Ask a Moderator

"brian1321" (brian1321) 05/29/2015 at 16:24 • Filed to: None

2

64

Hello, I am Brian1321, you know, from Jalopnik. I am a moderator of this board. By that I mean I have moderator powers. Do I use them? Rarely. If you want a look at the inner workings of the mod community, drop us a line here and we will answer as best we can.

EDIT: Lets keep this serious, I’m genuinely interested in your questions and I hope I can help

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > brian1321 05/29/2015 at 16:27

1

Who are you again?

Brian Silvestro > brian1321 05/29/2015 at 16:27

0

What medium is used to support the mod group chat

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Brian Silvestro 05/29/2015 at 16:28

9

Miss Cleo.

Kate's Dirty Sister > brian1321 05/29/2015 at 16:28

1

Are you going to vote for the union?

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 05/29/2015 at 16:29

1

He’s the poster Oppo deserves.

atrombs > brian1321 05/29/2015 at 16:29

2

Could you take me out of the gray?

extraspecialbitter > brian1321 05/29/2015 at 16:29

0

What does the 1321 in your name mean?

TheHondaBro > brian1321 05/29/2015 at 16:30

0

How many ___ have you ___?

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Brian Silvestro 05/29/2015 at 16:30

4

A series of tubes.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 05/29/2015 at 16:31

0

brian1321 > extraspecialbitter 05/29/2015 at 16:31

0

13- Dan Marino 21 - Paul O’Neill

nermal > brian1321 05/29/2015 at 16:31

2

Out of all of the press cars you’ve ordered, which manufacturer seems to be the most accommodating and easiest to work with?

Blondude > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 05/29/2015 at 16:32

0

brian1321

brian1321 > Kate's Dirty Sister 05/29/2015 at 16:32

6

Look. If you had, one opportunity, one moment, to seize everything you ever wanted. Would you capture it?

Or let it slip?

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Blondude 05/29/2015 at 16:34

0

Brian Silvestro-san FiST Slayer

brian1321 > Brian Silvestro 05/29/2015 at 16:34

1

he keeps on forgetting what he wrote down,
The whole crowd goes so loud
He opens his mouth, but the words won’t come out
He’s choking how, everybody’s joking now
The clock’s run out, time’s up, over, bloah!
Snap back to reality, Oh there goes gravity
Oh, there goes Rabbit, he choked
He’s so mad, but he won’t give up that
Easy, no

brian1321 > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 05/29/2015 at 16:35

2

I’m a change what you call rage
Tear this motherfucking roof off like two dogs caged
I was playing in the beginning, the mood all changed
I’ve been chewed up and spit out and booed off stage

brian1321 > nermal 05/29/2015 at 16:35

0

When he goes back to his mobile home, that’s when it’s
Back to the lab again, yo

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > brian1321 05/29/2015 at 16:36

0

Who?

brian1321 > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 05/29/2015 at 16:37

5

Moms spaghetti

Blondude > brian1321 05/29/2015 at 16:38

0

What are your thoughts on the banning of NSFW on Oppo? Also, will we see a return of the brian1321 fan club? UTBOTD?

itschrome > brian1321 05/29/2015 at 16:38

0

Can I have a cookie and a glass of water? also maybe a story?

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > brian1321 05/29/2015 at 16:39

0

Does being a mod kind of kill the magic a little on Oppo?

I know it did for me on the Land Rover Owners International fb page I help mod. Most of my time now is spent deleting comments and banning people.

MysticStick > brian1321 05/29/2015 at 16:40

0

How has the breakup affected Jalopnik? We had some great times together, but I am doing so much better without you. I just spent too long in the grey and couldn’t take it anymore.

uofime-2 > brian1321 05/29/2015 at 16:41

0

how many hours a week do you spend doing this job?

ceanderson920 > brian1321 05/29/2015 at 16:41

0

brian1321 > Blondude 05/29/2015 at 16:42

2

Tits rule.

brian1321 > itschrome 05/29/2015 at 16:42

5

Look, if you had, one shot, or one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted. In one moment
Would you capture it, or just let it slip?
Yo

His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy
There’s vomit on his sweater already, mom’s spaghetti
He’s nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready to drop bombs,
But he keeps on forgetting what he wrote down,
The whole crowd goes so loud
He opens his mouth, but the words won’t come out
He’s choking how, everybody’s joking now
The clock’s run out, time’s up, over, bloah!
Snap back to reality, Oh there goes gravity
Oh, there goes Rabbit, he choked
He’s so mad, but he won’t give up that
Easy, no
He won’t have it, he knows his whole back’s to these ropes
It don’t matter, he’s dope
He knows that but he’s broke
He’s so stagnant, he knows
When he goes back to his mobile home, that’s when it’s
Back to the lab again, yo
This whole rhapsody
He better go capture this moment and hope it don’t pass him

