Hello from your newest Moderator...

[hhr]

Hey gang, just a quick note to say "Hey" from your newest Moderator.

Back when I found this forum I dropped a quick note to your Administrator Donnell Wells offering to lend a hand here, and spread the workload so that he and riogrande can have the luxury of another person to keep things running smoothly.

So if you're wondering how a new guy can waltz in the metaphorical door and end up as a Moderator is such short order, well I've been "doing" the online forum deal for ages, including the late lamented Atlas forum.

In addition to my day job as a commercial pilot, I'm the Administrator of a decade old GM forum with 75,000 members and counting.  So I'm used to being a voice of reason, an organizer, a resolver of conflicts, and about anything else you can think of.

My modeling is all done in N-Scale, where I've been active since 1973.  In addition to modeling in "N", I collect both pre-war Lionel and American Flyer trains.  And thanks to my 2 1/2 year old son Dustin James AKA Dusty, I've become a "Tankie" thanks to watching Thomas the Tank Engine DVD's and PBS broadcasts.

Now my new status here is only about 48 hours old, and I'm still at the "what's this do?" stage of figuring out the software that runs the forum.  It's like learning a new language, so bear with me, and I'll try not to break anything.

And as I do on my GM site, I operate with an "open door" policy, so please feel free to contact me anytime with your questions/concerns/ideas.

Mike/hhr

[bnsffan]

CSXT,

Although I get tired of the price and preorder whining, it is a legitimate part of our hobby. After many years in the US Navy Submarine service I learned that many people are at their happiest when they have something to gripe about. I suggest that you do what I do, skip over they topic or specific posts. Also, you can block specific individuals if you choose.

I think both moderators are doing a good job and are NOT heavy-handed.

Respectfully,
BNSF Fan

[hhr]

Well CXST, I'm not sure a moratorium on pricing/pre-order gripes would work(although I can see where riogrande is coming from), after all this is a forum.  Are the MSRP's breathtaking on new products, oh you betcha!

Personally, I'm not a fan of Kato's MAP Pricing, but how many folks really end up paying "full boat list price" for Kato's latest & greatest?  The same can be said for any brand in any scale, my pet peeve would be dealers soliciting pre-orders for the model equivalent of "Vapor Ware"(N-Scale PRR M-1 anyone?), and then having a manufacturer/importer totally drop the ball.

Being that I'm still a new guy here, and setting aside my Moderator status for now, I'm not seeing the Post/Reply/Troll equation.  But I'm slowly but surely reading through all the posts here to get a real handle on the culture of the forum.

Give me a few more nights of reading and learning the personalities of the members here, and I'll be up to track speed.

Thanks for your input, it's appreciated!

[ambluco]

At a minimum there should be more moderation to move things onto this board. The pre-order and pricing affects all scales. The HO board is supposed to be about modeling HO scale. I'd like to see modeling. Al the armchair experts in what MB Klein should be doing with their business model can discuss it over here.

[Brakie]

I moderate on two different types of forums and here's the rub..Where there is no direct violation of the rules then there is no foul.There is a gray area that many member stumble or deliberately walk into that bends the rules without a direct foul..

Use jackboot moderation and members complain or leave and use common sense moderation and members complain and leave.You the moderator can't win.

If members would skip over the comments or topics they do not agree with things would be easier for all.

[Donnell Wells]

Hello Mike,

Welcome to the team! Given your history as a owner and moderator of a much larger forum, I am certain that your have already witnessed many of the things you will see, or have already seen here. It goes without saying that there are many different personalities here, and not all of them are compatible. However, our goal is to facilitate the discussions here, and help the forum progress as smoothly as possible.

Again, welcome to the team!

Sincerely,
Donnell

[riogrande]

Welcome Mike!

[Paul Cutler III]

I cut my internet teeth on the completely unmoderated newsgroup rec.models.railroad back in the 1990's. When people complain about trolling, flaming or general wickedness on this or any other web-based moderated forum, many times they have no idea what they're talking about. It's as if a strong difference of an opinion means it's wrong and must be stopped because we should all get along, paint rainbows and watch unicorns. As long as no one attacks the messenger and only attacks the message, then it's all good. We're all adults here (well, AFAIK), and adults should be able to disagree, and disagree strongly, without someone calling for the censors.

The best part of the old Atlas Forum was that they let us argue. They didn't insist on making everyone conform to an "everything is beautiful" attitude. We could rip apart a model as long as we were right. You couldn't just say "Company X stinks", you had to say why. It had just the right kind of moderation for a very popular and influential web forum.

I think Donnell is doing a great job keeping that tradition alive, and I wish Mike the best of luck as the new sucker...I mean moderator.

[Donnell Wells]

This thread was not intended to become a moderator bashing, nor a finger pointing session. All non-related comments will be edited or deleted.

Donnell