CC Moderation Vote

[Night]

The purpose of this thread is for us as a community to decide whether or not Striker should retain his staff position and role as an acting Moderator of the Custom Cards section. In an effort to be as fair as possible we've decided to bring it to a democratic vote and allow for the entire community to voice their opinion. 
 
All members with 100+ posts are eligible to vote, all that we ask is that you take into account all of the facts and understand the situation fully prior to voting. 
 
Striker was originally promoted to be the 4th acting moderator of CC. We knew even then that his promotion would cause hostility seeing as though there were many who both disliked him and publicly denounced him. When deciding upon who we promote to represent a section we do so based on past experience and expected results. In this case, Striker had CC experience and his work ethic and prior projects in the section suggest further success. Yes he isn't exactly the most liked but what people still fail to realize is that it isn't a popularity contest. Moderators are instated to do a job, not garner friendship. 
 
Fast-forward to some time last week when a member posted a picture that was offensive towards Striker, whether or not it was intended to be is irrelevant seeing as though he himself found it to be. The act of "bullying" isn't tolerated on this forum as most of you know, and so Striker did his job as a Moderator and removed said offensive image. For some reason people came to the assumption that Striker had disabled that member's ability to post images, which for clarification is not even possible. Soon after the irate members decided to use the status bar as a platform to exert their anger, at which point Aix validated that the image posted was indeed considered to be "bullying." To no avail it continued even after Sakura directed members to message a Super Mod to handle the situation. Needless to say no one messaged evil, LZ, or myself. 
 
The only issue I have with this entire situation is the fact that everyone decided to jump to conclusions and act out of bias (in some cases) just to further spite someone whom they dislike (again only in some cases), needless to say, I'm disappointed in that regard. As for Striker, I've literally no personal relation to him one way or another. Whether or not he remains a Moderator is entirely up to you.
 
The voting period will last for 7 days, at it's conclusion the votes will be tallied and the majority's position will decide whether or not Striker steps down. If it's decided that Striker will remain a Moderator of CC then there should (hopefully) be no further animosity and we can all move past this. In the event that he does step down however, we'll then begin discussing the plausibility of a replacement to be instated. 

Should Striker remain a CC Moderator: Yes / No 

In order for your vote to be acknowledged, add the above with either "yes" or "no" selected. Accompany your vote with a reason as to why you voted (for either option). Even though a single sentence would suffice, do think your decision through and listen to others' reasoning to give a fair judgement. Derisive or hateful remarks will not be tolerated; we ask that everyone remain civil and leave personal bias aside when giving an opinion. Whilst on-topic discussion is accepted, spam is not.

 

When this timer reaches zero this thread gets locked and the votes get tallied. 

 

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[Aix]

Should Striker remain a CC Moderator: Yes.
 
Being relatively new to this forum, I did not witness Striker as he was a few years ago, I can only base my judgement on what I see of him now. In fact, the person Striker is now should serve as the basis for everyone's votes, and what happened years ago should no longer apply. Many still perceive him as the person he once was, and think to understand him to still be an overly egoistic prat. What they don't seem to understand is that people really do change. Striker has admitted to his failings of the past and moved on from them. Before I was informed of his terrible history, I had no clue that Striker was once considered one of the worst members of the forum. His conduct has done very little to suggest it, and I certainly would not consider him a terrible or detrimental member now. Rather, as a community-minded member, Striker has continually contributed in the discussions to improve CC, and, although it hasn't necessarily met with the greatest of success, his 1v1 Leaderboard continues to promote cardmaking and activity in a once-dead section. In consideration for what he has done for the section, I see no reason for him to step down.

[Legend Zero]

Should Striker remain a CC Moderator: Yes

I've yet to see any reason for why he should be forced to step down. All I've seen is people say they dislike him, with nothing reasonable to back it up except for something that happened years ago, which has still not been explained to me. People move on from their past selves, as you have seen from the recent un-permaban of various members. I guess I can say I don't really get what is going on with Striker personally. Overall, I am neutral on his position. However, the other CC mods have spoken on him in a good light, so that is good enough for me.

