Pm'ing Laurel with no luck

[Need_a_bedtime_story]

If 2,5 days have passed since I contacted Laurel with a problem, and nothing has happened, is she choosing not to help or has she just not seen it yet?

I've read that when others contact her, the issue is solved within 24 hours. I'm a little discouraged.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

Laurel does not care about you. You do not exist.

 

[ElectricBlue]

If 2,5 days have passed since I contacted Laurel with a problem, and nothing has happened, is she choosing not to help or has she just not seen it yet?

I've read that when others contact her, the issue is solved within 24 hours. I'm a little discouraged.

It depends what the issue is. You're not telling us anything about your problem, so no-one can sensibly comment.

 

[Bamagan]

She is usually pretty prompt about resolving issues where a story has gotten lost or things of that nature. The further away your problem is from that, the less likely that she can do anything. Plus, there are some things that authors might consider a problem about the way the site does things, but the site may well disagree, so those complaints will generally not be addressed, at least not on a personal or individual level.
But yes, as said above, without knowing anything about your problem, all we can respond with is generalities and platitudes.

 

[madelinemasoch]

Laurel does not care about you. You do not exist.

Sadly true.

 

[FidelityBoss]

If 2,5 days have passed since I contacted Laurel with a problem, and nothing has happened, is she choosing not to help or has she just not seen it yet?

I've read that when others contact her, the issue is solved within 24 hours. I'm a little discouraged.

Laurel’s response time can vary depending on how busy she is. If it’s been a couple of days, she probably just hasn’t seen your message or she's ignoring it. A polite follow-up might help.

 

[FidelityBoss]

She is usually pretty prompt about resolving issues where a story has gotten lost or things of that nature. The further away your problem is from that, the less likely that she can do anything. Plus, there are some things that authors might consider a problem about the way the site does things, but the site may well disagree, so those complaints will generally not be addressed, at least not on a personal or individual level.
But yes, as said above, without knowing anything about your problem, all we can respond with is generalities and platitudes.

That’s a fair point! Laurel’s quick with site-related issues like lost stories, but other concerns might take longer or not get addressed if they’re outside her scope.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

There's a listing at the head of each forum section that tells you who is moderating there. No other moderator has access to any tools outside the forum sections they've been assigned. They're no different than any other poster outside their assigned forum sections. I didn't edit the post in question, and I'm the only moderator assigned to this section, so that means an admin edited that post, as was clearly indicated in the edit.

So Laurel and/or Manu (but from the evidence in my inbox I'm pretty sure it's just Laurel) drop in wherever and whenever they see fit and without any engagement whatsoever, delete and edit whatever they feel like, free of any scrutiny or rebuttal or clarification (I know because I've tried), and they do it not just anonymously, but actually lead us to believe that the volunteer mods are doing it.

Disrespectful? I'll leave that question up to you. (shrug)

But it does prove this.

Laurel does not care about you. You do not exist.

"Fuck you, litizens."

All we can do is live with it. It's her site and she is free to run it as badly as she wants.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

So Laurel and/or Manu (but from the evidence in my inbox I'm pretty sure it's just Laurel) drop in wherever and whenever they see fit and without any engagement whatsoever, delete and edit whatever they feel like, free of any scrutiny or rebuttal or clarification (I know because I've tried), and they do it not just anonymously, but actually lead us to believe that the volunteer mods are doing it.

Disrespectful? I'll leave that question up to you. (shrug)

But it does prove this.



"Fuck you, litizens."

All we can do is live with it. It's her site and she is free to run it as badly as she wants.

I am convinced that Laurel personally didn't have a hand in any of these edits and thread closures, although there is a different kind of "guilt" I would attribute to her.
It's the same problem as with everything else - a complete lack of communication and relevant information. That's how I see it. I mean, we are constantly being forced to guess how things work, whether it's story submission, AI rejection, abuse, reports, etc.

When it comes to the forum, the problem is that there is no clear hierarchy in all these cases. We've had multiple thread closures done by an unnamed person without a proper explanation or a way to appeal the decision. We've had arrogant behavior from mods in threads so of course we started making conclusions and wild guesses because again, no one knows how things work, what the right procedure is, or who is doing what.

All of that creates an atmosphere of mistrust so people lash out, sometimes needlessly. Well, maybe not so needlessly, because all other things aside, there is a certain lack of politeness in the way mods communicate here. The mention of bans, the terse tone, and the occasional "talking down". And then there is the mistrust I already mentioned as a product of all this, and I can't personally blame anyone for displaying it. This is not how relationships based on good faith work.

