If thats your goal, why not be a loved moderator, who listens to the people and respects there wishes. Why should we have to email you when we can simply post our questions about your policies on this board.

Now, Im sure you mean good but you have insulted me twice (the trolls comments, and the hitler reference), and I would hate to hold these referecnces against you. So if you are willing to apologize and let the people voice their opinions on how the system is working, I wont be forced to report you to trainweb.

You've only been moderator for a couple of days, whats wrong with letting long standing and respected members post their thoughts on the subject of having a moderator. I could understand your removing of moderator type questions in a couple of months, but you've only been moderating for a couple of days and you dont seem to want any feedback.

The results of your moderating are obvious. Members are leaving, new forums are being founded, and the whole synergy of this forum is being cracked.

Here is what you should do:
1) lay of the personal attacks, they are offensive and have no place on this board.

2) use your power justly

3) ask the posters what they think

4) BE NICE!!!!

With all due respect, I suspect that it is the spamming that is driving them away, which seems to have been stepped up since the installation of (more than one) moderator.

And apologies for calling you and littletrain "trolls".

Now it's your turn. Spell out what you want. I will read it tomorrow...

Here is what I would like so see:

1) Public Forum to determine what is on or off topic

2) Public Election of moderator

In the meantime it would be very appreciated if you would please respect the following guidelines:
Here is what you should do:

1) lay of the personal attacks, they are offensive and have no place on this board.

2) use your power justly

3) ask the posters what they think

4) BE NICE!!!!

Meanwhile, here is what is said about forum posting rules on the front page (the following quotes of course not authored by me, but emphasis mine):

"TrainWeb's RAIL forum is divided into several categories which makes it easier to find a particular thread for the discussion. Please make sure that you post your messages into the right categories"

And from the FAQ page about moderators:
"Moderators control individual forums. They can edit, delete, or prune any posts in their forums. If you have a question about a particular forum, you should direct it to your forum moderator."

A quick glance at the site revealed no terms of use. However, the disclaimer still says the following:

"Due to the 'Open Nature' (FREE to the public) of our RAIL forums, it is impossible for us to review each and every post or confirm the validity of information posted. TrainWeb reserves the right to edit/remove any inappropriate messages from the forum. If you have any suggestions or questions regarding our RAIL forum, please feel free to email us at railforum@trainweb.com" (note that there is no definition of what is "inappropriate" so that such must be decided by consensus or by the administration).

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Now I don't know where this cadre of stand up comedians that has infected this board of late have come from, but, now that the Administrator has seen fit fit to appoint a qualified Moderator, they all seem to have in common the line of "supression of free speech' (believe you me, I have been accused of same over at my Forum).

I'm not sure where this 'free speech' stuff fits in. This site is privately owned, and therefroe your speech is on private property, and accordingly be held accountable to the site's owner. Must a newspaper print anything one chooses to submit in either a letter or an op-ed column? Are you free at your workplace to say anything you want about anybody? I don't think so.

Even though I understand that prior to my internet "debut" during 1999, there were sites about on which anyone could say anything about anybody. Well, I think thoe days are gone, as there is the exposure of potential civil liability to a site's owner for the malfeasance of those posting thereat. The management of this site, with their appointment of a Moderator, has shown they do not wish to revisit those days.