[Flash Flyer - Sakura]

Should Striker remain a CC Moderator: Yes

 

Personally, I haven't seen him do anything that would warrant him getting demoted. Granted, I was around during Striker's "dark days" (more specifically, up until Dec 2011 before a long break), but never paid attention to his actions at that point. The only correlation I got about his past is when some of you compared his behavior at the time to that of coolspy/destinyexodia, if that actually means something. As noted earlier, there has been no legitimate evidence that Striker has continued to act like he did in the past; including the allegation that he stripped a member of image posting privileges (which Night already mentioned cannot be done). 

 

As noted, members that we once permabanned are back, and are on their best behavior for the most part. People do change, and Striker is no exception to this. It's been 2-3 years since those days; surely he's changed during that timeframe. You all need to judge him based on what you see now; NOT dwell on old history from the past.

 

In terms of his activity in CC, while he is mostly contained to 1v1s, he knows how to manage the section better than myself, Zextra or .Saber ever will. However, he has dealt with issues outside of his section in a timely/responsible manner. It may not yield the results that you all want to see in the section (and we are working on a way to improve it further), but Striker has made contributions to the welfare of the section. He's at least tried to make 1v1s come alive again, which has been dead for a while (and to an extent, still is). I've spoken to Zextra and .Saber about this over PMs; they appreciate his help and aren't willing to compromise our efficiency because of misguided and biased opinions of him from the past.

 

In closing, unless sufficient proof is provided, I see no reason to demote him whatsoever.

[evilfusion]

Should Striker remain a CC moderator: Yes

 

To be more accurate, I am completely indifferent. However, my personal approach is that a moderator should only be removed from power if they have abused their powers to a considerable degree, have demonstrated extremely poor judgment or an intolerable attitude, have become inactive for long periods of time, or otherwise have shown themselves to be a poor fit for the position or cannot be trusted with power. Or if they resign, but that goes without saying.

 

I am also frankly puzzled as to why the matter is such a hot button issue, or why Striker is so intensely hated. Actually, I can totally see why it's a hot button issue, because it stems from Striker being intensely hated. I don't get why said hatred exists, or why it continues to the present day if the issues are from years ago.

 

I don't keep an eye on CC, so I can't speak for his work there, nor note any failings on his part. The other CC mods seem to appreciate his efforts, and that's more than enough for me.

[Nathanael D. Striker]

I know that there are people who are unhappy with the idea of me being a mod due to my past and the perception those people have about me. I accepted the modship knowing this because I knew that I was doing a job above all else. This job isn't about making friends; this job is about supporting Custom Cards to the best of my abilities. In the two months I've held this job, I have been doing just that. While I admit my efforts have been limited to Card Contests and 1v1, that is the area where my abilities best match the job at hand. And, I consider those sections to be my baby; the latter I helped bring back to life, so I continue to take care of them. I have also taken care of issues around CC and I hear that people appreciate my efforts and that makes me smile.

This whole situation came about when I removed the [img] tags off of a potato picture in Misc because I did not like being repeatedly associated with a potato. This turned into people accusing me of power abuse with the claim I removed a member's image posting rights because of said potato picture: a claim that has been shown to be false.

Also recently, a member decided to raid certain threads. Out of the mods on at the time, I was singled out by some for not cleaning it up fast enough and banning the member responsible. I wasn't aware of this raid until I was Skype'd about it. When that happened, I took care if the situation as fast as I could. No reports were done during the raid, which begs to question why I was singled out.

Both situations stem from people not wanting me to be a mod at all. Though, there is no reason why that should be the case. I have done my job to the best of my abilities, and I wish to continue doing so. People have been appreciating my efforts, and that is something to greatly consider. I know members have been wanting a say in how the forum is being ran for a long time, and this is your chance. I ask you to take into consideration the good I have done. I've done my best for this forum before and during my modship, and if you want me to step down from modship, I will do so though I will continue to do what I can for this place like I have before I became a mod. It's your move YCM.

