# SAS



## SAS Admin

Hello Everyone, 

My name is Helena, Iv been around for a few months, mainly lurking and helping the mods as best I can. I have been trying to get a feel for the community. 

Drew needed a break and asked me take over the SAS account. Not really sure what to tell you about me, so ill leave the floor open to you all. 

From the announcement I made yesterday, it seems like there are a LARGE amount of issues the forum has with the admin of the site, and this issues have gone unaddressed for so long that anything done by the admin is just salt being poured on the proverbial wound. 

I would like to start out by addressing the anonymity of the staff. While this idea seems great, it is something that I do not support on other forums I administrate. It creates an us vs them mentality and it should not be mandatory for moderators. If a mod chooses to stay anonymous, like any user it is their choice. I am supportive of staff keeping there personal information to themselves if they so choose. BUT it is not something that should be mandatory. If a moderator does something unbecoming of a leader they should be dealt with and not given a cloak to hide behind. So you can see i have changed the SAS account to show my name. And to let users know I am here to help if you need site support. 

There seem to be a large amount of issues and they will all be addressed slowly but surely. SO lets talk and get to know each other and figure out how we can make this site a more welcoming place for all!!!! 


Just to let you all know ahead of time, any post in this thread that are not constructive will be deleted. I want to keep this thread on track and get to know you all and what I can do to help this forum  

THANKS EVERYONE


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## Brasilia

:wels


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## Cam1

That was very refreshing to read. Welcome to SAS.


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## Limmy

Hi Helena


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## SAS Admin

Limmy said:


> Hi Helena


Hi limmy!!!!

Just so you know I am from Toronto to


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## Limmy

Helena_SAS said:


> Hi limmy!!!!
> 
> Just so you know I am from Toronto to


LOL! thats awesome!  another Torontonian! Im gonna send you a friend request  us Toronto folk gotta stick together!


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## Sacrieur

Hai!


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## meepie

Now we're getting somewhere, welcome to SAS. I think I'm going to like your changes.


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## shyvr6

:wel


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## Just Lurking

Hi Helena 



Helena_SAS said:


> So you can see i have changed the SAS account to show my name.


Even that, seemingly minor it may be, shrinks the divide by just a bit.

And good riddance to mandatory anonymous moderation. The 'choice' is a great compromise.



Cam1 said:


> That was very refreshing to read. Welcome to SAS.


Very refreshing, indeed. It's been quite a long time since we've been addressed by an administrator who actually gives off the impression that they're a human being rather than some robot who only communicates in legal jargon.

Welcome, again - Hope you're here to stay.


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## SAS Admin

Limmy said:


> LOL! thats awesome!  another Torontonian! Im gonna send you a friend request  us Toronto folk gotta stick together!


I will accept it 

We do have to stay together!!!!


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## SAS Admin

Sacrieur said:


> Hai!


Hello!!!!!


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## SAS Admin

meepie said:


> Now we're getting somewhere, welcome to SAS. I think I'm going to like your changes.


I like to think of them as collective agreements... hahahah

I always like to talk to my staff about things I will implement or change. I am also always open to talking to the community.

I have used forums in all user positions and know what it is like from all perspectives! from user to head admin. So I try to always remember that.


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## SAS Admin

Thanks JL,

I am real and I hope to stick around.

I was worried about letting users know I was around, since I was told this account was anonymous. BUT it seems like it was the best idea!



Just Lurking said:


> Hi Helena
> 
> Even that, seemingly minor it may be, shrinks the divide by just a bit.
> 
> And good riddance to mandatory anonymous moderation. The 'choice' is a great compromise.
> 
> Very refreshing, indeed. It's been quite a long time since we've been addressed by an administrator who actually gives off the impression that they're a human being rather than some robot who only communicates in legal jargon.
> 
> Welcome, again - Hope you're here to stay.


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## Orb

:wels

This kind of positivity also gives the existing members of staff some much needed reassurance and hope.


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## Jcgrey

Welcome. Nice to have you aboard. :wel


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## Charmander

Hi.


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## tea111red

Hi,

What made you want to take on the position of admin here (other than being asked to)? Do you have an interest in or experience w/ SA/mental health...or?


