed by whoever is responsible here. I posted a issue on this thread 3 days ago - www.abovetopsecret.com... and forget about any action no one has even cared to reply.

I even u2u'd the Mod Mirithful who initially moved the thread without citing any reason 3 days ago but he has not bothered to reply.


[edit on 9-6-2010 by YJLTG]

I have had several issues with this, which I posted about maybe 10 pages ago.

The auto-u2u that is sent to a member has a space built into it for the Mod to put a brief explanation on why the thread was moved. But, they leave that section blank, then you have to go asking why it was moved.

One Mod told me I was lucky the thread wasn't just thrown in the trash bin.

You know, I never believed in FOEing someone until a short time ago, but at least I can have my little insignificant protest on how I have been treated!

EDIT to add: I just wish I could remove the "respected" part.

ATS is still my favorite site, but nowhere or no one is perfect I guess.

[edit on 9-6-2010 by Signals]

Let me see if I'm following this correctly.

The original thread (#1) was opened in the BB&Q forum, asking about T&C and citing examples of their breach in thread #2, and was generating some discussion.

How seriously does ATS take its T&C???

The OP was given a posting ban for T&C infringement in thread #2

Thread #1 was then closed because it was in the wrong (BB&Q) forum and the Mod who closed the thread redirected here to the ATS Issues Thread instead (thread #3)

Pryde quotes the OP's post (from #1 ) here in this thread (#3) and gets an EXTREME T&C VIOLATION along with a points loss. He asks why he got the Violation and makes a remark about heavy handed modding.

A Super Mod states that this is the ATS Issues Thread and that the Complaints/Suggestions function should be used for complaints about modding.

... the next day (in my time zone) ...

Further posts indicate that you can duplicate someone else's thread (in a different forum) - yet quoting someone else's post in full is a Violation.

A Mod advises Pryde that he should have just linked to the OP from the locked thread (#1)

Good advice but a little late in my opinion.

Meanwhile the source of all this, the T&C breaches in thread #2, specifically the refusal by the originator of that thread to discuss his own topic or answer any questions posed to him, continues unabated and unaddressed.

Where are we to find redress? Here in thread #3 as originally directed? The complaint button?

I'm confused and disappointed to see these issues apparently being shunted from pillar to post like this.

If you feel your issue is not being addressed on this thread then use the ATS Complaint/Suggestion Form located in the Member Center and get the full attention of the entire Staff.

Thank you.

reply to post by greeneyedleo


But weren't they told to come to this thread to get it sorted out....they do seem to be getting 'passed from pillar to post' with no-one seemingly wanting to address it.

Surely this is making rather more of it than should be and could be sorted quite amicably for all concerned, a little common sense is all that's needed.

ATS is better than this!

reply to post by Freeborn


The "entire" staff may not see this particular thread.

Using the Complaint feature will put your concerns into a "forum" where it is more visible to more staff for review.

I don't always check the ATS Issues thread, unless I catch it at the top of the recent posts page. Then I'll take a peek from time to time.

Responding to this closed thread: How seriously does ATS take its T&C???

Originally posted by expatwhite
Serious question to all admin staff, because something has been happening thats puzzled a few of us recently

First, and most-important, it's generally never safe to assume that staff can see every nuance of what happens in all threads, much less even have the opportunity to scan the opening post of all threads.

It's even generally safe to assume that we (staff) may often have difficulty recollecting precise reasons for specific actions from time to time, as this is an exceptionally busy place, and our priorities are divided in the general direction of ensuring a quality environment for all members and visitors. So while individuals (against whom staff action may have been applied) may retain distinct and personal recollections of action, our staff may not. It's only natural.

for example, if a poster is PROVEN to have lied repeatedly, is he/she still allowed to perpetuate these lies and keep posting here?

Generally, certainly not. However, one member's "proven lie" may not actually be the case. Without the benefit of knowing what you reference, "mistruths" may often be relative in a fast-paced discussion on highly provocative topics.

If a poster posts a thread and then REFUSES to discuss the actual subject matter, is that not trolling and is it welcome here?

In a pure sense, yes, that's trolling and not tolerated. However, see above... the perception of trolling may, again, be relative depending on the points of view of those involved in a heated discussion.

If a poster accuses someone of MURDER on ATS without any evidence/proof/basis in reality, is that allowed and welcomed?

Accusing anyone of a serious crime without evidentiary back-up is indeed intolerable.

If a poster is rude to anyone that replies to his thread unless they are women, then tries to flirt with them, then is rude when they rebuff him, is that behavior acceptable here on ATS?

That seems rather extreme, and again may be open to interpretation... but certainly, on the surface, not something that should be allowed.

If a poster claims to be, say a vampire AND a reptillian without offering any sort of evidence and refuses to discuss it, is that acceptable here on ATS?

It may be.

