Calling Thayne, Can I Help With NOM?

[_Hagoth]

i am curious when it got down to two moderators. that is very very curious.
i am curious what was the trend line among moderators' activity. was the reduction more recent than a year or so ago when nom was breaking apart?

I'm curious about this too. The year in which ME suggest the board was breaking apart actually showed no signs of being in any sort of tailspin to the average user. Thayne was no longer a presence and the stricter mods had become ghosts, but I don't think anyone saw that as a bad thing. As far as I could tell, having no insight into what was going on behind the scenes, it was the best version of NOM to date. People were allowed to blow of a little steam but remains generally respectful. A few formerly forbidden words were dusted off as needed, but it remained civil. It felt like just the right amount of moderation.

I don't agree that none of the old moderators should return. I would give a big thumbs-up to Alas and fh451 for sure.

[_Mayan Elephant]

I just checked the dates. We opened the Facebook group 2 years ago. That was in direct response to a couple things: several members being told to get the ***** out of nom by multiple moderators (I believe Alas was part of that group), and, Thayne saying very specifically that he would pull the plug on the joint.

Does that correspond to your timeline correctly, hagoth?

[_alas]

i am curious when it got down to two moderators. that is very very curious.
i am curious what was the trend line among moderators' activity. was the reduction more recent than a year or so ago when nom was breaking apart?

I'm curious about this too. The year in which ME suggest the board was breaking apart actually showed no signs of being in any sort of tailspin to the average user. Thayne was no longer a presence and the stricter mods had become ghosts, but I don't think anyone saw that as a bad thing. As far as I could tell, having no insight into what was going on behind the scenes, it was the best version of NOM to date. People were allowed to blow of a little steam but remains generally respectful. A few formerly forbidden words were dusted off as needed, but it remained civil. It felt like just the right amount of moderation.

I don't agree that none of the old moderators should return. I would give a big thumbs-up to Alas and fh451 for sure.

I totally agree with this observation.

In response to ME, I was a moderator two years ago, but was not one who wanted people gone. I fought for a couple of old timer posters, but got out voted. I said I would not name names, and I won't here, but if someone is supper curious, PM me.

The only ones I wanted gone were certain people who also shall not be named who refused to stop with the swear words that they couldn't seem to express themselves without using and who attacked others for no reason. I find excessive swearing an uneducated and immature way of expressing oneself, and quite frankly it gets old pretty quickly. But some of those people were being protected by other moderators whom also shall not be named.

This banning people for small infractions meant as a joke while allowing blatant swear words to pass was something that had me one inch from dropping off NOM myself and that was about two years ago.

But can we stop with dissecting the old NOM and move forward?

[_Hagoth]

But can we stop with dissecting the old NOM and move forward?

Good idea. I will just answer ME's question and then I will move on. I remember a very rough patch about that time with a lot of unhappy people, particularly when conference rolled around and the real-time conference commentary was being heavily moderated. The next time I saw Thane he seemed to be pretty much done with the whole thing. Everything seemed to go much more smoothly once we got over that hump. So, yeah, moderating generally for trolling, abusive language, aggression, name calling and obscenity seems to be adequate. We can't protect fragile people but we can mitigate uh the scary "anti-mormon" stigma that can slap newcomers across the face when dipping their toe into deeper water.

[_cwald]

I remember a very rough patch about that time with a lot of unhappy people, particularly when conference rolled around and the real-time conference commentary was being heavily moderated...

This really ramped up in October 2011, with the 14 "F"s of the Following the Prophets, and Two Lines of Communication, and it really never recovered. The church never recovered either.

It wasn't just NOM, it seems like the whole church culture took a hit after the Oligarchy doubled down, dug in their heals, and started to come up with these ultra conservative regressive policies and doctrines and such. I mean, most of the progressive middle way advances and good will of the Hinckley administration got thrown to the curb in the last five years because of the despicable douche bags like Oaks, Packer, Bednar etc. They even went so far as to make the comment "There is no middle way." and the church does not seek apologizes nor do they give them." What a bunch of dicks.

PS - this is why I didn't post on NOM much the last few years. This kind of comment is not welcome at NOM, nor should it be condoned or permitted on that board. I know the rules and mission of the site.