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## tbyrfan

Welcome to SAS, Helena


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## typemismatch

No more hiding behind clocks! :boogie


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## SAS Admin

tea111red said:


> Hi,
> 
> What made you want to take on the position of admin here (other than being asked to)? Do you have an interest in or experience w/ SA/mental health...or?


I am on a large amount of forums, as an administrator. I just like the online communities.

My sister and myself both have anxiety disorders, hers manifested into Social anxiety were as i have OCD. So the world of mental health is not new to me


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## tea111red

Helena_SAS said:


> I am on a large amount of forums, as an administrator. I just like the online communities.
> 
> My sister and myself both have anxiety disorders, hers manifested into Social anxiety were as i have OCD. So the world of mental health is not new to me


Oh, okay...cool. Your experience should help when comes to dealing w/ people on here then.

BTW, I appreciate you responding in a timely manner, hopefully you are consistent.


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## Aphexfan

Hello Helena! Now this is a decision I can definitely get behind!


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## Monroee

Thank you Helena, for giving us a friendly and personal personality for us to get to know. I think this type of post was really needed right now. I agree with your post and hopefully your experience here will really help this place.


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## pati

Awesome post to read. Look forward to the changes. Hello!


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## SAS Admin

Thanks all!!! 

I will try to be on as much as possible. I am generally on line during the day.


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## Mr Burns

Psst you forgot to change the gender :b


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## nullptr

:yay a mortal admin.


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## WineKitty

Hmm....am I the only one who is a bit lost here?

Is the same person identifying themselves as Helena SAS the same one who authored the posts in the previous thread?

Because this:



> The fact that mods are anonymous has nothing to do with this, and does not give a user the right to harass them in any way. A large majority of the staff bashing goes on via PM's that are sent to them. Members who are given infractions or users who don;t like something they said go ahead and think that gives them the right to assault the staff with words.


is quite different from this:



> I would like to start out by addressing the anonymity of the staff. While this idea seems great, it is something that I do not support on other forums I administrate. It creates an us vs them mentality and it should not be mandatory for moderators. If a mod chooses to stay anonymous, like any user it is their choice. I am supportive of staff keeping there personal information to themselves if they so choose. BUT it is not something that should be mandatory. If a moderator does something unbecoming of a leader they should be dealt with and not given a cloak to hide behind. So you can see i have changed the SAS account to show my name. And to let users know I am here to help if you need site support.


While I welcome a more open dialogue, it's not the first time I have seen this happen on this site.

Some of us have been here long enough to remember when this same attitude:



> *Infractions up to and including a permanent ban may be given.*


was the absolute rule.

How long has Drew been out of the picture? People around here have long suspected that it's been a while?

Does Drew still own the site?

And, finally, are any of the mods going to drop their cloaking? I don't really have any problem with the mods per se but it's difficult to take them seriously when they have some made up superhero name. Again, it was a wildly unpopular idea instated by people who seemingly were only briefly running this site (i.e. Penny and Brandt) along with Drew. While it is now optional for the hidden names, it would seem that if we reverted to the old system of "knowing" who we are dealing with, it would be a more functional system. I would also suggest perhaps rethinking using some of the previous mods might be a good idea, since it seemed to be the best moderation team SAS has ever seen in my time on this board. I would also request the return of Ventura, who was/is loved by many and helped a lot of people.


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## SAS Admin

The first post I made was harsh, yes I will admit, I was under the impression that this account was used more frequently, after talking to a few users VIA PM I was better educated and made this thread.

The mods have a right to be anonymous, if they so choose. The internet is full of people who take things to far and sometimes as a mod your safety is at risk. Some people can be very vindictive if they think they have been unjustly wronged.

I can not speak fro Drew since I am not him, and from what some members have told me you have a right to be skeptical of me and how i plan to run the site.

For now I am taking baby steps.

Mods have a right to be anonymous, ever user does. BUT if they so choose not to be then they can. The mods should not be treated differently regardless of their choice.



