Guys, Tools in Action is privately owned. Nothing suspicious there. That means that if the prerogative of TiA is to moderate a member, ban said member, etc that is always at the discretion of TiA. The rules of the day lie with TiA. There is no TiA Constitution. There is no TiA Congress. It's a private forum. It was eluded to by the unsaid member that this forum is a dictatorship.....well.....yeah. It's a private forum. Although....now that I think on it....TiA is not a form of government and you guys don't have to pay taxes, we don't own any tanks, so......? I guess it really is not.
The topic and member in question, needed moderation. Period. As far as behind the scene witchcraft, personal agendas, some world wide conspiracy or whatever, the unsaid former member forced his hand. AGAIN. Let me repeat. AGAIN. This time there was a consequence, but only after he lost his temper. AGAIN. Also to clear the air, that same person chose to go on a huge rant, blasted TiA, made all sorts of crazy statements and then ordered that his profile be deleted to one of the owners. This all happened while we, the moderators, tried to figure out what was going on to cause the huge drama that unfolded. The only action taken was to lock and delete the posting, freeze the unsaid members account with a warning and then talk to the members involved. Then and only then, would a decision be made.
This forum is designed for all of us guys and gals to talk about tools, shop talk etc. Blow steam off. Not go on tirades about perceived problems, regardless of the validity. If there is a problem, use the personal messenger. If a member is having a problem with another one, and yes we unfortunately do get the occasional problem, and the pm doesn't work, let a moderator know (believe it or not....we don't use overly aggressive moderation) so we can try to clear things up. If you get ticked off at someone, please. Please. Please don't name call. Don't be mean, don't be disrespectful. Don't make rude comments about somebody's family. Just follow the aforementioned steps.
Also, please remember this.... TiA has regular giveaways to members of the forum. This is free to members. There are no dues. This is free. The price of a true, aggressively overly moderated, dictatorship-like forum. It's really quite evil.
When something like this happens it is really sad, it is hard on the members, and it is hard on the staff (especially the guys that have been on the forum for a long time and get to know the members). Also, the member in question was well liked. Even by the staff( this one included).
I understand and this is a bit of a shock for everyone. But put it in perspective....the moderators here, the owners too, have gotten dozens of emails. Mostly from the same people. This is getting old to say the least. The unsaid member is a good guy. I personally will miss his posts. And yes, it's weird seeing him referenced but his profile is now gone. But.....tomorrow is Sunday. Then the next day is Monday.....and guess what? We've got some great members. I like those guys too. So let's try to get past this, concentrate on the good things and God willing we won't ever have another issue like this again.
So.....?
How about them new Dewalt tools? I think yellow is way better than red.