The Mod and Admin team have had some very rewarding PM's and we're grateful

[Zak33]

Thank you to the people who put "finger to keyboard" today and sent us words of encouragement, support and shone lights into dark corners.

We're grateful - thanks guys. We don't want to be the heavy hands, the chainsaws or the scalpels. It's rare and we dislike that part of life.

On a personal note, I'm grateful to the Admins and Mods who do this job, day, week, month,.. year by year... in a few cases for DECADES... for free.

Thanks all

[Smudger]

Your drawing is terrible though.

[Zak33]

my robot subject looked just like that...it's a photo!

[Smudger]

I thought it was you...

[peterb]

I'd like to echo Zak 33's comments in thanking those who have PM'd me personally with kind words – very humbling.

Moderating is very rewarding – but can be very stressful when trying to reconcile differences of opinion, and even more so when strong beliefs are held with passion.

I don't believe anyone here (or who has been here for any length of time) sets out to offend or cause offence – but we (everyone) don't always know what someone else's sensitivities are and the written word is very one dimensional in that there are no non-verbal clues that you get in face to face communication.

Some say that no-one has a right to be offended – but if you accept that as true, then everyone has the responsibility to be sensitive to other peoples concerns and feelings - and that is not easy.

I know in the past I have caused offence (inadvertently) because I have said something that was perhaps taken out of context or didn't come across in the way it was intended. If that applies to anyone reading this - I apologise.

Similarly people have said things to me that could be interpreted as offensive, but age, experience, a thick skin and sense of detachment has enabled me to shrug it off – but not everyone has the personality that allows them to do that – and why should they?

tl:dr

HEXUS is a great place with a wide ranging and diverse community. Although I have met few of you in real life (and that includes most of my fellow moderators and admins who I have never met) I regard many of you as friends with different views that I respect.

So I hope we can all put our recent differences behind us – take a deep breath - and carry on.

[Ttaskmaster]

I always imagined the Admin team sitting around together at HEXUS HQ, supping on tomato soup and toasting marshmallows over AMD graphics cards...!

[g8ina]

Marshmallows .... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

But in 12 years in here, Ive never had em I want marshmallows !!!!!

wahhhhhhhhhhhh

[Output]

Thank You to Staff, Admins, Mods and fellow members - you all make HEXUS a great place to be.

[Lowe]

It's only as good as the people that use it. Good job you're all good eggs

[Ferral]

I have been here a little while to say the least, here pre 2003 when the board got wiped and my name was Grendel, when I re-registered I decided on Ferral (rr on purpose I might add to just be different) and I had to email David to let him know that I had decided on a name change for the new board!

Prior to joining HEXUS I was a mod over at a site called Tweakers Asylum which was all about overclocking, latest and hacked drivers and so on, it was pretty good but it died off roughly when the GeForce 3 cards came out, I registered here and sent a message to David asking if he wanted any mods for the boards and I have been part of the fabric, fixtures and fittings ever since, think I started round 2001/2002.

I remember actually recommending Zak to be a mod here in the first place all those years ago!

It has been a long ride for me here and I can safely say I love HEXUS and the team members old and new, I have seen so many mods come and go over the years for personal reasons or they have just had enough or maybe it isn't really their thing, they have my upmost respect especially those that took on For Sale given rules that need abiding by and moderating.

I try not to be that guy when it comes to bans etc and I remember having heated words with members in the past, Santa is one I remember well when there was the census nigh on 10 year ago, it all worked out in the end though with mutual agreement and a new found respect.

I tend to sit back and watch what is going on, my motto when it comes to giving warnings or bans and one which I have said to other mods over the years is if something is going on watch what is happening, give the offending members enough rope to hang themselves so you are justified in say a few days ban to try and get them to chill out. Don't get me wrong it doesn't always work out that way and anyone I have offended the past 16 year or so I am truly sorry, I am a harsh Northener (Geordie) in my defence and say it how I see it whether you like hearing it or not, it's just who I am!!

As for the future, I am here for the duration, part of the fixtures and fittings

[jim]

I don't have (nearly) as much time to spend on HEXUS as I used to back in the day. For those of you that would appreciate a festive touch, if anything I feel like the old grandpa in the corner who lets out a brussel-y fart every few minutes, just so as you know I'm still there.

But I'm always glad to see that the forums are useful and that people appreciate them, and if every so often there's a tip of the hat to our bunch who try to keep things tidy... well, that's very kind of you all. And thank you for continuing to make it an interesting, engaging and diverse place to be.

We try

[wazzickle]

You guys do create a rod for your own back by being so strict on swearing. You just don't need to be, your advertisers are selling gear on which kids blow up virtual people with tons of blood and guts, this isn't a 'family gaming' forum.

[deejayburnout]

Just back after a Hiatus so cannot comment on recent activity.

Good to see the same regulars and Mod still flying the flag for Hexus. The people are the forum and as long as we all have respect for each other and can be polite then all is good.

The comment on swearing. I don’t believe that anywhere needs it we can still get our point across without it. We entrust the moderators / admin to set the rules that we must abide by while here. Banning swearing in my eyes is a good thing and I fully support it.

[Smudger]

You guys do create a rod for your own back by being so strict on swearing. You just don't need to be, your advertisers are selling gear on which kids blow up virtual people with tons of blood and guts, this isn't a 'family gaming' forum.

I was once a mod on one of the MS boards, when they were still alive. We took the decision to go full 'adult', and it was pretty much carnage. People seemed to see the ability to swear as the right to demonstrate every -ism known to man, so we soon went back to 'family' settings... I'm quite happy for there not to be swearing, it does make you pause to find other words, expands the vocab, I suppose...

[Moby-Dick]

I'm just here to troll Zak about EV's ;-)

[peterb]

You guys do create a rod for your own back by being so strict on swearing. You just don't need to be, your advertisers are selling gear on which kids blow up virtual people with tons of blood and guts, this isn't a 'family gaming' forum.

Hmm, interesting comment, and one close to my heart.

It isn’t really to do with advertising directly, advertisers won’t really care, but it is about making the forums a place for intelligent and thoughtful discussion, and swearing doesn’t really enhance that.

It may (although I have no direct evidence to support it) shape the demographic of the membership which might affect the perception of advertisers about the likely audience.

A forum where swearing is the norm might also put off a lot of potential new members.

(Of course the stricter approach may also deter some people from joining too, but my - somewhat biased - gut feeling is that on balance lack of swearing is more likely to encourage better debate and increase membership than the other way round.)

And it could be argued that any moderation activity is a rod for our own back, so the logical extension to that Would be an anything goes forum with no active moderation at all. As it is I hope we generally moderate with a light hand.

And in truth, everyone here is a moderator in two ways, firstly self moderation, and secondly those that spot something and use the report post button.

Reported posts messages are sent to the designated moderators of a forum and all read, (and if I act on them - which may be do nothing) I do try to PM the reporter to explain or describe what has been done and why)