Note from a New Moderator for New Members

[Webstral]

We seem to have a number of new members over the past three or four months. This is very encouraging, as there was a time when many of us were worried that the forum was in decline.

For the newcomers, I'd like to offer a heartfelt welcome and a few pointers about how we do business here. This forum is a gentlemen's club. With very few exceptions, we prefer drawing room language and intellectual discourse to the sort crass and crude written expression so prevalent elsewhere. We prefer informed opinion (or acknowledged uninformed opinion) to the kind of ill-considered bombast one can so readily obtain elsewhere. We avoid baiting each other. The old hands on this forum are here for an exchange of ideas, not electronic shouting matches. If you are of like mind, we welcome you. If you are not of like mind, you will find your interests better addressed elsewhere.

Law and Legbreaker got themselves banned because they practiced standard Internet behavior here (Leg's recent attempts to conform to the forum's atmosphere notwithstanding). Given Kato's saintly patience and tolerance, these posters have accomplished something remarkable, albeit not commendable. Whether I am good role model or not, I'd ask everyone to have a look at the tone and content of the posts of the other moderators, plus Paul, Chico, and many of the other long-termers here. Colorful characters are welcome; colorful metaphors should be used with great discretion. If in doubt, write your reply as a Word document, then wait a few hours or a day. When I follow my own advice, I do a lot better at exchanging ideas.

Webstral

[Raellus]

I too have accepted a temporary moderator position and I would like to echo what Webstral has written here.

I hope to leave as small a moderator footprint on the forum as I possibly can. My goal is to help the other moderators keep this forum running as smoothly as possible while maintaining the lowest of profiles while doing so. At the same time, I intend to continue to actively participate in forum discussions as a humble poster.

[StainlessSteelCynic]

I'd like to suggest that your thread here is made "sticky" so that it always remains at the top for new members (and old) to see and read)

Other than that I wish you good luck in the role, the two of you have exercised considerable restraint and even-handed judgment in the past even when personally attacked in some cases and I think you're good choices for moderators (I would think Graebarde would also be good in the role although he probably doesn't have the time for such a role).

[Cpl. Kalkwarf]

BTW grazt to the new mods.

[copeab]

I kneel before our new overlords.

[Targan]

Originally Posted by Webstral

Colorful characters are welcome; colorful metaphors should be used with great discretion. If in doubt, write your reply as a Word document, then wait a few hours or a day. When I follow my own advice, I do a lot better at exchanging ideas.

Hello from a new moderator here too. The above quote contains good advice. It is especially useful if you have read in a post something that offends you or riles you up. If you feel compelled to respond strongly to a post you find objectionable try to take a few deep breaths and re-read your reply before you post it.

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by copeab

I kneel before our new overlords.

We're not worthy!

[Grimace]

Good on you guys for taking up the task to help out kato. Hopefully it leads to this board staying around for quite a long time...at least until we're all old and demented (even though some might already be considered demented ).

[Mohoender]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

We're not worthy!

Anyway, since I'm 20 my knees are much too painful. Moreover, I don't recognize any overlord. Nevertheless, I will be happy to equally respect you.

One last thing. Thanks for warning us but, If I recall correctly (and I do), our major crisis had nothing to do with politics.

[TiggerCCW UK]

Hello to the new mods, new members and old members I don't tend to post a lot, but I'm here most days. Anyone needs info on Northern Ireland, and to a lesser extent the republic and the UK in general, give me a shout. Have fun foiks, and let's play nicely

[Mohoender]

And Tigger is very helpful and knowledgeable.

[TiggerCCW UK]

Originally Posted by Mohoender

And Tigger is very helpful and knowledgeable.

Cheers for that Mo I don't know if I'd go that far - opinionated and stubborn maybe.......

Seriously though, thats the strength of this forum - we're spread out all over the world, we all have our own special knowledge and we all love T2K in one form or another. There's a hell of a lot of knowledge on here and I shamelessly steal bits and pieces from all of you

[Mahatatain]

Congratulations (or commiserations, depending on your point of view!) to the new moderators!

Originally Posted by Targan

Hello from a new moderator here too. The above quote contains good advice. It is especially useful if you have read in a post something that offends you or riles you up. If you feel compelled to respond strongly to a post you find objectionable try to take a few deep breaths and re-read your reply before you post it.

Years ago when I first started working and using e-mail for work someone gave me a bit of advice:

"If you're snarling while you type an e-mail don't press send!"

I think that the same applies to submitting posts on any forum!

[Ironside]

Ave new moderators! Morituri te salutamus!


(I hope that's: 'Hail . . .those who are about to die salute thee!' but it's been many years since I did latin )

[Canadian Army]

"We salute you, our half inflated dark lord." -Spinal Tap, saluting a half inflated balloon of the devil.

[General Pain]

Yup as Kato is taking a break me and the other new Moderators will try to keep the groove going in this; our little part of the Internet.

I think I speak for everyone of the long term members* of the forum that keeping it civil and respectfull is the solution for a good and productive forum.

*and hopefully our new ones too.

To our new members:

Wellcome and keep it clean.

-General Pain

[Mohoender]

Originally Posted by TiggerCCW UK

opinionated and stubborn maybe.......

That's what I was saying, LOL. But we all are, still playing a game that was released more than 20 years ago. Don't you feel your back ache?

[TiggerCCW UK]

Back, knees - the lot Most of the people who work for me weren't born when I started playing T2K!

[jester]

You all gotta be shittin me!

Where is my M67 to toss into the room. And to the new interm mods, check your backsides for lipprints. Yikes! A bit overzealous guys.

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by jester

You all gotta be shittin me!

Where is my M67 to toss into the room. And to the new interm mods, check your backsides for lipprints. Yikes! A bit overzealous guys.

Be nice, use a flash-bang instead...

[kato13]

Congrats on 1500 posts Paul.

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by kato13

Congrats on 1500 posts Paul.

Do I win a booby prize?

BTW, can I infer by your avatar that you use a Linux machine?

[kato13]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

Do I win a booby prize?

BTW, can I infer by your avatar that you use a Linux machine?

No prizes unfortunately. Just Kudos (and thank for all your information and effort).

Yep the av elements came this image which was my linux desktop for a long time. Currently 5 of my 7 boxes are linux. My primary machine is still M$ unfortunately, due to a need to test things I build in IE.

[enrious]

Having finished reading virtually all of the threads since the beginning, I'm very thankful to see this be the tone.

A lot of people have put a lot of hard work and effort into creating very intelligent content. The forum drama detracts from that and thus, I look forward to visiting here and looking at the same creativity that spans the site, only without the vitriol to detract from it.

[Webstral]

Originally Posted by enrious

vitriol

Good vocab.

Webstral

[Targan]

Originally Posted by enrious

Having finished reading virtually all of the threads since the beginning...

Really? That is a lot of reading to get through, good effort. I should read through all the old threads some time too. There are nuggets of gold spread all through them.

[Mohoender]

Originally Posted by Targan

Really? That is a lot of reading to get through, good effort. I should read through all the old threads some time too. There are nuggets of gold spread all through them.

I agree, with time, I have missed some and never found the courage to read them all. Then, I very much agree with enrius opinion.