The Demotion of Strilo

If strilo made you feel like a gnat than perhaps you should grow a , and learn how to constructively argue your views. If you can't handle aggressive views, perhaps you should learn to grow a thicker skin and argue back. If you can't properly the line of communication, perhaps YOU should step down, if you're letting some anonymous stranger getting you in a position where you think you can't talk back.

 

Just to make a quick point, everyone is wanting answers from the other admins but they aren't always going to be on at the same time as everyone. And frankly, this isn't going to be solved in the next two days, let alone the next two hours. There is nothing wrong with saying your piece, but a rapid back-and-forth between some people and then complaining that the admins are not replying will do nothing but create more problems. While the net is a fast communication medium it's very nature means it will sometimes take time to deal with something so please don't get impatient and waving pitchforks.

 

Hey, Strilo, I never had any serious interaction with you on the boards the seven and a half years I've been here and the seven years that you've been a mod (if we did, I've forgotten), but I'm sad to see you go. From what I can tell, after reading posts by Grimby and others, you were a tough old nut. I think every good team needs to have a few of those, and it's a shame MS is minus one today. It's very sad that you don't have a proper farewell thread, though perhaps there may still be a tiny hope of reinstatement. Nah, probably not.

Raven and Strilo... two towers, legends both.

 

Seriously, Matt. I was about to ask how far under the old clothes and books some folks had to go to find their pitchforks. I know it's been a long time, but dang.

 

Sinrebirth I understand we disagreed on things in MS. I fundamentally disagree with you on your view of the role of a JC moderator and I will fight that until you either change that view or I have no more breath in me. But that is beside the point at hand, really. I will say that I never meant to make you feel the size of a gnat. If I did, I apologize.

 

I think Dingo's right. Much of the conversation seems to be less than constructive and while I know people want answers (I do too) I think we need to demonstrate a little patience.

 

Very enlightning read, thanks for posting.

Anybody wanting to hear from Laj_Fett, she won't be on until tomorrow morning (UK time) - Unless she's moved back to the US, which I'm pretty sure she hasn't.

I'm not entirely sure what people are expecting the other admins to says though. I'd be very surprised if any of them disagreed with the decision.

 

What's to discuss?

Head Admin had a grudge, and the other two were obligated to agree.

 

Sinrebirth, this is the first time you've ever come to me, publicly or privately, to tell me how I made you feel. Isn't that part of the problem? Had I known directly from you how you felt, couldn't I have made steps a lot earlier?

As a side note, I was not referring to your opinion or my opinion of a particular moderator. I was referring to what you view the overall role of the JC moderator to be.

 

How long have you been coming here?

Seriously though, I'm not in disagreement with that.

But some things would really need to change as far as communicating is concerned.

 

I asked my question last night in Grimby's banning thread and didn't get a response from any of the admins though it involves all of them. I asked it again when Grimby brought up the pm banning in this thread and once again didn't get a response from Grimby. Since both threads are interlinked I don't care which thread the response comes from.

Grimby stated that he gave himself a ban based on his actions in a pm with Strilo. He said it was for conduct unbecoming of an administrator. He said the other admins didn't believe the ban was necessary. So did he do something that broke the TOS and warranted a ban or didn't he? If a ban was warranted then the other two admins were giving him special treatment. That would be a problem. If a ban wasn't warranted then why did he give himself the ban? Why was he allowed to give himself the ban?

Grimby then states in this thread, "This wasn't about something as petty as giving someone a slap on the wrist over an argument in a PM conversation."

This makes me wonder what the point of his self imposed ban was if he thinks its that petty. Obviously its not punishment. If he needed 2 days to cool down from a conversation and it was ruled that he didn't break the TOS, then a ban was NOT appropriate. He should have just told them he was going to cool down for the day and wouldn't be around. Imposing the ban on himself sets himself up as a martyr and seems to only be for the appearance of some sort of noble gesture. If Grimby truly thought the other two admins were giving him special treatment, he should have taken it to the MS or at the very least had it noted that he disagreed with their decision.

 

for those who were too freaked out to post in the MS because of bully boy Strilo, did anyone make a thread in MS to, like, discuss the issue collectively? or did you just complain to the admins?

 

Is it appropriate to make a thread in MS calling out a single MOD for his/her behavior? I can't imagine its common place or really proper conduct...

 

As a just a regular public user I was going to stay out of this but I have to tell you there comes a time when the Bull **** flag has to get thrown, and this is that time.

I am recently returned to the boards after a long absence and know just about none of you but I have been following this thread since its start.

This thread, while may have been started innocently enough to have a question answered has devolved into lunacy. What started as a simple question has turned into double talk, back peddaling and insult hurling. While I'm sure that the Powers That Be don't have it easy running this thing, I feel very confident in saying that in this case you've made your own lives that much more difficult.

