Well, I'm sorry to see Cary go. I've enjoyed his thoughts about all things Trek even though we don't always agree.
Maybe I have a bit of a soft spot for grumpy engineering types, but I've seen a lot of what Cary complains about. It doesn't help that official policy is to sweep discussion under the rug with a constant "comments to PM" retort that does nothing to foster open discussion and shine light on problems with moderation. While I understand the idea is to keep threads on topic, there's no reason these things can't be discussed out in the open under Moderator Actions ... except, again, the mods want everything kept in PM.
Although Cary functions with a bit of a confirmation bias regarding unfair mods, he sure does seem to incur moderator wrath more easily than others for similar offenses. Maybe M'Sharek's just tired of dealing with a grumpy curmudgeon, but I wouldn't have warned Cary for calling a troll a troll. A firm, but civil, "Don't do that again" was all he deserved, even if it was obvious he'd do it again eventually anyway. Instead, we were left with a situation where the guy flamed was punished the same as the flamer. No wonder Cary got ticked off.
TheGodThing, Trevanian, CRA, and others have seen and received similar treatment. And while they're not always the most courteous posters, they often post with something interesting to say. Driving these people from the boards leaves the place to less thought-provoking posters who typically can't be bothered to rub enough neurons together to produce more than snarky remarks. You're throwing out good wood and keeping rot. (Although that isn't to say that there aren't thoughtful posters who are able to keep their comments diplomatic, but I'd rather have thoughtful posters, courteous or not, instead of the snarks.)
Comments to PM? Nah ... I don't think I can trust any system that keeps discussion in the dark.
Maybe I have a bit of a soft spot for grumpy engineering types, but I've seen a lot of what Cary complains about. It doesn't help that official policy is to sweep discussion under the rug with a constant "comments to PM" retort that does nothing to foster open discussion and shine light on problems with moderation. While I understand the idea is to keep threads on topic, there's no reason these things can't be discussed out in the open under Moderator Actions ... except, again, the mods want everything kept in PM.
Although Cary functions with a bit of a confirmation bias regarding unfair mods, he sure does seem to incur moderator wrath more easily than others for similar offenses. Maybe M'Sharek's just tired of dealing with a grumpy curmudgeon, but I wouldn't have warned Cary for calling a troll a troll. A firm, but civil, "Don't do that again" was all he deserved, even if it was obvious he'd do it again eventually anyway. Instead, we were left with a situation where the guy flamed was punished the same as the flamer. No wonder Cary got ticked off.
TheGodThing, Trevanian, CRA, and others have seen and received similar treatment. And while they're not always the most courteous posters, they often post with something interesting to say. Driving these people from the boards leaves the place to less thought-provoking posters who typically can't be bothered to rub enough neurons together to produce more than snarky remarks. You're throwing out good wood and keeping rot. (Although that isn't to say that there aren't thoughtful posters who are able to keep their comments diplomatic, but I'd rather have thoughtful posters, courteous or not, instead of the snarks.)
Comments to PM? Nah ... I don't think I can trust any system that keeps discussion in the dark.
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