Internet Interaction 101: How NOT to Have a Cow

[Koterie]

Really, guys. Is all this drama necessary? Chill the hell out. (And if you don't know what I'm talking about, please just continue on with whatever you were doing!)

We're adults (or should be). It's a roleplay sim. We all want to enjoy it in our own way. When someone has a cow, it becomes really hard to enjoy it at all. If we have a personal problem with someone else in the sim, we have certain options available to us: (1) IM the person and talk to them. (2) File an Abuse Report if there is abuse involved. (3) Ask an M-Guard to help resolve the problem. (4) Use that wonderful tool we all have available to us -- the Mute button. (5) Shrug it off and go about our own business.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I can generally solve any of my problems at NVI with those solutions. There are going to be people who don't get along no matter where you go. It takes all kinds to make anything work. Getting upset about other people in SL is like complaining about your nextdoor neighbor's taste in wallpaper. Sure, you may be right (neon yellow and green paisley -- need I say more?) -- but in the end it doesn't really affect you unless you're going over to their house all the time. It's a conscious choice.

Just like the choice I'm going to make! I'm going to keep enjoying my RP and social time with friends. Let me know when there's a real problem to deal with, okay? :)

[Sara]

I was thinking that role of M-guards has been pretty unclear for me? It's not like their role has been explaned anywhere.

[Landri Aker]

I personally never take my issues to a M-Guard as I don't feel it's their problem. I mute the person or mentally ignore them. Simply as that plus I have a sense of humor and get off stupidity fast. The problem is a stick that's shoved so far up someone's ass that they can't see past it.

Farewell to those who were good RPer's and Fuck off to those who can't take a fucking joke.

[Koterie]

Sara said:

I was thinking that role of M-guards has been pretty unclear for me? It's not like their role has been explaned anywhere.

It's not a very strict role. We handle griefers, assign tags in the main NVI group, and players can ask us to help them with problems in the RP. We moderate so that Oni doesn't have to drown in IMs and never get anything accomplished.

[James Whittleton]

Landri Aker said:

Farewell to those who were good RPer's and Fuck off to those who can't take a fucking joke.

Yeah pretty much what was said there.......adding to the last bit harden the fuck up. In all honist I've contemplated leaving Necronom for a while, never really had much fun. Granted there was a day or two where things seemed a little buzzy in the entertainment way of things but the buzz soon died off. I don't regret how I went really it just made my personal thoughts appear correct. Shame that things had to go this way however and I thank those who helped create fond memories here and wish you all the best. If you still wish to talk then you know my SL name.......if not then where the hell have you been living XP

[Colonel Kurtz]

Koterie said:

Sara said:

I was thinking that role of M-guards has been pretty unclear for me? It's not like their role has been explaned anywhere.

It's not a very strict role. We handle griefers, assign tags in the main NVI group, and players can ask us to help them with problems in the RP. We moderate so that Oni doesn't have to drown in IMs and never get anything accomplished.

Totally true, except for one thing: M-Guards are also supposed to handle Dayne. Hahaha... But yep, we really shouldn't handle RP disputes, especially since we believe that everyone here is a mature individual.

[Landri Aker]

Colonel Kurtz said:

Koterie said:

Sara said:

I was thinking that role of M-guards has been pretty unclear for me? It's not like their role has been explaned anywhere.

It's not a very strict role. We handle griefers, assign tags in the main NVI group, and players can ask us to help them with problems in the RP. We moderate so that Oni doesn't have to drown in IMs and never get anything accomplished.

Totally true, except for one thing: M-Guards are also supposed to handle Dayne. Hahaha... But yep, we really shouldn't handle RP disputes, especially since we believe that everyone here is a mature individual.

On a side note... Yay kurtz learned how to quote people.

[Gideon Quandry]

It's been my experience in the years I've been playing, that the mass majority of people don't care. They would rather bury their heads in the things that make them happy, than deal with the utter b.s. that is politics. They ignore it, putting themselves at arms length of anything and any one that would make the whole experience unenjoyable.

