What has Happened and its Effect on the Future of Sythe

Community members,
What has happened
Over the last few days, Sythe has had much drama. The head middleman and a very active global mod both admitted to scammings, offences they failed to alert the community of while rising through the ranks. Another Global Mod and arguably the most trusted member of this site's marketplace failed to repay a debt to a coworker and friend and alledgedly conducted what might well be the largest single scam in the history of this site. Additionally, a mod has been banned for being a ban evader, something that many think should have been caught earlier. Yet another mod and OMM has fallen for a trick he was once pardoned for falling for, pointing out flaws in pardoning respected and established members just because of who they are, as well as issues in the OMM system.

Cumulatively, these recent occurences have tarnished the image of sythe.org. Now is the moment where the site must swiftly and completely remove the tarnish or forever be tainted.

The Issue of Leadership
At this moment, the site needs a leader who can correct the situation by both taking harsh action on the offenders, reconstructing the system, and enlightening the community, just as Sythe himself did when faced with the "Finn is Dishonest" thread. The community would much appreciate either Sythe or Finn to step into this leadership role and steer us through this time.

The Issue Issue of the OMM System
Two OMM have recently fallen for tricks and then scammed. Additionally, the Head OMM has admitted to scamming. These misfortunes call for reform in both the OMMing system and the vetting process for OMMs. Apparently there is already a specific way for OMMs to PM their MSN, but this process should be reformed and more widely used.

The Issue of Vetting
As two globals admitted to scamming in the past and a sectional was found to be a vader, the vetting process must be reformed. All staff and OMMs, possible and present, should be thoroughly vetted to ensure the integrity of the staff. Staff members should be assigned specific vetting jobs, and, as agreed on by Giverny, all possible staff should be asked to disclose anything they did in the past before being thoroughly vetted.

The Issue of Pardons
The two globals who recently posted pardons for scamming are in a unique position. Both scammed a while ago and have since matured, both have dedicated countless hours to improving sythe. Yet neither admitted to this scamming when given the oppertunity, and both allowed themselves to rise to positions of trust while they had scammed, knowing full well that if their secrets were compromised, they would not only comprimise their own reputations, but also the site's. A thorough investigation should be conducted on the nature of these two pardon requests. Were they coordinated? Were they only posted due to pressure or threat of blackmail? It should be assured that both members have paid back those who theyhave scammed before they are allowed back in the community. Additionally, Viou and I both agree that the original pardons should be released so the community can independantly evaluate the staff's decisions and decide whether it is safe to trade with the two former mods in question.

Please do not close this, I have avoided all names and ban discussion so I can lend an opinion to the community and staff.

 

I smell some epic discussion coming.
I haven't been up to what happened lately, but this is sad ):

 

I would like to see an official statement released on the issues of the past week.

No member on Sythe is trying to indict the staff community as a collective body. Any appearance to do so in the form of actively voicing harsh opinions is only because we/they, care about the community. As such, due to the gravity of recent issues and the extraordinary amount of reforms proposed reasonably with a cause, I think an official statement is much needed.

Communication between staff and members is always a good thing, and vital for a healthy functioning community. Transparency is close to what I think we are looking for, at the moment the windows are tinted and we can only speculate about what is or isn't happening. This leads to frustration for both sides, the staff for having to heed our rowdiness, and us members having to speculate on hypotheticals.

I understand such issues may not fully yet be resolved, however, a communication thread with gradual updates made I think would suffice and be entirely appropriate. I too would also like to see the pardons of both global mods, aside from the very valid point both rs and Viou have raised, the community I think deserve to know what has happened.

This could be considered one of probably few crisis points Sythe has faced. Leadership is required to steer a course through such a maelstrom and ultimately put the past behind once and for all.

 

I'd first like to express my regret that you have drawn conclusions about my response to the unfortunate circumstances that have recently gripped the site. Contrary to your implication of a lack of leadership and perhaps even complacency, I have been active in my leadership throughout the recent crises, to which I believe all staff would attest. With respect, it is imprudent to expect a hastily issued statement from myself or Sythe. Rather, it should be known that investigations are in occurrence, and only when a platform of objective conclusions & facts has been established will any such statement be issued. To issue a rash and conjecture-based statement would be unwise, encouraging the spread of erroneous information. Instead, I'd request that users are patient whilst staff fulfil their role in thoroughly assessing the recent circumstances and distributing fair and appropriate punishments or reprieves accordingly. I have personally stalled at least two rash decisions from being made and will continue to do so until I feel that the staff have completed the thorough investigations that are necessitated by these regrettable circumstances to an adequate standard.

