Posted by:
Ed (nine510)
(---.bstnma.east.verizon.net)
This used to be a fairly active board. In fact, it was a top five in a Google search. Now, there's a reason for the abrupt change and it coincides, exactly, with the the addition of the current heavy duty moderating.
Barbara1 does indeed delete and lock posts based on what she personally doesn't like or doesn't want to hear. People get turned off, alienated, and stop posting/reading. There is no, or very little, in the way of unique tourist oriented visitors because it's an inactive board.
Despite the three or four cheerleaders who somehow believe that a dead board is better than a board without Barbara1 as moderator, the truth of the matter is, there was far more St Martin content than flame threads before the moderated version of the board began. You can like Barbar1, but that doesn't mean she isn't a bad moderator. There's zero attempt towards a balance between a board having discussion/disagreements and letting flame threads go on and on.
The moderator is supposed to serve the best interests of the board, (the board is made up of the contributors, btw) not their own personal views. If people get into arguments, so what; it's human nature. If people think Derek is ripping them off, maybe he is.
Delete blatant trolls, not the core contributors of a board.
If threads get a little heated, so what.
If a thread turns into a flame thread and goes on and on for pages, then lock it. People feel that this is a board that's not worth the effort of posting. If they can't discuss anything, they don't get involved with the board.
When is the last time anyone saw the moderator initiating topics, or thread starter comments about the island? When is the last time anyone saw the moderator telling someone what they can't do, and that they're bad...uh, what time is it?
At the time of the moderator decision, Gert said: there'll be light moderation. I don't see that.
We should barely know that there is a moderator, not see a moderator reprimanding adult posters like they're third graders, on every other post. Of course, there isn't anyone left to reprimand, now. Seriously, it really is the most biased moderating I've ever seen. If a thread/subject doesn't appeal to the moderator, if it's a thread the moderator wouldn't be intersted in, that doesn't mean that the thread should be locked under the pretense of: "I think this question has been answered". Who cares what you think.
Without heavy duty "moderating": active and interesting board. With heavy duty moderating: no board.
Ed