Honest feedback

As many people have seen, the staff here have become accustomed to only receiving completely positive feedback, and when someone tells them otherwise they are greeted with an excuse or a fight. Threads like Brendan's continue to enable this mindset, but it's not Brendan that we should blame. Brendan posted his honest opinions and feedback, and there is nothing wrong with it, but the staff in turn take the feedback and use it to empower their behavior in which I have just stated.

I am going to leave what I think to be fair feedback to hopefully bring people back down to earth. This isn't going to be personally attacking everyone (although I am sure people will try to turn it in to that), it's honest opinions, with honest thoughts. I won't be replying or arguing at all, I will just hope that you think about what I have to say, and I will hope that you use what I've said and think about how your behavior reflects that.

-Ryan - You are one of the few people who are down to earth, and can actually think clearly on most matters. You would be a great asset to the site, but you are missing one thing. A voice. You are one of the nicest people I've talked to, and at times it seems your too timid to share your true thoughts. I think if you spoke up, and you weren't afraid to share the ideas you have, then you could be a huge asset to the site. I hope that you start becoming a more profound speaker in this community because I know you can do a lot of good.

cosrob97 - You are good at what you do. You can sniff out a scammer/ban evader/whatever from a mile away, however, you have attained an ego from all the praise you get for doing so. There is nothing wrong with people complimenting you on a job well done, but it's gotten to the point where you think you're untouchable. You think your word is golden, and that if you think someone is dirty, they're dirt, and if they did something that's bannable, they should never be forgiven. For example you said you were against the pardon system all together, but when I pointed out that a lot of good members had been pardoned, you shied away. You are not perfect, just remember that.

Dialatic - You know what's up. We talking pretty much daily, and you and I agree on many points. It only takes some common sense to see what needs to be improved on sythe, and you can see it very clearly. I just have to say that if you're investing the time in being a moderator, you should work for those improvements, and work for what you know will benefit the site.

Frenzy - You seem to be a cool person, but I really don't know you that well. Not a lot of people do outside the staff, and while that isn't necessarily a problem, it just shows how inactive you are within the site itself. Modlogs aren't everything. If people are being promoted for the sake of doing mod logs Richard obviously went wrong somewhere. I just think that you should work outside of the typical staff requirements if you're going to bother being a moderator at all.

malakadang - Again, spam reports isn't something we should be judging moderator performance on, and it seems like that's all you do. I understand now you're at school (btw why not request to be put in suspended staff instead of taking up the space), but even before that you did hardly anything outside of the typical moderator duties.

Pockets - Well there isn't much to say about you I guess, you've been MIA forever. If you have personal things to deal with why not just request to be put in suspended staff, there is no reason to take up the space if you're not going to do anything. I know it sounds harsh, but it's the truth.

Shoop - You used to be really involved with Sythe, but that seems to have faded. I don't know if it just happens when you become a moderator, but it seems like you've become one of the many people who just seems to fade away once they get on to staff. I hope you find a reason to get involved again.

Tmoe - I find you to be an arrogant hypocrite, but that doesn't necessarily reflect your moderator actions. You are good when you're around, but you're hardly ever here. You claim you're on invisible or working behind the scenes all the time, but it's obvious you have other priorities. There is nothing wrong with that, but if you're not going to give the site enough attention what's the point of being a moderator.

video - Very intelligent guy. I wish you were around more and got more involved in the site, because I think you could bring a unique perspective to the table. Before you were staff I saw you everywhere, but since you've been promoted it seems like you're fading away.

Wulfspade1 - Probably the epitome of a great staff member. He not only fulfills the low requirements of remaining on staff, but also works for innovation, and for growth in the community. He has been one of the strongest members of the community development team, and I really wish all the other staff would take some ques from him.

yaroow - You're still new so there isn't much to say, but we've talked quite a bit, and I can safely say you're going to be great. You have a lot of common sense, and I know you won't be pushed around. Hopefully you stick around for a while

Blupig - You are genuinely hilarious, and I am glad we did karaoke together (with Sanctuary), and I wish you were around more. You bring a unique perspective to the table, but we don't see you nearly enough around here :/

Clashfan - I have no problem with you personally, and I think you're a cool dude, but I am sure everyone is going to misconstrue this as a personal attack. You are the least active staff member, and I don't understand why you bother keeping the position. People will say you do all this behind the scenes work, but it only takes some common sense to know that's bull. I am sure there are polls that need to be voted on occasionally, but it's not like they come up every day, and they only take about 5 minutes of your time. Frankly there is no behind the scenes work that could possibly be keeping you so preoccupied. We saw it with giddy, globals can remain inactive for quite some time before anyone does anything, and I think you're still in your position simply because people respect you. There is nothing wrong with any of this, but honestly, if you don't have the time for Sythe, why are you filling the space?

djweasel - You make due with what you have. It's my understanding that you don't have a PC available to you, but you still make it work. You try your hardest to be involved with the site with the limited means you have, and that's all anyone can ask for.

