Official "Ask Admin/Mod" a question thread

[SoulMonster]

I didn't say I hate him. Why are you getting so irritated? I also didn't say it IS a ghost town. All I pointed out that the slippery slope that is starting will leave it being one. There's already an example of a site that was booming landing on it's face after everything "negative" or "ridiculous" was removed.

Removing the most outrageous attacks on the band is not making this place turn into a place where criticism is not allowed.

THANK YOU MODS FOR TAKING ACTION! AND THANK YOU TO THE ADMINS FOR THE GOOD WORK THAT IS HAPPENING HERE!

[Rustycage]

I didn't say I hate him. Why are you getting so irritated? I also didn't say it IS a ghost town. All I pointed out that the slippery slope that is starting will leave it being one. There's already an example of a site that was booming landing on it's face after everything "negative" or "ridiculous" was removed.

Removing the most outrageous attacks on the band is not making this place turn into a place where criticism is not allowed.

THANK YOU MODS FOR TAKING ACTION! AND THANK YOU TO THE ADMINS FOR THE GOOD WORK THAT IS HAPPENING HERE!

Asking if people hate Axl is not an attack on the band.

[highvoltage]

I didn't say I hate him. Why are you getting so irritated? I also didn't say it IS a ghost town. All I pointed out that the slippery slope that is starting will leave it being one. There's already an example of a site that was booming landing on it's face after everything "negative" or "ridiculous" was removed.

Removing the most outrageous attacks on the band is not making this place turn into a place where criticism is not allowed.

THANK YOU MODS FOR TAKING ACTION! AND THANK YOU TO THE ADMINS FOR THE GOOD WORK THAT IS HAPPENING HERE!

Asking if people hate Axl is not an attack on the band.

Maybe not - but surely it's not difficult to see that this sort of thread is only going to head in that direction. It's been said many times, we're a fan forum - why would fans want to read or participate in a topic like that? Does it create a fun atmosphere for people to post in? Personally, when I log in and see threads like that, it's a buzzkill and drives me straight out of the main section.

Honestly... come on guys, question us when we make actual mistakes - not over topics that we lock for sound (and pretty obvious) reasons. It gets a bit tedious otherwise.

If you meet us halfway and only call mods out when we actually deserve it (instead of when we don't), then we're a lot more likely to reverse a decision or rethink our actions. If you're someone that cries "censorship" every time we lock a thread, then you're doing more to hurt the forum than help it, and we're less likely to admit (or even see) when we're in the wrong.

Cheers.

[bumblecool]

RustyCage look at your sign, do you really think someone on a Fan forum enjoy these signs and shit like that?

[Crash Diet]

RustyCage look at your sign, do you really think someone on a Fan forum enjoy these signs and shit like that?

I'm a big fan of Axl's & Slash work since they split up, but i'm enjoy these type of sings. It makes me a good laugh.

[SoulMonster]

I didn't say I hate him. Why are you getting so irritated? I also didn't say it IS a ghost town. All I pointed out that the slippery slope that is starting will leave it being one. There's already an example of a site that was booming landing on it's face after everything "negative" or "ridiculous" was removed.

Removing the most outrageous attacks on the band is not making this place turn into a place where criticism is not allowed.

THANK YOU MODS FOR TAKING ACTION! AND THANK YOU TO THE ADMINS FOR THE GOOD WORK THAT IS HAPPENING HERE!

Asking if people hate Axl is not an attack on the band.

Maybe not - but surely it's not difficult to see that this sort of thread is only going to head in that direction. It's been said many times, we're a fan forum - why would fans want to read or participate in a topic like that? Does it create a fun atmosphere for people to post in? Personally, when I log in and see threads like that, it's a buzzkill and drives me straight out of the main section.

Honestly... come on guys, question us when we make actual mistakes - not over topics that we lock for sound (and pretty obvious) reasons. It gets a bit tedious otherwise.

If you meet us halfway and only call mods out when we actually deserve it (instead of when we don't), then we're a lot more likely to reverse a decision or rethink our actions. If you're someone that cries "censorship" every time we lock a thread, then you're doing more to hurt the forum than help it, and we're less likely to admit (or even see) when we're in the wrong.

Cheers.

Damn! Every day I see outrageous posts in the main section that almost drives me away, and then you mods write excellent posts like this proving this forum is in the hands of mature, intelligent, diplomatic guys with the skills to actually make this place a good place despite all the destructive elements, and not by banning them outright but actually by working hard to reconcile the opposing elements and make this a place for everyone. I am very impressed by what you guys are doing.