 

[onehitwanda]

“The finest line of poetry ever uttered in the history of this whole damn country was said by Canada Bill Jones in 1853, in Baton Rouge, while he was being robbed blind in a crooked game of faro. George Devol, who was, like Canada Bill, not a man who was averse to fleecing the odd sucker, drew Bill aside and asked him if he couldn't see that the game was crooked. And Canada Bill sighed, and shrugged his shoulders, and said, 'I know. But it's the only game in town.' And he went back to the game.”

― Neil Gaiman, American Gods

 

[AwkwardlySet]

I can't say that I like Gaiman, but that nails the whole issue so fucking well.

 

[StillStunned]

It seems to me that some people are getting overexcited about not very much. Appealing thread closures? Come on, it's a free forum where we spend most of our time discussing absolute nonsense. Open a new thread and make sure you stay on the right side of the rules. Or else realise that the thread wasn't important enough to get worked up over in the first place.

In the eighteen months or so I've been infesting the AH, I've seen maybe a handful of threads being locked. A few more times where posts were deleted. By no definition is that heavy-handed modding, or power tripping. There are rules. Once every so often it's a good thing to be reminded of them, otherwise you get exactly what's happening here: entitled forum users who think their rights are being infringed when they're told to behave.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

In the eighteen months or so I've been infesting the AH, I've seen maybe a handful of threads being locked. A few more times where posts were deleted. By no definition is that heavy-handed modding, or power tripping. There are rules. Once every so often it's a good thing to be reminded of them, otherwise you get exactly what's happening here: entitled forum users who think their rights are being infringed when they're told to behave.

Except when you have posts deleted and replaced with bold type next to YOUR NAME saying that you violated a rule when you never violated one. The Admin (not the mod) is stepping in to make you look like an asshole and a troublemaker when you aren't. THAT is not fair and IS a big deal.

 

[Bamagan]

It seems to me that some people are getting overexcited about not very much. Appealing thread closures? Come on, it's a free forum where we spend most of our time discussing absolute nonsense. Open a new thread and make sure you stay on the right side of the rules. Or else realise that the thread wasn't important enough to get worked up over in the first place.

In the eighteen months or so I've been infesting the AH, I've seen maybe a handful of threads being locked. A few more times where posts were deleted. By no definition is that heavy-handed modding, or power tripping. There are rules. Once every so often it's a good thing to be reminded of them, otherwise you get exactly what's happening here: entitled forum users who think their rights are being infringed when they're told to behave.

https://media0.giphy.com/media/5OQQxLxmLffyg/200w.gif?cid=6c09b9523wuubd2yxzu4r4na1nfg53r007jibrmosd0dxn2e&ep=v1_gifs_search&rid=200w.gif&ct=g

 

[Bamagan]

https://media0.giphy.com/media/5OQQxLxmLffyg/200w.gif?cid=6c09b9523wuubd2yxzu4r4na1nfg53r007jibrmosd0dxn2e&ep=v1_gifs_search&rid=200w.gif&ct=g

Laurel and her trusty servant Manu "ride" into a forum where peasants are working. They come up behind a story which is being dragged by a hunched-over peasant in ragged clothing. Manu slows as they near them, clacking coconut shells rapidly.

Laurel: Old Woman!
The peasant turns around, revealing that he is in fact a man.
Man: Man!
Laurel: Man, sorry.... What author lives in that thread over there?
Man: I'm thirty-seven!
Laurel: (surprised) What?
Man: I'm thirty-seven! I'm not old--
Laurel: Well I can't just call you "man"...
Man: Well you could say "LiteroticaVIP69"--
Laurel: I didn't know you were called LiteroticaVIP69!
Man: Well, you didn't bother to find out, did you?!
Laurel: I did say sorry about the "old woman", but from your profile picture, you looked--
Man: Well I object to your...you automatically treat me like an inferior!
Laurel: Well I *am* Admin...
Man: Oh, Admin, eh, very nice. And 'ow'd you get that, eh?
(he reaches his destination and stops, dropping the story)
By exploiting the authors! By 'angin' on to outdated imperialist dogma
which perpetuates the economic and social differences in our society.
If there's ever going to be any progress--
Woman: LiteroticaVIP69! There's some lovely filthy stories down 'ere!
(noticing Laurel) Oh! 'Ow'd'ja do?
Laurel: How do you do, good lady. I am Laurel, Admin of the Literoticans. Whose
thread is that?
Woman: Admin of the 'oo?
Laurel: Admin of the Literoticans.
Woman: 'Oo are the Literoticans?
Laurel: Well, we all are! We are all Literoticans! And I am your Admin.
Woman: I didn't know we 'ad an Admin! I thought we were an autonomous collective.
Man: (mad) You're fooling yourself! We're living in a dictatorship! A
self-perpetuating autocracy in which the writing classes--
Woman: There you go, bringing class into it again...

