yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[About XDA developers] pulser_g2:
Just had to deal with this last piece of stupidity.

By-laws DO stand up in court. They do it ALL THE TIME. Every single prosecution here for fare-dodging on the railway is per a bye-law.

I can't be bothered to find you court proceedings that show these do stand up in court... But you can do so easily.
[About XDA developers] DowntownJeffBrown:
Just so u guys know its possible to get your thread moved. We accomplished this in the N4 off topic thread. I just asked the mod to review our thread and see its use usefullness. Now the mod who doesn't like our threads isn't over that thread anymore.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Xparent BlueTapatalk 2

---------- Post added at 12:15 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:12 AM ----------

Scooby check your pm brother

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Xparent BlueTapatalk 2
[About XDA developers] tallyforeman:
That's the one thing we are trying to avoid. We do not want to be a part of the cancer and our thread doesn't belong in OT. It belongs right where it is.
[About XDA developers] DowntownJeffBrown:
I understand that but they are gonna get rid of it then. But I'm behind u guys 100% But tomorrow I have a feeling your thread will be locked.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Xparent BlueTapatalk 2
[About XDA developers] tallyforeman:
Another problem I have is : There is other threads that offer zero for Android development yet they aren't bothered at all.

A toast from my Gnex aboard the Satisfaction!
[About XDA developers] DowntownJeffBrown:
Totally agree with ya. Like I said I'm behind u 100%

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Xparent BlueTapatalk 2
[About XDA developers] SirSigma:
Seeing you guys mention that a former moderator here is now banned makes me wonder what kind of selection process they have going on here. That sounds a bit worrisome, and by the way you guys mentioned it, I have a feeling that's certainly not the first time it's happened.
[About XDA developers] estallings15:
It's a buddy system, mostly. I've seen legitimate developers that compile their own heavily customized, top-notch ROMs and create cross-device, widely used mods get rejected for RD status, while another - who knows little more than the right people and how to use copy/paste - gets accepted for RD status. It's sad.
[About XDA developers] SirSigma:
Wow, that's awful. Instead of picking people that work hard and deserve a lot of recognition, others get picked by being in a position of favoritism.

That would explain why another moderator I was familiar with on this site was incredibly inactive. Anything went wrong and you reported a post, it would take him about two weeks to do anything about it.
[About XDA developers] pulser_g2:
I believe it has happened once in ten years or thereabouts. Tbh I think the fact that we won't stand for any kind of nonsense is more of a positive - screw up, and you're out. The selection process is actually pretty stringent - you can see the application form right now as it is open. Take a look through it, see what you think :)

I am not aware of it happening before in recent memory though, it is a one off event AFAIK.
[About XDA developers] pulser_g2:
Actually it is based on a set of boolean criteria. You meet it, or you don't.

Often the people you expect have not actually applied for the status of as they may not actually want it (a surprising number of people have not felt they want/deserve it).

If people meet the boolean criteria, which are quite stringent, then they get it. If not, they get told which of the criteria they didn't meet.

The original batch of RDs were not approved with as stringent criteria, and will be reviewed shortly.
[About XDA developers] pulser_g2:
A lot of mods are pretty busy, both with real life and several forums to mod. That's why the group based mod system has been introduced.
[About XDA developers] TheSkinnyDrummer:
This post lacked all kinds of pizzaz.:rolleyes:
[About XDA developers] Tovagulet:
This is stupid.

Devs and users need a place where they can all gather together and chat, chill and have a laugh at something.

Its like people without having lunch time or a little break. Only work and work.

And I know this is volunteer and you do it for free because you love to do it, but it would be annoying to come to xda knowing you can only work on your ROM, theme, apps and many other things without having a place where you can share your life to other devs and users.
[About XDA developers] tallyforeman:
Guys I appreciate the commentary but, I would like to get back to why I originally opened the thread. Yes this is "off topic" but I simply would like some answers. We had a great thing going and unfortunately it looks as if it's coming to a close.

A toast from my Gnex aboard the Satisfaction!
[About XDA developers] droidzika:
So we are still in limbo I see. I'm afraid their mind is made up. I think it's funny that we are told: errr yeah, we are closing your off topic thread but if you want, you can move to another off topic thread, somewhere else...not here...over there in the corner...where no one contributes anything. :good:
[About XDA developers] Ryno77:
Well its locked. I have a few things I'd like to say to the mod but I'll keep my mouth shut.
[About XDA developers] three west:
damn, shame on you guys for trying to help folks in a real-time format with some OT thrown in.

those of us still running an X2 can look forward to less community and support, way to go mod :mad:
[About XDA developers] motcher41:
Yep..sad thing...he must a been abused in an off topic

sent from my SGS3
[About XDA developers] DonDizzurp:
hhahaahahahah you win the internets
[About XDA developers] tallyforeman:
Well... The thread is still down and for a while the mod was rather quick with returning PM's. But things have gone quiet from the other side. May just have to go public tomorrow to justify closing the thread.

