Two popular forums for Taiwan expats are Taiwan Ho! (www.taiwanho.com) and Forumosa (www.forumosa.com). These forums can offer a wealth of information about living and working in Taiwan, though readers be warned- Participation on Taiwan Ho! is hit and miss, and Forumosa has a dedicated group of right-wing trolls who enjoy favored status with the forum moderators.Since then, Maoman offered me a position as moderator of Forumosa. Now that I have access to the hidden moderator forums, I need to revise the statement above. That last part should read:
...and Forumosa has a dedicated group of right-wing trolls whoenjoy favored status with theare forum moderators.
I apologize for any confusion that may have resulted from this error.
Writers of Taichung Voice welcome comments and suggestions, or complaints about errors that warrant correction. Readers dissatisfied with a response or concerned about the magazine's journalistic integrity may reach the editor, Lance, at a bar somewhere in Taichung. Feel free to voice your concerns in a strident and animated fashion.
10 comments:
LOL....of course.
For every right wing mod we've got, there's a left-wing one. That's why I got you on board - to keep some kind of balance...
Cranky Laowai, Jaboney, Hobbes, Feiren... not right wingers... ;-)
The issue is not the right-winginess, but the trolliness. Dontcha think Tigerman ought to get a hobby or something?
Both posts were satire. You don't think I'd actually use ROFL in a post, do you?
It's not important what I think. Not everyone knows who you are. How can one differentiate satire in one of your posts and sincerity in someone else's? Anyway, if you weren't sincere in your post, that's pretty much the definition of trolling, at least on Forumosa:
Trolling is the deliberate posting of false information or insincere comments/questions in order to elicit responses from genuinely concerned people. Trolling does not encourage further discussion in the long run, it only encourages personal attacks (if left unchecked). Substance is the key to not being labelled a troll. We ask that you do not make postings which are deliberately intended to upset other participants, start inflammatory arguments or interrupt legitimate discussion.
"How can one differentiate satire in one of your posts and sincerity in someone else's?"
Ah, and hence the clever subtext of the joke, that in the Forumosa I.P. forums, maybe you can't tell the difference between ignorant sloganeering and somebody having you on. And that would sort of prove my point, that I.P. is an unholy mess.
And you don't think Tigerman was actually offended, do you? He's milking this like he milks everything.
But you told me you were keen on effecting change. You were going to clean up Dodge! Giving up so soon?
Make me a moderator of IP, and give me the power to ban people. IP will be clean in two days. If someone has been suspended multiple times, and moderators are *still* having to flame their posts, then that person is not ever going to get it. Ban them, and make the board a real resource for people living in Taiwan.
But that won't happen, because Forumosa is not about community or civil exchange of ideas. It is a good ole boy's club. And as the administrator, you must take responsibility for this.
You have that power in TP. But to impose one standard in TP and then break that standard yourself in other forums is disingenuous, isn't it? I mean, no matter what forums you moderate, there will always be other forums moderated by those with whom you disagree. Your solution, as I hear you saying it is to make you moderator of every forum. That's not entirely impossible. Hell, I first came on as a moderator of just one forum. But first let's see a little consistency - I'd be a fool to give any one moderator that power when they're advocating strict standards in one forum and then violating same standards in another, right?
You say "disingenuous", I say "funny". And there is only one forum that is problematic, and that is I.P.; And the I.P. moderators won't fix it, because they are part of the problem- I think they must gain life energy from all the hatin' or something.
Look, if you think I'm out of line in I.P., just flounder or flame the posts. Or you can wait and let Tigerman post a long, weepy 'you hurt my feelings post' in the mod forum, and watch all the other mods take it hook, line, and sinker. It's cool with me either way.
By the way, is the comment section of my blog the best place to be discussing this?
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