[Hook:]
You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go (go)
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo
You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go (go)
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo
(You better)

The soul’s escaping, through this hole that is gaping
This world is mine for the taking
Make me king, as we move toward a new world order
A normal life is boring, but superstardom’s close to post mortem
It only grows harder, homie grows hotter
He blows. It’s all over. These hoes is all on him
Coast to coast shows, he’s known as the globetrotter
Lonely roads, God only knows
He’s grown farther from home, he’s no father
He goes home and barely knows his own daughter
But hold your nose ‘cause here goes the cold water
His hoes don’t want him no more, he’s cold product
They moved on to the next schmoe who flows
He nose dove and sold nada
So the soap opera is told and unfolds
I suppose it’s old partner but the beat goes on
Da da dum da dum da da da da

[Hook]

No more games, I’m a change what you call rage
Tear this motherfucking roof off like two dogs caged
I was playing in the beginning, the mood all changed
I’ve been chewed up and spit out and booed off stage
But I kept rhyming and stepped right into the next cypher
Best believe somebody’s paying the pied piper
All the pain inside amplified by the fact
That I can’t get by with my 9 to 5
And I can’t provide the right type of life for my family
Cause man, these goddamn food stamps don’t buy diapers
And it’s no movie, there’s no Mekhi Phifer, this is my life
And these times are so hard, and it’s getting even harder
Trying to feed and water my seed, plus
Teeter totter caught up between being a father and a prima donna
Baby mama drama’s screaming on her
Too much for me to wanna
Stay in one spot, another day of monotony
Has gotten me to the point, I’m like a snail
I’ve got to formulate a plot or I end up in jail or shot
Success is my only motherfucking option, failure’s not
Mom, I love you, but this trailer’s got to go
I cannot grow old in Salem’s lot
So here I go it’s my shot.
Feet, fail me not, this may be the only opportunity that I got

[Hook]

You can do anything you set your mind to, man

Xyl0c41n3 > brian1321 05/29/2015 at 16:43

4

What steps is the mod team taking to speak with a more unified voice and to also provide accountability for mods who take advantage of their authority by being hostile and dismissive of Opponauts who voice concerns?

Specifically, I’m talking about women Opponauts (such as myself and Yamahog) who have repeatedly been asked to use less public means (email) to voice our criticisms of persistent sexism on Oppo, which we have done, only to have those emails either be ignored for weeks, or — when finally responded to — are outright dismissed with flippancy and insults.

So I guess my question, in a nutshell, is twofold:

1. What is the mod team doing to actually back up their previously stated commitments against sexism on Oppo?

2. Who is policing the policers?

Thank you for your time.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 05/29/2015 at 16:48

3

There was magic on Oppo?

yamahog > Xyl0c41n3 05/29/2015 at 16:54

2

inb4 Eminem lyrics

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 05/29/2015 at 16:55

1

Maybe?

brian1321 > Xyl0c41n3 05/29/2015 at 16:55

1

Honestly, I was not expecting a question like this. Let me speak frankly:

I am 100% out of the loop on this, I spend maybe 15 minutes total time a week on this board now. Please bring me up to speed because this is something that I take seriously.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > brian1321 05/29/2015 at 16:56

0

That's right.

Xyl0c41n3 > brian1321 05/29/2015 at 17:05

0

Thank you very much for responding. It’s very much appreciated.

extraspecialbitter > brian1321 05/29/2015 at 17:06

0

Follow-up question: Your name is brian1321 , yet you refer to yourself as Brian1321 . Are we allowed to post pictures without citing them?

Lekker > brian1321 05/29/2015 at 17:09

0

Is there anything that can be done to do some sort of collective votes or something for stuff such as the title bar? For WAY too long was the BRT used without much of an explanation which in turn made it an inside joke not privy to everyone, not that I mind, but seems like if one person takes hold of it they can make it as obscure as they want. Not that it really matters a lot, but all that means is the rest is more than okay in the Oppo world :) Also, will there ever be a sort of post limit? I’m not saying anyone in particular does this, but there seems to be times when a great majority of the posts are by the same people, making the forum sort of stale and without interest to others. Again, I’m not saying people should post less or not at all, by the contrary - I’d just like to not have to go 5 pages back to see something that was written the same day due to few users creating tons of posts about the same thing. I’m just thinking of ways which we can invite more diversity of topics, which is what makes Oppo so special. Leaving behind prejudice and simply sharing the stuff that is interesting or intriguing to us :D Maybe have something like a daily topic chosen by a mod? Thus inviting more participation from the mods and make them more involved with the rest of us plebs, idk, just thinking out loud.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > brian1321 05/29/2015 at 17:10

0

Are you the real Slim Shady?