A toast from my Gnex aboard the Satisfaction!
[About XDA developers] estallings15:
Good luck! Seriously.
[About XDA developers] motcher41:
Truth

sent from my SGS3
[About XDA developers] estallings15:
You just might be banned for that. Balls of steel, bro! I love it.
[About XDA developers] DowntownJeffBrown:
Ahahaa Love It :thumbup::D

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Xparent BlueTapatalk 2
[About XDA developers] droidzika:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyxLGSMtqtM :D :beer:
[About XDA developers] motrinHD:
our off topic was closed, today. a part of me died today..
[About XDA developers] droidzika:
Yeah but your DX2 got some life... DZK released 4.2.1 today I think.
[About XDA developers] tallyforeman:
Anyone that's curious, here's what's taken place thus far:

Mod Edit: There is a reason they are called private messages...
[About XDA developers] motcher41:
So in short...no matter how many people we helped it doesn't matter cuz HE doesn't like them. Gotta love communism. Kinda reminds me of Kim Jong Il

sent from my SGS3
[About XDA developers] Ryno77:
Sounds like his mind was made up regardless of what anyone had to say.
[About XDA developers] tallyforeman:
I'm still not sold on why our thread was targeted and no research was invested in the decision to close it. We broke no rules, didn't bother anyone and was self maintained. Any explanation given so far just doesn't add up.
[About XDA developers] estallings15:
His saying that the helpful content is lost in a thread several hundred pages long makes me wonder if he is aware of the existence of search engines? What a dolt.
[About XDA developers] tallyforeman:
Yet another example of the thoughless efforts put forth in making an executive decision. Class act mods, class act.

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=37273875#post37273875
[About XDA developers] motcher41:
I just went nuts in general droid x2 forum check it out

sent from my SGS3
[About XDA developers] DowntownJeffBrown:
I see that :D:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Xparent BlueTapatalk 2
[About XDA developers] motcher41:
:cool:

sent from my SGS3
[About XDA developers] tallyforeman:
It's ridiculous! Where is the backbone of XDA because its not in the decision making?
[About XDA developers] estallings15:
Hahaha. That was great.
[About XDA developers] rr5678:
They closed the Nexus 4 US thread.......why? That post was off-topic from developing, exactly the reason it was in the general section. yet every other country-based thread is still open.
[About XDA developers] pulser_g2:
Is it? Or is that only from the perspective of people who post regular in OT? I've heard some good feedback these last few days tbh.

Not everyone wants to treat threads as a clubhouse or fraternity, you know that we set up the social group feature for that?

Some people (actually, MOST) just want to come here, talk about phones, and ask a question, or help someone else, or discuss some feature.

Perhaps you're not aware of social groups? Or perhaps they don't meet what people were looking for? Surely they make more sense than posting it in the device area?
[About XDA developers] estallings15:
No, they don't. People used to drop by and ask us questions instead of creating new threads, basically daily. Also, because the thread was in the device section, ALL of us spent more time answering questions in other threads in that section.
[About XDA developers] broncogr:
Isnt there a specific Q&A subforum for your device?

If so what is its purpose besides posting question threads?

Broncogr

XDA Senior Moderator
[About XDA developers] estallings15:
People either refuse to search or don't do it properly. Hence, redundant thread after redundant thread is created, which gives the mods more work to do. They come in and link to the other threads of the same or a similar topic and close them. There are HUNDREDS of locked threads in my devices section.
[About XDA developers] broncogr:
Still, what the purpose of a general thread with hundreds of questions inside it?

How can this be searched?

This is a forum and as such the better it is organized the more easier answers can be found.

Its not a technical support area where a chat thread with hundreds of Q&As included will serve any purpose.

Having distinctive Q&A threads only helps further organization inside the forum
[About XDA developers] Ryno77:
I understand what your saying but what harm is there in having an off topic section for each device? If "most" people dislike it they can stay out of it. Having a off topic section creates more traffic to that devices forum which helps everyone. I don't use a dx2 anymore but I would look at the posts there while checking the off topic..... Help where I could and leave. I technically now have no reason to stop in there unless I just feel like helping... Which might happen?
[About XDA developers] tallyforeman:
Surely you're joking, right? Because that's what we had and it was closed. Yet redundant threads in my section still exist due to the mods lack of incompetence.

A toast from my Gnex aboard the Satisfaction!
[About XDA developers] pulser_g2:
Well I'm looking at this to see what is going on

As I understand it, some of these threads were just a front for "spam" to be frank. I don't want to name names or pick examples, but I've been shown threads that had nothing to do with anything... Literally were just crap.

