Recent Debates/Problems/Etc on Forum

[Teebin]

Why did I just get a flex jet ad? As if!

 

[JoeCamel]

Why did I just get a flex jet ad? As if!

You must fit the demo. Been looking at travel lately? I get tire ads

 

[RevFreako]

I get the weirdest ads on this site.

 

[hishedale]

You must fit the demo. Been looking at travel lately? I get tire ads

I get the weirdest ads on this site.

Why did I just get a flex jet ad? As if!

I get Universal Orlando ads, so I'm not complaining.

 

[GAcoaster]

I get mostly Universal ads at home, but when I'm at work I get whatever other people that use these computers have been searching. It's weird seeing ads in Spanish half the time...

 

[Brian G.]

Re-upping for people to have a go and vent their issues.

 

[shiekra38]

I'll start I guess...There has been no ice in the vending machine for weeks...


There. I said it.

 

[fryoj]

It seems to me, and anyone can feel free to disagree, that a lot of the problem is the squashing of discussion by "insiders". Theres some people on here who either have sources, or hear rumors, and if anyone presents any idea other than that, they talk it down. Sometimes they are, but often, it's very dismissive and rude. This ends up just making people mad and they either respond in kind or just stop posting.

A perfect example was the whole discussion about when KidZone was going to close in the Nintendo thread. There were a couple people who were adamant that it was closing around HHN. Anyone who presented an alternate rumor was blasted. And when asked how they knew, the answer was often either some vague answer about sources. When it became clear that they were wrong they deflected. Even then, they were rude when people pointed out they were wrong. That's just an example, but it happens often enough that people notice and get sick of it. It apparently has got to the point where these people "in the know" are tired of people speculating and letting that show.

It's sad that Teebin, someone who has directly proven that he has source many times, has stopped posting(based on what has been said on another thread. I have not talked to him) because others who haven't shown that they actually have connections have made the board not worth posting on.

Again, this is just one person's read on the subject. Everyone else is free to agree or disagree.

 

[Brian G.]

It seems to me, and anyone can feel free to disagree, that a lot of the problem is the squashing of discussion by "insiders". Theres some people on here who either have sources, or hear rumors, and if anyone presents any idea other than that, they talk it down. Sometimes they are, but often, it's very dismissive and rude. This ends up just making people mad and they either respond in kind or just stop posting.

A perfect example was the whole discussion about when KidZone was going to close in the Nintendo thread. There were a couple people who were adamant that it was closing around HHN. Anyone who presented an alternate rumor was blasted. And when asked how they knew, the answer was often either some vague answer about sources. When it became clear that they were wrong they deflected. Even then, they were rude when people pointed out they were wrong. That's just an example, but it happens often enough that people notice and get sick of it. It apparently has got to the point where these people "in the know" are tired of people speculating and letting that show.

It's sad that Teebin, someone who has directly proven that he has source many times, has stopped posting(based on what has been said on another thread. I have not talked to him) because others who haven't shown that they actually have connections have made the board not worth posting on.

Again, this is just one person's read on the subject. Everyone else is free to agree or disagree.

That's fair.

I can only speak on behalf of the team though. If any of the mods or staff is doing this, I can curve that. I can't so much with you regular ol' users. That opens up doors to censorship, accusations of whatever else and can get kind of muddled.

Everyone knows that I let everyone speak, as long as they are respectful. Hell, Epcyclo lasted a long time here until he reached the end of the line.

The problem is who do we satisfy? Like I said, I can curve the rudeness of some, especially if it's the IU Mod team, but I can't downright stop it. It could be that old tricky thing of online interpretation. Did they mean to come off that way? There's also a branch of readers that prefer that any non-sense be put to bed pronto - but I understand there is branch of reader that prefers fun speculation.... but that's a winding road of other issues.