To start off with, don't dance in front of the time honored HR mantra of we don't discuss personnell matters in public, and then proceed to do it, and keep on doing it over and over again. The fact that this thread has been allowed to turn into what it has is the direct result of those powers that be allowing it to do so. If you were going to take the stance that this wasn't going to be discussed in pubic then you should have had the fortitude to stand by that statement and lock this thread down and end it and left us with a statement as to why.

Your own Terms of Service under Rules and Regulations specifically point out not having just this kind of thread and I've seen you not enforce this rule now, TWICE. The first one being Grimby's Ban and now this one. If you want to be the head honcho and fall on your sword, good for you. But be transparent and put up a statement as to why you banned yourself for all to see (You're the boss, higher standard and all that) then go on your sabatical.

In this instance you've not only allowed and participated freely in the breaking of your Terms of Service but I also submit to you that you have also mishandled your own Moderator guidelines. It is clear to the casual observer that you, Grimby have an issue(s) that go beyond just what you placed here. From what I've read it seems to me that you iniated the action which resulted in Strilo's demotion, which is the beginning of your fail. Based on your past differences and your public disagreements you are the last person whom should have weighed in on any action to be taken against Strilo. Your judgement is clouded.

I have read more than once that this came about as a result of repeated offenses. Were these offenses handled in the matter prescribed by the Mod Guidelines? Was there an investigation and action taken, was there a suspension leading up to the demotion or did you jump right to the demotion. It appears you've jumped right to the demotion. If there were numerous issues with Strilo that went on ad nauseum as has been said here you cannot now decide that you are fed up and had enough. If you didn't take actiion, and those before you didn't take action then you've essentially sent the message that the behavior is if not allowed, then at least tolerated. You've given the blanket of Past Practice. You take action as the infractions occur and start a chain of actions leading up to a big thing, not just decide one day well I'm fed up.

Strictly from a managerial point of view, an area I have a great deal of experience in, and in something much more important than a net forum, this entire process has been mishandled. Your continuing to allow this to continue is another major failing especially in light of what has been previously stated about how this was, in fact, mishandled.

It appears some like Strilo because he is direct and straightforward as has been written here. It also appears there are some who are not his fans as well. But the question is about overall performance of his duties as required by this forum.

You, the powers that be have an opportunity here to adjust some major short comings in your Mod duties and responsibilities and expectations as well as your own supervision of your Terms of Service which are followed as convenient. I suggest you take the opportunity and make those corrections but not at

 

It's the responsibility of the aggrieved mod to bring it up to Tim directly or to the admin. Then it should be discussed.

But really Tim stopped participating in MS months ago in open discussions.

So when was the last time he acted so aggressive in the MS updates? Not since I've been around(I am a newer member to be fair though).

 

it's the MS, not a public forum. why shouldn't mods be able to discuss eachothers actions/behaviour? particularly if it's resulting in them not feeling they can contribute themselves. it's hardly "calling out", it's discussing something important so it can be sorted out directly as opposed to all this heresay and simmering discontent.

 

This is a question that I have been waiting for an answer to as well.


Oh, and a question for Sinrebirth, regarding your post where you complain about victimization. Might some not rightly claim that a number of moderators are making themselves out as victims of the lone rabblerouser that you claim Strilo to be?

 

You know what else users do? They PM each other. They talk to each other when they piss each other off or disagree with each other. They don't just go to a mod. They go directly to each other. And we were not just users, we were also peers in the MS. How can we expect our users to resolve things amicably and work together to make the forums a better place if we cannot do that ourselves? I had no idea I made you feel that way because you never came to me. And when admins come to a mod to talk to them about that stuff, they never share names. They never give specifics. They say "We've had complaints" and when pressed for details, they cannot reveal them. They have to keep your anonymous feedback anonymous. But to comment that it took me a long time to apologize to you, when you never came to me about how I made you feel... well the ball was in your court the whole time and you sat on it.

 

Actually I asked several admins about this possibility and was told that it was not appropriate every time I've asked. I have wanted a MS thread that called out other mods on not doing their duties or other issues for quite a while.

It is simply a matter of how people deal with things. Some mods like to try to sooth things behind the scenes and others want to be blunt and get things out of the way with. Whose to say which is better? We actually get into a lot of arguments about this very topic in MS.

Also I agree communication is key, but in the case of bullying it is very difficult to confront someone perceived as a bully. The course of action would be to go to the admins and put in a complaint which I think happened.

 

silly rule. it's a private forum! mods are different people, with different ways of dealing with things. you can learn from eachother. just running to the admins all the time isn't helpful. soothing things behind the scenes is ridiculous, you're already behind the scenes! it's a private forum. be blunt. get things out in the open. communicate. isn't that the very point of the MS??