07-24-2013, 06:18 AM
Gentlemen,
For approaching 6 years I have moderated the Grendel Forums, through crashes, restarts, rebuilds, and multiple controversies. I have spent literally thousands and thousands of hours here and on the old forum. When the forum was down, I contacted members through other boards, and when it came back up, I posted that on the other boards, too. I even spent 100 hours or so trying to track down a past member who had not been aware the board was back up, because his depth of knowledge was so important to those of us who appreciated the cartridge. NO MODERATOR OR THE OWNER HAS MADE A SINGLE DIME for their efforts on the board. We have done it as a duty and obligation to the idea that those of us blessed to live in this great country should give something back to the sport that we love. The owner has paid for the board out of his pocket, or with proceeds from small donations or fundraisers. I have enjoyed my time moderating, but it takes time and effort. I would not moderate the board for an hourly wage, not even for what my hourly wage at work is.
The original Grendel forum had a place for off topic discussions, and we found it to create one problem after another. When this board came into existence, after the original Grendel board was maliciously hacked and then destroyed, the site owner decided that we would avoid the vast majority of controversy we endured on the original board if we avoided that type of place altogether. I agreed with and supported his decision. I had found that the vast majority of my time moderating was spent on that one little section of the board. In all the time of the Grendel board, we have found it necessary to ban or suspend a total of 6 members, and 2 were before I became a moderator. One of those was repeatedly allowed back on the board until we finally decided he would be permanently banned. The others permanently banned attacked members so viciously that only one solution existed. We allow a lot of leeway in most things, but none exists in those cases.
I now find that I do the same with the 2A section. I have reviewed the various threads that were closed or removed. Not a single one of them had any true redeeming value in their portrayal of responsible gun owners. Indeed, almost any person reading the text of those threads would think that gun owners were indeed the rabid dogs that the liberal media constantly portrays us. Several of them had very good, intelligent posts, but those posts were overshadowed and overwhelmed by the bickering and apparent spite that some members have for others.
Yes, Brandon, you are correct in pointing out that the original intent of this 2A forum was indeed to discuss such issues. However, too many members strayed from that intent, and I have issued 3 more posts, all stickied at the top of the 2A forum clarifying the changes to the 2A forum guidelines. That original header is stuck there. I cannot change it, perhaps the site owner might, but I doubt it is worth his time. However, in reading the stickies, it should be very clear what will be allowed in the forum. I allow some leeway in that regard, but not too much, because I see NO reason to have to deal with the same silly arguments over and over.
The reason the Grendel board is so enjoyable is because we try to avoid the issues that clog up other boards. We want to focus on the advancement of the Grendel, not on political issues of any stripe. 2A issues are unique, and after much pleading from members, the 2A forum was created. However, it was created with much the same thought that Benjamin Franklin had upon the founding of our Republic, "A Republic, madam, if you can keep it." The owner pretty much evoked the same thought when he told me, "A 2A forum, if we can keep it controlled."
At this point, we are spending well over half our time dealing with this forum. That's not what we want to do. We want to discuss Grendel things, not political issues. There are literally thousands of places that you are free to do that, but there is only ONE Grendel board, and it is unique. We hope to keep it that way. Over the years we have found it much easier to kill a thread early than it is once the thread has a head of steam. Thus we try to jump early and often on threads we see might derail.
We also have tried to keep threads where they belong. We don't allow auctions or bidding. We want sales threads in the sales forums. We want reloading recipes in the appropriate forums, etc.
There will not be a "BS" section on the Grendel board. Not while I moderate, anyways. It simply isn't worth the headache.
But the truth is very simple, if someone can't stay on the appropriate topic in 2A, then they should stay out of the 2A forum and enjoy the Grendel specific information in the rest of the Grendel Forum!
Everyone please re-read the first 4 posts on this 2A forum, the "stickies", before replying here. If you read those and have questions, I'll do my best to answer. If you post here and it is in contradiction to those posts, because you choose either to ignore those posts or in ignorance, don't be surprised to find your privileges suspended.
Everyone needs to reload more, shoot more, and have more fun! Quit stressing over so much!
