staticdoor said:
Excellent post by Brandon; not necessary or owed but genuinely appreciate the timeline
Well crafted by a damn fine lawyer.
Didn't someone here have some money stolen?
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Last: 5 yr ago by JD Shellnut
Well crafted by a damn fine lawyer.
Guitarsoup said:piag94 said:
2 and 3 are a joke. No the mods just want to hide behind their username and just want to be the internet tough guy...
Because there are definitely not any sociopaths on Texags to be wary of.
Like that guy on Easter weekend legendary thread.
editedCDUB98 said:staticdoor said:
Excellent post by Brandon; not necessary or owed but genuinely appreciate the timeline
Well crafted by a damn fine lawyer.
Thanks, Brandon.
Brandon, I appreciate your explanation. I would suggest that someone being allowed to keep their moderator status after being shown defrauding other site members is a serious control issue. Separately, having someone as hotheaded as jorts (on his best day) could help explain the issue so many of us have with inconsistent and erratic moderation.
Thank you Brandon. A necessary post...
The site is sprawling and moderation is difficult - big reasons to establish more transparency.
The site is sprawling and moderation is difficult - big reasons to establish more transparency.
I've known about some problems for awhile. But wow. Didn't know it was this bad. I understand the anger from those most affected.
He'd actually been quite funny on Facebook lately, but humor can sometimes mask reality.
Still, I will pray for Damon. Maybe he has finally reached his bottom. He's hovered there for years.
He will have a long crawl back through forgiveness from those who can give it and a reconciliation of his own dishonesty, deceit and addiction. He must truly reach down deep and change who he has become
It's up to him. I hope he begins this journey soon.
Godspeed.
He'd actually been quite funny on Facebook lately, but humor can sometimes mask reality.
Still, I will pray for Damon. Maybe he has finally reached his bottom. He's hovered there for years.
He will have a long crawl back through forgiveness from those who can give it and a reconciliation of his own dishonesty, deceit and addiction. He must truly reach down deep and change who he has become
It's up to him. I hope he begins this journey soon.
Godspeed.
CDUB98 said:staticdoor said:
Excellent post by Brandon; not necessary or owed but genuinely appreciate the timeline
Well crafted by a damn fine lawyer.
He had an unstable personality, never could figure out the attachment or obsession with someone that exhibited that kind of persona, but the timeline would explain the status he achieved in closed circles.
Jesus is the way.......... nobody is beyond the love of Christ and the reconciliation that manifests in penitence, forgiveness and renewal.
Jesus is the way.......... nobody is beyond the love of Christ and the reconciliation that manifests in penitence, forgiveness and renewal.
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
I hope I never have to ask people for money, but there have been several people say I knew him, but wasn't that close with him and he hit me up for money XXX times. I can't imagine hitting up multiple people for money who were merely acquaintances.
Thanks Brandon.
I really feel bad for him and I too hope he turns his life for him and his boys.
I really feel bad for him and I too hope he turns his life for him and his boys.
Brandon - It appears from many posts here that poor moderation from volunteer, anonymous moderators is the biggest negative your customers have with your business, and has apparently already cost y'all a good deal of money. I'd suggest fixing this by having fewer moderators, but paid ones, and relying on the community to flag posts that need their attention. They don't have to read every thread, just respond to flags, probably by responding to posts with the most flags first.
Anecdotally, I, too, have considered canceling my subscription over poor moderation. I had a post deleted by a mod who claimed that I said something I didn't (poor reading comprehension appears to be a recurring theme in these complaints), and then when I protested, was basically told "Yes you did." I nearly PMed you at the time, but decided it was pretty small potatoes to bother you with.
Mod messages and edits are marked as being from "Staff". I'm going to hazard a guess that you have no way of knowing the vast majority of what is being said and done in the name of your business, which would scare the hell out of me.
Sincerely, good luck! You've built a wonderful website here, and I hear you're a man of good character.
Anecdotally, I, too, have considered canceling my subscription over poor moderation. I had a post deleted by a mod who claimed that I said something I didn't (poor reading comprehension appears to be a recurring theme in these complaints), and then when I protested, was basically told "Yes you did." I nearly PMed you at the time, but decided it was pretty small potatoes to bother you with.
Mod messages and edits are marked as being from "Staff". I'm going to hazard a guess that you have no way of knowing the vast majority of what is being said and done in the name of your business, which would scare the hell out of me.
Sincerely, good luck! You've built a wonderful website here, and I hear you're a man of good character.
As it should beCDUB98 said:staticdoor said:
Excellent post by Brandon; not necessary or owed but genuinely appreciate the timeline
Well crafted by a damn fine lawyer.