Either way, I'd rather you guys be honest. Instead of holding it in, and just holding grudges - reach out to me. Whether be a jerk member, or a moderator. There's been several members who either have misunderstood things or whatever else may be the case who reached out to me, or vice versa. We talked it out, and reached an understanding. Silence is just going to make whatever problem there is, or could be, worse.

 

[Andysol]

Even though it’s past festivus and the airing of grievances, I’ll go.

The defense of universal can be a bit overbearing from some on the mod team. We all love Uni here. Some of us like disney as well. Some can’t stand disney anymore (looking at you @Disneyhead )- which is fine.

But when anything is said that paints universal in a bad light- or disney in a better light than universal, even if true, it gets shut down/countered by a mod immediately. It’s different when it’s a generic member attempting to shut it down, but people take exception with disagreeing with mods because of a respect level (or fear?). And when piling on starts on Uni, it gets shut down pretty quick as well.
It’s just nice to pile onto them sometimes.


I love the forum- and the mod team- you’re in an impossible situation, I get it. Half want to complain, half hate seeing complaints. We don’t want to be as negative as magic, but we don’t want to be snorters like DIS boards. So that’s obviously going to be difficult to manage.
I’d just ask a little more impartiality from a couple of the mods (or to bite their tongue)

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Even though it’s past festivus and the airing of grievances, I’ll go.

The defense of universal can be a bit overbearing from some on the mod team. We all love Uni here. Some of us like disney as well. Some can’t stand disney anymore (looking at you @Disneyhead )- which is fine.

But when anything is said that paints universal in a bad light- or disney in a better light than universal, even if true, it gets shut down/countered by a mod immediately. It’s different when it’s a generic member attempting to shut it down, but people take exception with disagreeing with mods because of a respect level (or fear?). And when piling on starts on Uni, it gets shut down pretty quick as well.
It’s just nice to pile onto them sometimes.


I love the forum- and the mod team- you’re in an impossible situation, I get it. Half want to complain, half hate seeing complaints. We don’t want to be as negative as magic, but we don’t want to be snorters like DIS boards. So that’s obviously going to be difficult to manage.
I’d just ask a little more impartiality from a couple of the mods (or to bite their tongue)

Would it help if mod instructions were put in red or given a special tag. This would reduce confusion on opinions vs moderation guidance.

 

[WAJAS]

Would it help if mod instructions were put in red or given a special tag. This would reduce confusion on opinions vs moderation guidance.

That would probably fix some issues actually. It would help us, users, better interpret what is a suggestion/comment vs a definitive statement by someone in a position of authority (mods). I'd probably go with a faded/dull shade of red for this. Doesn't come across as overly negative, while still distinguishing from normal text.

 

[shiekra38]

I have been a part of Universal forums such as IOA Central, Universal-Excitement (pre-tazing incident), Universal Ignited, WDW Magic, and HHN Vault


The reason I say that it because I see some similarities and some differences between those experiences.


First of all, the amount of insider knowledge and general ability of knowing things first on this site are amazing. It is one of the great identities of this community. Being able to know things first and sift through the drudgery of theme park rumors. I am thankful for this aspect of the site and it doesn’t bother me in the slightest that some folks give a wink or a nudge or say “You will be impressed, that’s all I can say”. The reason why this doesn’t bother me is because of the trust I have in the insiders that are here. That is a major component of the site that I would like to see continue moving forward.


However. I have noticed an increase of people joining the site recently. This is a great opportunity to build our fan community and should be seen as such. Those that are new need to be treated with the respect that we expect when we post - even if the question they ask is ridiculous. I am guilty of often poking a bit too much as questions I deem as silly - I will stop doing that.


Second, discussions get off track. They do. But we can’t make the same mistake as some of the older forums and lock down every thread so tightly that even the slightest off topic banter is deleted or yelled at. We will get back on topic eventually, normally when we are off topic it means there is no concrete information coming from the rumor mill at the moment. In my opinion (open for disagreement) it is ok for us to joke around and make jokes with one another. One may say that it’s “OK” if we don’t have anything to talk about. I would say that that goes against the very grain of what a discussion board is all about.