WineKitty said:


> Hmm....am I the only one who is a bit lost here?
> 
> Is the same person identifying themselves as Helena SAS the same one who authored the posts in the previous thread?
> 
> Because this:
> 
> is quite different from this:
> 
> While I welcome a more open dialogue, it's not the first time I have seen this happen on this site.
> 
> Some of us have been here long enough to remember when this same attitude:
> 
> was the absolute rule.
> 
> How long has Drew been out of the picture? People around here have long suspected that it's been a while?
> 
> Does Drew still own the site?
> 
> And, finally, are any of the mods going to drop their cloaking? I don't really have any problem with the mods per se but it's difficult to take them seriously when they have some made up superhero name. Again, it was a wildly unpopular idea instated by people who seemingly were only briefly running this site (i.e. Penny and Brandt) along with Drew. While it is now optional for the hidden names, it would seem that if we reverted to the old system of "knowing" who we are dealing with, it would be a more functional system. I would also suggest perhaps rethinking using some of the previous mods might be a good idea, since it seemed to be the best moderation team SAS has ever seen in my time on this board. I would also request the return of Ventura, who was/is loved by many and helped a lot of people.


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## Ape in space

I think there might be some misunderstanding here. When people say 'anonymous mods', they don't mean that they don't know who they are in real life. They mean that the mods have a regular user account, but a separate account that is used for moderating. The anonymity refers to the fact that we don't know which regular users are behind the moderator accounts. So it's a layer of anonymity on top of the usual anonymity that everyone has. The admins implemented this system near the end of last year, and most people were against it. Before that, the moderator accounts weren't separate from their regular user accounts - they would just upgrade their usual accounts to moderator status. When they implemented the new 'anonymous mod' system, the old mods resigned and they got new mods who used anonymous mod accounts.


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## scarpia

I don't know why anyone would even want to be a mod. I was asked to mod on another anxiety related site I go to but I did not do it. There should be many more mods for a site this big.

I also think that having controversial political discussions can damage the supportive atmosphere of this site. The controversial political topics should probably be spun off into a separate site where people used different user names.


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## The Dark Knight

WineKitty said:


> And, finally, are any of the mods going to drop their cloaking? I don't really have any problem with the mods per se but it's difficult to take them seriously when they have some made up superhero name.


Its very doubtful I ever will given all of the bitterness and hostility shown toward us after the policy change went into effect. I had to take steps to protect my identity which resulted in the loss of friendships because of the obsessive actions of others who were determined to find out who we were and expose us. I've made enough sacrifices to help keep this site running already.

When we chose our names were were asked to pick the name of a heroic movie character, so it wasn't entirely our choice of what name we decided to use.


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## Theillusiveman

The Dark Knight said:


> Its very doubtful I ever will given all of the bitterness and hostility shown toward us after the policy change went into effect. I had to take steps to protect my identity which resulted in the loss of friendships because of the obsessive actions of others who were determined to find out who we were and expose us. I've made enough sacrifices to help keep this site running already.
> 
> When we chose our names were were asked to pick the name of a heroic movie character, so it wasn't entirely our choice of what name we decided to use.


Understandable. I just don't get why it's such a big deal for some of these posters. I wish someone would explain it to me.


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## Orb

> When we chose our names were were asked to pick the name of a heroic movie character, so it wasn't entirely our choice of what name we decided to use.


I'd like to add to this, aren't most user names made up? I don't see why a particular user name would make a difference.


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## SAS Admin

Ape in space said:


> I think there might be some misunderstanding here. When people say 'anonymous mods', they don't mean that they don't know who they are in real life. They mean that the mods have a regular user account, but a separate account that is used for moderating. The anonymity refers to the fact that we don't know which regular users are behind the moderator accounts. So it's a layer of anonymity on top of the usual anonymity that everyone has. The admins implemented this system near the end of last year, and most people were against it. Before that, the moderator accounts weren't separate from their regular user accounts - they would just upgrade their usual accounts to moderator status. When they implemented the new 'anonymous mod' system, the old mods resigned and they got new mods who used anonymous mod accounts.


I am aware of this  but yes I see what you mean. The current staff was not involved in the decision to change how mod accounts work. They just went along with the changes, or came on after the changes.

