**smiles**

While I'm sure you meant it as some form of sardonic attack, I thank you for the opportunity to make a philosophical clarification.

I know my rules of conduct very well. **retypes with emphasis on the appropriate words** I know MY rules of conduct very well.

Notice the difference? I didn't volunteer to be a moderator. I was drafted, but I accepted and did my best out of the respect for the people who needed my help at the time.

If you get drafted in real into the military, does your ethos change? Or do you stay the same and do your best within your own rules of conduct to life.

I would say that some people do the former while others do the latter.

When they asked me (not techncially even asked) to moderate for them, I told them that I am an opinionated loud mouth that always speaks his mind and asked them whether they were really sure they wanted me.

They said yes please, so I did my best as myself. I told them frequently, if they didn't like how and what I did, they should let me go, and so they kept me not for my ability to read the Rules of Conduct but because my inherent conduct met their needs at the time.

If I may now be so bold and possibly offensive to change the subject and use someone else as an example, I think SilverFoot is a perfect example of what I mean about someone who has moderated forums for many years and has always made wherever he (she?) moderates a good place not because of whatever is written on a particular link but because of a blend of personality, compassion and appropriately timed punches.

I got to know SilverFoot (with me as a poster and him as a moderator) a long, long time ago at the MyUO official UO forums. They had a lot of moderators but a couple stood out for their personality, ability to talk to people, and sensitivity to what's going on. SilverFoot was one of those which I've never forgotten and that I've had the honor to run into again and again over the years.

Good moderation has nothing to do with proscribed rules of conduct just like good forums have nothing to do with proscribed rules of conduct.

Proscribed rules of conduct are there for people who have not yet learned their own inherent and civilized rules of conduct yet. Proscribed rules of conduct are there for people who have somehow gone enough years in life that now they are posting on forums and haven't learned self moderation.

But proscribed rules of conduct have nothing to do with knowing ones own rules of conduct. Knowing your own rules of conduct comes over time in different ways for every human being.

Some people are lucky and learn them through institutions--institutions such as asian martial arts classes, medieval chivalry, hindu dharma, european-style military, books, religeons, hard knocks or anywhere.

We're certainly not born with them, and they certainly don't stick to us without also developing compassion (since without the ability to understand your fellow humans rules mean nothing).

In the American Bill of Rights free speech is guaranteed. (no it does not apply to online forums) For some reason many Americans assume that we are the only country that has free speech. I'm not sure why they would think that but there is no convincing some people.


and yes, Silverone was always the best mod on the MyUO Boards. I miss those boards....

Best guess as to why people would think that Free Speech would be an American concept is that fact that it regularly dominates our (American) media and it is guaranteed by our government.

I was chatting with a freind once and I said something and It went down to me saying something about free speach. They told me I was lucky to be able to say that. They live in England.

No I don't think free speach is a purely US thing. I also don't like "Americans" being lumped together all the time.

And I fail to see how any of those other places are apart of the US.
There is a difference between "North" America and "South" America.
and Mexico ETC. It's not our fault that when someone says just "America" they mean the US Which is "North" America. ...

Anyway I'm sure someone is gonna come and dig this post apart and I could care less how they twist my words so I won't be looking back i've said what I wanted to say.

Arjuna & Tukaram,

Thanks so much for the kind words it's appreciated.
I'm a big believer in giving back to the community. I live my life that way, so it does indeed carry over to my online persona.
While working for Origin wasn't donating (they changed from volunteer to a team of 10, paid, then went to Kasper, myself and Greywolfe,paid) Now I help out here at UOForums and a bit at the seldom used Ianstorm site. I turned down a move to Startics when the MYUO boards went down.

Life isn't black and white, there's a ton of gray area. I've never been a believer that a TOS can really cover what goes on in a forum. I was one of the first MODs in MYUO and the last one out, and I honestly never read the TOS :shocked: . I used common sense and my years of experience in dealing with the public. Did I get in trouble behind the scenes, only with Cynthe. She always felt we should display a corporate attitude. I'm not a corporate guy, I'm old school, I worked on the docks in NY when I was younger, with some real old school guys. I don't think gamers respect a corporate attitude or only do so when it benefits them. I'm a big believer in Wilki's style, if someone is out there spewing garbage, call em on it. Don't let it fester. Festering snowballs into chaos.
Just giving a little insight to how I think. (shrugs)

Oh yeah and Arjuna, my wife says I'm still male

:shocked: :shocked: Silverfoot and Silverone are one and the same!!!! :shocked: :shocked:

Wow! Who knew




...sorry it just seemed like a good idea at the time.

**laughs**

Well, I thought you were a guy, but after Greywolfe I've learned my lesson never to make assumptions unless someone outright says it, hehe. I probably should have asked Dennar, since I think you two know each other very well? (Or am I mistaken?)

All those years I'd thought Greywolfe was a guy, and then when MyUO forums closed I found out he was a she, and I felt kinda guilty, hehe.

As for your never reading the TOS, that's fantastic! That speaks volumes. Bravo

Free speech is sort of a matter of how you perceive it. For instance, this forum here. This is kinda like being able to go into Adam's house and chat with everyone. If you come in and start acting like an arse, then he has every right in the world to throw you out of his house. Same applies here.

If, IRL, you go somewhere and start acting the fool, odds are you will be asked to move along. That's anywhere... a park, a restaurant, someone's house. Are they impeding your right to free speech? No, just impeding your right to act like an idiot. You have all the freedom of speech you want here.... just like everyone else has all the freedom they want to NOT listen to you exercise that right.

You seriously didn't know that TuK?

I will say I think only 2 friends in game knew who I was on the boards. I always felt it best to keep it seperate. Besides I would have gotten PK'd every 2 steps in the Pre-Tram days. You know how much we Mods were loved If you remember, your MYUO account is tied to your playing account. We could ban you from the game for your actions on the boards. So there was no way I wanted someone to suggest less than honorable bannings

Here ya go a blast from the past.







Arjuna, I do indeed know Dennar well, we've shared a pint over dinner discussing UO over in Danbury,CT. Actually I had the pint he had an iced tea
Kim (Greywolfe) is just great people. She, too is from CT. My wife and I have had lunch with her up at the Mall, only about a 45 min. drive from our place in NY. We worked great together, she sent me a few nice goodies from Origin.
She just felt that being a female "frontman" for Origin, some wouldn't respect her because of gender. In any case she always laughed & said that she didn't lie. They just assumed she was male and she didn't feel a need to correct. Last I knew she was playing Chesepeake, part of the FCB if I remember.

I'll try not to make this a long post.

Free Speech is not free. It cost someone for us to have it and keep it.

With Free Speech comes Responsibilty. It seems to me that those who cry the most about free speech also are the ones who don't want to take responsibilty for there speech.

Arjuna and Silverfoot thank you for having a standard that doesn't need to be written down. Yet it is one that makes it enjoyable to be around where you are.

Vepl