Hello all.
For a start, I'd like to say good on x339 for voicing his concerns. On this site, there is a culture of asskissing and treating those that do not conform like dirt. I am more than ready to acknowledge that, during my time as staff, I did little to challenge this approach. I'm older & wiser now and have the benefit of life to say that merely because someone has a different attitude, this should not make their opinion redundant - rather they ought to be lauded for their willingness to step aside from the crowd and say what they think.
Having said that, I don't necessarily agree with everything x339 has said, but, again, this does not mean his suggestions shouldn't be held with as much regard as those put forward by staff members. After all, this site caters to more than 300,000 people - not a select elite few. Anyway, I'll point out the concerns that I think are valid and those that I feel are less so.
This is correct. If you were to promote any old individual to Administrator, you would witness great activity - indeed, activity disproportionate to that displayed by our current Administrators. However, and this is key to note, you would also witness diminished quality. As an Administrator, your most important characteristic facets are your articulacy, judgement, and sharpness. In all honesty, any idiot can sit and do spam reports all night. Administrators are where they are for a reason - because they have displayed superior judgement and a willingness to tackle and dealing situations that Globals are otherwise characteristically unable or unwilling to tackle.
In light of this, the concept of ''activity'' when applied to Administrators ought to be considered. When thinking about Globals & sectionals, it is easy to point out who is and is not inactive. This is largely due to the extent to which these staff members post and tackle various reports. Administrators do not, and should not, be doing these. For this reason, their activity ought to be considered on a separate scale. The activity of an Administrator largely cannot be gauged by an average user. This is simply the case, and protestations regarding things ''being behind the scenes'' are futile considering that this is frankly the way it must be regarding certain matters, and it is in these matters, as my experience allows me to indicate, that Administrators are not only active, but also display decisiveness and leadership.
Crowded? How can an Administrator group be crowded? Is this a suggestion that it looks distasteful on the Forum Leaders page? Unless the Administrators deem themselves to be an unsatisfactory and ill-functioning group, they cannot be deemed a crowded group.
Historically we have had cases where Administrators have went further than intended, so they have been stripped down to the necessities with which they need to function. This is not problematic - there exist tiers for a reason; if an Administrator qualifies for advanced privileges, they will accordingly find themselves advanced in the tier system. This is natural and applies to all Sythe.org staff.
I agree.
As far as I can see, the General Administrators are very much part of the community. Their role, as defined by the thread, is to deal with matters such as IP bans. Whether people like to hear it or not, Administrators mainly exist in a behind-the-scenes capacity; this is inherent to their role. Again, speaking from experience, I can say with confidence that the general Administrators, at least those that I experienced - Govind & Giverny - at least contributed to important staff discussions with their points of view.
I agree.
As I outlined in your past thread, I consider this a subjective and emotional perceptive. Objectively, since joining in 2007, I have watched Sythe.org's member base triple.
Again, good on x339 for voicing his views - he shouldn't be victimised or hounded for doing so; his thread ought to help facilitate discourse. Again, though, I'd distance myself from saying I agree with all points made. There are a great number of people that give a large amount of time to help this site function.