Moving forward, I would like to see us be all around nicer to each other (mods included). This is a great fan community. I feel we all just need to take a breather for a bit and realize, it’s all for fun at the end of the day.

 

[Mad Dog]

I have been a part of Universal forums such as IOA Central, Universal-Excitement (pre-tazing incident), Universal Ignited, WDW Magic, and HHN Vault


The reason I say that it because I see some similarities and some differences between those experiences.


First of all, the amount of insider knowledge and general ability of knowing things first on this site are amazing. It is one of the great identities of this community. Being able to know things first and sift through the drudgery of theme park rumors. I am thankful for this aspect of the site and it doesn’t bother me in the slightest that some folks give a wink or a nudge or say “You will be impressed, that’s all I can say”. The reason why this doesn’t bother me is because of the trust I have in the insiders that are here. That is a major component of the site that I would like to see continue moving forward.


However. I have noticed an increase of people joining the site recently. This is a great opportunity to build our fan community and should be seen as such. Those that are new need to be treated with the respect that we expect when we post - even if the question they ask is ridiculous. I am guilty of often poking a bit too much as questions I deem as silly - I will stop doing that.


Second, discussions get off track. They do. But we can’t make the same mistake as some of the older forums and lock down every thread so tightly that even the slightest off topic banter is deleted or yelled at. We will get back on topic eventually, normally when we are off topic it means there is no concrete information coming from the rumor mill at the moment. In my opinion (open for disagreement) it is ok for us to joke around and make jokes with one another. One may say that it’s “OK” if we don’t have anything to talk about. I would say that that goes against the very grain of what a discussion board is all about.


Moving forward, I would like to see us be all around nicer to each other (mods included). This is a great fan community. I feel we all just need to take a breather for a bit and realize, it’s all for fun at the end of the day.

Big time agree with you. :thumbsup:

 

[Brian G.]

Second, discussions get off track. They do. But we can’t make the same mistake as some of the older forums and lock down every thread so tightly that even the slightest off topic banter is deleted or yelled at. We will get back on topic eventually, normally when we are off topic it means there is no concrete information coming from the rumor mill at the moment. In my opinion (open for disagreement) it is ok for us to joke around and make jokes with one another. One may say that it’s “OK” if we don’t have anything to talk about. I would say that that goes against the very grain of what a discussion board is all about.

I agree. I usually let sidetracks happen but rein it in when it starts going to a severe off-course. As I stated, we know there are people who don't wanna shuffle through 3 pages of off-topic discussion so we have to be mindful of them, too. With that said, when I was sick this past couple months, I didn't pay too much attention to each and every thread so if things got toooo tight, I can't speak on it.

That Mod tag may be a good place start to help change things.

 

[Mad Dog]

I agree. I usually let sidetracks happen but rein it in when it starts going to a severe off-course. As I stated, we know there are people who don't wanna shuffle through 3 pages of off-topic discussion so we have to be mindful of them, too. With that said, when I was sick this past couple months, I didn't pay too much attention to each and every thread so if things got toooo tight, I can't speak on it.

That Mod tag may be a good place start to help change things.

Looking like things can get back on course. Shiekra's observations and suggestions are right on.

 

[WAJAS]

To be completely real with you guys, I made this mistake 10 years ago with a forum I had that was hot as hell. Started enforcing all of these rules that I shouldn't have and ended up losing the majority of my community. I see you guys going down the same rabbit hole.

People are going to have personalities and at the end of the day, it's better to let things play out organically than to constantly restrict what you can and cannot say on the forum. I promise you that if you just leave it alone, and only moderate things that really need true moderation, you're going to have a better discussion, better content, you'll probably be the first to break news again, and your podcasts will be way more fun to listen to.

