Alas.

Your commendable job on moderating will never be forgotten. Thanks! An era comes to an end.

Thanks for supporting the site for all these years!

Thanks ! You're an excellent forum moderator, one of the best I've ever seen!

(Edited because I removed a music video)

See title. Please don't me for mod reasons after Friday, kthx. — fdrake

And your status as 'Admin'? Are you moving on from that as well?

What on earth is going on?

Baden seems to have given up the ghost, too?

Is it a 10yr anniversary re-think?

Who will be next?

Mass exit?

Well, I suppose you're all entitled to a rest after all the years of wonderful service. :clap: :clap: :clap:

Thank you @fdrake :100: :flower:

Thanks man. Really happy you held down the fort.

Baden seems to have given up the ghost, too? — Amity

Baden's just on a break from the internet. He'll be back eventually.

And your status as 'Admin'? Are you moving on from that as well? — Amity

Yes. I'll be doing nothing more for the site other than perhaps post.

Thanks for quick reply and clarification. Appreciated, as always.
Whatever you do with your new time, enjoy the day. Take care. Be well. :sparkle: :flower:

Big shoes to fill.

Thanks for your dedication to the site, you will be missed. All the best.

Appreciate your work, your sense of balance and fairness. Take care.

I see from your location on your info page you have followed Yogi's advice and have taken the fork in the road. Sorry to see the only moderator who is a mathematician leave that position. Fair sailing.

Can you grant preemptive pardons to your favorite members as part of your last moderator actions?

Honestly, being a mod in TPF could be one of the hardest tasks to do. It is not always easy to track the endless chat in each thread; furthermore, regarding those threads that are mainly political, it is complex to find out a balance on both sides of the debate. I was never asked to be a mod, and I am lucky because I think I will not be up to the required standards. So, I appreciate the job done by fdrake and the current mod job by the rest of the team.

There ought to be a special section for retired staff to complain about how things have gone downhill, and there are no proper discussions any more, and the mods don't seem to care, etc. Enjoy your dotage @fdrake. And thanks for all the fish.

There ought to be a special section for retired staff to complain about how things have gone downhill, and there are no proper discussions any more, and the mods don't seem to care, etc. — unenlightened

There is. It's called 'Feedback'. I doubt any mods, present, past or future would use it to complain.
There would seem to be an element of loyalty and need for privacy in airing 'what is really going on'.

Some will share in PMs. Or in other places. Or not at all.

The job is time-consuming and messy. It takes a certain kind of person to do it well.
Sometimes, we get to see timely interventions. Other times, not so much. Work is behind the scenes, not recognised and not given enough appreciation.

As you know, the messiness comes in degrees and cycles.
Lately, there seems to have been an increase in reporting to mods.

There comes a point when some say, "Enough is enough!".
It must take its toll on those who have been dedicated to the site for 10yrs...
I couldn't do it for 5 minutes.

Time and health are precious. Best wishes to all who make the choice to move on.
:heart: :flower: :pray:

For those mods that stay. Thank you :100: :clap:

Sorry to see the only moderator who is a mathematician leave that position. — jgill

Lol I went into teaching and forgot most of the hardcore maths.

Can you grant preemptive pardons to your favorite members as part of your last moderator actions? — Mikie

Naw. Thank god.

There ought to be a special section for retired staff to complain about how things have gone downhill, — unenlightened

I think that's the Shoutbox. {shots fired}

It is not always easy to track the endless chat in each thread; furthermore, regarding those threads that are mainly political, it is complex to find out a balance on both sides of the debate. I — javi2541997

I missed loads of stuff all the time.

I'm sorry to see @fdrake go. I've got used to his support, knowledge, and guidance. I hope he hangs around and continues to post.

I'm sorry to see fdrake go. — Jamal

I also am sorry to go. I don't want to!

The job is time-consuming and messy. It takes a certain kind of person to do it well.
Sometimes, we get to see timely interventions. Other times, not so much. Work is behind the scenes, not recognised and not given enough appreciation. — Amity

I agree Amity.

It is true that a mod's job is behind the scenes, and it is not always recognised. I even remember some bleak members who tried to make the ambience even worse, and they confronted the mods.

I will be honest: I also did one or a few tantrums. I didn't like when some threads were put in The Lounge, my endless discussions with universeness, or how I personally take the short story contest. I know I am not an easy fella. I appreciate the generous behaviour they always had, and I am aware that banning a member is not easy.

Best wishes to you, @fdrake! Your support and interest meant a lot to me.

I was never asked to be a mod, and I am lucky because I think I will not be up to the required standards. — javi2541997

You have to volunteer if you want to be a mod, generally speaking. Maybe it's different in The Philosophy Forum, I don't know.

Hope to see you more often in the forum for discussions. Good luck & cheers.

I didn't know that. Perhaps someone who wants to help with moderating should ask the admins. But I can't see myself in such a plight. It is just that Javi is made for writing nursery rhymes, not moderating discussions. :sweat:

Well, you could moderate the poetry section, if you wanted to, and if you formally made that request, I would imagine. Customarily, forum administrators don't ask users if they want to be mods or admins. I'm not saying that it can't happen, or that it never happened, I'm sure it has happened in other forums. It's just not customary to proceed like that. Usually, whoever wishes to do unpaid, volunteer work as a mod (because that is indeed what it is), has to make the request. But, like I said, maybe things are different in The Philosophy Forum, I don't know. : )

But first I should ask myself: who am I to moderate you?

I admit that I lose my control often, and I am biased on explicit topics. For example: I can't see myself as a good mod in Gaza thread because I root for Palestinian people, and I am not very fond of Israel.

A mod should act as we expect from judges: objectively.

It's mostly just corralling frustrated people to disagree with each other without being total arses. Amusingly I could submit the command to remove my own admin privileges, so I did so.

↪Arcane Sandwich
But first I should ask myself: who am I to moderate you? — javi2541997

Well, I'd say that you're my friend, if there's such a thing as Internet friendships. So, I have already given you the right to moderate me, informally at least.

I admit that I lose my control often — javi2541997

Well, everyone does. That's why everyone self-moderates, informally.

and I am biased on explicit topics. — javi2541997

So is everyone, arguably.

For example: I can't see myself as a good mod in Gaza thread because I root for Palestinian people, and I am not very fond of Israel. — javi2541997

Not every moderator has to moderate every single topic of discussion. Maybe your talents and knowledge are better suited to moderate topics in Philosophy of Art, for example. You don't have to moderate political topics if you don't want to.

A mod should act as we expect from judges: objectively. — javi2541997

Yes, indeed. I agree.

Thank you once again for all of your excellent work and your equally excellent contributions.