I am absolutely gob smacked that more folks did not report him to authorities for defrauding them. In fact, it would probably be helpful if all of the victims compiled your stories and sent them to the proper state agency. It sounds like a lot of folks reported him to the State Bar, but it should have gone to a law enforcement organization as well (maybe they did and it wasn't mentioned). 2,000 here and 11,000 there add up to quite a bit and he will likely face significant time for it.
I frequent a few message boards relating to anywhere from fishing, to wordworking, to video games, to politics, to sports, and of course this one.
Texags is literally the only one I know of where the moderators are hidden and not publicly known. It's just a bad, bad way to instill trust in your users.
Texags is literally the only one I know of where the moderators are hidden and not publicly known. It's just a bad, bad way to instill trust in your users.
Busted for running weed, but kept mod privileges. Guess you have to be high to moderate OR
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This is a fair critique Jock. I went back this morning and read nearly every post of the 8 page thread on Varsity that occurred back in 2014. It felt different than it certainly does now and I think many believed he was working to make things right. I regret believing that and I regret not poking deeper in the months that followed. You were deeply skeptical in that thread, btw - I wish I was more so too.Ol Jock 99 said:
Brandon, I appreciate your explanation. I would suggest that someone being allowed to keep their moderator status after being shown defrauding other site members is a serious control issue. Separately, having someone as hotheaded as jorts (on his best day) could help explain the issue so many of us have with inconsistent and erratic moderation.
Gig'em,
Brandon '95
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Hey all, since there was brief mention of Mercy Project a few pages ago I wanted to chime in really quickly and say that all the money that came in when Damon played in our world's longest football game was given directly to Mercy Project via our online giving. Damon never had access to that money. It was also in 2011 long before any of this behavior seems to have become a problem.
I am sorry to everyone who was hurt or taken advantage of by Damon, and I do pray he gets his life back together for the sake of himself and his family.
I am sorry to everyone who was hurt or taken advantage of by Damon, and I do pray he gets his life back together for the sake of himself and his family.
Quote:
Brandon - It appears from many posts here that poor moderation from volunteer, anonymous moderators is the biggest negative your customers have with your business, and has apparently already cost y'all a good deal of money.
actually it was necessary.staticdoor said:
Excellent post by Brandon; not necessary or owed but genuinely appreciate the timeline
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Regarding Damon moderation temperament: He was a better good moderator and very helpful at finding a good balance on Rivalries. I don't regret making him a moderator.
Gig'em,
Brandon '95
I am now done with 21 pages. Congrats to me. Slow train wreck.
Thanks Brandon.
Personally I think you do a great job managing the site.
Personally I think you do a great job managing the site.
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Bryan - see my earlier remarks in this about us addressing the transparency issues in '19.
Gig'em,
Brandon '95
Gotta consult with Zone before issuing a statement on Jorts.CDUB98 said:staticdoor said:
Excellent post by Brandon; not necessary or owed but genuinely appreciate the timeline
Well crafted by a damn fine lawyer.
Brandon,
Since this has turned into a sort-of Q&A session (and apologies if you've answered this elsewhere) - what's the reasoning for anonymous moderating as SOP on Texags?
Since this has turned into a sort-of Q&A session (and apologies if you've answered this elsewhere) - what's the reasoning for anonymous moderating as SOP on Texags?
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Three main reasons:Hood said:
Brandon,
Since this has turned into a sort-of Q&A session (and apologies if you've answered this elsewhere) - what's the reasoning for anonymous moderating as SOP on Texags?
1. I want moderators to be able to participate on the forums as normal posters without the social burden of being a moderator.
2. I want moderators to moderate based on policy and not based community pressure.
3. I want moderators to be free on real world retribution by disgruntled community members.
However, as posted above, we are going to make some changes to this. Maybe not as far as going completely known, but transparency layers will be added.
Gig'em,
Brandon '95
Brandon is good people.
While I'm sure it's not the most cost effective, the volume of traffic on here may require that moderators unfortunately not get the pleasure of posting like a normal poster and they become paid positions on the staff.
Appreciate your responses and the timeline. I think it's clear that some things could have been noticed and handled earlier but hindsight is easier to see it.
I'll also throw my $0.02 on anonymous moderation...it isn't so much that it's anonymous, it's how inconsistent and biased it is combined with how multiple moderators feel the need to be pretentious and smarmy in their edits to posts. I feel like with the creation of the blue stars (don't like FWIW), it's now not only a contest to post more clickbait garbage by posters to run the rank up, but moderators also get the dopamine effect of posting some edgy/funny/******* comment when they're banning someone or cleaning up their content and then it gets tons of blue stars and adulation from the segment of posters it intended to please.