The staff that was here that is part of that system can choose to stay like that, and should not be treated differently. It is a BIG change for them and it is not fair to just ask them to do it because I said so. The new staff memebrs we have brought on have the option but most choose to use their regular account. I give my staff the option to be fair.


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## SAS Admin

The Dark Knight said:


> Its very doubtful I ever will given all of the bitterness and hostility shown toward us after the policy change went into effect. I had to take steps to protect my identity which resulted in the loss of friendships because of the obsessive actions of others who were determined to find out who we were and expose us. I've made enough sacrifices to help keep this site running already.
> 
> When we chose our names were were asked to pick the name of a heroic movie character, so it wasn't entirely our choice of what name we decided to use.


This is the exact reason I have given the team a choice.

They were not given a choice when the changes were made originally ( other then to quit ). There is a large amount of hostility because of what has happened in the past. There is nothing I can do to fix the past, but I can be around to ensure a better future for the site!!


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## scarpia

The Dark Knight said:


> Its very doubtful I ever will given all of the bitterness and hostility shown toward us after the policy change went into effect.


 Was there a lot of hostility towards mods before the policy change went into effect? Or is the hostility a result of the policy change?


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## tea111red

Are you the interim or permanent admin of this site? I am a little confused.


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## WineKitty

tea111red said:


> Are you the interim or permanent admin of this site? I am a little confused.


This.


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## Orb

Regarding anonymity - I briefly gave big clues on the site as to what my personal account was (I say 'was', because I haven't used it for some months), because I was fed up here and left (temporarily). 

But then anxiety kicked in because it seemed to be taken as a big deal when really it shouldn't be. So I removed the posts. 

The ironic thing is, most people wouldn't know who I was anyway (not controversial, didn't make many threads) on my personal account. And rationally speaking, I would actually prefer not to be anonymous. But, anxiety (as well as the negativity) puts me off posting the personal account, and I appreciate that people that do know/figured it out haven't posted it or shared the same clues publicly.


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## Jones

Thread closed for conflicts. Posts deleted. PM sent to Helena to address this.


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## SAS Admin

tea111red said:


> Are you the interim or permanent admin of this site? I am a little confused.


I will be the permanent Admin.


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## SAS Admin

The current staff and myself are working hard to get more staff on the site. The old staff left, and left on bad terms. They caused a large amount of issues for the current staff and made running a site without Drew extremely difficult. Right now I have no trust for the old mod team, when you see all the trouble they caused when they left. I would rather move forward and have the current staff built up with users who are currently on the site. Maybe one day they could come back but that day is not today. 

I know to regular users this seems trivial, but being a moderator of a site this large is a hard enough task, with out having to deal with trolls. 

So lets work on building this site from here and fixing what needs fixing and leave the past in the past.

I hope this keeps the thread clean and back on track. 

I will be here for a long time, so get used to me


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## SAS Admin

Jones said:


> Thread closed for conflicts. Posts deleted. PM sent to Helena to address this.


Please keep questions about the old mods out of this thread everyone. If you have questions about that you can PM me.


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## Mr Burns

Helena_SAS said:


> I will be the permanent Admin.


Hey, So does this mean Drew sold/passed on the site and he is never coming back, or are you and Drew co-owning the site? Notice you said he had "taken a break" only? :con He never said bye


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## F1X3R

Helena_SAS said:


> The current staff and myself are working hard to get more staff on the site. The old staff left, and left on bad terms. They caused a large amount of issues for the current staff and made running a site without Drew extremely difficult. Right now I have no trust for the old mod team, when you see all the trouble they caused when they left. I would rather move forward and have the current staff built up with users who are currently on the site. Maybe one day they could come back but that day is not today.
> 
> I know to regular users this seems trivial, but being a moderator of a site this large is a hard enough task, with out having to deal with trolls.
> 
> So lets work on building this site from here and fixing what needs fixing and leave the past in the past.
> 
> I hope this keeps the thread clean and back on track.
> 
> I will be here for a long time, so get used to me





Helena_SAS said:


> Please keep questions about the old mods out of this thread everyone. If you have questions about that you can PM me.


