I would like to discuss the approach to moderation on EuroGA.
It is important that the board not become like PPRUNE and end up with constant personal battles but I have noticed recently that there seems to be a few odd things going on:
1. Disagreeing has sometimes been treated as personal when it isn’t
2. Vigorous debates have been stomped on.
Now I understand that it is key to keep the board focused on aviation but as an internet forum it will always be a bit more robust than real life. Threads like Mooney vs Cirrus have been enlightening to me and while both sides seem a tad excited it was not boring.
Can I suggest that moderators look to step in when things get completely out of hand rather than just a bit emotional?
Huh, I seem to miss all the best bits…
I can’t recall any aggro on here at all.
I can’t recall any aggro on here at all.
I guess that is my point.
Obviously I agree with the above Jason, as do probably 99% (
) of all people here.
However – whether we like it or not – it is a fact that in some way we are guests in someone’s house here, and the landlord makes the rules. And he never said that this place was a democracy. So either we live with his rules or we don’t come again next time.
Personally, I can live with it, even though this place is indeed a bit “impersonal” (because postings with a “personal” touch are not allowed). 
Some patently false statements above but for now I will let it go rather than delete a thread fed by the usual couple of people who I have never met, never had anything to do with, but who continually
It’s great to have one’s cake and eat it, isn’t it?
So either we live with his rules
Who is “his”?
The posting guidelines are here for all to see
EuroGA is an aviation community. It is what the active members make it. It will be as good (or as bad) as the members make it.
And anybody is free to leave it if they don’t like it.
What we (David and I) will not allow, after the huge amount of work that has gone into setting it up and running it, is to have it trashed by the sort of “big characters” which GA contains loads of and who have already trashed every other European aviation community that anybody has ever previously set up. I am not talking here about specific individuals. There in no shortage of people out there who will trash a site if they can. It is the moderation policy that leads to either a good site which people like to read and contribute to, or a site full of drivel and abuse (but which will undoubtedly be much more “busy”). If you want specific changes to the policy then feel free to spell them out.
this place is indeed rather “impersonal” (because “personal” postings are not allowed).
What are “personal postings”? What is not allowed is personal attacks.
What would be a valid point – if someone had actually made it – is that there isn’t a lot of banter on EuroGA. Well… you can’t have your cake and eat it. The internet is full of places where you can chat 24/7. Facebook is a good start. But you get such a poor signal to noise ratio that almost nobody bothers to write anything worth reading. All you get is a large number of people tossing in loads of one-liners, 99% of which will contain zero information. One of the drawbacks of the internet is that everybody is inundated with information, and most intelligent people just discard anything that is less than very interesting.
So, everyone, try to keep EuroGA really interesting.
alexisvc, for one who wants to leave you’re making an awful lot of postings. Regardless, please stop repeatedly posting the same thing or we’ll block your account. Thanks.
I was trying to have an intelligent debate about moderation. Whether you have met people is by the by if you are running an internet forum unless it is just for personal friends. If I take your bullet points Peter as addressed to me (as I assume they were), you are right – I do like the people on the forum; those with whom I agree and those I don’t agree with. That is why I would like to address any issues I see. Naturally I could easily be wrong.
I am concerned with the interpretation of the guidelines, not the guidelines themselves.
I do though think that you react strongly to anyone who disagrees with you and I don’t think that is healthy for the forum. For a person with a lot of experience and clearly very strong views, you are going to invite disagreement. That isn’t personal. I also have strong views and none of us is immune from challenge if people disagree. Even vehement disagreement is fine (IMHO) so long as people don’t cross the line into personal abuse.
Anyway, it is your forum and you should feel free to ignore if you wish.
Peter and David the forum is civil, and with helpful contributors if you have a question, especially if related to GA flying in Europe – very much on point.
It must be a careful balancing act, and whether moderation can be achieved by gentle nudges, or occasionally needs a firmer hand, requires a lot of judgment – can’t be easy.
In any event the guideline cited in the Mooney thread seems well drafted, and reflects the thought that has gone into the forum by its sponsors – so thank you, and I hope this forum can continue to thrive.
Safe flying!
It’s not really about the drafting of the guidelines. It’s more about how they are handled, and how words like “personal” and “attacks” are (mis)interpreted and applied in the context of an interesting discussion.
Today’s unfortunate episode might indeed become a turning point in the success story of this forum… would be a pity.
Today’s unfortunate episode might indeed become a turning point in the success story of this forum
Have you actually seen what led to “today’s unfortunate episode”, *boscomantico?*
I don’t think so.
At one point we had one guy throwing in a post over and over, by pressing Submit roughly every 20 seconds! I had better things to do during my working day than sit there with a 10 second auto refresh on the mod feed, deleting them for god knows how long.
I don’t think this is a “moderation issue” at all. It was a complete farce.
Jason’s post kicking off this thread is wide of the mark for the same reason – he would not have known what was going on either.
The perfectly reasonable request I posted in what looked like becoming a completely never ending Mooney kicking a dead horse thread is still there for all to see.
Some people need to get a life. (maybe too much to ask for, on the internet, sometimes?)
If it wasn’t for the other 99% of people who appreciate a nice polite informative forum, I wouldn’t bother doing this, frankly.
