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Bring your torches, we're having a mob!
Mar. 10th, 2005 12:06 pmIt's sad to watch the dissolution of the Fametracker forums. Now that the mods have abandoned them, everybody who has ever had a beef with the moderating style, another poster, the culture of the board, or life in general is letting fly. It's a shame, because while there were serious problems with how heavy-handed the modding was (and I say this not as somebody who ever felt is, so I'm taking the word of a few people I trust), it was still a quality place to go for movie and book discussions. Most of the trouble seemed to be over in the Celebrities threads, which I rarely looked at, so in a way, I was insulated from the more malicious snarking while getting to experience some truly entertaining discussions. So for me, the end result is a loss, and I hope that another forum take in some of the crowds and good discussions can start back up again. I refuse to go back to Harry Potter for Grownups, people! I can't participate in a discussion where you need a chart to figure out the abbreviations for various 'ships and theories! *clutches head in agony*
Anyway, it's all an interesting view of how people behave on the Internet, where we simultaneously get the worst and the best. It's also a good example of how hard the job of moderation can be, and how easy it is to become a hardliner. I mentally compare it to some cat and dog rescue groups. They want to find the best home for the animal, and not have it returned to them the next day/week/month because "we're moving to Nevada, so of course we can't bring the cat," or "I redecorated my house and now the dog doesn't match." Therefore, they screen homes as carefully as they can. But then, some groups become so obsessive about finding "the perfect home" that they alienate or reject perfectly suitable people. The people get pissed off, because they know they'd be a good home, and the animal ends up staying in foster care. One side of the equation sees a power-hungry person or group being arbitrary because they can, and the other side sees that they are the only line of defense against the crazies. And they're both right.
Anyway, it's all an interesting view of how people behave on the Internet, where we simultaneously get the worst and the best. It's also a good example of how hard the job of moderation can be, and how easy it is to become a hardliner. I mentally compare it to some cat and dog rescue groups. They want to find the best home for the animal, and not have it returned to them the next day/week/month because "we're moving to Nevada, so of course we can't bring the cat," or "I redecorated my house and now the dog doesn't match." Therefore, they screen homes as carefully as they can. But then, some groups become so obsessive about finding "the perfect home" that they alienate or reject perfectly suitable people. The people get pissed off, because they know they'd be a good home, and the animal ends up staying in foster care. One side of the equation sees a power-hungry person or group being arbitrary because they can, and the other side sees that they are the only line of defense against the crazies. And they're both right.