[goddamnit names are a pain]

I'm not going to have a solid vote anytime soon, but I just wanted to thank the mods for clarifying their standpoint, as well as pointing out the flaws in our argument.

It's something that's honestly been needed, and I appreciate it.

[Blake]

Should Striker remain a CC Moderator: No

He adds nothing. All he does is manage his precious leaderboard, just like usual, and has completely failed to improve the quality in any way. It doesn't matter if he files reports, he's still not doing anything positive. He's only marginally worse than Sakura, but that's enough of a margin to raise a point.

It's not a matter of past bias, and all of. You need to man the hell up and admit you made a mistake. Conclusions were jumped to, but that does not change the core issue. Striker has yet to use his power any differently than he uses the leaderboard; a claim to fame and respect.

I literally checked the first active game on the leaderboard and it was something I'd expect out of a new member. Not something worthwhile. Activity shouldn't matter when it's shit.

And the opinions from the past that have come up aren't misguided. Are you kidding me? Members like myself and Saint Dane gave him multiple chances to improve as a person. He never did, he just kept grubbing for power. And upon him saying "I want power", you all fell in his lap as "omg fervor". He acts absolutely the same, he still demands respect when he hasn't earned a lick, and he's still pretty obviously power hungry to sate that. This isn't "the past", this is the fact he hasn't changed a lick. I gave him years to and he didn't, he just changed his attempts... Like whining at an orphan, someone who was robbed by a parent, and someone who was abused by a parent that he deserved some respect because at least those three had parents. When he knew at least 2 of those. Prime moderator, right there!

Striker's not going to get Demodded because you did this in the most pompous and standoffish way for the average member to participate, so thanks for not being on the member base's side once again.

I'm not going to have a solid vote anytime soon, but I just wanted to thank the mods for clarifying their standpoint, as well as pointing out the flaws in our argument.
It's something that's honestly been needed, and I appreciate it.

They pointed out an entire 1 flaw and then threw their votes into the ring in an attempt to scare other members off.

Don't thank them. It's a pretty clear scare tactic.

[goddamnit names are a pain]

I merely thanked them for finally at least trying to somewhat resolve the issue, which is somewhat more than nothing.

I mean, it was only one flaw, but it was still part of the driving force/the thing they heard about the most.

 

Scare tactic? Could be. But if our members are so afraid to vote against him with this "sound logic" we claim we have, then we are pathetic. 

Now, we may need a bit more evidence to determine why he SHOULD be a mod, but still.

Striker was originally promoted to be the 4th acting moderator of CC. We knew even then that his promotion would cause hostility seeing as though there were many who both disliked him and publicly denounced him. When deciding upon who we promote to represent a section we do so based on past experience and expected results. In this case, Striker had CC experience and his work ethic and prior projects in the section suggest further success. Yes he isn't exactly the most liked but what people still fail to realize is that it isn't a popularity contest. Moderators are instated to do a job, not garner friendship. 

 

I mean, this doesn't list enough, really. It merely states "he posted and tried to do things with CC and had "success""

I fail to see how this makes him moderator worthy.

Moderators are instated to do a job? Without the members you wouldn't have a job. Considering how a member interacts with the other members should be a key point in deciding if they should be moderator or not.

[Blake]

I merely thanked them for finally at least trying to somewhat resolve the issue, which is somewhat more than nothing.
I mean, it was only one flaw, but it was still part of the driving force/the thing they heard about the most.

Scare tactic? Could be. But if our members are so afraid to vote against him with this "sound logic" we claim we have, then we are pathetic.
Now, we may need a bit more evidence to determine why he SHOULD be a mod, but still.

I mean, this doesn't list enough, really. It merely states "he posted and tried to do things with CC and had "success""
I fail to see how this makes him moderator worthy.
Moderators are instated to do a job? Without the members you wouldn't have a job. Considering how a member interacts with the other members should be a key point in deciding if they should be moderator or not.