Teebs is gone, Epcyclopedia is banned, HTF never posts. Like, these are the guys you want to make sure are adding content to your forum, and you're prohibiting it. Maybe it's about time you take a page out of Trump's playbook - for every 1 new rule you make you have to eliminate 2.

Don't do what I did - you turn people away when you interfere.

I didn't even realize Epcyclopedia was perm-banned. I thought most bans here were temp for some reason.

 

[Scott W.]

I didn't even realize Epcyclopedia was perm-banned. I thought most bans here were temp for some reason.

Without going into the details, I think his was justified. Most bans are temporary though and as much as people might disagree with the mods, they do give a lot of wiggle room.

 

[RevFreako]

I have been a part of Universal forums such as IOA Central, Universal-Excitement (pre-tazing incident), Universal Ignited, WDW Magic, and HHN Vault


The reason I say that it because I see some similarities and some differences between those experiences.


First of all, the amount of insider knowledge and general ability of knowing things first on this site are amazing. It is one of the great identities of this community. Being able to know things first and sift through the drudgery of theme park rumors. I am thankful for this aspect of the site and it doesn’t bother me in the slightest that some folks give a wink or a nudge or say “You will be impressed, that’s all I can say”. The reason why this doesn’t bother me is because of the trust I have in the insiders that are here. That is a major component of the site that I would like to see continue moving forward.


However. I have noticed an increase of people joining the site recently. This is a great opportunity to build our fan community and should be seen as such. Those that are new need to be treated with the respect that we expect when we post - even if the question they ask is ridiculous. I am guilty of often poking a bit too much as questions I deem as silly - I will stop doing that.


Second, discussions get off track. They do. But we can’t make the same mistake as some of the older forums and lock down every thread so tightly that even the slightest off topic banter is deleted or yelled at. We will get back on topic eventually, normally when we are off topic it means there is no concrete information coming from the rumor mill at the moment. In my opinion (open for disagreement) it is ok for us to joke around and make jokes with one another. One may say that it’s “OK” if we don’t have anything to talk about. I would say that that goes against the very grain of what a discussion board is all about.


Moving forward, I would like to see us be all around nicer to each other (mods included). This is a great fan community. I feel we all just need to take a breather for a bit and realize, it’s all for fun at the end of the day.

Please explain the tazing incident.

 

[Brian G.]

To be completely real with you guys, I made this mistake 10 years ago with a forum I had that was hot as hell. Started enforcing all of these rules that I shouldn't have and ended up losing the majority of my community. I see you guys going down the same rabbit hole.

People are going to have personalities and at the end of the day, it's better to let things play out organically than to constantly restrict what you can and cannot say on the forum. I promise you that if you just leave it alone, and only moderate things that really need true moderation, you're going to have a better discussion, better content, you'll probably be the first to break news again, and your podcasts will be way more fun to listen to.

Teebs is gone, Epcyclopedia is banned, HTF never posts. Like, these are the guys you want to make sure are adding content to your forum, and you're prohibiting it. Maybe it's about time you take a page out of Trump's playbook - for every 1 new rule you make you have to eliminate 2.

Don't do what I did - you turn people away when you interfere.

There is a lot I disagree with here.

1. I can admit moderating too harsh has caused issues, which is why I'm opening up the discussion about it.

2. Better content, being first, podcasts has nothing to do with the moderation team. They are entirely separate. When it comes to rumors/news, we'd rather be right than first. Podcasts - as far as the Orlando side - has been hampered due to lack of time on HTF's side... which leads to...

3. Hatetofly's lack of activity is due to him being a family man. Nothing more to it. Epcyclo was banned ... again... after crossing a serious line. Everyone that saw what he posted knows the ban was justified. Teebin, I will reach out to.

4. Letting the inmates run the asylum has happened - and we get messages that it's too toxic. Having the mods rein in discussion tighter is also apparently causing issues. Like I said - I don't mind if a thread goes on a sidetrack because it's natural in the sake of discussion, but there is also a need to bring it back on topic when it's getting way of course.