[Rustycage]

RustyCage look at your sign, do you really think someone on a Fan forum enjoy these signs and shit like that?

Yes, I think some do.

tl;dr = yes.

[UK SUBS]

Amended title

You may not get the answer straight away - please don't repost the same question - non serious questions (deemed by High and myself) will be ignored

[Guest Broskirose]

RustyCage look at your sign, do you really think someone on a Fan forum enjoy these signs and shit like that?

I enjoyed it thoroughly.

[Estranged Reality]

Isn't it possible to like Guns N Roses and not like Axl?

In its current state, that seems highly unlikely. If you hate Axl and still like GN'R, then chances are you were a fan of the older lineup, in which case you shouldn't be posting in GN'R News & Discussion and trying to derail threads for people who are supportive of the current lineup anyway. Seems pretty simple to me.

That doesn't mean you can't express negative opinions in GN'R News. I do it all the time. But to ask people if they hate the man who represents GN'R is silly, and not constructive criticism. We shouldn't even be having this discussion over it.

Also, his custom title sure looks promising. That is a complete imitation of an individual at HTGTH.

Firstly, I haven't visited that site in at least a couple years, so I'm not sure what you're referring to. The custom title is an obvious joke, and if you can't take it for what it is, then that's not my problem. (Also note that I never planned to keep it, I just wanted to test out the new feature that allows us to edit the bylines under our avatars, so I put that there until I come up with something clever.) I'm clearly not on a mission to censor anyone or ban anyone. I think it's safe to say that I'm on good terms with most of the regular posters here and people recognize me from posting over the years - it's not like I just registered here. No one has ever expressed issues to me regarding perceived censorship and I'm probably the last person to be accused of not letting people talk negatively about Axl/GN'R, so for you to imply otherwise strikes me as a bit odd.

[Haters Gonna Hate]

Will there be a thread called Banned Members so we know who's banned and maybe one for suspensions

[Guest Gunns]

Amended title

non serious questions (deemed by High and myself) will be ignored

oh shit!

I was going to ask you what your favorite cereal is, but I guess ill have to keep that question to myself

:xmassrudolph:

[arnold layne]

May we please have a Kurt Cobain section? :coolface:

[Axl_morris]

I've got a question for the mods.

With this new mod team and the restructure of the forum..ect, what sort of relationship do the mod team have in terms of, relationships with the Guns N Roses management or Axl himself?

in terms of crushing rumours or whatever, on professional point of view. Obviously with the old team, they had Axl come on and chat, also, they cooperated with the leaks. Will there be any attempts to strengthen the forum and GNR's managements friendship? Or are we just simply ignored as a forum by the band/management?

Edited July 1, 2012 by Axl_morris

[Kill Devil Hill]

I thought the Kurt Cobain threads were funny. And they distracted Arnold Layne from outright attacking Axl. Win-win!

[arnold layne]

I thought the Kurt Cobain threads were funny. And they distracted Arnold Layne from outright attacking Axl. Win-win!

Thank you. I am glad you enjoy them.

[Estranged Reality]

I've got a question for the mods.

With this new mod team and the restructure of the forum..ect, what sort of relationship do the mod team have in terms of, relationships with the Guns N Roses management or Axl himself?

in terms of crushing rumours or whatever, on professional point of view. Obviously with the old team, they had Axl come on and chat, also, they cooperated with the leaks. Will there be any attempts to strengthen the forum and GNR's managements friendship? Or are we just simply ignored as a forum by the band/management?

To be honest, no one from the old team "had Axl come on and chat," he just did that on his own accord. I think it's obvious he and his current management pay close attention to the forums, and I noticed that he knew a lot of forum lingo and how to use emoticons, etc. -- stuff that beginning users don't usually pick up on right away. I would be surprised if that was the first time he'd ever actually chatted with some of us... :xmasssanta: Will he be back? Hard to say -- but I don't think the moderators back then really had anything to do with him actually showing up. And both current admins (Subsy and HV) were moderators at the time, so it's not like the whole structure has changed.

Having said that, I do think we're making more of an effort to put ourselves in a position where we could get more interaction going on, both with forum users and the band itself. It'd be great if some of the bandmembers would come and post here on occasion, and while we're NOT going to be censoring discussion, I do think the ultimate 'restructure' is going to better accommodate both types of fans -- those who still stand faithfully by this incarnation of GN'R, and those who want to pledge devotion to the Slash and Duff lineup. We're going to be respectful of the old band history while also being respectful of the current band, so while it may appear right now that there's a lot of trolling going on in the main section, I think you'll find a lot of that will sort itself out as we begin to implement the changes we're developing.

