Moving forward with a different perspective

YA! Even we GR'ers from Dubai and Abu Dhabi feels so strongly for the much maligned Moderators. If we could we would fly all the way back to SIngapore just to help to resolve problems!

It's okay, I can smite from here now.

Matter of who is feeling lucky and wants to try to be funny. sunny, TS, missmoon, MC and the usual gang will look like the Pope, Ghandi and Mother Teresa compared to me when it comes to moderation.

I moderate forums the same way UAE police handle drink drinking -- zero tolerance, if you get caught.

ghoonk wrote:

It's okay, I can smite from here now.

Matter of who is feeling lucky and wants to try to be funny. sunny, TS, missmoon, MC and the usual gang will look like the Pope, Ghandi and Mother Teresa compared to me when it comes to moderation.

I moderate forums the same way UAE police handle drink drinking -- zero tolerance, if you get caught.

I think if ure caught in UAE with a drink, u'd be put in jail or is it one of the less strict arab countries?

Correct. IF you get caught. Remember SAF Golden Rule #1?

Drinking IS allowed in hospitality establishments, but don't wander outside in a drunken or intoxicated state or it's Al Slammer for you. Fair deal, it keeps drunks off the streets, and off the roads. I do enjoy the occasional tipple with friend and colleagues at the club, but I cab home, or we have a designated driver for the evening.

I know someone who got caught speeding at night after taking some cough mixture from out of country that had some alcohol in it. He was sober, but just someone who likes to speed. Got caught, they breathalyzed him, detected some minute % of alcohol, and put him in jail for 3 months and slapped him with a fine. Guy lost his job, and moved back to his home country.

Also know a couple of Brits and Aussies here who got caught driving home after an evening at the pub. Same outcome, wasn't pretty. Bottom line, don't push your luck, but despite this, Dubai is a fantastic place to live in (easy for me to say cos I don't drink much/often...hahah). I respect the customs and culture here, and try not to push the envelope of the law. If I get caught pushing my luck, LL lor, my fault, not theirs for being strict. After all, I'm a guest in this country.

Anyway, look, I'm not unreasonable, none of the mods/admins are. Constructive feedback is welcome, snide/snarky remarks are not. Not too much to ask for, to be fair.

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Duval_S wrote:

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Ssquirrel wrote:

Technospaz wrote:

Great idea. The range sessions are open to all members and disgruntled members should use this opportunity to pop by and voice their concerns. It's a good opportunity to hear both sides and work towards a compromise going forward.

Sounds reasonable..can work both ways too I guess.. If the mods/volunteers sense some disatisfaction or feel "victimized" they can always shoot a quick PM to chat or even invite the other party in the threads to meetup and have a healthy discussion.

The nuances of speech get lost in forum postings, and misunderstandings/miscommunication always causes unnecessary grief, and is the mother of all fk'ups..

OK...since we have caddy, marshall......I nominate myself to be the uncle at the half way house....anytime there is a miscommunication, come to Suntech, I buy kopi and we all sit and talk (disclaimer: timing must fit my schedule)

so how....got 'special' color for me a not???? rank = Uncle @ Half Way

eswing wrote:

i m not an active user of the forum... but pls allow me to kpo a bit as i feel that the disputes (avatar being just another trigger point) will go on forever unless something is changed...

there is 1 type of forums which are more private/ boutique-like. their user bases are small and members tend to know one another relatively well. gr in its early stage was a typical eg of this...

then there are also another type of forums which are really open & public by concept, much like golfwrx, toonshouse, and gr (current stage). their user bases are larger and members come from all walks of life... naturally, the members will cluster into various gangs/kakis/groups eventually - human nature isn't it? dgman has summerized it well, using the terms 'opposing forces', mods etc... of course, there are also many other 'forces' too.

to run type-1 forums, just lay down the rules and manage actively. as users are closer to one another so there is not much rooms for misunderstandings. people tend to be agreeable/ give-face more.

to run type-2 forums, i feel that it would be easier for the mods if they loosen up a bit more and micro-manage lesser... '治大国如烹小鲜'. as u can see, for every action u do and every position/side u take, there are always 20-30% people who oppose/ disagree/ not happy. since u can't please ev1 so y not be neutral and avoid taking positions most of the time? this way, the mods will vomit lesser blood too. let the various forces balance themselves off and just sit back and enjoy the free shows (honestly, i really enjoy reading the controversial threads). the mods should only step in when situations have gone out of control. eg, personal attacks, spams etc. lay down minimum rules... because the more u have, the more effort u need to put in to enforce them... and also it will increase the probabilities of creating misunderstandings. mods can also self define/establish guidelines/super-rules as per when they will interfere to censor/delete/modify/lock-thread... this way, the kuailan ones will have nothing to cry father cry mother liow... less power = less troubles. like many others, i appreciate v much for the effort put in by the mods... and i really pity them...

well, at least, it means GR is getting popular & successful...

actually, GolfWRX does moderate well. No trash talking, just stick to the topic of golf

But it's true that we should all take the time to contact each other offline (PM, phone call, kopi) to resolve perceived injustices instead of slinging it out here. Good feedback, eswing

ghoonk wrote:

I think some people are missing the point. It's the barbed comments at moderators and admins that started this whole thing.