 You probably shouldn't bring the old mods up if you don't want to talk about them. Not sure if it's fair to blame them if you weren't here when it happened or if you don't know what or who you are talking about when you say they caused trouble. One old mod is still here as a mentor, another one just welcomed you to the site once you introduced yourself and a few others just stepped down as mods and left quietly. Nothing wrong with that, not their site, not their responsibility. As you said, being a mod is hard work. I would say running a site without it's owner/admin would be a challenge, much more so than having a few volunteer mods step down. :|

I also don't get all the secrecy on here, when everyone is already behind fake names and avatars. If you are a permanent admin what does that mean, you said Drew was taking a break?

Is it that important? Of course not, but that's the point. I don't get why everyone is always so coy on here when there's nothing to worry about.


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## SAS Admin

F1X3R said:


> You probably shouldn't bring the old mods up if you don't want to talk about them. Not sure if it's fair to blame them if you weren't here when it happened or if you don't know what or who you are talking about when you say they caused trouble. One old mod is still here as a mentor, another one just welcomed you to the site once you introduced yourself and a few others just stepped down as mods and left quietly. Nothing wrong with that, not their site, not their responsibility. As you said, being a mod is hard work. I would say running a site without it's owner/admin would be a challenge, much more so than having a few volunteer mods step down. :|
> 
> I also don't get all the secrecy on here, when everyone is already behind fake names and avatars. If you are a permanent admin what does that mean, you said Drew was taking a break?
> 
> Is it that important? Of course not, but that's the point. I don't get why everyone is always so coy on here when there's nothing to worry about.


HAHAHA I am so used to using VB terms, Admin, super mod and mod are the levels. Admin just means I have access to almost all areas (depending on my access masks).

Sorry about that confusion. I am just the admin in charge with admin permissions. Im just doing the job of working with the community.


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## typemismatch

I have to say that I don't really know what all the fuss is about. I really don't. Here is a picture of a large jaffa cake.


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## tea111red

Just wanted to add, I think if people knew whether or not Drew was ever coming back, they'd be less likely to bring up the past. I think people just want answers so they can move forward and be done w/ the past? Not trying to start any new conflicts, it's just still unclear if he is still affiliated w/ the site or not (and if he is, for how much longer?).

Thanks.


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## HitGirl

One other thing: Could you guys start cracking down on the gender war thing? It's getting to the point were female members can't post anything without getting the topic blown up by the more bitter members of the board. 

It frankly has me reconsidering the use of this site.


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## Milco

HitGirl said:


> One other thing: Could you guys start cracking down on the gender war thing? It's getting to the point were female members can't post anything without getting the topic blown up by the more bitter members of the board.
> 
> It frankly has me reconsidering the use of this site.


Could you link to the thread in question?


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## Double Indemnity

tea111red said:


> Just wanted to add, I think if people knew whether or not Drew was ever coming back, they'd be less likely to bring up the past. I think people just want answers so they can move forward and be done w/ the past? Not trying to start any new conflicts, it's just still unclear if he is still affiliated w/ the site or not (and if he is, for how much longer?).
> 
> Thanks.


According to google, Drew left SAS sometime in 2013.


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## tea111red

Double Indemnity said:


> According to google, Drew left SAS sometime in 2013.


Oh, okay.

Well, he sure did go out in an unusual way.


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## au Lait

What happened to the mother and son who used to be admins or whatever?


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## Jcgrey

Are you referring to Thunder or Becky?


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## Amocholes

au Lait said:


> What happened to the mother and son who used to be admins or whatever?





Jcgrey said:


> Are you referring to Thunder or Becky?


Penny and Brandt. They gave up.


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## HitGirl

Milco said:


> Could you link to the thread in question?


My post would be a page long if I listed them all, so I'll just go with the recent one:

http://www.socialanxietysupport.com/forum/f35/some-guys-only-want-sex-448777/

It's a complete joke. And there's plenty more where that came from too.


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## SAS Admin

HitGirl said:


> One other thing: Could you guys start cracking down on the gender war thing? It's getting to the point were female members can't post anything without getting the topic blown up by the more bitter members of the board.
> 
> It frankly has me reconsidering the use of this site.