[Rustycage]

Let me clarify why I brought up ER. I've just noticed a few times already in recent weeks that you joke about banning people or "people not learning the first time" and etc. Then I noticed the title. If I'm offbase, my apologies.

In its current state, that seems highly unlikely. If you hate Axl and still like GN'R, then chances are you were a fan of the older lineup, in which case you shouldn't be posting in GN'R News & Discussion and trying to derail threads for people who are supportive of the current lineup anyway. Seems pretty simple to me.

That doesn't mean you can't express negative opinions in GN'R News. I do it all the time. But to ask people if they hate the man who represents GN'R is silly, and not constructive criticism. We shouldn't even be having this discussion over it.

I am just wondering what was derailed. What have I derailed? Typically I post about the topic or what the discussion evolved into already. I'm not trying to become a martyr over the topic and apparently this is a touchy subject. My only concern about it is someone could start a topic, "Do you love Axl?" and the subject matter would probably become the same and remain. BUT because of a title it was new ground? It looks like that discussion already takes place in every topic. Criticism is labeled as hate every day already. Instead of hijacking a topic to make it clear that some of us don't "hate" the man but his direction and judgement, we have that topic or one similar to state the position. While I don't know many of the people who post the topics, it was an opportunity for some of us other people to show that the joking isn't done out of malice. As you can witness in this topic, it is a label easily tossed around for tiny reasons. Short of derailing a topic to detail the reasons for the criticism, that's the best chance to sound off. Perhaps one of the new sections that is described to be more of an "enter at your own risk" area will permit that kind of discussion with a longer leash.

Firstly, I haven't visited that site in at least a couple years, so I'm not sure what you're referring to. The custom title is an obvious joke, and if you can't take it for what it is, then that's not my problem. (Also note that I never planned to keep it, I just wanted to test out the new feature that allows us to edit the bylines under our avatars, so I put that there until I come up with something clever.) I'm clearly not on a mission to censor anyone or ban anyone. I think it's safe to say that I'm on good terms with most of the regular posters here and people recognize me from posting over the years - it's not like I just registered here. No one has ever expressed issues to me regarding perceived censorship and I'm probably the last person to be accused of not letting people talk negatively about Axl/GN'R, so for you to imply otherwise strikes me as a bit odd.

In regards to the title, Jarmo had the title "When you read this, I'm banning your ass" or something to that effect. It drew parallels. Perhaps I misunderstood and my apologies. I think you could understand the concern, though? It's nothing personal. Nothing is. Like you've pointed out, I don't know you and I can only go by what you say and sarcasm doesn't come through in text 100% of the time.

Let me repeat myself:

I simply raised the issue about the topic because it was one of a few chances to sound off for the reasons for some of the criticism. And I also repeat that I am NOT defending the title of the topic but there's some confusion about what subject matter we can discuss now. I know it's said that no one is trying to get money from the band or anything and I myself have never implied that anyone here is but on a side note.... Discussion of Fernando = poof. Discussion of Beta = poof. Discussion of "hating Axl" = poof. Calling Slash plenty of names out of malice = ignored. Calling Slash's wife some pretty disgusting shit = ignored. Now, I'm not the one to run to daddy and taddle on anyone for what they say. Instead I confront them. Maybe those comments slipped through the cracks but it's considered a violation. It's been said by you that Fat Axl is bashing. Slashhole isn't? Calling his wife nasty things isn't?

I'll just finish with a question: What is the limits on what we can and cannot say? The line is becoming a little blurry.

I'm finished discussing what I think was a legitimate question before I become a bigger enemy.

Edited July 1, 2012 by Rustycage

[Estranged Reality]

Let me clarify why I brought up ER. I've just noticed a few times already in recent weeks that you joke about banning people or "people not learning the first time" and etc. Then I noticed the title. If I'm offbase, my apologies.

Let me put it this way: I have yet to receive any complaints from anyone. I haven't even issued a formal warning to anyone yet. I don't recall saying anything about 'people not learning the first time,' and to my knowledge I've only made a single joke about banning someone (and the person I was replying to was a longtime user who got my sarcasm and replied with a laughing emoticon). So no, I'm not by any means trying to get anyone in trouble for trivial reasons, nor do I have an itchy trigger finger. If you want me to be perfectly honest, I technically don't even have the ability to ban users - I can only disable their posting (which I took advantage of recently when someone was spamming pictures of penises on the forum) and then let one of the two admins take further actions.

