No sir, it wasn't.....
It was started by a member who asked a benign question, "what is the truth". In retrospect, perhaps the thread should have never been started or deleted after the first post, but the poster meant no harm. Admittedly, three posts down there was an insult. Had I been a moderator that post would have been gone and I would have chided the one who put it up, VIA a PM.
I personally knocked the rumor to its knees in post #9, and in post 10 Darr Hawthorne knocked it right on its ass. That right there should have been the end of it, but it wasn't. Unfortunately there were two more uncalled-for insults along the line, but the rest was OP/ED discussion with quite a few accolades on your behalf included. I really wish you would return to that thread and read my followup letter, post 36. No need in repeating it all here.
I'll go on record with this statement, and then I'm going to talk about what I think needs to take place on these boards. I'll no longer criticize Don Schumacher or any other racer, member or guest, unless I have reasonable and prudent information to back up what I'm saying. If I feel the need to further discuss a pressing issue or problem, I have no reservations whatsoever bringing the matter to God himself. However we've all spoken out of line and out of turn, myself included, and for those times I am truly humbled. Respect is due the seasoned champion or the 1-post newbie. We can do better; we should do better.
I've served as co-administrator, 'super' moderator and just plain 'ol moderator on at least half a dozen sites, one of them for 7+ years on a site considerably larger than this one. The subject matter is different but people are people whether you're discussing sex, drag racing, computer technology or jihad. The same reactions occur; the same discipline works, or fails. Only the names are different.
Speaking of names, requiring real ones at Mater is nice, but not for the reasons you're thinking. That requirement won't even break the stride of a genuine troll, or $hit-stirrer, if you will, so if Mater is thinking it weeds out these troublemakers, think again. What's nice about it is that it lends credibility to the person behind the type. So, keep the names. I'd much rather know I'm talking to Ron Capps than "NAPAKnowHowMan" or some other BS handle.
In RE creating a separate forum for racers only: Fahgedaboudit. Been there; it doesn't work. Racers don't need it, for starters, and they won't stay in there anyway. One forum I moderated dealt with a hobby that required extensive knowledge of computer programming. We tried just that, creating a 'home' just for the programmers. What a farce. They'd all come right back into the main forum, to either impress the common folk with their skills, chew on someone's butt for leaking a rumor, or just pal around with their old friends. Not unlike NitroMater.
I'm telling you, it's a waste of time.
In RE violations: Setting rules and parameters, other than a general 'NO BASHING OR FLAMING' statement, is futile. We've tried green-dot merit/demerit systems, 1-2-3 and you're outta here, 1 day, then 3 days, then a week, then a month, then permanent bans...WAY too much trouble to keep up with; moderators get PM'd to death with clemency requests and it just never quits. There is one way to do it, and the responsibility falls squarely on the mods at this site. You take it on a case-by-case basis.
You must be consistent and not play favorites. I've tossed airline pilots, corporate CEO's and even a prominent rap artist right under the bus. I don't care, and you can't care, either. Everyone is treated individually, equally and with a heavy dose of common sense. I could expand on this for miles and miles, but you get the idea.
I allowed constructive, substantiated criticism on my sites in all cases. There is a vast difference between critique and flame. I digress to the Capps thread. "Don Schumacher is 100% business when it comes to winning races and championships" is substantiated critique. "Don Schumacher hates Cory Mac" is not. What to do about it? Report the post, if you're a member. That's part of a mod's job, to rely on information given by other members. But, remember, case-by-case. Mods have several options. Edit the offensive text and forget it. Delete the entire post and send the poster an explanation....or send him/her a warning, if it's really bad or it's a repeat offense. Mods can close up the thread, or just delete it all. If a particular post is severe enough in nature to warrant a ban - then ban. There should be a provision in the VBulletin (or whatever) software to put "banned" under a members' name as a reminder to the next jackass that figures he/she knows more than the rest of us.
Remember something. This site isn't governed by the First Amendment. It is not a democracy; it's a friendly dictatorship. Those who run it have every right to censor whomever, for whatever. And a certain degree of skin thickness is required in one of these places, whether you're the target or the shooter. No one is God, except God, and he ain't registered as far as I know.
Running it right up the middle is always the best way. NitroMater will survive - and prosper - if its' members are allowed to air their laundry, speak their mind, not be afraid of intimidation or slander and knowing there is a system in place that will keep the site that way. Respect is a two way street. You can and you must govern - at the same time you cannot smother and stifle.
It's not easy being a moderator. Despite your best efforts, dustups will always be part and parcel of a large internet discussion forum. But it can be controlled and it can be a source of pleasure and learning if it's handled properly. And with that, I think I'm through for a while.