We are re-writing the rules to include gender wars, to make it more clear to new users and to have something to back up infractions given to users.


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## HitGirl

Helena_SAS said:


> We are re-writing the rules to include gender wars, to make it more clear to new users and to have something to back up infractions given to users.


Thank you. It's getting way out if hand. Hopefully you guys implement the changes soon.


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## shyvr6

There are plenty of gender threads that get locked. The problem is they come up so frequently that the mods probably don't see them all.


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## Noca

F1X3R said:


> You probably shouldn't bring the old mods up if you don't want to talk about them. Not sure if it's fair to blame them if you weren't here when it happened or if you don't know what or who you are talking about when you say they caused trouble. One old mod is still here as a mentor, another one just welcomed you to the site once you introduced yourself and a few others just stepped down as mods and left quietly. Nothing wrong with that, not their site, not their responsibility. As you said, being a mod is hard work. I would say running a site without it's owner/admin would be a challenge, much more so than having a few volunteer mods step down. :|
> 
> I also don't get all the secrecy on here, when everyone is already behind fake names and avatars. If you are a permanent admin what does that mean, you said Drew was taking a break?
> 
> Is it that important? Of course not, but that's the point. I don't get why everyone is always so coy on here when there's nothing to worry about.


^This

Just going on Drew's version or accounts of events towards the old moderating team is extremely unfair and biased, you would be wise to reconsider, instead of ending up as another "Drew".


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## Theillusiveman

OK, if I may, I think I have to speak out on something; this "conflicts" thing. I know why the site has it, but I think it's getting a little out of hand in the way it's being enforced.

It's getting to the point where even a poster standing their ground or saying their piece in a debate can get written up or infracted and move closer and closer to a ban. And even worse, it sets up a system where more passive aggressive members can just sit back and randomly flame people and the person that fights back or says their piece will get banned, and the flamer will still be able to post and attack people that need help.

Example: I saw a thread yesterday where a member derailed a thread with racial comments, another user took exception and rightfully took him to task for it. But guess who got hit with the ban though?: The poster that took the user to task, _NOT _the poster who veered the thread off topic with inappropriate remarks.

It's backwards decision making like that that makes it hard to understand the moderation here sometimes. Every permabann should be issued on a case by case basis since people are coming here for support, and that seemed like a decision a robot what have made, not a human. If you want the forum community to warm up to the moderators here, that's something you might want to look into. And I also on a side note would like to mention that I've never had a problem with some of the decision making here until I saw the outcome of that thread.

In essence, I think you guys should relax the conflict thing a bit, lock the thread, but don't ban people for standing their ground or something similar. Like I said even playful banter can be considered conflict if read a certain way. Focus your banning power on things more harmful things like people drive-by flaming, not people defending themselves or other posters. It creates a cycle where members will be afraid to speak out with fear of being hit with a permabann, and that's not helpful or productive to anyone.


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## Mr Burns

Noca said:


> ^This
> 
> Just going on Drew's version or accounts of events towards the old moderating team is extremely unfair and biased, you would be wise to reconsider, instead of ending up as another "Drew".


To be fair, it's not like anyone has both sides of the stories.


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## SAS Admin

I see your concerns, but there may be more to a situation then meets the eye, if you have a concern about something like this you can always PM me


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## Theillusiveman

Helena_SAS said:


> I see your concerns, but there may be more to a situation then meets the eye, if you have a concern about something like this you can always PM me


Ok. And I know if a user has more infractions, he or she is more likely to get banned and that might be the "more" that's behind the situation, but that's my point.

That's why I think permabans should be reviewed by the big admin first and the offender should be hit with a few temp first unless the poster is clearly here just to cause harm (like random flamers are). Since you can't come back, permabans aren't something that should be done at the flick of a wrist.


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## shyvr6

^
It says in the rules that they do review people before they ban them. Your other post sounds more like someone who isn't seeing the full picture like Helena said.


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## The Dark Knight

I believe I know which thread you are talking about. The member in question had already received a number of infractions and had been warned of an impending ban if they continued to violate the rules, all of which were ignored so a ban was issued under the following rule:



> In cases where a new member (under one month) continues to break rules after asked not to, they can be permanently banned immediately with an explanation of why in the "Reason" textbook. Note that they are a new member in the explanation.