But I'm also well aware there's threads that are sensible mature chatter with a bit of off topic.

I'm not joking here, but I will need to have a look and see what is going on.

One thing is that we don't remove a thread because it is redundant - if we did, we'd see them reposted constantly with "where is my thread, let me ask again... How do I root this phone?" (I presume that is your definition of redundant?)

Failing that, have you pushed the report button to let the mods know? I don't think they are incompetent, but they do need users such as yourselves to use the report feature.
[About XDA developers] estallings15:
I push the report button almost daily, sometimes after linking a thread that deals with what they're already asking. Many times the mod quotes my post and simply says "Closed."
[About XDA developers] pulser_g2:
I don't see the issue here... Am I missing something?

Sounds like you're helping out well, and they are closing the thread so if anyone searches for it, they will find your link to the answer...
[About XDA developers] tallyforeman:
Do you honestly think I am going to push the report button when a mod cannot use the search before he closes our thread?

A toast from my Gnex aboard the Satisfaction!
[About XDA developers] DowntownJeffBrown:
Because these threads we are talking about weren't those threads he is talking about reporting. These threads were at least for me where I learned so much about xda and my phones. They are places were productive things happen. In many cases like the Nexus 4 off topic thread it prevented many threads from being created due to alot of people coming to us for help.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Xparent BlueTapatalk 2
[About XDA developers] Archer:
I've just had a thorough read of this thread and although I'm not surprised by the reactions, I am a little disappointed in the way they've been put across. I don't think name-calling and posting private messages are a good way to get a point across, and it probably does more harm than good.

Bear in mind that when a decision is made to do something that affects such a large number of people, not everyone is going to be happy. That's just an unfortunate truth.

Anyway, since this is a discussion about the site it's not relevant for off-topic. I'm going to move it to "about xda" to get more coverage, but I'll leave a redirect as there's obviously people here that feel passionately about the topic and will want to continue discussing it.
[About XDA developers] tallyforeman:
You guys have a look at this. Here's what is ok to post on XDA. Let's disregard any threads that may have possibly helped someone. Maybe if my thread used NSFW in the title vs Off Topic, it would have been excluded too.

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1628346
[About XDA developers] estallings15:
How are you not getting this? You asked me a question, very clearly trying to see if I'm following procedure. I made it clear that I am, and that the mods still can't keep up. Having the OT thread where people would drop in and ask questions meant less work for the mods because there were less redundant threads, therefore less for them to deal with.

You seriously need to delegate, because you obviously have too much on your plate between real life and XDA if I had to spell this out. Either that or you're playing dumb to get me to leave in frustration.
[About XDA developers] orangekid:
While I see your point and I think you are trying to handle a legitimate issue worth looking into, you are coming across as acrimonious and accusative. Surely you don't believe there is an vendetta or malevolent intentions behind this. If you feel a certain policy is detrimental to the site or is not being uniformly executed, then you have every right to bring it to the staff's attention, but it might be better to approach it with an attitude of bringing it to light and getting a helpful resolution than with sarcasm and apparent venom.

Even the staff here are only human and subject to make mistakes as we all are in life, the important thing to keep in mind is that as a group they work to better the site for the end-users, whether elite recognized developers or even junior members.

Pulsar already said he would look into it and has obvious concern for the issue. Don't just let it go, but let's recognize that we all work together to try to balance the site so it is not so lenient that it is flooded with useless threads and also not a place where you get banned and thread-locked at every post.

Same as above, do we really need this condescension?
[About XDA developers] estallings15:
Well, see, those are "Wallpapers" so it's totally development related. Right?

Here's the deal, nothing is going to change for the better. We can try until we drop dead from exhaustion, but until someone with some real influence or authority - not we lowly Senior Members that make up the majority here on XDA - NOTHING will change. You'd have better luck turning lead into gold.

Also, I just double posted.
[About XDA developers] tallyforeman:
I haven't given up yet. But OK just reiterated about pulser showing interest and looking into it. That alone is more than the cold shoulder I have already recieved. I'm just hanging out until further word.
[About XDA developers] pulser_g2:
OK, let me quote myself again:

Now let's dissect the answer you gave me:

WHERE is the problem here? If you want to accuse me of playing dumb, that's uncalled for - I have asked a number of other people to look at your post, they ALL agree they have not a clue what your issue is, nor what point you are trying to make.

I asked the question of if you report, as people seemed to want to complain about mods being incompetent. That is an accusation I take VERY seriously. I asked if you could explain what is going on, you tell me the mods "still can't keep up". I asked if you were reporting threads that were the issue, and pointed out that sometimes we will leave threads like that closed, so others will search and find them.