For Sweden > brian1321 05/29/2015 at 17:13

1

I’m more of a bluebird guy myself.

brian1321 > For Sweden 05/29/2015 at 17:16

0

GTFABlueBird

BrtStlnd > Xyl0c41n3 05/29/2015 at 18:16

1

I'd love to see examples if you can find the links.

Svart Smart, traded in his Smart > brian1321 05/29/2015 at 18:22

0

If Oppositelock and I are following each other, does that mean I can “compose post” and have it show up for everyone to see, or is there one more hurdle to clear?

crown victor victoria > Brian Silvestro 05/29/2015 at 18:26

1

Google+

We may well be the last 10 people on the platform so it provides excellent security and discretion.

Fred Smith > brian1321 05/29/2015 at 18:32

1

This was a good story

crown victor victoria > Xyl0c41n3 05/29/2015 at 18:47

0

I have not had personal interaction with you on these or other issues, and this isn’t a great place to get into this discussion, but:

1. We are doing the same things as before. We’ve been consistent on how we are handling these cases and don’t tolerate instances of outright sexism. We did not ask that you “use less public means (email) to voice...criticisms of persistent sexism” we just asked that you use email to report those things instead of engaging with those posters directly.

2. I guess Gawker is, and always has been. If things were ever to get to the point that they were being handled so badly that it got back to the people who control kinja, we would all be removed. But there’s not some higher plane of mods that we all report to.

I have to stress, again, that it’s an all-volunteer crew. We are not paid by anybody to moderate. We all have full time commitments outside of this.

Xyl0c41n3 > crown victor victoria 05/29/2015 at 19:03

1

Thanks for responding, crown victor victoria. Actually, you and I have had one previous interaction in regards to this ongoing issue.

1. Exactly, and I’m saying that may or may not be so effective. And no, there hasn’t been consistency in mod responses. Responses have varied from ignored emails, to deleted emails, to mods just being flat out insulting and rude.

We did not ask that you “use less public means (email) to voice...criticisms of persistent sexism” we just asked that you use email to report those things instead of engaging with those posters directly.

^That’s kind of the same thing.

2. That question wasn’t meant to ask whether or not Gawker Media peeps give a damn about what goes on here on the sub-blogs, that question was meant to ask what you guys are doing internally, amongst yourselves , to address inconsistencies and biases in how the mod team treats women Oppos, specifically those of us who are not afraid to speak up.

I know y’all are an all-volunteer crew. For as much as our interactions (mine with y’all as a whole and as individuals) would appear to be negative overall, they don’t speak to how grateful I am for your tireless work on one of kinja’s largest forums. Everyone here, though, has commitments outside of Oppo.

Again, thank you for responding. And thank you for your work as a mod.

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > brian1321 05/29/2015 at 19:17

0

Will I ever escape the grey? I’m followed by Black Flag now, but still grey everywhere else.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Svart Smart, traded in his Smart 05/29/2015 at 19:54

0

No.

Yes.

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > brian1321 05/29/2015 at 21:21

0

I love Paul O’Neil. Great player

Chasaboo > brian1321 05/29/2015 at 22:09

0

What kind of shoes do you wear at Jalopnik?

HammerheadFistpunch > Xyl0c41n3 05/30/2015 at 00:23

0

So thats what you actually think is happening...okay. Is it odd that we havent been able to come to any amicable resolution to this issue if you really think this? Regardless of how you see the group or me, i can tell you with certainty that there is no collusion or conspiracy...maybe if you can get that chip off your shoulder we stand a better chance of working together to resove issues.

Kate's Dirty Sister > crown victor victoria 05/30/2015 at 07:44

0

Let’s not forget oppo+, where senile jalops goes to remember the good ole times.

Kate's Dirty Sister > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch 05/30/2015 at 07:46

0

Unfortunately, no.

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > Kate's Dirty Sister 05/30/2015 at 07:49

0

Yay for honesty!

crown victor victoria > Kate's Dirty Sister 05/30/2015 at 20:01

0

True, I forgot about that place. I went there when I first heard about it but decided I didn’t have the patience to hang around AND handle all the changes at Oppo.

No knock on that community, just felt like there was more going on here.

Xyl0c41n3 > HammerheadFistpunch 05/31/2015 at 00:21

1

Evening, Hammerhead. Thank you for your comment. I’d like to address a few things you’ve mentioned.

First, it’s not what I “actually think is happening” (emphasis mine), it is what’s happening, and not just with me, but with other women Oppos, too.