The topical-mix embraced by AboveTopSecret.com includes the paranormal, cryptozoology, and related fantastic mythology. Within the confines of the "Gray Area" (my story) and "Skunk Works" forums, relating personal experiences that may include claims of supernatural origins are certainly tolerated -- within limits. Those limits might be if it's discovered the members is involved in some type of marketing or promotional effort.

Its got to a point where i had to be deliberately rude to get a mods attention.

There are many easy ways to get the attention of our staff... the complaints link and Private Message (U2U) links on the board home are exceptionally easy to use. Being "deliberately rude" is against the Terms & Conditions, and will result in action by our staff.

But when all of the above are done by ONE poster, why is no action taken?

Have you alerted our staff via the normal methods of thread/post alerts, complaints, or private messages?

If not, again see way-above in this post, it's unfair that our staff may be aware of all the nuances of every topic. Becoming frustration within a thread due to lack of staff action, without contacting staff, is irrational.

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


Agreed and thanks SkepticOverlord.

The reason why mods are appointed is because it is their opinion of what is trolling or unreasonable behavior that matters to keep the place in line.

As intrepid said, people have lives - which means people will be imperfect. There will be days when someone will not necessarily care as much about the mistakes people have made and days when someone will be highly sensitive to their mistakes.

It is important that we don't take these bans and warns personally, but learn from them if we must or forgive if they weren't warranted...

There are many people I see on ATS that I would like to mute simply because my brain hurts reading what they have to say... but that is my own weakness to be bothered and another's weakness to believe what was said. I could not ask ATS to fix this problem for me because it is MY problem!

Which is why I would never want to be a MOD... I do just fine abiding by my own moral character and allowing others their own.

But I will defend the weak if I feel like it.

Originally posted by greeneyedleo
If you feel your issue is not being addressed on this thread then use the ATS Complaint/Suggestion Form located in the Member Center and get the full attention of the entire Staff.

Thank you.

Just so I am clear, if Complaints/Suggestions go unanswered, is this the proper forum to escalate to? I had submittted a prior suggestion / request twice which fell on deaf ears with zero response (other than auto reply).

For some odd reason I thought this thread was somehow ranked higher than BB&Q etc. i.e. "Issues"

Probably a false assumption. Thank you.




[edit on 9-6-2010 by kinda kurious]

Originally posted by kinda kurious
Just so I am clear, if Complaints/Suggestions go unanswered, is this the proper forum to escalate to?

No.

I'd suggest a second follow up Complaint/Suggestion, or U2U to a staff member. If you use U2U, please allow ample time for response. Sometimes specific people aren't available (lives and all) and Complaint/Suggestion is preferred since all staff can view that forum.

Originally posted by kinda kurious
I had submittted a prior suggestion / request twice which fell on deaf ears...

Are you certain about your recollection?

There are only two complaints initiated by you in the past two months. One was for a very-minor derogatory comment directed at a public person, the other for an insult within a post. In both cases, our staff reviewed the complaint (because there were replies and a discussion), and in one case, the insulting post was actioned... the other was deemed not worthy of action.

I've seen a prevalence of regular posters receiving a star almost immediately, like within seconds, of each post.

Does ATS have a system that looks out for people using bots to follow them around starring themselves?

Thanks

reply to post by sandwiches


I wasn't aware that you could star your own threads?

Not sure many would bother, it's a bit desperate if you ask me.

Remember there are a lot of people visiting this site at any one time though, so getting a flag pretty quickly may not be something out of the ordinary.

CX.

reply to post by sandwiches


As far as I know we cannot star our own posts, so that's not a problem.

But I have noticed that some people like to look at what other members are posting and if they find something they like (which is very likely, seeing that they are following that member's posts), they star it.

Originally posted by sandwiches
I've seen a prevalence of regular posters receiving a star almost immediately, like within seconds, of each post.

Does ATS have a system that looks out for people using bots to follow them around starring themselves?

Thanks

One can not star nor flag themselves.

Well, I mean it's not hard to write a little program to login to another account and star posts automatically.

Some sort of IP trending algorithm should be used to identify potential abuse, similar to as employed on Digg. For example, if one account flags 90% of a person's 100 posts it might be suspicious and stars could begin to be ignored. A number of other rules could be drawn up. Are you hiring?

Originally posted by ArMaP
But I have noticed that some people like to look at what other members are posting and if they find something they like (which is very likely, seeing that they are following that member's posts), they star it.

Is there some way to track posts made by another poster other than going to their profile page and clicking on "posts"? One time a member told me something that left me with the impression they were automatically notified every time a specific other member posted, but I didn't know of an automatic way to "subscribe" to someone else's posts, is there such a thing?

And yes I've noticed stars pop up very quickly sometimes but it never occurred to me that they were starring themselves. Some of the people that happens to already have a lot of stars so they don't really seem to need any more stars anyway, I think they just have lots of fans.