Karl - You really don't do much of anything anymore, and your ego has reached dangerously high levels. I am not the only one who has noticed this, and it's really becoming an issue. You think you are superior because you are a global, and it's an obvious fact. You really need to tone it down, and you really need to start playing a bigger role in the site instead of the constant "behind the scenes" excuses.

MohtasaUnique - You are only active for short periods of time, and then you leave, and then you come back. So far since your promotion you have maintained a consistent level of activity, but I hope that doesn't end. You could bring a lot more to the table then you try to, and I wish that you would start playing a more active role in the growth of the site.

n4n0 - Top notch global moderator. You go out of your way to help people, you are great at handling scam reports, and you are great at dealing with the site as a whole. You are one of the few people with a lot of common sense, and I know you can do so much for the site (for example getting the CS server up and running is going to be great for sythe), but you still hold back at times. It's strange to see it to, because you're usually such a blunt person, but in cases like the pardon changes disputes that were happening, it's sad to see you abstain from giving your true opinions. You along with many others have benefited from the pardon system being in place, and we all know that it benefits the site as well. I just wish that you had stuck up for yourself and everyone else who had been pardoned more when certain staff members were trying to say the pardon system was a bad thing and it lets scammers back in to the community. So in a nutshell, you're awesome, but I wish you would share your true opinions on important matters, because your word can really help the site grow.

SuF - Out of all the globals moderators you work for innovation and growth the most. You are constantly working on things to improve the quality of the site, and although we may disagree at times, that truth does not waiver. Keep it up, and don't conform (I know for a fact you've seen some of the hypocrisies and such that happens with the staff)

FireZ - You're good at what you do, and that's do the grunt work for the rest of the admin team. I like to consider you as the "enforcer" of the admins, but unfortunately your ego has reached astronomical proportions. It's not hard to see, and I think you'd be great if you just toned it down some (well a lot actually, tone it down a lot).

Govind - You're a great admin, but you don't apply yourself nearly as much as you could. You have the skill set and the abilities to help sythe grow, but you don't use them nearly enough. I understand that you handle a lot of the disputes and organization within the staff team, but honestly you are limiting yourself immensely. I think that if you brainstormed and worked towards things that would make sythe.org gain members, popularity, and just overall growth, you'd be doing a huge favor to the community you have invested so much time in to.

Matthew - You once told me that when staff are promoted they become stagnant. They have no motivation to keep exceeding expectations, and so they slow down. This is true, but I think you could be doing a lot more to change that. You're borderline co-owner, and I think if you really wanted to grow Sythe you could do it easily. You have the skills, and you have the authority, I just wished you used it more.

Nick - You are pretty much non-existent. I'm sure people will claim you work behind the scenes and yada yada, but honestly, how many TwCs do you have to give out? You personally give out maybe one a month, maybe less correct? And it only takes 30 seconds to begin with. We have 6 administrators, and you just blend in with the crowd. You don't put forth your best effort in any aspect of the site, and it's easy for anyone to see. Another thing that really irked me is you bringing up a feedback system. When I brought it up you said nothing, and let me be shutdown constantly, but then all of a sudden you said you wanted to do it. If you really wanted to help Sythe over just personally seeing me get shut down, then you would've talked with me, got my thoughts on the matter, and then worked with me on it, but instead you were just desperate to prove I was wrong. It just shows what your priorities are as an administrator, and I think you're more in love with the title then the actual job.

Verts - Oh Verts. You are so underestimated. You are very keen on things that could grow Sythe. You have the knowledge on how to grow the site, I mean you do it for a living haha, but it seems you have become demotivated in that area. I know you said once that your word isn't taken seriously all the time, and that's disheartening to see. I really think that you know what needs to be done, and you could do it, and I wish that you would fight to get it done, because that's something that Sythe needs more then anything right now.


Now I am sure some of you are getting read to hang me right now, but I hope you can step back and look at what I am saying with a professional perspective. Sythe.org is declining, and if you don't see that you're either a liar or in denial. Anyone can see that our activity level isn't what it was 6 months ago, or a year ago, or even beyond that, and I think a large part of that is due to the staff. The staff run the site, and when they've adopted the attitude a majority of them have right now, it's detrimental to the site as a whole. No one works for innovation, and no one works for growth. It's disheartening, and I hope that eventually someone will get a wake up call and see what so many others can already see.

*Also if you're going to use the "behind the scenes" excuse don't bother. Unless the staff lounge is triple the size of the off-topic section, and everyone is constantly posting and discussing things 24/7, it's a pretty weak excuse. You try to create the illusion that no one knows what happens in there, and that so much does, but in reality we all know it doesn't. Obviously the site isn't growing, and so there obviously can't be anything revolutionary happening. So please stop judging moderator performance on modlogs, and look at how the site needs to change before it inevitably dies.

So that's it, and as I said, I won't respond to this thread. I just hope that people think about it, and think about how they can improve from it instead of how they can prove it wrong.

Thanks.

 

I've actually been really looking for some constructive criticism. I know you said you wouldn't reply to this thread, maybe we can talk more via pm or msn because I would argue that as a staff member, I've had even more of an opportunity to be involved with the site and bringing my unique perspective to things.