I am just wondering what was derailed. What have I derailed? Typically I post about the topic or what the discussion evolved into already. I'm not trying to become a martyr over the topic and apparently this is a touchy subject. My only concern about it is someone could start a topic, "Do you love Axl?" and the subject matter would probably become the same and remain. BUT because of a title it was new ground? It looks like that discussion already takes place in every topic. Criticism is labeled as hate every day already. Instead of hijacking a topic to make it clear that some of us don't "hate" the man but his direction and judgement, we have that topic or one similar to state the position. While I don't know many of the people who post the topics, it was an opportunity for some of us other people to show that the joking isn't done out of malice. As you can witness in this topic, it is a label easily tossed around for tiny reasons. Short of derailing a topic to detail the reasons for the criticism, that's the best chance to sound off.

That specific topic wasn't derailed, because its focus was already so negative. Again, I'm not saying negativity is disallowed, but Axl is the only original Guns member left, and it's obvious that everyone still following the band is doing so because of Axl's involvement (I've yet to come across anyone who signed up here solely because of their love of DJ Ashba). My point being, you can have plenty of issues with choices and decisions Axl has made - I have my own - but to just create a thread asking people if they hate the guy who represents the band (and then not even really post anything inside the topic's first post) seemed rather inflammatory to me, and as HV said, not exactly the kind of thing people on a fan forum are naturally going to want to see when they first login. There have been an insane amount of negative topics lately that have gone completely untouched as we're allowing people to express their opinions, but personally, to see someone expressing hate toward Axl isn't something we want to endorse, even if the word 'hate' was being used as hyperbole.

Perhaps one of the new sections that is described to be more of an "enter at your own risk" area will permit that kind of discussion with a longer leash.

In regards to the title, Jarmo had the title "When you read this, I'm banning your ass" or something to that effect. It drew parallels. Perhaps I misunderstood and my apologies. I think you could understand the concern, though? It's nothing personal. Nothing is. Like you've pointed out, I don't know you and I can only go by what you say and sarcasm doesn't come through in text 100% of the time.

I don't think I've ever noticed his byline to be honest, so I wasn't aware. But thanks for the apology.

From my perspective, it sucks for the moderators because we're either accused of being too strong with censorship or not strong enough. Reports have been filing up every day and we do our best to be fair in every circumstance, but sometimes you find yourself in damned-if-you-do/don't scenarios, and that thread was probably one of them. Just to reiterate: I don't care at all if people hold negative opinions of Rose or stuff he's done in the past few years, and I'm completely sympathetic to some of those concerns. But for me the title of the thread was one step too far, and there were already a bunch of negative topics on the front page where people were expressing the same issues, so it wasn't like it was the one and only thread for people to complain about Axl.

Discussion of Fernando = poof. Discussion of Beta = poof. Discussion of "hating Axl" = poof. Calling Slash plenty of names out of malice = ignored. Calling Slash's wife some pretty disgusting shit = ignored. Now, I'm not the one to run to daddy and taddle on anyone for what they say.

Well, you should. The reason those Beta/Fernando posts get deleted so quickly is because there's usually at least a handful of very active pro-Axl posters who instantly report anything negative. And honestly, we ignore a lot of the reports we deem to be justifiable in the context of expressing opinions (i.e. we aren't gonna just react to every report that comes through, because many are baseless). But as it happens, there are obviously less diehard Slash fans posting regularly in GN'R News these days, so we don't always spot the Slashole type posts. But when we do? I usually always intervene in some way when I see it. I even posted something about it recently, and if you search my post history you'll find way more instances of my defending Slash.

The moderators can't read every single post in every single thread every single day. We have lives too so we have to rely a bit on the forum users to help us enforce things. If you see people calling Slash or his wife by 'disgusting' names, then please feel free to report the posts and the moderators will take appropriate action.

It's been said by you that Fat Axl is bashing. Slashhole isn't? Calling his wife nasty things isn't?

And for the record, I've specifically stated before that calling Slashole is idiotic. Recently a user posted insults about Slash, and I told them to knock it off and said that insults directed at either Axl or Slash were disallowed and we weren't going to only enforce the ones about Axl. I can't find the specific post right now, but it was probably from a couple weeks ago, and a couple other users even quoted my post and expressed their thanks for being fair about moderating. :xmasssanta:

I'll just finish with a question: What is the limits on what we can and cannot say? The line is becoming a little blurry.