The "OT thread causes less mod work" is an opinion - it's not always true. In fact it raises moderation load, as we get repeated reports from within the "OT" thread often. That's a side issue here though, but that is your opinion of how OT threads operate.

RE delegation, I do. That is why I am asking you to please be clear in what you're saying. You have STILL not actually said what your point is here. I am taking this time out of my own time to deal with, because I do actually care about it. I enjoy a bit of banter too. So I want to know what the issue is.

AGAIN, here is what you said:

For the benefit of the MANY people (mods and non mods) I asked to look at your post to understand, would you please try and actually EXPLAIN what you are on about, rather than throwing about insults. I am here trying to HELP YOUR CAUSE here. If you don't want that, I'll just ask the mods to go zero tolerance on any kind of OT.

Why are you complaining that mods act on the posts you report? Please give a REASON, rather than abuse, or I'll not bother trying to help you guys out.
[About XDA developers] pulser_g2:
This. I am not here trying to waste people's time. If I say you've not explained something, YOU HAVE NOT. I've been in the job of reading things people write and figuring out what they mean for a LONG time (longer than I care to think tbh). Seriously... I don't have an N4, I don't use the forum. By all rights I should just forget about this case.

Instead, I am putting in time to try and help you get it resolved. I don't need to do this. Nobody asked me to. I can just close the browser if I need to, and not return. I want to try and sort this out, but if people are not willing to do so in a mature manner, I will not wait around.
[About XDA developers] pulser_g2:
This is the kind of post that really does not help. Would you please explain CLEARLY why you are saying "a mod cannot use the search before he closes our thread"?

What should he have searched for? Why? What is the issue?

Anyway, your tone here leaves a lot to be desired tbh. Yes, I do honestly expect you to push the report button if there is a problem with a post or something (as you said you already do).
[About XDA developers] litetaker:
Let's see what happens here...
[About XDA developers] tallyforeman:
Before I go any further, I do honestly appreciate the fact you you have made the effort to simply respond and have shown interest. I previously thanked Archer as well. The two of you are stand up gentlemen that uphold your responsibilities very well.

Let's go back to the original post:

My argument here is that the mod said:

"the moderating team assigned to your forum has decided to no longer allow any offtopic threads

whether those were previously sanctioned by moderators or not.

"

Where it comes into play is that the ongoing thead in our forum that said "Off Topic" in the title was closed. Now... As much as everyone refers to the "Search" time and time again, the "Search" was not used at all for Off Topic threads when the action was made to close the threads. Other members already began posting in older useless Off Topic threads that were still lingering around and had no further purpose. I really feel like if the whole Off Topic issue caused such a big deal to XDA, the "Mod Committee" would have looked into it further instead of being selective with thread closings. I feel safe to say at this very moment, the mod didn't know much of anything about the thread he closed....other than it being Off Topic.

As far as my tone: I'm simply being upfront and trying to prove a point. If I wasn't passionate about it and seen where it broke enough rules to result in closure, you guy's wouldn't hear from me at all. Again, thank you for looking into it. I do appreciate your time.
[About XDA developers] orangekid:
Passion and rudeness do not go hand in hand. There was an inferred implication that the staff did not care about the issue or had bad intentions in your tone, instead of being "passionately" helpful, like your latest post is :)
[About XDA developers] pulser_g2:
Well... there is a line between saying I evidently am stupid and need it spelt out, and trying to reach a sensible outcome here. But let's try get this somewhere sensible.
[About XDA developers] estallings15:
Firstly, I will say that I do appreciate your time. Thank you for that.

The complaint is not that the mods are doing anything wrong in their normal duties. I'm not sure why it came across that way, but I apologize if I was unclear.

Let me try this another way. In the OT threads I frequent, people drop in and ask questions. We offer advice that helps them. They even say "Thanks. Now I don't have to open a thread." 99.9% of the time, these are questions that are covered elsewhere, and which I can find the answer to easily. You and I can use a search engine. It seems the majority cannot. By answering their questions, we have lessened the load of the mods in our forums. Less threads need to be checked and, in many cases, closed. While there are DEFINITELY OT threads where this is not the case, it is not the case in my neighborhood. As such, OT should be case-by-case. If people misbehave, warn them. If they refuse to behave, shut them down.

Want to know what happened when the off-topic thread in Nexus 4>General got moved to General>Off-topic? Mayhem. We had to get a mod in there within the hour. Had the thread been left alone, it would have been fine.

This crap keeps me up at night, believe it or not. I feel very passionately that XDA CAN be a wonderful, amazing place where Android development can thrive because the community cares about its members and WANTS to be there to help each other. One of the ways that this happens is in OT threads.
[About XDA developers] orangekid:
Fair point, but why can't they just post in this thread instead?

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1980135