That's because it's been going for months and that was just an outlet. Realistically, they can't even use the "jump to conclusions" argument efficiently, considering that this had /3/ months to be handled before the fiasco, and simply wasn't.

And people are scared of empty but big posts, didn't you know. They're also scared to go against moderation and fail. They made this the least user friendly way possible and continued to drive it hole with a swarm of "do not post or you will be ostracized". I don't get why the mods should even get a say here, considering they were supposed to offer this to the member base, and instead just continued to put their opinions forward because they never listen to the members one bit.

The best part about "he did something for cc" is that he just made it a more obvious showcase of low quality. And then, I guess I should be a C&O/RP mod for owning the largest RP club in the site's history, by that logic.

[Althemia]

I'm going to start my post off by saying I'm going to abstain from voting due to having a biased viewpoint on the member that makes me incapable of making an argument without going off on a personal vendetta. I am commenting to, however, ask a very serious question. Why do the moderators no longer work for the members, but for themselves?

I went into this thread hoping to see MEMBERS posting about Striker. The people who actually matter in this situation. Normally this would be fine if there were actually members posting alongside them too, but there aren't. It's just the moderators, all of which chimed in in a row. I wouldn't mind if it didn't immediately make it so that the members had absolutely no say due to the 4-0 lead in Striker's favour.

Of course I know that this post is probably not going to work. The moderators are not going to listen to me at all because I'm speaking out against them and I honestly wouldn't be surprised if I received a warning of some kind for even making this kind of statement. I just really wanted to see a fair vote for Striker's position, since even he's deserving of that. Oh, and to answer a question...
 

Needless to say no one messaged evil, LZ, or myself.

There's reasoning for this. And if this thread's anything to go by, I would put money on the gap between the memberbase and the moderating team increasing as a result. If our cries fall upon deaf ears, then what is the point in us trying? We lack the confidence in the moderating team that they will do a good job at this point. That's not to say that we DISLIKE you guys at all, a lot of you are pretty chill people.

If you want me to explain anything further, you can hit me up over a personal conversation or something. I'm not going to continue filtering this thread with this because this is meant to be a voting process and such, but somebody has to make a statement about this sometime and this is one of the only ways I feel like it will ever be heard.

NOTE: Offence is not intended for anyone reading this and I have attempted to make this as unbiased as possible, but I may have accidentally been a bit more biased than usual in certain points because I'm honestly really pissed off that the members are being shafted again...

[J-Max]

Should Striker remain a CC Moderator: No

 

When I heard that we were getting two more Mods to back up Zextra, I was pleased. Sakura seemed to know his/her thing around the Forums. I don't know Saber much, but I understand that he knows the TCG State and can Mod accordingly. Then completely out of the blue, Striker was promoted. I, among other members were a bit speechless. "What exactly has Striker done for the Forum apart from keeping 1 v 1 alive?

 

Then after a couple of weeks, it hit me. Striker only cares about 1 v 1. Then I thought that apart from being able to Close Topics and issue warns, why exactly is Striker a Mod? He does nothing outside of 1 v 1. I don't remember seeing him do any Mod Duties apart from 1 v 1.

 

A Mod needs to manage the entire section. Striker had his chance but stuck with 1 v 1 the entire time. I am sorry that Striker found the image of a Potato to be offensive. I was called J-Pedo on many occasions, that was worse. You need to grow some balls my son.

 

Striker..... I am sorry to say this but CC is fine with the 3 Mods in question. You had your chance and failed. Hopefully you will look upon your experiences as a Mod and learn from it.

 

Of course, my vote is going to mean Crap anyway as clearly he will get to keep the role.... 

 

J-Max out. Thanks for your time.

[Night]

 

Striker's not going to get Demodded because you did this in the most pompous and standoffish way for the average member to participate, so thanks for not being on the member base's side once again.
They pointed out an entire 1 flaw and then threw their votes into the ring in an attempt to scare other members off.