Having said that, I agree decisively with your further expression of feedback. In the absence of a Head Middleman, I will personally convoke staff in order to discuss reforms to the middlemanning system, as I am in firm agreement that reforms are in order as recent events have demonstrated. I would also like to state - let there be no misconceptions - that I am shocked and appalled by recent revelations and continue to be active in the ongoing investigations.

 

I really think that Sythe needs to make an announcement about what has happened and what the future of the site is going to look like.

 

Thank you for you input Finn. I in no way meant to accuse you or Sythe of lacking leadership or being inactive in this situation. I solely meant to say that the community is awaiting and needing some form of leadership; imho the time frame is not too important in regard to longterm implications. Having considered what you have said, I too agree that the objectivity and decisiveness of the statement and decisions are much more important than the time at which a statement and decisions are made. It's good to hear that you are acting decisively behind the scenes and both you and the staff are taking this as seriously as the rest of the community.

 

Yeah, we need leadership evidently within this site. But there's not a lot that can be done currently. What you've stated so far, I agree needs to be withheld, but you need to put in face that the people that are currently withholding that specific rank, ie head of Moderator is established to be a trusted member. If the trusted members seem to start scamming, it's not like anyone's in the position to give someone else this role. I think that there will be trust issues with moderators now, but I think with patience, Finn and the team will sort this issue out finding replacements if required, and sort the team out, I back the Sythe team to do what they do to enhance the site and prevent it from becoming ruined, in some context.

 

Finn is head of staff, and what we've been going through has been hard and it's not gonn be easy to replace that many mods that have been active and some of the best. The problem we have to decide now is how new mods will be picked and audited to make sure no more problems will arise.

 

I myself have been following this by whatever information i can get, I have been quiet about it and tried not getting involved soley because i have no right in admins/mods business. But it is nice to see input from them once in a while. Thank you.

 

One thing I would like to mention, is yes. I admitted to scamming. But this was over 4 years ago, and you can't honestly think that all of the hard work and dedication I've put into sythe since then means nothing.

I made a mistake. I fessed up to it (on my own accord) and paid the price. I lost HMM, OMM, and Global. Do I regret it? Not for a second. I cleared my conscience, possibly soiled my name, but it was worth it. I didn't admit to it earlier, because quite honestly, it was a part of my past that I would have rather forgotten. It's a part of me that I wish never existed, and I'm glad that I've grown and matured since then.

Since free trade's re-release, I've been trusted with more cash than a majority of the users on sythe. I have proof of thousands of dollars being handled by me, on multiple occasions, and not once has there ever been an issue. If I could go back in time and re-play the situation, I would never have scammed.

I'm sure a lot of you view me differently now. I'm almost willing to guarantee that some of you wouldn't ever trust me again. That's fine. I also know that there's a lot of you out there who respect me more for putting my name, my trust, and all of my hard work on the line. I thank those of you.

As for your request to have the original pardons released to the public. I can accurately say that those pardons won't be released. The staff discussions are done in the staff lounge for a reason. If they wanted that information released to the public, then the pardon votes wouldn't be done in the staff lounge. It's that simple.

That's my rant/2 cents worth. I won't argue with anyone on this thread. If you wish to criticize me or something I've said. PM me to do it. Thank you.

 

- Requirement to submit a variety of personal information prior to being appointed. Name/phone/address/Facebook for starters.
- Possibly ban amnesty for small past transgressions but will void a staff position offer.
- Allow sectionals to vote on promotions to global moderator. Allow globals to promote on promotions to admin.
----
- Requirement of substantial individual market trading before being made an OMM.
- Voting on OMM expanded to major marketers as they have the most experience trading and can speak more fully on an individual's trading trustworthiness unlike a group of moderator friends who may not fully understand the black-market.
- Should be looked at current OMM not allowed to vote on OMM promotions as most have their own interests at heart (Greg- constantly complaining about raising rates for example. More inclined to vote against candidates to avoid increasing competition.
- OMM voting system in short needs to be overhauled.