That rule has existed for a long time and was added to allow us to bypass the majority vote requirement so we can ban trolls and troublemakers more quickly. Since this member had joined just under one month ago a permanent ban was issued. Otherwise permanent bans are issued either by a majority vote or if it is discovered to be a duplicate account. The other member involved was also given an infraction but has been here for a longer period of time, so we will continue to monitor their posts and take more action if necessary.


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## The Dark Knight

Theillusiveman said:


> It's getting to the point where even a poster standing their ground or saying their piece in a debate can get written up or infracted and move closer and closer to a ban....
> 
> Example: I saw a thread yesterday where a member derailed a thread with racial comments, another user took exception and rightfully took him to task for it. But guess who got hit with the ban though?: The poster that took the user to task, _NOT _the poster who veered the thread off topic with inappropriate remarks.
> 
> ....but don't ban people for standing their ground or something similar.
> 
> ....It creates a cycle where members will be afraid to speak out with fear of being hit with a permabann, and that's not helpful or productive to anyone.


I should also emphasize a few parts of your post. Members are allowed to debate a topic and "stand their ground" as you put it, but directly insulting and attacking the person you disagree with (as what happened in that thread) is NOT allowed and is considered a personal attack. I'm not going into further detail on this case as it was handled according to the rules.

And as I said before, permanent bans are issued by majority vote except in the cases I already pointed out. This system has been in place for several years now.


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## Limmy

I feel this thread should be moved to the Just for Fun section


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## Theillusiveman

The Dark Knight said:


> I believe I know which thread you are talking about. The member in question had already received a number of infractions and had been warned of an impending ban if they continued to violate the rules, all of which were ignored so a ban was issued under the following rule:
> 
> That rule has existed for a long time and was added to allow us to bypass the majority vote requirement so we can ban trolls and troublemakers more quickly. Since this member had joined just under one month ago a permanent ban was issued. Otherwise permanent bans are issued either by a majority vote or if it is discovered to be a duplicate account. The other member involved was also given an infraction but has been here for a longer period of time, so we will continue to monitor their posts and take more action if necessary.


Didn't know he or she was a newer member, so I guess that explains it. It's good to know that other guy was at least infracted for blowing up that thread like that and in the manner he did it. And to be honest with you, I don't think you guys will have to wait too long for a decision on him either. He's not here to be helpful, that one thing that's for sure.



The Dark Knight said:


> I should also emphasize a few parts of your post. Members are allowed to debate a topic and "stand their ground" as you put it, but directly insulting and attacking the person you disagree with (as what happened in that thread) is NOT allowed and is considered a personal attack. I'm not going into further detail on this case as it was handled according to the rules.
> 
> And as I said before, permanent bans are issued by majority vote except in the cases I already pointed out. This system has been in place for several years now.


Understood now. It's good to know it's voted on. Like I said, in out of all my time here, that was the only thread that ticked me off in the way it was handled, but I didn't know every detail which I will admit.

I still think it should be taken into consideration of rather a conflict was provoked or not before an outright ban is issued. It's almost impossible not to have _some_ conflict on a forum just due to the nature of the internet it sad to say.


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## enfield

wha 'bout CRAWLING INNN MY SKINNN. wha 'bout her. wha she did.


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## SAS Admin

If users are EVER unsure about a situation it is ok to ask the staff about it, if you have questions about why it happened. 

Just remember to be nice and ask before assuming, it will make everyone happy in the end!


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## Elad

Helena_SAS said:


> If users are EVER unsure about a situation it is ok to ask the staff about it, if you have questions about why it happened.
> 
> Just remember to be nice and ask before assuming, it will make everyone happy in the end!


my question is, who bought/owns SAS?

I was recently shown this: http://www.neowavemedia.com/projects/4503445#1 / http://www.neowavemedia.com/ which state the site has been sold, late in 2012. you said drew is "on a break", but is he still involved with the site at all?

just all seems kinda .. weird. what with the coming and going of penny/bradt and now you turning up as a kind of caretaker.