Secondly, I have expressed no specific feelings about you or the mod team in general, so I find it odd that you’d write, “Regardless of how you see the group or me...” with the implication that I hold negative feelings towards you. Let me be abundantly clear: I do not. Do I disagree with some of the words and actions of you/the mod team? Most definitely. Does that affect how I feel about you? Absolutely not. People can disagree and still have respect towards one another. Ostensibly, anyway.

Which brings me to my third point:

This response you’ve left is just a tad bit insulting, Hammerhead. You’ve all but called me delusional; you’ve most definitely called me angry, what with the “chip (on my) shoulder” comment. Your interactions with me have become increasingly... dismissive.

I’ll say here what I’ve said elsewhere: despite numerous assumptions to the contrary, my objections to persistent sexism on Oppo do not come from a place of emotion, anger, or personal offense. They come from the fact that Oppo is/can be a hostile place to its women members. I am not alone in that opinion, I assure you. For just a small piece of evidence of that hostility, I invite you to reread over your comment again.

Have a pleasant evening, sir. Thank you again for taking the time to respond.

Brian, The Life of > Lekker 05/31/2015 at 19:48

1

No. What happens in the title bar stays in the title bar. We used to change it ... before it became self-aware.

Brian, The Life of > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch 05/31/2015 at 19:51

0

Yes.

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > Brian, The Life of 05/31/2015 at 20:17

0

Thank you very much :)

HammerheadFistpunch > Xyl0c41n3 06/01/2015 at 00:07

0

You seem awfully sure of our intentions and whats goings on behind the scenes for someone who has no insight into neither.

Here is the long and skinny of it; if I am going to believe you that your efforts are not personal, then you need to believe me that the mods are not on a witchhunt. You don’t and that’s evident. You can take my tone anyway that you want, and frequently do, but the core of my comment to you is that you can’t expect me [or any of us] to be able to work together on this issue without a trust that we are working in the best interest of all we can within the limited means that we have available to us as part time, unpaid moderators.

If my comment’s tone seems harsh than take it as a frustration that although we do our best to ensure a safe place for all and to try and keep the natives from warring we end up spending most of the time we can dedicate to moderation duties to a tiny fraction of incidents that shouldn’t be as time consuming as they are.

The submission of my comment as evidence of hostility to women is as baseless of your accusations (yes, that’s what they are) of intentional bias against women commentors by the moderation team. My point being that you have convicted the mod team of being intentionally dismissive of yours [and womens] concerns. Here is the truth: we are equally dismissive of all genders races and classes, protected or otherwise because we have lives and jobs and moderation is only a small part of our lives...anyone is fair game to not have their emails responded to in a timely manner. What I can tell you without hint of guile is there are emails that I KNOW to expect, that don’t come sometimes, but then do when we ask for a resubmission. I can also tell you that the group very vigilant about email and wont delete anything until the group has deemed the issue solved. Lastly, my dismissive tone has nothing to do with you being a woman, only as a commentor with a long and documented history of agitation against other oppositelock members.

Again, I’ll say it as plane as I can: If you can’t trust that we are trying...than where can we possibly go from here?

crown victor victoria > Lekker 06/01/2015 at 14:57

0

We’ve discussed all of those topics to some degree or another, plus a litany of other similar ones, and the conversation always ends pretty much the same way.

Take gif parties, for example. Some people hate them. Some people love them. If we ban them, we’ve made one group happy and another mad, but probably the biggest group are the ones who don’t care either way. The same is true for theme days and other things, where you have 3 unequal camps:

10% - WE HATES IT!
10% - MY PRECIOUSSSSS!
80% - SONG ABOUT LONGBOTTOM LEAF

So, bad LOTR humor aside, that top 20% is extremely vocal, which can lead one to believe that many, many people have strong opinions on this issue and some permanent decision must be made or the COMMUNITY WILL TEAR ITSELF IN HALF!!1!

So, except in extreme cases, we just let things run their course. If the community decides together that theme days suck, well they seem to stop happening.

DasWauto > Svart Smart, traded in his Smart 06/01/2015 at 16:32

1

No, you need to be made an author here. I’ve done that, let me know if you need any help.

Lekker > crown victor victoria 06/01/2015 at 16:38

0

Seems like a very reasonable agreement. Honestly there’s probably a tiny amount that dislikes them, I wouldn’t even say I dislike them, I was simply curious as to what talks had been had regarding the matter. And please give whoever answered my title bar question on the title bar a dollar from my part, I chuckled for longer than I’d like to admit.

Lekker > Brian, The Life of 06/01/2015 at 16:39

0

Oh.... no...... SKYNET HAS ALREADY STARTED.....!!! Wait, so it speaks to its own nostrils?