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[GHammer]

So, what do I think a moderator should do? How do they get the respect they want?

Be clear. Don't come with a hidden agenda. Let people know what is acceptable and what is not. "Other audio apps are not tolerated here." "Requests for MOD playback are not accepted, don't ask." "Links to 3rd party sites are not allowed."
Whatever it is, let people know. Mostly people will obey rules. Mostly people will get angry if they do not understand what they are being 'disciplined' for. If you can point to the easy to find rules, you have a defense. If you don't then you are open to the arbitary charge.

Be consistent. If you say that posts must stay on topic, then edit off topic things out. Suspend repeat offenders. Ban those who just can't get the hang of it.

Be open. Don't delete a thread without a trace. Moderators should post that this thread is locked and why. Edit an individual reply/post to show that it was removed from a thread. Sometimes sure the whole thing needs to be deleted. But most times that is not the case. Again, if you are open about things it is hard to generate hard feelings. And if someone does start with "Dictator! Fascist!" the board stands as witness of how moderation is done.

Finally, rightly or wrongly, I have a slightly different standard for this forum than say, the 'foobar' forum. Why? I paid money for this app and I expect a prompt accurate reply to support requests. Not to feature requests. Support though should be prompt and accurate. If it comes from the users, cool. But come it must.

Do I mean I think I have the right to abuse the paid staff? Nope. Do I think that pointing out that MC does thus and so while brand x does not should be considered abusive/disruptive? Nope.

[JimH]

Generally good advice, but not always easy to follow.

In the end, it comes down to what the moderator believes is acceptable and what he has time and energy to do.  A lot of the garbage that does get deleted happens in the middle of the night my time, so the garbage man cleans it up at 6:00AM.  It's not my finest hour.

It's a difficult job to do.  It can't be done right because there are so many judges of what right is. 

Posts or threads that are likely to get deleted tend to fall in these buckets.

Meaningless posts like "me too" (as you said).

Repetitive and pushy posts that the user has asked and been answered before.

Some rude or insulting posts, though most of these don't get deleted.

Posts that seem bound to cause a meaningless argument.

Pushy and repetitious demands.

Posts that contain the word "this sucks" in the first sentence.

Posts that are primarily angry or hostile.

That's about it.

[paulr]

When a mod deems it necessary to edit the words in a person's post, there should be, at minimum, a note at the bottom saying it was edited and by whom. (most forums put this at the bottom of posts automatically)

[JimH]

When a mod deems it necessary to edit the words in a person's post, there should be, at minimum, a note at the bottom saying it was edited and by whom. (most forums put this at the bottom of posts automatically)

If the forum software supported it, I'd consider it, but I'm not crazy about adding to my work load to document an edit or removal of "This sucks." or "This ******* thing is all ****** up."

There are often times when I'll edit a mis-spelling or typo or formatting.  Especially for someone who isn't a native English speaker.

[KingSparta]

There are often times when I'll edit a mis-spelling or typo or formatting.  Especially for someone who isn't a native English speaker.

Or like Me Who Can't Spell, And I Do Speak English

[JimH]

Several posts have been removed.  Second hand grumpiness can be harmful to your health.

Two of the posts removed were mine.  I'm bummed.

[GHammer]

Generally good advice, but not always easy to follow.

In the end, it comes down to what the moderator believes is acceptable and what he has time and energy to do.  A lot of the garbage that does get deleted happens in the middle of the night my time, so the garbage man cleans it up at 6:00AM.  It's not my finest hour.

Hmmm, perhaps one person shouldn't be responsible for the entire thing then.
Perhaps splitting the forum into pieces (Support/Bugs, Suggestions, General) would make it a bit easier as most new users would likely hit Support. If the others had an offending post for awhile, well, it would have a smaller audience.

As for what is acceptable, I really don't think it should vary from moderator to moderator. If you have rules. And apply them.

It's a difficult job to do.  It can't be done right because there are so many judges of what right is.

Well, not exactly. I see 3 users listed who judge what right is.
Moderators: Forum Admin, KingSparta, bob

It is a hard position, but one that has to be done in a consistent manner applying rules that are known to all. Or accept the flak that is generated.

[JimH]

Well, not exactly. I see 3 users listed who judge what right is.
Moderators: Forum Admin, KingSparta, bob

I meant that we have thousands of people coming through the forum.  Each has their own distinct point of view, so no matter what we do someone is bound to find it lacking.

[Omni]

Meaningless posts like "me too" (as you said).

Here, though, you contradict yourself.  You have stated in the past and even as recently as today (here) that you only respond to problems reported by multiple people, yet now you are saying that "Me, too" posts are meaningless.  This makes no sense.  You can't have it both ways.

[edbro]

I used to post often, in fact I've reported a few bugs. But, after being censored a couple of times if the mod felt my post didn't reflect too well on the product, I have basically given up and I sit back and watch. I don't think this is only me, some reviews I've seen on other download sites point to the same thing.

[JimH]

Hey.  No fair asking me not to contradict myself.  Are you married?

Sometimes a handful of people make a lot of noise about a "missing" feature.  If one of them has brought it up in a bug thread (the wrong place) for the third time, and two of his buddies jump in with a "yeah, what he said", I may edit.

[JimH]

I used to post often, in fact I've reported a few bugs. But, after being censored a couple of times if the mod felt my post didn't reflect too well on the product, I have basically given up and I sit back and watch. I don't think this is only me, some reviews I've seen on other download sites point to the same thing.

Editing and censorship aren't the same.

Opinions of how the site should run are useful, not mandatory.

[JimH]

I think this thread is a pretty fair reflection of the differences of opinion.  I'm going to close it now.  Further discussion of what should or should not be edited/deleted/censored/exterminated will be removed.

We now resume our regularly scheduled programming.