For approaching 6 years I have moderated the Grendel Forums, through crashes, restarts, rebuilds, and multiple controversies. I have spent literally thousands and thousands of hours here and on the old forum. When the forum was down, I contacted members through other boards, and when it came back up, I posted that on the other boards, too. I even spent 100 hours or so trying to track down a past member who had not been aware the board was back up, because his depth of knowledge was so important to those of us who appreciated the cartridge. NO MODERATOR OR THE OWNER HAS MADE A SINGLE DIME for their efforts on the board. We have done it as a duty and obligation to the idea that those of us blessed to live in this great country should give something back to the sport that we love. The owner has paid for the board out of his pocket, or with proceeds from small donations or fundraisers. I have enjoyed my time moderating, but it takes time and effort. I would not moderate the board for an hourly wage, not even for what my hourly wage at work is.
The original Grendel forum had a place for off topic discussions, and we found it to create one problem after another. When this board came into existence, after the original Grendel board was maliciously hacked and then destroyed, the site owner decided that we would avoid the vast majority of controversy we endured on the original board if we avoided that type of place altogether. I agreed with and supported his decision. I had found that the vast majority of my time moderating was spent on that one little section of the board. In all the time of the Grendel board, we have found it necessary to ban or suspend a total of 6 members, and 2 were before I became a moderator. One of those was repeatedly allowed back on the board until we finally decided he would be permanently banned. The others permanently banned attacked members so viciously that only one solution existed. We allow a lot of leeway in most things, but none exists in those cases.
I now find that I do the same with the 2A section. I have reviewed the various threads that were closed or removed. Not a single one of them had any true redeeming value in their portrayal of responsible gun owners. Indeed, almost any person reading the text of those threads would think that gun owners were indeed the rabid dogs that the liberal media constantly portrays us. Several of them had very good, intelligent posts, but those posts were overshadowed and overwhelmed by the bickering and apparent spite that some members have for others.
Yes, Brandon, you are correct in pointing out that the original intent of this 2A forum was indeed to discuss such issues. However, too many members strayed from that intent, and I have issued 3 more posts, all stickied at the top of the 2A forum clarifying the changes to the 2A forum guidelines. That original header is stuck there. I cannot change it, perhaps the site owner might, but I doubt it is worth his time. However, in reading the stickies, it should be very clear what will be allowed in the forum. I allow some leeway in that regard, but not too much, because I see NO reason to have to deal with the same silly arguments over and over.
The reason the Grendel board is so enjoyable is because we try to avoid the issues that clog up other boards. We want to focus on the advancement of the Grendel, not on political issues of any stripe. 2A issues are unique, and after much pleading from members, the 2A forum was created. However, it was created with much the same thought that Benjamin Franklin had upon the founding of our Republic, "A Republic, madam, if you can keep it." The owner pretty much evoked the same thought when he told me, "A 2A forum, if we can keep it controlled."
At this point, we are spending well over half our time dealing with this forum. That's not what we want to do. We want to discuss Grendel things, not political issues. There are literally thousands of places that you are free to do that, but there is only ONE Grendel board, and it is unique. We hope to keep it that way. Over the years we have found it much easier to kill a thread early than it is once the thread has a head of steam. Thus we try to jump early and often on threads we see might derail.
We also have tried to keep threads where they belong. We don't allow auctions or bidding. We want sales threads in the sales forums. We want reloading recipes in the appropriate forums, etc.
There will not be a "BS" section on the Grendel board. Not while I moderate, anyways. It simply isn't worth the headache.
But the truth is very simple, if someone can't stay on the appropriate topic in 2A, then they should stay out of the 2A forum and enjoy the Grendel specific information in the rest of the Grendel Forum!
Everyone please re-read the first 4 posts on this 2A forum, the "stickies", before replying here. If you read those and have questions, I'll do my best to answer. If you post here and it is in contradiction to those posts, because you choose either to ignore those posts or in ignorance, don't be surprised to find your privileges suspended.
Everyone needs to reload more, shoot more, and have more fun! Quit stressing over so much!
You seek escape from pain. We seek the achievement of happiness. You exist for the sake of avoiding punishment. We exist for the sake of earning rewards. Threats will not make us function; fear is not our incentive. It is not death that we wish to avoid, but life that we wish to live. - John Galt