Moderators true colors

[lukas8]

Just as I expected, the second the moderators receive the slight amount of criticism, they close the thread. This is exactly what I am talking about. Their arguement is that since their being criticised they decided to shut down the thread... and yet the thread is concerning ResellerMatrix shutting down a reseller for criticising them in a public forum (which is only half of the story as I understand it)... see a trend there?

They claim that I am hiding my identity, which is completely untrue... my name is Lukas Woodright, and I have been a reseller of ResellerMatrix for about 6 months. I came across this forum, which I believe is relatively new, and was surprised by some of the comments being made anonymously about other hosts. A vast majority of them being unconstuctive.

The moderators of this forum should take action and remove any threads that contain claims (positive or negative) that are not backed up by any evidence.

If this thread is closed or removed, they will only be proving my point. However I'll give them more credit than that.

[akashik]

lukas8,

I'm a little put out you're ready to lump all the moderators of this forum into being a single entity. Rest assured we do have minds of our own, and don't always agree with each other.

Having said that, I'm happy to back a fellow moderators decision regarding the closure of that thread. Not because of your attack on anyone here, but the aggressiveness to which you feel you must push your point.

You're happy with their service? Good for you. The person who claimed to have had their accounts shut down has no less of a right to post their opinion than you yourself do. Did it happen to them? I don't know, and neither should you. Unless your upstream is in a habit of discussing their other reseller clients openly and breaching a common confidence.

You may have had exceptional service with this company, but that's not to say that everyone else will as well. Conflicts arise, problems happen, expectations aren't met. For you to wave the flag for a company you sell for so avidly makes me feel you have more of a vested interest in this matter than what would first appear. Just my opinion, not a claim...

As far as censoring this forum against people's opinions, I'm not about to start doing that. The same level of discussion I moderate allows you to post threads such as this, as well as allowing others to do the same. Threads are deleted or closed when the level of trolling, anger or flat out abuse gets to a level that rational discussion is no longer possible.

In many cases when someone has complained about a hosting company I've contacted that same company to offer them a right of reply. Reading the forum, you'll notice this invitation is rarely taken up - that's their choice.

Now, this thread will be closed if you cannot control your anger, and add to this forum in a rational, helpful way. This forum is here to help people make an informed choice when looking for a host (as well as giving people a chance to kick back and talk if they wish). I've butted heads with more than one member of this board when they arrive but they usually find me a fair man once they settle down.

Those that can't play nice, don't get to play at all.

Greg Moore

[Chuck Roy]

Greg,

Very well stated.

I generally try to stay away from using forums to vent my problems or frustrations with a particular vendor because it generally is not beneficial to anyone.

However, if I have a lot of hard evidence (ie: lawsuit type of stuff) and I feel that there is a high possibility that a lot of people will get hurt if I don't blow the whistle, I will state the facts as I know them and let each person make up their own mind.

That's one of the great services provided by the Internet. Information sharing. Unfortunately it is often used to share mis-information as well.

Thanks for your work as a moderator. Keep up the good work.
Chuck Roy

[lukas8]

Originally posted by akashik

I'm a little put out you're ready to lump all the moderators of this forum into being a single entity. Rest assured we do have minds of our own, and don't always agree with each other.

Greg,

Being one of the moderators who operate their own host, you fall under this group. Don't you see the conflict of interest here? You are a competitor, whether there is intent or otherwise, your actions will be biased in your favor. Not owning, operating or working for a web host should be one of the requirements for becoming a moderator of this forum.


Originally posted by akashik

Having said that, I'm happy to back a fellow moderators decision regarding the closure of that thread. Not because of your attack on anyone here, but the aggressiveness to which you feel you must push your point.

I have not been any more aggresive than "matt-t" who used such terms as "screwed me over!". And it is not isolated to that thread, such terms are used frequently in this forum on an anonymous basis. And of course your going to back another moderator, but that does conflict with your stating that moderators tend to disagree.


Originally posted by akashik

You're happy with their service? Good for you. The person who claimed to have had their accounts shut down has no less of a right to post their opinion than you yourself do. Did it happen to them? I don't know, and neither should you. Unless your upstream is in a habit of discussing their other reseller clients openly and breaching a common confidence.

This is exactly the kind of comment I'd expect from a moderator of this forum. I am not even going to bother responding to it. But you've made it clear that your intent is not constructive.


Originally posted by akashik

You may have had exceptional service with this company, but that's not to say that everyone else will as well. Conflicts arise, problems happen, expectations aren't met. For you to wave the flag for a company you sell for so avidly makes me feel you have more of a vested interest in this matter than what would first appear. Just my opinion, not a claim...

