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Post by kensei on Feb 16, 2013 20:22:19 GMT
Okay, I get allot of flack from people when we act on posts and delete, edit (which I have never done) or other wise address a person who writes a post on this forum, and often they throw free speech at me or they just start threatening me...which by the way is so funny I often have a hard time not laughing.
I am, as most of you know, active on several forums. One of them makes our policing look so open and free that its kind of scary. I go to KarateForums.com and have been sanctioned so many times and had my posts removed for offences that I find stupid and childish that I really wonder how much of a benefit the forum is to my self.
For instance, one gent got very upset when I made a post about Kyokushin and their practice of focusing on body punches over face punches. the point was that it weakens the use outside of sport to limit targets in any way...He threw in my face I did not know what I was saying and got upset because he was an instructor in Kyokushin....My response was to apologize but question him as I have trained with a few gents who trained with Oyama...and they told me what I know about Kyokushin.
One of his buddies hated that I put him in his place and pulled my post. I am learning from these forums...what not to do as a mod. and with these experiences I promise to NOT stop people from discussing with respect any items as long as they are not going to start a fight. I wont side wiht anyone based on their knowing me as well...I tend to call it as I see it and find that this other forum has alot to offer in terms of how not to govern a open forum.
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Post by malk103 on Feb 16, 2013 22:28:52 GMT
Forum admin/mods will never be right in whatever they do.
Some people seem to have a different personality when behind a keyboard.
The whole point of forums is to discuss subjects and explore different opinions, sometimes to check if you are right, other times to see a different opinion which will either change your mind or confirm your stance.
The biggest crime on Karate forums is to tell someone they are wrong because it differs from their training experience or from what they have been taught. The best one I've seen is a comment on a Kata video clip from Kanazawa Sensei when a Kyu grade was telling him his foot was in the wrong place because his Sensei said so....
I've only seen a couple of clips of Kyokushin and both seemed to centre around standing still and out punching your opponent, if someone likes to train that way and they see that as their best defence then good on yer (other styles are available)
I may look at it closer in the future and decide my first impression was wrong and that there is something more to it. We are all students though, we can only pass on what we know but should never tell anyone that it's law - or the right way - or the only way.
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Post by garage on Feb 17, 2013 8:14:50 GMT
That just swiss cheese thinking, you have been drinking too much cool aid.
Actually I do not know what cool aid is but, it is reply that tends to halt discussian. It is reply I have got here a number of times and it makes you dry up and give up as you consider your opinion has no value.
This is not an attack just a obersavation about some replies whilst do not stop free speech do not encourage it.
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Post by Rob S on Feb 17, 2013 9:24:55 GMT
Mods have an onerous job! You will never be able to please all the people, any of the time!
People will always comment, people will always be keyboard warriors. It is easy to criticise hiding behind the safety of the computer. It is harder to do so, face to face, in a gi!
Mal you wrote "The best one I've seen is a comment on a Kata video clip from Kanazawa Sensei when a Kyu grade was telling him his foot was in the wrong place because his Sensei said so...."
When we first read that we must think 'who the hell is that guy to try and tell so and so he is wrong'? But actually the foot may well have been in the wrong place. Nobody is perfect. It is the sanctimony behind the criticism, or the lack of respect in making it, or the way it was made that becomes acceptable or not.
One of my senseis is famed for a particular kata, (two actually - due to his competition career and the advent of that thing called a video) and yet if you watch them, there are many technical errors in it! Even though his nickname is after the kata - you may, as an instructor, spectator,or examiner correctly criticise his technicalities. BUt as we know the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. The kata is a good kata, it is a living kata. But the individual kihon, at times, is left open to criticism.
Surely this is the same as being a mod! The whole job, and the credit for doing it, surely outweighs the individual quips, comments, deletions etc.
By the way .. feel free to delete this .. but edit it at your own peril! (maybe I can type faster than you:-)!
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Post by Allan Shepherd on Feb 17, 2013 10:49:46 GMT
Hi Mal
My understanding of Kyokushinkai karateka (having cross trained with several groups both in the UK and Majorca) is their punching exercises are body conditioning in a similar way to Goju karateka. Find either in your area and give them the benefit of the doubt by training with them, great experience of a bigger picture.