[_candygal]

Cwald, this explains why I would look for your posts when I checked in once in a while..you were just suddenly gone! I hadn't been on that board for a while. Just curious..how did the middle way see the policy on the gays/children?? For so many, like prop 8...that was the last straw. I have a friend that is looking forward to another board like that. I hope you guys can do this....! I would be no good to an NOM....I didn't blink an eye..and walked.

[_cwald]

Just curious..how did the middle way see the policy on the gays/children??

I don't have an answer. There is no middle way, and I think this latest policy is a gut punch to anyone who fought and tried to make a middle way work for themselves and family. I don't know how ANYONE can justify or do mental gymnastics to rationalize this kind of atrocious behavior.

Cwald, this explains why I would look for your posts when I checked in once in a while..you were just suddenly gone! I hadn't been on that board for a while. For so many, like prop 8...that was the last straw. I have a friend that is looking forward to another board like that. I hope you guys can do this....! I would be no good to an NOM....I didn't blink an eye..and walked.

Yeah. I'm not really interested in a NOM board. The only thing I will miss about NOM is the beer threads, some friends and acquaintances, and the live GC commentary threads. I am not a NOM, I don't believe a middle way is possible within the church. I am a proud heathen apostate Mormon and wear it like a badge of honor, and I'm not willing to mince words to play nice with an abusive corrupt church or those who defend and sanction the Mormon church's atrocious actions, doctrines and policies.

By the way, I did a essay/interview podcast with Infants on Thrones a couple of years ago if you want to hear my story. http://infantsonthrones.com/confessions ... beer-snob/

[_DPRoberts]

This really ramped up in October 2011, with the 14 **** of the Following the Prophets, and Two Lines of Communication, and it really never recovered. The church never recovered either.

It wasn't just NOM, it seems like the whole church culture took a hit after the Oligarchy doubled down, dug in their heals, and started to come up with these ultra conservative regressive policies and doctrines and such. I mean, most of the progressive middle way advances and good will of the Hinckley administration got thrown to the curb in the last five years because of the despicable douche bags like Oaks, Packer, Bednar etc. They even went so far as to make the comment "There is no middle way." and the church does not seek apologizes nor do they give them." What a bunch of dicks.

PS - this is why I didn't post on NOM much the last few years. This kind of comment is not welcome at NOM, nor should it be condoned or permitted on that board. I know the rules and mission of the site.

I never had any issues with the moderation on NOM, and I think cwald hit the nail on the head as to why. I was OK with the rules and mission of the site and tried my best to stay within them. We knew there were other places to blow off steam when needed and could censor ourselves like civil and mature people for the sake of allowing that particular community to fill its niche. I would not want to see the moderation at NNOM change significantly from what alas and fh451 were providing at the end.

I am almost entirely in agreement with the thoughts Hagoth has expressed so far.

[_Red Ryder]

This thread has validated my thoughts. I fully recognize that a middle way doesn't exist, but a place is needed where people can tread lightly while they figure out who they are while they critically examine their Mormon beliefs and navigate around the remnants of shattered belief. We've all been there with various results and created exceptional content in the form of our own documented experiences, advice, opinions, and stories. That's what makes these forums so valuable. That's why I'm in support of a new board. We should have an announcement soon.

A future project I would love to do would be a film documentary where we capture the real life stories of those who have left and focus on the heartache, life changes, and challenges from giving up the faith. There would be so many different angles to document. From the people who fully adjusted and transitioned to normal, all the way to the heroin junkie living in the gutter under the shadows of the temple. Cwald, your story would make a great plot line in such a documentary.

[_moksha]

I don't agree that none of the old moderators should return. I would give a big thumbs-up to Alas and fh451 for sure.

I imagine a new NOM board would be lucky to get help from all who are willing and able. I have observed that on a few LDS boards, some moderators have a proclivity to be censorious in order to push certain ideas. That is usually a bad practice since it limits the scope of ideas that can be discussed.

Beliefnet had a written set of rules which included no obscene language. Of course, obscenity is in the eye of the beholder. That is why this board directs those eyes to its Telestial forum. Abuse of fellow posters can be a bug-a-boo for most boards, but what of those who truly like to abuse and be abused? Sweet dreams are made of that and so this board has developed a Spirit Prison forum for those so inclined.

These two examples alone suggest that most forms of expression can be accommodated with sufficient planning. Best wishes to those of you involved with such planning.