My compliments to the moderators

[Jerry B]

I would add two more things, firstly the modding decisions are made in regards to the best interests of the forum and all its members and with the rules of the forum in mind. Generally these actions are taken are not up for public discussion but the members have to trust that the mods are acting in accordance with the above.

The second point is that none have to use the forum and if it does not suit you, then don't use it, but if you do use it then you have to abide by the rules of the forum to which you agree when you join, which means you have to abide the decisions of the mods.

There are other forums and if they suit you better than this one, then exercise your free will and leave. If enough members feel the same way as Steve (Harry the Mole) and leave because they do not like this forum, then it will either change or it will cease to be.

[Paul D]

Just to throw in my comments in response to Steve's , as has been pointed out by Bob and Richie the banning of any member is not taken lightly here and numerous discussions take place before such punative action is taken ,Banning is a last resort . Most of that goes on behind the scenes as it were via pm etc so that threads are not derailed by such discussions so in many cases the facts / evidence that leads to a banning are not evident to all and issues surrounding members who are banned are never brought into the public domain.

In my time moderating this forum the Admin / Mod Staff have had to deal with all kinds of issues regarding members and i mean all kinds !! Many hours of unpaid work are put in each day by the mods sorting out problems in the threads but also behind the scenes that are never known to the membership , it's a thankless task but no one is asking for any " medals " , we do it because like the members we want to keep this forum going as one of the friendliest and most infomative on the web.

As a result of the Gottleib / Nazi Diggers fiasco earlier in the year we have become even more vigilant within the Battlefield History section to maintain the good name and integrity of the forum whilst still trying to give members who wish to post their finds an outlet .We have posted numerous rules regarding the legality of the digging / metal detecting to try and assist those who wish to post and every poster is now questioned as to the legality of their activities , if it appears that they are operating outside the law even though they may believe that it either doesn't apply to them or can be ignored for whatever reason we will still act to protect the forum.

Unfortunately this is what has happened recently but also we have recently exposed Black / Grave diggers via our more robust stance and sent them packing !!

[HARRY THE MOLE]

Some very interesting points raised! My diatribe was not aimed at all moderators by the way. It just seems to me that of late there has been a bit of a cull going on. We mere mortals should be made aware of why someone has been banned. We can only draw our own conclusions from what we see, and from what I saw, it really didn't look good. Do not be so foolish as to believe that this is just a rant from one disgruntled member either. I know of several decent and well mannered members who are as concerned as I am at the way certain things seem to have been conducted just lately. Others just don't bother coming on the forum any more.

RichieC... Thanks for the offer of becoming a moderator, but even though I am retired, I have enough on my plate as it is. I appreciate that the moderator's job isn't an easy one - and there are hard decisions to be taken from time to time. Most of the mods carry out a superb job. They never get confrontational and bombastic, but there are a few who seem to get carried away by the power they can wield. Dare I suggest that the mods really should make other members aware of why someone has been banned? Just to see on a posting: "BANNED" really isn't good enough.

A second bone of contention is trying to 'persuade' people not to comment on the authenticity of items which other forum members may be considering purchasing - unless they are absolutely certain of what they say. I know that there is a lot of money involved in some of these transactions, and I understand that bad advice can cost someone dearly. But this has to be balanced against the fact that this is a forum where people are expected to contribute with their thoughts on militaria. I am quite sure that most people only offer their opinion because they believe what they say to be correct. I am also quite sure that very sound advice is offered on this website. But speaking for myself, I would never contemplate making a purchase of any item just on the advice of forum members alone. To discourage other members from sharing their opinions over things is not good. It fosters the view that only a select few are allowed to give opinions.

I don't wish to cause any trouble. I am all for the quiet life. But it really does get to me when I think that people are being treated in a shabby way. We are all different in the way we react to certain situations, and the way we view what we collect. But in the six years I have been on this forum I have always tried to help people new to the hobby by giving them every encouragement in what they are trying to do. I have never set out with the intention to insult or belittle anyone over what they collect either. But it does happen on here from time to time - and hardly anything is said about it. I do not expect anyone to agree with me on this matter. These are my own thoughts on what I see as being wrong on the forum. I don't even care if anyone takes the p**s out of me for what I have said either. At least I have the courage to stand up and say what I truly believe. And yes - I always give credit where it is due!

Steve.

[StefanM]

Ban, delete, suspend, ban, delete, suspend, delete, ban, suspend, ban...The Moderator team concentrate hard on their work down on the Farm.

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