So I have bid my farewell of the EUOT.

[Ed Anger]

After enjoying a good 7 hours sleep, I come back and it is still going.



But I'm out of the dogpile. It bores me now. I'd dogpile Korea though. Naked.

[Rasputin]

Stonewall grows wiser in the ways of the force.

[grumbler]

At the same time, the mod has to be very professional, and not make himself the subject of discussion.  That's the rule I followed when I was an admin on the forum I used to frequent.  Flaming someone in your official capacity, and then hiding behind your official capacity, is a gross violation of that rule.  In real life terms, it's like a cop punching someone a couple of times unprovoked in public, and then threatening to arrest the guy for assaulting the officer if he punches back.

No, a mod does not need to be like that. You may require it in your forum, but I suspect that you would have no mods in your forum, because they would end up pissed off that they had to explain everything to everyone because there is no definition of a "very professional" online moderator that is commonly accepted.

There is no "real life terms" equivalent of an on-line posting; the closest thing is maybe a line in an episode of The Simpsons, or another situation in which made-up people are having a totally artificial conversation.

People seriously need to get a life.  Internet fora are for amusement only.  If some artificial persona wants to amuse itself by calling your artificial persona a liar, it has no real-world impact whatever, and cannot involve morality or professionalism in any way.

[Tamas]

After enjoying a good 7 hours sleep, I come back and it is still going.
But I'm out of the dogpile. It bores me now. I'd dogpile Korea though. Naked.

It is being taken over by grumbler.

As a matter of fact, it is like the ecology system of Languish: Fresh meat appear and make their first uncertain steps, jumped quickly by the predators who happen to be close by chance. Alerted by the noise, the alpha trolls (Ed, Jaron, some others) arrive and tear the damaged noob apart. Some less heavy-weight but still prestigious posters use the chance to bite off small pieces here and there, while Martinus performs the cheerleader role acting as if he was part of the devouring.

As the noob-thread turns into a ravaged corpse, the main trolls start to lose interest, allowing grumbler, the scavenger, to do his special thing with it. When he is done, only bones and memories remain of the thread, and sometimes the noob poster as well.

[DGuller]

No need for any definition.  Just act respectfully and in a way that wouldn't require you to give an explanation.  It's not that hard to follow for people who are not assholes on a power trip.  If the mod is asked to explain himself very often, then he's a terrible mod who hasn't earned his respect or authority.  One sure way to lose respect and authority is to do what Stonewall did.

As for whether Internet fora are for amusement, it's a matter of opinion.  IMO, it's a way for real people to communicate with each other.  We're not just in a virtual reality simulation, behind each poster is a real person.

[ulmont]

As a matter of fact, it is like the ecology system of Languish: Fresh meat appear and make their first uncertain steps, jumped quickly by the predators who happen to be close by chance.

Meh.  I had no such jumping.

[Slargos]

After enjoying a good 7 hours sleep, I come back and it is still going.
But I'm out of the dogpile. It bores me now. I'd dogpile Korea though. Naked.

It is being taken over by grumbler.

As a matter of fact, it is like the ecology system of Languish: Fresh meat appear and make their first uncertain steps, jumped quickly by the predators who happen to be close by chance. Alerted by the noise, the alpha trolls (Ed, Jaron, some others) arrive and tear the damaged noob apart. Some less heavy-weight but still prestigious posters use the chance to bite off small pieces here and there, while Martinus performs the cheerleader role acting as if he was part of the devouring.

As the noob-thread turns into a ravaged corpse, the main trolls start to lose interest, allowing grumbler, the scavenger, to do his special thing with it. When he is done, only bones and memories remain of the thread, and sometimes the noob poster as well.

Excellent. I haven't laughed out loud at a post on Languish for a good while now. Thanks. 

[Slargos]

As a matter of fact, it is like the ecology system of Languish: Fresh meat appear and make their first uncertain steps, jumped quickly by the predators who happen to be close by chance.

Meh.  I had no such jumping.

Maybe you didn't reek of vulnerable noob when you arrived. 

It would be interesting to do a study on the subject, I think.

I guess it mainly has to do with the way that you enter public discourse. One of the new posters (I forget his name, the guy that joined the dog pile with only 6 posts or something like that) took his chance to join in an already on going feeding frenzy and getting splattered with the blood and gore probably helps put the Languish scent on him thus possibly avoiding making him a target later.

I don't know. I'm just speculating freely here.

[Jaron]

[stjaba]

I guess it mainly has to do with the way that you enter public discourse. One of the new posters (I forget his name, the guy that joined the dog pile with only 6 posts or something like that) ...

I don't know how it fits into the ecology analysis, but I got the impression that there is a decent probability that the new poster is a sock. Quite possibly a monkeybutt sock. Just saying.

[Ed Anger]

I'd never have a STL cardinal in my avatar. 

[Jaron]

The only St. Louis fan we ever had on this forum was Vinraith and I think derspiezze

[grumbler]

It is being taken over by grumbler. 

I took over with a single post?  Kool!

As a matter of fact, it is like the ecology system of Languish: Fresh meat appear and make their first uncertain steps, jumped quickly by the predators who happen to be close by chance. Alerted by the noise, the alpha trolls (Ed, Jaron, some others) arrive and tear the damaged noob apart. Some less heavy-weight but still prestigious posters use the chance to bite off small pieces here and there, while Martinus performs the cheerleader role acting as if he was part of the devouring.

As the noob-thread turns into a ravaged corpse, the main trolls start to lose interest, allowing grumbler, the scavenger, to do his special thing with it. When he is done, only bones and memories remain of the thread, and sometimes the noob poster as well.

And now you have taken over the dogpile.

I leave it to you.

[Ed Anger]

The only St. Louis fan we ever had on this forum was Vinraith and I think derspiezze

And Paul A I think.

CINCINNATI REDS 4 LIFE. MARGE SCHOTT IN DA HOUSE.

[Ed Anger]

After enjoying a good 7 hours sleep, I come back and it is still going.
But I'm out of the dogpile. It bores me now. I'd dogpile Korea though. Naked.

It is being taken over by grumbler.

I love ya Grumbles.