Don't thank them. It's a pretty clear scare tactic.

 

In an effort not to be "pompous" I'll get this out of the way right now: I give absolutely zero fucks about Striker.

 

Prior to making any assumptions about my personal intentions do realize that I've absolutely no bias regarding this shit-fest, I legitimately just want to get this over with so I don't have to ever hear of this again. 

 

This was originally going to be handled only by the staff, I personally presented the notion of allowing the entire community to vote. 

 

And that "1 flaw" you're talking about was legitimately the thing that incited this entire shit-storm, sorry for addressing it. 

 

I'm not going to have a solid vote anytime soon, but I just wanted to thank the mods for clarifying their standpoint, as well as pointing out the flaws in our argument.

It's something that's honestly been needed, and I appreciate it.

 

That was legitimately our only intention. 

 

But if our members are so afraid to vote against him with this "sound logic" we claim we have, then we are pathetic. 

Now, we may need a bit more evidence to determine why he SHOULD be a mod, but still.

 

Honestly, that's all I'm waiting to hear. The second someone posts something that legitimately proves that he's unfit to be a moderator I will personally demote him myself. 

 

I don't get why the mods should even get a say here, considering they were supposed to offer this to the member base, and instead just continued to put their opinions forward because they never listen to the members one bit.

 

See this is the biggest issue,in the past shit has always been solely decided by the staff. Now, you're asking us to allow the members to make decisions for themselves.

 

This was honestly a way to bridge the two, if you can't see that then I really don't see why I'm even trying here. 

[J-Max]

I was just reading some of the previous posts as I went straight to voicing my opinions. In my honest Opinion, a Mod's Vote should be null and void. Of course, all of you want Striker on your team. You are obviously going to band together and stick up for him.

 

This is a outlet for the member's to decide Striker's fate. Remember that we are (and the Mod Team are) members and we are the Backbone of the community. However, I believe a Mod's Vote would be biased (4 Yes Votes in a row? Seriiously)

 

I am sorry if it hurts to hear the truth but I believe that the Members should decide Striker's fate (with valid reasoning of course)

 

As I mentioned abouve, Zextra, Sakura and Saber are more then enough for CC. Either Striker changes his tune and decides to Mod the whole section, or he is not needed.

 

Again I am sorry for my Rant.. Just a little annoyed about Mods getting a Vote is all....

[Blake]

What fucking bridge? As pointed out, all you did was post a thread and say "Striker is 4-0 by mod votes gg". I didn't even see this thread until today, but the fact I posted first after 3 days show what a terrible attempt to "bridge" this was.

And J-max and Koko covered why this is terrible.

The mod posts so far have been either completely incorrect copouts or pointing out a single flaw that should rest just as heavily on the mod team's shoulders for not communicating enough with the members to be trusted. If you had listened even once this could have happened sooner and more calmly, but Koko covered why that can't happen.

And as I spelled out later, and you so conveniently avoided, the flaw isn't even a real argument because this has been going for 3 months and you guys never took care of it. So you have no rights to claim an overreaction as a flaw when you people took 3 months to address an issue at the forefront of the forum.

[Maeriberii Haan]

Just want to point out something really important here.

 

This thread is important.

 

It deserves to be known by most members of the site.

 

The fact that 4 mods could get consecutive posts and no regular members posted here until today is weird.

[The Warden]

Should Striker stay a mod: Yes

 

He's an idiot, that much is obvious. But I don't think it fair for the experiment to end so soon because the sponsor's suddenly got cold feet. It was make or break, and I want to see it to its epic and no doubt explosive finale. Plus, rather unfair levels of pressure were put on him by the community from the start. You guys are pretty much responsible for half this smegging debacle.

 

Plus in some ways all the strife is amusing to me. And I do so love to be amused.

[Night]

Koko and J-max presented fair points. If everyone wants a member-only vote, fine. If that'll prove that it's our intent solely to appease the member-base and move past this debacle, then I'd be willing to settle for that.