I have said it once before, and I will say it again -- if anyone here has a beef with the admin or moderators, MEET WITH THEM AND TALK IT OUT. There's a regular Wednesday evening meetup at MBGC range where this can happen, or any member who feels maligned can opt out of this 'restrictive' forum and go to the other golf forum.

Snide and snarky remarks on the side just make things worse.

I must have missed out the gunfight that led to the closure of the forum. Anyway, I always believe there is yin and yang. I somehow feel that you are a little bias in your comment? It can also happen to a mod who has an issue with a member right? I also feel it is a little extreme to suggest disgruntled members to leave the forum. No offense meant.

Lets be objective, focus on issue resolution and not the person. If we look into the various incidents, it all started with an issue that was raised and somehow it got blown out of proportion. Was it always true that the members were the fire starter in all cases?

I really don't think there is an opposition party here that has nothing better to do but to find every opportunity to go against the mods. Always remember the fact that whenever we point a finger at others, there are more fingers pointing back at ourselves.

No offense taken.

I'm just saying that no matter what, parties involved should take their disputes offline and not manipulate the forum to their own personal ends.

People also need to keep in mind that this forum is no different from a golf shop that one frequents -- we are visitors and guests, regulars or newbies. Just like typical golf shops, sometimes owners give certain regulars more 'perks' than others, etc, yet we know this and accept it. There are other kinds of shops (like GH) where prices are fixed but offer a different shopping experience. However, unlike a typical golf shop or either variety, this forum makes no money from anyone. And as a customer, if I feel that I'm not getting the right treatment from the shop, I'm free to take my money elsewhere. People who continue to patronize such a shop obviously see a value proposition that I do not share, but it is their prerogative to continue their patronage.

This forum tries to operate in as fair a way as it can for everyone, and it's a matter of accepting that we are 'borrowing' a facility to socialize amongst like-minded individuals, although some individuals have abused this simple hospitality and the operators of the site/forum.

It's not a matter of lording it over others, but as long as people respect the function of this forum being a platform for fraternizing and not conflict/contention, this place will remain harmonious.

Like a club/pub, mods are no more than volunteer bouncers, here to keep the peace. If trouble starts, parties involved either get taken aside for offline resolution, or asked to leave. We accept this as common/standard practice in such establishments where we PAY to use the facilities, let alone a FREE facility like this.

The admins/owners have already made it clear that this forum is not sponsored by Titleist/Cobra, etc -- it's run out of the wallets of the owners, and peace is kept through the time and effort of the moderators who do try to be as far and transparent as possible.

Whether there is an opposition party or not, I don't really care at this point in time. The role of the mods is to keep the peace, and it's not about taking sides

"Like a club/pub, mods are no more than volunteer bouncers, here to keep the peace. If trouble starts, parties involved either get taken aside for offline resolution, or asked to leave."

This is true in pubs where two parties crashed and the bouncers has to step in but in GR, it is the visitors and bouncers crashing. Sad case.

I see it more as the guests and hosts clashing, but the idea is there.

let's say a friend comes to visit and does not agree with how you treat your dog/cat or in some way does something that you feel is unfair. What would you do if you disagree?

Rationalize? Make snide remarks? Or leave?

I tend to vote with my wallet. If I feel screwed over by a shop, I never go back. If I do, I go back with eyes wide open and try to stay objective

Okay, i think we've beaten this dead horse enough. The point has been made.

Admins and mods are open to discussion offline on forum policy, but we'd really like to keep the topic to GOLF (which is really what this forum is about).

Should not a visitor then be gracious when the hosts leave the door open in invitation to one and all?

As was rightly pointed out by Nutty88 "Always remember the fact that whenever we point a finger at others, there are more fingers pointing back at ourselves."

Both sides have aired their views and I would like to believe that both sides agree to to disagree as gentlemen should.

The horse has been flogged one too many times in too many different guises on too many different threads.

Thank you for your views.