It's clear you took the time to be critical but not degrading or unnecessarily harsh and it looks like you left everyone some positive remarks too. Some sentences like "You are not perfect, just remember that." probably could have been worded more constructively though

 

/Please provide how I am an arrogant hypocrite. You just haven't had the best "run ins" with me providing the fact that I don't share the same views as you on a variety of things. Not counting you'd go out of your way to start shit with me in IRC. If you're sourcing anything from IRC, I'll say this. If I'm shot at, I'm going to fire back.

Regarding my activity, no I am not super active but I've been getting better. I'm meeting my quota, and trying to do better. Staff knows the reason for my activity, and unless you're particularly "close to me" (which you are not) you don't know why.

Nonetheless, thanks for the feedback, but if you're going to call me an "arrogant hypocrite" I'd like some ways to source that so I can change it.

/off to class

 

Which is it?

 

nice but you missed my fav mod Sypherz But there is nothing negative anyone could say about him I Hope mods take the critisism well and work on it im new here but from what ive seen most of what you have said is correct

 

aww, thanks

 

Your welcome im a huge fan of you

 

Disagree on Video vading away, Every scam report you see him working hard to do whats right, and i would appreciate if more mods got involved in the community on a regular basis, cause it seems most forgot that once they were members of this site aswell.

Most are doing good work, Some i havent seen since i joined.

 

Enjoyed reading this.
Can't say I agree with everything, and I haven't been around for long enough to really know some of these people, but a lot of oldishfags from here are personal friends and even so, everyone needs these kinds of posts every once in awhile.
Govind, he's right. You're one of the people I talk to the most out of anyone from here and I must say you have such a mind but it seems Sythe is on the backburner at times. I know you're working hard and I see constant updates, but I think sometimes you get too stuck up on things, eg. high pardons. I'm seeing so much on the issue and I know your views, but I feel it's wasted time, ya know?

Everyone needs this. I don't share this story much, but I was once a moderator (only once on one site) on innovationX, a runescape private server. I was told to be an amazing mod by half of the community and everyone that I had worked with, they loved me, but suddenly, as I enforced the rules harder and harder, everyone would start to say things behind my back. They said I picked favorites and that I was corrupt. I followed the rules to the dot as soon as I was promoted and apparently the community wasn't used to someone like that, and I wasn't about to change. The rumors swelled and came to administrator attention and a situation blew up, where I was told afterwards I was correct, but I was demoted/ragequit for the argument and the fact that nobody would listen to what I had to say.

Moral of the story, and the tl;dr, if someone would have just told me to slow it down and be a little more casual, give a little more warnings, I could still be a moderator, Global, or Administrator today. I still play on that site occasionally, but it's never the same again. From a founding moderator to just a regular member, it sucks. And that's why I'm glad to see posts like this, from regular members, who have the "guts" to say what staff needs to adjust. I agree with the OP as a whole. Certain parts I don't think are quite accurate, but the general idea and opinions are to standard.

Good job, x339, and staff I hope you take my story and his post to heart.

 

Something that kind of disappointing me was knowing that the staff wouldn't take your criticism and avoid reacting to it, questioning you into expecting perfect responses.

We all take the staff's criticism, don't we?

 

Thanks for the indepth feedback! We all appreciate it when it's more than just "you're awesome, keep up the good work!" or "don't know you well enough, no comment"

 

That was a ddos.

 

Correct me if I am wrong here, but that isn't actually legit. Those numbers were induced by a DDoS I believe. If you look at google analytic then you will see that sythe has been on the decline for a little while now.

I agree with a lot of the feedback. I do believe you hit the nail on the head about those staff members who have large egos, and I have really noticed that.

 

My fault then I was not aware

 

I agree with most of what you wrote here

I don't see how you arrived at the conclusion on Tmoe and I don't really agree with it but obviously this is the impression you have got from him.

Also for Clashfan, when I was staff for like 6 months he was the only one who actively regulated the perm bans along with n4n0. Clash normally helps sectionals reach decisions, he used to help me with a lot of things and was the best global to go to when you needed help with anything. He doesn't make a big appearance on the forums but he does help sectionals and teach them about reaching future decisions in similar cases.

Also Clash is one of the only globals I know who will not keep any personal grudges whatsoever when it comes to a decision, he is probably one of the only members on sythe who will make a decision without having any biases in his decision.

 

Thanks for the feedback, and please let me know when you feel I am doing something wrong.
After all, honest feedback is the only feedback that will help someone improve.

 

Thanks for the honest feedback, I'll try harder to become more active and posting all around. I guess you can say I'm a bit more of a lurker

 

Thanks for the truthful and thorough feedback. I really have been working my best on keeping things up to par and I'm glad that even with your blunt (but truthful) feedback approach, that it's not gone unnoticed.

 

It's not only sythe, trademmo and powerbot etc are all declining also. I am not sure why however with the EOC, etc.



I semi agree with a few of the points but the one I do agree with the most is Clashfan. I get he may be busy or something but he's been inactive for so long, it's time to relinquish your grasp on the staff position and allow someone who can be more active and give the global position the time it deserves have a go.

 

I support another karaoke night.