That leaves a smaller minority who thrives within the perception of power. They have to have it, can't live without it. It's what gives their lives any meaning. If that means screwing other people out of their enjoyment, then so be it, all the better for them and them alone.

Banning someone for reasons of disagreement is just another one of those little power plays that fills the banning party with a feeling purpose. They feel as if the whole situation was handled the right way, despite any evidence provided that leads to the contrary.

For those who fall victim to this kind of treatment, there are no actions of recourse they can begin to approach, because the minority group generally tends to band together in a loose coalition of people too frightened to step on toes, lest they lose their seats of power.

Ultimately, it's less about the actual infractions that are truly the issue, and more about protecting themselves from some idea of weakness.

Are groups like the M-Guard necessary? Yes. They provide a specific service to protect the common person from those people whose sole purpose to cause trouble. Griefers we call them. They might even act as an arbiter in personal disputes if absolutely necessary. But ultimately they should be able to emotionally dettach themselves from their own situations, rather than taking matters into their own hands. They have to be able to separate their personal feelings from the job, because it is a job.

I've been an admin of a popular role play site before, so I do understand how difficult it can be. I do understand how it can sometimes feel like a lonely position to be in. But remember that you people volunteered for the position, willingly accepted the responbility, and have to be able to do that job or step down.

My last point to be made is this. Necronom is a community filled with a diversity of personalities and people. We seek out those that make our time their enjoyable, and stay away from those that don't. If we aren't interested in what is going on, we have the ability and the tools to make those people a moot point for the rest of our time there. Linden Labs had built in the functionality to mute/ignore those that bother us, and the owners of Necronom have limited the possibilities for griefing that may occur.

If any of us have issues, M-Guard or not, then we need to stop jumping to the absolute extreme of retribution and instead take the higher road, such as it may be. And when we cannot escape the ones who are supposed to protect us as they abuse their power, who reprimands them?

[Koterie]

Gideon Quandry said:

And when we cannot escape the ones who are supposed to protect us as they abuse their power, who reprimands them?

Oni does. He has banned M-Guards along with players before. He has removed M-Guard status from people who have abused the power. Because he expects us to do what's best for the community and not to lord the power over the players. That isn't our function and I doubt he'd want to misplace his trust like that.

It -can- be hard to detach yourself from your issues in order to do the right thing for the most number of people. Hell, I could have chosen to ban Polio a few times over and I know Oni wouldn't have batted an eyelash if I had a few of those times. But rather than stir up problems that way... I chose to Mute him and keep my distance so he and I could both do our own thing at NVI. After a while, we talked. We settled things. And I'm glad we did. And I'm glad I didn't ban him before. I can count the number of non-obvious-griefer bans I've made on one hand. Banning is a last resort because most problems are usually a misunderstanding or miscommunication.

I've never agreed with you more, Gideon. Thanks for the comment.

[Lex]

NVI is the only place where you can target Mods and verbally abuse them to your hearts content.

Think about it.

Nothing personal. No other sim allows jumping on Mods because they are mods. If you don't trust me, go ahead and try it in any other rp sim. You will get escorted to the door very quickly.

[James Whittleton]

Lex said:

NVI is the only place where you can target Mods and verbally abuse them to your hearts content.

Think about it.

and apprently the only place where an apprent m-guard can use their powers to deal with personal problems

Think about it

[Sara]

Lex, I thought you in high regard...But with this you crossed the line.
That doesn't still mean you can use your powers to deal with personal problems. If James doesn't
interfere with RP in necronom station it doesn't belong to your mandate. You have to use same methods than rest of us if you have personal grudge.

Lex said:

NVI is the only place where you can target Mods and verbally abuse them to your hearts content.

Think about it.

Nothing personal. No other sim allows jumping on Mods because they are mods. If you don't trust me, go ahead and try it in any other rp sim. You will get escorted to the door very quickly.

[Lex]

As i said, just because a person is a Moderator, doesn't make them free for all target-practise.
Howcome this is so difficult to understand in this perticular sim?
I'm not surprised that people leave constantly, if all the help they can receive from the mods is that the mod IM's the offender.
That is also why a handful people can chase off as many players as they like.