 

[YmaOHyd]

I've never been part of a hobbyist forum that allows this much kvetching about mods and mod actions.

 

[Bazzle]

It seems to me that some people are getting overexcited about not very much. Appealing thread closures? Come on, it's a free forum where we spend most of our time discussing absolute nonsense. Open a new thread and make sure you stay on the right side of the rules. Or else realise that the thread wasn't important enough to get worked up over in the first place.

In the eighteen months or so I've been infesting the AH, I've seen maybe a handful of threads being locked. A few more times where posts were deleted. By no definition is that heavy-handed modding, or power tripping. There are rules. Once every so often it's a good thing to be reminded of them, otherwise you get exactly what's happening here: entitled forum users who think their rights are being infringed when they're told to behave.

Its how McDonalds manages it food costs. Every now and again catch someone giving their best mate some free fries or a burger. Sack them.
For the next month the food costs come down as others are scared off giving away freebies. Then over time it creeps back up. Eat, sleep, repeat.

 

[onehitwanda]

Laurel and her trusty servant Manu "ride" into a forum where peasants are working. They come up behind a story which is being dragged by a hunched-over peasant in ragged clothing. Manu slows as they near them, clacking coconut shells rapidly.

Laurel: Old Woman!
The peasant turns around, revealing that he is in fact a man.
Man: Man!
Laurel: Man, sorry.... What author lives in that thread over there?
Man: I'm thirty-seven!
Laurel: (surprised) What?
Man: I'm thirty-seven! I'm not old--
Laurel: Well I can't just call you "man"...
Man: Well you could say "LiteroticaVIP69"--
Laurel: I didn't know you were called LiteroticaVIP69!
Man: Well, you didn't bother to find out, did you?!
Laurel: I did say sorry about the "old woman", but from behind, you looked--
Man: Well I object to your...you automatically treat me like an inferior!
Laurel: Well I *am* Admin...
Man: Oh, Admin, eh, very nice. And 'ow'd you get that, eh?
(he reaches his destination and stops, dropping the story)
By exploiting the authors! By 'angin' on to outdated imperialist dogma
which perpetuates the economic and social differences in our society.
If there's ever going to be any progress--
Woman: LiteroticaVIP69! There's some lovely filthy stories down 'ere!
(noticing Laurel) Oh! 'Ow'd'ja do?
Laurel: How do you do, good lady. I am Laurel, Admin of the Literoticans. Whose
thread is that?
Woman: Admin of the 'oo?
Laurel: Admin of the Literoticans.
Woman: 'Oo are the Literoticans?
Laurel: Well, we all are! We are all Literoticans! And I am your Admin.
Woman: I didn't know we 'ad an Admin! I thought we were an autonomous collective.
Man: (mad) You're fooling yourself! We're living in a dictatorship! A
self-perpetuating autocracy in which the writing classes--
Woman: There you go, bringing class into it again...

You bastard. I was enjoying that cup of tea.

 

[jaF0]

We all know kitties move things around unseen. They never show themselves when doing it and disappear right after.

Why can't Kitty Mamas do it too?

 

[jaF0]

From years of personal experience here, I know that the Grand Ma'am is selective in replying to posts and often acts without making an appearance. I also know that those acts vary widely in style and substance.

 

[jaF0]

Hierarchy on AH?

1 > Laurel/Manu

2 > AH_Mod

3 > Everyone else.


It's just that simple.


AH Mod just stated that when they act, they sign their posts. That says that unsigned acts are carried out by one of the other two.


The only mystery is whether or not Manu edits or deletes posts. My understanding is not and that all focus is on the technical aspects. From the posting style and word choices, it also seems Manu runs the LitLits account on Reddit, but again, certainty is vague.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

You instill a great deal of trust in me.