Hi Rob
100% agree that we as karateka (irrespective of style etc) need to don our dogi and train outside of what is our comfort zone, biggest learning curve we will every experience. By the nature of what we practice and by whom we are taught we ARE going to experience differences from a teaching perspective, we either embrace it and integrate it into our own training regime either in or out of our respective organisation dojo or we simply disregard it. Does not say it is wrong, it is what works for us on a personal level.
The "job" of a mod is very similar, you embrace it and integrate it into your own "training regime" but be very careful since we have seen many times in the past that "mods" can be so engrossed in the written word that they sometimes FORGET that everyone is entitled to an opinion and their (the mod) opinion does not necessary reflect their ability in a training situation simply because their comfort zone is on a PC. Life is best experienced by doing, not just reading or writing about it.
Best Regards
Allan
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Post by Bob Davis on Feb 17, 2013 14:30:21 GMT
Hi Bert, I'm not sure that's completely fair. It is a phrase in common use, to be sure, on many forums but I can't say I've seen it used here to halt a discussion. Speech is free-er here than in most locations, although opinion is not always shared, obviously  |
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Post by Bob Davis on Feb 17, 2013 14:46:45 GMT
James, As you are a moderator on a number of forums you are already aware that it's a totally thankless task that has to be done by someone. We just have to suck it up and try and keep things going. This forum thankfully doesn't attract to much in the way of mindless chatter and (mostly) people are allowed to express their opinions. If they need calling on thing occasionally that's what the job entails. We are fortunate here in that we have two levels of moderation  , those appointed by the owners of the site to set and maintain the tone as they would like it, and those appointed by themselves to moderate the moderators (some times this is intensely irritating as you are trying to deal with a situation and sometimes it is valid as we are as human and prone to misinterpretation and over reaction as anyone else). By and large the balance sort of works and we all have the choice of whether to do it or not. Alan's advice is good BUT it has to be appreciated that it applies to everyone whether "appointed" or "self appointed", we all need to look in the mirror occasionally and check ourselves out. Having said that the site IS moderated and (unless there was some sort of democratic process which I missed ) then at the end of the day the mods have the final word. It is what it is. |
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Post by kensei on Feb 17, 2013 16:17:01 GMT
I totally respect that being a Mod is hard work...trust me its not easy and many people forget that we have to try and do what is good for the forum and yes, we are human and we have all had our faulting points....I get way more mad at myself for being an ass on the forum than others. Trust me I know how hard it is to try and separate my feelings from what is good for the forum...and often have to PM someone to say "yup sorry, Im an ass"...if you got a PM like this from me you know its a humbling experience.
My biggest issues with Mods and how we have to enforce things are this A) this is not the United States....you do NOT have a right to free speech, to attack others or to act like an egotistical child and insult everyone, call down people or be basically a distraction to others. You do NOT have any rights here...this is the internet and we are NOT in the states, maybe were you are you have specific rights that you hold near and dear to you...but the fact is...once you hit send your words are in cyberspace...which has different rule...dont be a fool and say "I HAVE THE RIGHT TO>....." add what ever, you do...but not here.
I take that first thing very seriously because people tend to throw a law at me that states they have rights to specific things....not here, this is the OSS Dojo, located NOT in the States or Canada or what ever...you have the rights we supply.
Having said that B) we do provide a environment were you are free to speak your mind. at this forum we have a fairly loose set of rules and we tend to enforce them loosely with openings for everyones thinking and style of communication. We have a kind of code of ethics over a set of rules. If you act like this in my Dojo what would I do? Thats how I view the posts. And I also state that EVERYONE is the same rank here, No one is a senior to anyone to a person. Yes, their are those that have more knowledge and a bit more to add, but I have had nice conversations with guys and gals that have said they are purple belts (or lower) and have taught me a thing or two after my 35 years in Karate!
I dont abide the sites that say these are the rules, lays them out so tight that you have to read them before posting....each time...then still put their own spin on things to address their own wants and needs. You either have it like our plan or like the rules laid out kind of forum. You can not have both!!!!
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, those appointed by the owners of the site to set and maintain the tone as they would like it, and those appointed by themselves to moderate the moderators (some times this is intensely irritating as you are trying to deal with a situation and sometimes it is valid as we are as human and prone to misinterpretation and over reaction as anyone else). By and large the balance sort of works and we all have the choice of whether to do it or not.