 

I still support you n4n0. And yes, one of thosee that respected you then and now no matter your rank, confession. I believe you will earn your ranks back, hopefully if the other staff members arent to stubborn [not saying they are] but you will gain it back. no doubt.

 

N4N0, I can only comment that if you wished for your pardon never to be viewable and to avoid "soiling" your name, you should have PM'd your pardon to Finn. Obviously we all know you are a very trustworthy member and I personally do not trust you any less. Sadly your past actions considering your prior standing inevitably negatively affect sythe's reputation as the "craigslist of virtual goods." Instead of choosing either extreme, transparency or secrecy, you took the worst aspects from both of those options and unfortunately tarnished the OMM reputation. Again I have nothing against you and my feelings toward you are entirely unchanged, I'm just upset because I care for the site and I know it looks badly to newer members debating where to spend their time online and where to trade their black-market goods.

 

You say this and yet your earlier rants about mods coming clean and being treated like normal users contradict themselves.

I came clean just as any other user would. By writing up a pardon. As I've said many times before, and cannot stress enough, I entirely regret my actions in the past, and would do anything to make up for them. We're all human. We have flaws, and we make mistakes. Most of us tend to learn from them. I know I did.

 

i'm pretty sure everything is going to get resolved/go back to normal soon just based on the fact that the site's been through alot in the past and have gotten past it.

 

If you've already past that point (which you had) then I can only hope that you would come clean in such a way that will least affect the integrity of the site.

Regardless, it's a moot point. The time has passed and looking backwards isn't the proper strategy right now.
I appreciate your decision to come forward rather than waiting for the eventual curtain to close when or if you were found out and I think that speaks volumes about your character. I just don't understand why you would ever post a public pardon ( I was fortunate enough to be online at the time to read it) and then state that the original pardon is now permanently hidden. I'd prefer either a completely transparent approach then a leadership shrouded in secrecy. This is a comment directed entirely at the leadership, not at you. And it can even be expanded to a generalization about the way this site should be run.

I was initially HEAVILLY opposed to your original promotion because I
felt like you were extremely unknown and benefitted from connections I'm very high places instead of your own reputation on the site. Your actions proved the promotion to be a great one, I thought, but I was still
frustrated in a promotion that seemed like it was made almost in secrecy. Again you were a great moderator and leader I just disproved of the process and it frustrates me that this attitude of secrecy still permeates the leadership.

 

I respect you for your decision to request a pardon, n4n0. As you had risen to such a high standing within the community, it must have been very hard for you to know that was probably all going to disappear as soon as you pressed "Submit thread". The only thing I would have preferred would be for you to resign as Global Moderator and HOMM at least a day before requesting a pardon/accepting your ban, in order to remove your scam's association with the Sythe staff.

The pardons were moved to the staff lounge due to protocol. The staff discussion and voting on the pardons was conducted in the lounge, as it should have been.

Without being able to view the pardons, the community has no idea what you actually did. Apart from rumors, we have no idea how much you scammed, how many times you scammed, or whatever else happened. Each community member therefore has no ability to make an accurate decision on how much to trust you (all of this regards to Wulfspade too).
I fully expect the pardons to be released, both for that reason and also so the community can better judge how the staff, whose job it is to serve the community members, has handled the situation.

 

What happened has happened and its your decision ultimately to decide whether you still trust said member because the sad truth of the matter is every moderator is replaceable and there are easily over 50+ members that could take a position right now.

As with the pardons, yes my opinion is that we should make them public.

 

I'd like to point out that if you expect this thread to be looked upon respectfully, it should be conducive to worthwhile discussion. Worthwhile discussion is discussion that forwards a cause. Rather than simply stating ''overhaul the middleman system'', you might outline your thoughts as to how this undefined ''overhaul'' might take place, so that the staff can look to the community's thoughts when they are convoked to implement the changes.

 

I would just like to state that Finn has been actively leading from his position, and none of this was directly his fault. Let him do his job, and let the dust settle, so we can collectively tally our losses and regroup stronger