@monkey, in your OP you didn't even acknowledge that I private messaged you to explain the reasoning behind removing the post from view and to show
transparency. That is what many on the forums have asked for in the past, and I respect that wish unless it's obviously spam or extremely graphic. I can understand why you might feel frustrated about a post being removed from view, but this wasn't done behind your back or with malice. I messaged you privately, and I'd encourage you if you had a problem with my decision to try and reach out to me and explain the situation first before creating a post that spreads FUD. I like to think I'm a reasonable guy but I can't do much if people won't come to me to have an appropriate discussion.
There have been times that I've made a decision and the moderation team has come to me and said listen, we don't think this is the best way to do this and we end up reverting the change. The change wasn't reverted because they were moderators. It was reverted because they were forum members willing to have a friendly discussion and give some clear points. We aren't always going to agree, but I'll always do my best to try to listen and find an amicable solution.
@danb35 I'll try to explain it to you once more. The thread was locked because you became argumentative and very confrontational even after the OP explained his goal. I realize that may not have been your goal, but in type, all of your posts seemed quippy and pretty confrontational. All I've asked is that we show each other respect as individuals on these forums. Threads that become argumentative are pointless and devolve very quickly and it's part of the moderation team's job to ensure that doesn't happen if we see something going off the rails. I'll give some context so others know what we're talking about. The post in question was a new person at iXsystems that wanted to try a linked group so that we have an official discussion channel on Facebook. There are many people that will never participate in a forum but are more than willing to do a quick search and participate in a Facebook group. I don't see them as competing portals at all and our registrations are up year over year big time. I did explain to him that his OP was very confusing and gave him some tips on how to phrase his post in a better way.
In conclusion, I want to encourage you to just come to me and let's have a conversation. It's important to me to understand if you feel like the moderation team has made a decision that you don't agree with. Many times if enough people come to me and say, Josh, we really don't like this I'll even consider reverting the change. We won't always agree, but I'm more than willing to listen and try to find a solution. Let's just try to take a deep breath and do things the right way from here on out.
Thanks everyone,
Josh