[Face Ache]

I think you guys should keep the moderators out of the debates in the lounge. If they want to preach their opinions/belief systems they should use regular logins.

Otherwise you run the risk of seeming to be a political mouthpiece.

[vmarks]

Any opinions expressed in the lounge are the only the opinions of the person posting, and may not represent the opinions of the site or others.

I think you might have something there, with the suggestion of a regular login. Good thought-

[ 03-10-2002: Message edited by: vmarks ]

[Camelot]

Originally posted by Face Ache:
<STRONG>I think you guys should keep the moderators out of the debates in the lounge. If they want to preach their opinions/belief systems they should use regular logins.

Otherwise you run the risk of seeming to be a political mouthpiece.</STRONG>

I agree with you, Face, although I'd go one further. I think moderators should ONLY post using their moderator account when their post has some relevance to the operation of the forums - i.e. bringing down abusive posters, commenting on operational status, closing/moving threads, etc.

IMHO, Moderator accounts should not be used for personal opinion. The trouble with it is that novice users will take a statement made by a 'Moderator' with more weight than that of a post from a 'regular' user, even if the regular user is correct.

For example, there was an issue recently in one forum where the 'Moderator' came out and stated that another poster "doesn't know what they're talking about" just because their opinions differed. That poster would now be seen in a worse light than they would have been if the moderator had used a normal account and the statement would have been given the same weight as it would from any other user.

I'm sure the moderators here are smart enough to be able to switch nicknames in the forums and can transfer their member status/number of posts over from their moderator nicks.

[vmarks]

A moderator only has moderator priveliges for the particular forum they are a moderator for- they have no powers outside of that forum.

The lounge is the appropriate place for opinion- in a troubleshooting forum, or software forum, a moderator stating that another poster is misinformed might appropriately carry some weight. In the lounge, where opinion reigns, it need not. If you're worried about novice users, well, novice users learn quickest by jumping into the fire that is the lounge.

These forums exist for helping answer hardware and software issues, and having a large community means that the most correct answers to a user's troubles are likely to come to the fore.

The lounge exists for recreation, to blow off steam, and as a side-line to the rest of the forums. It certainly isn't worth getting upset over.

These are my own opinions and may not be representative of the position of MacNN.com.

[CaseCom]

Mods and admins should continue to express their own opinions as they see fit, in their own forums or elsewhere. Everyone knows they're speaking for themselves and not for MacNN.

I'd have a problem only if they were abusing other members or otherwise violating the service agreement, and I don't see that happening anywhere.

Separate logins would be stupid. What, vmarks would log in as Moderator to move a post to some other forum, then re-log in as Member to disagree with a member's opinion about the new iMac, or correct bad information posted by someone? People are more intelligent than that.

[Moderator]

People people, please be careful with your broad generalizations. You must not discriminate against all Moderators when what you intend is to curtail the actions of a few. All Moderators are not the same...sure we may share the same name..but that's superficial..there is a person inside..a person with feelings.

[Millennium]

I'm going to go with vmarks on this one. I have yet to see any mods abuse their positions in the Lounge. Blue stars are not a gag; we have no more or less right to our own opinions - and to speak about them - than anyone else. If someone's insecure enough to see those blue stars and put any weight on them in an opinion piece, then there are larger issues to be dealt with.

I do think it would be nice if the blue stars were only shown in the forums that a moderator is active in. Unfortunately, the way UBB works, I'm not sure that's possible (at the very least, it would take some severe hacking).

[gorgonzola]

Unless there's an abuse of power issue, which I have not seen for quite a while here, it's not an issue at all. I don't think moderators should have to use alternate logins- people should know that the moderators here are chosen for their good demeanor and presence in a forum, as well as knowing the forum subject well.

I think it's more an issue of not taking things too seriously...but I could be wrong. Also, from a practical standpoint, it's a major hassle to keep logging off and back onto a site. No one should have to do that.

Any other thoughts?

Originally posted by gorgonzola:
Unless there's an abuse of power issue, which I have not seen for quite a while here, it's not an issue at all.

cause happily that ignorant arrogant jerk bastard idiot admin lounge/periphs mod hasn't been around in a couple months. whatever did happen to him, btw? does he ever do anything anymore, or why is he still admin and moderator if he never posts? not that i or anyone else want to ever hear from him again, but just curious why he still has those offensive red stars.

of course the best would be if someone told him about this post, and then he came in here just to delete it or something. that would be typical

[gorgonzola]

Originally posted by &lt;iliveunderabridge&gt;:
<STRONG>
cause happily that ignorant arrogant jerk bastard idiot admin lounge/periphs mod hasn't been around in a couple months. whatever did happen to him, btw? does he ever do anything anymore, or why is he still admin and moderator if he never posts? not that i or anyone else want to ever hear from him again, but just curious why he still has those offensive red stars.

of course the best would be if someone told him about this post, and then he came in here just to delete it or something. that would be typical </STRONG>

Funny, a friend of mine goes to Berkeley too

[sine -''-..-]

moderators are peoples to.... *sniffs*

Originally posted by gorgonzola:
Funny, a friend of mine goes to Berkeley too

ah yes, a friend of yours. i suppose that does explain it.
you know, sometimes it really feels like this place is just being run by a bunch of kids

[Cipher13]

Originally posted by CaseCom:
<STRONG>Mods and admins should continue to express their own opinions as they see fit, in their own forums or elsewhere. Everyone knows they're speaking for themselves and not for MacNN.

I'd have a problem only if they were abusing other members or otherwise violating the service agreement, and I don't see that happening anywhere.

Separate logins would be stupid. What, vmarks would log in as Moderator to move a post to some other forum, then re-log in as Member to disagree with a member's opinion about the new iMac, or correct bad information posted by someone? People are more intelligent than that.</STRONG>

Indeed. Why silence moderators? They are here for the same reasons as everyone else - discussion, learning, et al.

They just happen to also police the forums somewhat, making sure it's nice and tidy... mods and admins should post whatever they like.

Do you have any idea how irritating it'd be to have multiple logins for mods? I mean, honestly, log in, post, log out, lock thread, log back in, post...

Get real. Having mods only use their "mod" account to actually moderate? That's ridiculous.

Even if a mod uses a different account for opinion posts, everyone still knows that moderator's opinion on a topic. So it's pointless. A separate accounts seems very superficial.

[Big Mac]

This thread is definitely a non-starter. Just because a particular moderator - vmarks - is infinitely more intelligent than, say, the original poster and his cohorts, attempting to squelch vmarks' superior opinion is certainly not the way for his detractors to win debates. Since the original poster is so concerned about the influence of his own contentions, perhaps said individual would be better off formulating logical, moral opinions instead. . .

[Timo]

Gonna cast my vote for "things just the way they are."

Um, do I get a vote?

[BRussell]

I'm so weak-minded, that when I see all those blue stars, my mind just turns to mush and I believe everything they say.

[monotone voice, glassy-eyed look] "Yes, Millennium. Yes, vmarks. Whatever you say."

8-

[rjenkinson]

heh.

-r.

[cube-dude]

Originally posted by BRussell:
<STRONG>[monotone voice, glassy-eyed look] "Yes, Millennium. Yes, vmarks. Whatever you say."</STRONG>

BRussell, you are getting sleepy, very sleepy. Send cube-dude an iPod . . . Send iPod right away . . .