I do notice and appreciate the good anonymous moderators though.
Appreciate your responses and the timeline. I think it's clear that some things could have been noticed and handled earlier but hindsight is easier to see it.
I'll also throw my $0.02 on anonymous moderation...it isn't so much that it's anonymous, it's how inconsistent and biased it is combined with how multiple moderators feel the need to be pretentious and smarmy in their edits to posts. I feel like with the creation of the blue stars (don't like FWIW), it's now not only a contest to post more clickbait garbage by posters to run the rank up, but moderators also get the dopamine effect of posting some edgy/funny/******* comment when they're banning someone or cleaning up their content and then it gets tons of blue stars and adulation from the segment of posters it intended to please.
I do notice and appreciate the good anonymous moderators though.
Thank you!
I don't like the anonymous poster/moderator thing one bit.
Not trying to be an ass. Just my honest opinion on the matter.
Not trying to be an ass. Just my honest opinion on the matter.
We just gotta coach em better and execute and um what we do and all the things.
Brandon and TexAgs Staff,
Thanks for letting the thread play out as long as you did....albeit uncomfortable for many and entertaining for others. Anyone who has ever owned a business knows days (weeks) like these occur. They serve as a reminder of the risks in dealing with the public. Further, they serve as a reminder to be grateful for your loyal customers / clients during difficult times.
I, like most others, use TexAgs for 1. entertainment and 2. information. I can keep up with most Aggie-Related happenings while also a finger on the pulse of important issues in the Texas, the USA, and globally for that matter.
The issues over moderation have bothered me for a while. I've not been directly affected because I am a cautious poster. I chose long ago to not be completely anonymous and that I regret. That is because like other _____________ (insert profession here) on this site, there is risk to my way of life should I say something that somebody out there objects to. Good or bad, I have a professional reputation at stake that prohibits me from saying many things that cross my mind. [As a side note: I'd like to see about a way to slip into anonymity].
I am a member of other discussion boards (some professional) and everyone of them have known moderators. Some are listed with actual names.
Internet anonymity comes with a price. Many on this site now know that 1st hand. Thanks for addressing your customers in a stand-up way. I hope you and your staff choose to bring the same levity to the moderation discussion. It's long over due.
Respectfully,
TX COWDOC
Thanks for letting the thread play out as long as you did....albeit uncomfortable for many and entertaining for others. Anyone who has ever owned a business knows days (weeks) like these occur. They serve as a reminder of the risks in dealing with the public. Further, they serve as a reminder to be grateful for your loyal customers / clients during difficult times.
I, like most others, use TexAgs for 1. entertainment and 2. information. I can keep up with most Aggie-Related happenings while also a finger on the pulse of important issues in the Texas, the USA, and globally for that matter.
The issues over moderation have bothered me for a while. I've not been directly affected because I am a cautious poster. I chose long ago to not be completely anonymous and that I regret. That is because like other _____________ (insert profession here) on this site, there is risk to my way of life should I say something that somebody out there objects to. Good or bad, I have a professional reputation at stake that prohibits me from saying many things that cross my mind. [As a side note: I'd like to see about a way to slip into anonymity].
I am a member of other discussion boards (some professional) and everyone of them have known moderators. Some are listed with actual names.
Internet anonymity comes with a price. Many on this site now know that 1st hand. Thanks for addressing your customers in a stand-up way. I hope you and your staff choose to bring the same levity to the moderation discussion. It's long over due.
Respectfully,
TX COWDOC
www.southpawprecision.com
Type 07 FFL / Class 2 SOT
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Type 07 FFL / Class 2 SOT
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It would be nice to go back to the days of having rules posted across the board, rather than being subject to the moods and whims of a couple protected posters with their own sets of rules.
WatchOle said:Three main reasons:Hood said:
Brandon,
Since this has turned into a sort-of Q&A session (and apologies if you've answered this elsewhere) - what's the reasoning for anonymous moderating as SOP on Texags?
1. I want moderators to be able to participate on the forums as normal posters without the social burden of being a moderator.
2. I want moderators to moderate based on policy and not based community pressure.
3. I want moderators to be free on real world retribution by disgruntled community members.
However, as posted above, we are going to make some changes to this. Maybe not as far as going completely known, but transparency layers will be added.
Probably stupid question but do you ever get to hobnob or network with other similar successful site owners? If so, does the anonymous mods thing ever come up? It does seem like almost every other similar site uses named moderators. How do those sites deal with the type of named moderator retaliation?
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