Again, another backhanded comment that I'd expect from a moderator of this forum. The owners of WebHostDir should really question their moderators intent and monitor their actions.


Originally posted by akashik

As far as censoring this forum against people's opinions, I'm not about to start doing that. The same level of discussion I moderate allows you to post threads such as this, as well as allowing others to do the same. Threads are deleted or closed when the level of trolling, anger or flat out abuse gets to a level that rational discussion is no longer possible.


I am not saying you should censor the forum, however there is a fine line that you must recognize. Unless there is clear evidence from the poster of the thread that their claims are valid, the post should be removed. Otherwise its libel.

Secondly, you state that threads are deleted and/or closed when there is trolling, anger, or flat out abuse. Wouldn't the Resellermatrix thread fall under all three of those categories? The subject alone falls under atleast two of them.


Originally posted by akashik

Now, this thread will be closed if you cannot control your anger, and add to this forum in a rational, helpful way. This forum is here to help people make an informed choice when looking for a host (as well as giving people a chance to kick back and talk if they wish). I've butted heads with more than one member of this board when they arrive but they usually find me a fair man once they settle down.

Your issue is not that my opinions are "angry" or "constructive"... but that they are critical of your intentions. Don't mix the two... if you're going to censor me for commenting on the job you're doing, you should also censor matt-t for the same reason.

[JTY]

lukas8,

I'm the one that closed the thread. I closed it because I didn't want it to get out of hand, as it was.

If you have a problem, with my actions, I ask that you PM me.

[Jaiem]

Originally posted by lukas8
Being one of the moderators who operate their own host, you fall under this group. Don't you see the conflict of interest here? You are a competitor, whether there is intent or otherwise, your actions will be biased in your favor.


Lukas,

No one here, least of all the mods, are allowed to self promote in the forms. James runs a tight ship and I'm sure if he had any suspicions a mod was promoting him/herself or was skewing the conversation to their own favor he would put an end to it (and probably the person's career as a mod) fast.



Not owning, operating or working for a web host should be one of the requirements for becoming a moderator of this forum.

If we who are directly involved everyday with the web, hosting and related issues are unsuitable to be mods, who do you think is properly qualified to be a mod of a web hosting related forum - A dry cleaner? A cook? A mechanic? A veterinarian? A bus driver?

[lukas8]

Originally posted by Jaiem

No one here, least of all the mods, are allowed to self promote in the forms. James runs a tight ship and I'm sure if he had any suspicions a mod was promoting him/herself or was skewing the conversation to their own favor he would put an end to it (and probably the person's career as a mod) fast.


First off, they/you do self-promote by including a link to their/your hosting company in every post they/you make. Secondly, my gripe is not with self-promoting, but with your blunt refusal to remove threads that are clear attacks. If there was a thread that attacked one of the moderators hosts, I bet you it would be removed almost immediately, no question.


Originally posted by Jaiem

If we who are directly involved everyday with the web, hosting and related issues are unsuitable to be mods, who do you think is properly qualified to be a mod of a web hosting related forum - A dry cleaner? A cook? A mechanic? A veterinarian? A bus driver?

An independent webmaster would be just as suitable for the job. I too am directly involved in web hosting, but I know it's not my place to comment on another host (more specifically, a competitor) in a public forum, let alone moderate a forum on the subject. Yet you guys do it, time and time again. I could list a dozen comments by a moderator of this forum where they voice their opinion on another web host (usually a negative opinion) which is automatically invalid since they are commenting on a COMPETITOR. Comprendes? Or am I shouting into a deaf (deaf to reason, maybe) ear?

[James]

Lukas!

The more you keep resurrecting the issue of ResellerMatrix within these forums the more attention your bringing to the problems that they are allegedly facing.

As far as your comments about the owners of Web Host Directory, taking more notice of what their moderators say. I can tell you they do monitor what goes on the forums on a daily basis. Each of the moderators was chosen by me, as a direct result of me seeing them post intelligently elsewhere. The users of this forum are a mix of hosts and hosting customers, so we felt that moderators with hands on hosting experience were the most suited to help. However not all the moderators are hosts, several are web masters, or just plain techies. As the owner of webhostdir, you can be assured that I do take pride in the quality of the service we provide, including the forums.

Finally I find your comments about self promotion laughable, given the nature of all your posts within this forum. In any other circumstance I would move the whole lot to the "advertising & offers" forum.

My first piece of advice to you still stands.....come out of the shadows and recoup at least some of your credibility while you still can.

[lukas8]

EDITED DUE TO THE GARBAGE CONTENT EXCEEDING FORUM CAPACITY!