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## lzzy

Hey Helena, you seem like a reasonable and nice person so I'm sure you and I (along with the others) will get along swimmingly!


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## Brad

Interesting..


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## komorikun

The new owner(s) is definitely trying to hide their identity.


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## Canucklehead

Damn I go away for 6 months and this stuff is still going on?


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## Aphexfan

^
I just came back too :b


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## tea111red

When is the "About SAS" on this site going to be updated to reflect the present? Also, is the new admin not available on the weekends or something?

There seems to be more ads than ever, too. Tsk, tsk.


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## scarpia

Several seemingly innocuous posts have been deleted. Interesting. One involved my question about who is allowed to be a moderator. Neo mentioned that there were criteria and I asked what those were. Instead of answering the whole thing was deleted. That's certainly one way to deal with issues. Maybe every post on the whole site could be deleted and we could start all over again.


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## Orb

scarpia said:


> Several seemingly innocuous posts have been deleted. Interesting. One involved my question about who is allowed to be a moderator. Neo mentioned that there were criteria and I asked what those were. Instead of answering the whole thing was deleted. That's certainly one way to deal with issues. Maybe every post on the whole site could be deleted and we could start all over again.


Yeah i intended to answer - i would need to run it by head admin as to whether we can share some or all of it. Some of it is common sense though, i.e not a trouble maker and someone who is level headed.

I brought up the possibilty of asking for volunteers as well. We'll see how that goes.

Also i followed up regarding chat issue, just waiting for feedback.

Regards, 
Kevin (Neo)


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## SAS Admin

tea111red said:


> When is the "About SAS" on this site going to be updated to reflect the present? Also, is the new admin not available on the weekends or something?
> 
> There seems to be more ads than ever, too. Tsk, tsk.


No ads have been added to the site since the fall, and any of those ads would have only been for unregistered users.

The site needs to generate income in order to remain open.


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## SAS Admin

Brad said:


> Interesting..


I did that because we had someone try to hack that account.


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## SAS Admin

komorikun said:


> The new owner(s) is definitely trying to hide their identity.


Huh?

I am confused by this, I told you my name, where I am from and other personal things. If you want to know something and I have an answer then I can tell you.

my favorite colour is RAINBOW!!!! 
I have 2 cats and a dog 
I am married ( for 3 years) 
I hate pina colada 
and getting caught in the rain.


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## rawrguy

Cool beans


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## The Phantom Pain

Helena_SAS said:


> Huh?
> 
> I am confused by this, I told you my name, where I am from and other personal things. If you want to know something and I have an answer then I can tell you.
> 
> my favorite colour is RAINBOW!!!!
> I have 2 cats and a dog
> I am married ( for 3 years)
> I hate pina colada
> and getting caught in the rain.


Hilarious. I'm not sure if they want your home address or not.


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## komorikun

She didn't say she was the new owner.


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## Brasilia

komorikun said:


> She didn't say she was the new owner.


She didn't say hello to me even though I was the first to say welcome to SAS.


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## SAS Admin

komorikun said:


> She didn't say she was the new owner.


I have said I do not own the site, but I am the admin of the site.


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## SAS Admin

Brasilia said:


> She didn't say hello to me even though I was the first to say welcome to SAS.


I am sorry,

HELLO :yay:yay

:hs

:high5:high5

:group

:rub:rub

:banana:banana


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## Brasilia

Helena_SAS said:


> I am sorry,


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## hoddesdon

Helena_SAS said:


> I did that because we had someone try to hack that account.


Maybe the hacker kidnapped him.


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## HitGirl

I just noticed you guys added a new mod. I'm glad to see it.







But may I ask what happened to Jones and Dark Knight? I haven't seen them on in ages.


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## The Dark Knight

I'm still here every day taking care of things behind the scenes.


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## HitGirl

The Dark Knight said:


> I'm still here every day taking care of things behind the scenes.


Ok good! I thought the new mod was a replacement or a few of you guys had dropped off. I'm glad to see most of the mod team in tact.


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## Canucklehead

Just get someone in here who can moderate all this dating bs thats been going on lately.

SAS is on the verge of becoming a **** hookup site where tons of non sa pervs join to hook up,


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