Speaking for myself and I think the rest of the moderating team as well, it really comes down to context. If you're sitting there expressing your thoughts in an intelligent way, saying you think Slash is a sell-out who has squandered his talent, I may not agree with you entirely - but I'm not going to censor your post if you're saying it in a reasonable fashion. Likewise, if you dislike things about Axl, and express it in a manner that is constructive or at least sensible, I'm not gonna censor you at all. I can't get more specific than that, because it varies case-by-case -- I think it ultimately comes down to common sense. Humans should have a basic understanding of the concept between expressing a negative opinion and just trolling/name-calling. If you would consider it nasty behavior in day-to-day life, then saying it on the forum isn't any different. So if you're just creating posts calling Slash a Sla$hole or saying Axl is a fat asshole (as someone recently did), you're going to be called out on it, and for good reason. In my eyes, nothing is not allowed to be discussed, but read the rules and use some common sense in posting and you shouldn't find yourself in any trouble.

And as always, if you do have a specific question or issue with a moderating decision, you can ask about it then and there -- rather than waiting until weeks later to bring it up or misconstrue some of the facts. And also feel free to report any posts you find objectionable -- we won't perceive you as a "tattle tell" unless you're being petty and overzealous about it. If someone makes a vaguely negative comment about Slash and you're filing twenty reports a day then it becomes a tad Boy-Who-Cried-Wolf.

[Patience 4 Axl]

Speaking for myself and I think the rest of the moderating team as well, it really comes down to context. If you're sitting there expressing your thoughts in an intelligent way, saying you think Slash is a sell-out who has squandered his talent, I may not agree with you entirely - but I'm not going to censor your post if you're saying it in a reasonable fashion. Likewise, if you dislike things about Axl, and express it in a manner that is constructive or at least sensible, I'm not gonna censor you at all. I can't get more specific than that, because it varies case-by-case -- I think it ultimately comes down to common sense. Humans should have a basic understanding of the concept between expressing a negative opinion and just trolling/name-calling. If you would consider it nasty behavior in day-to-day life, then saying it on the forum isn't any different. So if you're just creating posts calling Slash a Sla$hole or saying Axl is a fat asshole (as someone recently did), you're going to be called out on it, and for good reason. In my eyes, nothing is not allowed to be discussed, but read the rules and use some common sense in posting and you shouldn't find yourself in any trouble.

It's been my experience lately that some people on this board are uber sensitive to ANY sort of criticism, no matter how intelligently and respectfully it is phrased. While I agree there are some legitimate "cupcakes" on the forum, on both sides of the fence, (and no not just the "returned" group as some have said) simply having an opinion different from someone else has become grounds to be labled a hater/cupcake/bitter ex-fan, etc. I expressed this briefly in another thread and Zint acknowledged it. This to me has become one of the bigger issues on the forum right now.

There's a small group of people who refuse to tolerate any opposing view point whatsoever, and instead of debating the post, are immediately throwing out one of the above labels and attacking the poster. There's just so many times I can explain "why are you here" (after 8 years no less) and really, why should I have to, simply because I don't agree with something. Just debate what I freakin wrote, no need to make it personal. That is the major flaw with nufans here. I don't psychoanalyze why they're here or worship a guy they don't even know just because they like some of his tunes, how about the same courtesy. This wouldn't normally be an issue for me, but the influx of entitled whining has reached an all time high. I don't think I've ever reported someone here and I have no plans to, but since you guys are allowing us open discussion, it's something I wanted to mention.

For the record, I think you are all doing a stellar job with running the forum so far. I hope you guys are taking any criticism with a grain of salt. In reality you guys don't have to explain anything to us, yet Subs, HV, you and Zint always find the time to do it. This place is for fun, and that outweighs any of the other nonsense. The plans for restructure should help with some of the problems that others may be having. Subs has put his heart (and hard earned money!) into this project and is determined to make this a great place for everyone. With HV and the mods behind him, I'm sure all the hard work will pay off.

[WillieC]

Can the word filters please be removed?

[Guest Satanisk_Slakt]

Yeah. Even if I may disagree with them, I can understand nig and fag being censored, but nut.swinger for example? lol. That's more laughable than anything if someone use it.

[WillieC]

Yeah that wordfilter nutschwinger item favors only one group of people. Otherwise, they'd have to filter everything. It really isn't fair and is silly.

[Dazey]

Damn! Every day I see outrageous posts in the main section that almost drives me away.

[ITG]

Damn! Every day I see outrageous posts in the main section that almost drives me away.

Yeah, coming from him that appears to be pure, disingenuous grandstanding. He certainly has not helped make anyone feel welcome here.