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Some of us still read here (everyday) - some use "the Other site" to express our views as some of our views was not welcome here. Anybody is welcome both sides - the more the merrier.
James Ozzie : There are 2 mod's here - I come up for 4HP as not being so "up". Yes he something up but it has nothing to do with his nature. (Seriously : He is a great guy) ... the other one - no comment."
In fact Gunship, there are more than just two mods here as you well know. The moderators carry out their role within the oversight of the sites administrators and owners.
If a sites content or its "rules of engagement" are not to any individuals personal liking then there is absolutely nothing from preventing that person or group of people from starting their own website and good luck to them.
Although there is nothing preventing any site from populating itself with "cut & paste" threads and posts from this or any other one, it is rather ambitious to suppose that a bigger and busier site should be used for free advertising or to otherwise promote an individuals personal undertaking. Nevertheless this site accepts paid advertising, and in theory I can see nothing wrong in using that route if somebody wishes to promote another website.
There are many links allowed on this site to other websites where there is no obvious commercial promotion or solicitation, or where there is an established reciprocity.
Moderation on this forum and hopefully on all the forums is intended to be even handed, fair and in accordance with the wishes and policies of the websites owners. That of course is not a perfect science, however as you have probably discovered, the execution of the role is not or shouldn't be a popularity contest or a platform for personal promotion. Certainly if you have any complaints in this regard or in relation to any other aspect of this site you can bring them to the attention of the site administration through the usual links.
Most moderation on this forum is done with little interference and the same
laissez faire style that has always been employed. You will need to search hard to find many posts from me on here, and even then they are likely to only deal with (site/forum) moderation issues. I have absolutely no concern with being popular, unpopular, your friend, or in any personal way known to you. The role of the moderator is to ensure that the site works well, the forums are kept tidy and broadly relevant, the content is kept within the general rules of conduct, and the site is informative, interesting, and entertaining as a result. There will be many moderating styles employed to achieve these ends, and some might be to your individual liking and some may not.
A lot of time is expended on this site by many people to keep it free of pornography, spam or other inappropriate advertising and to keep it relevant to its primary target audience, professional pilots. The majority of the 10 second survey comments that are submitted seem to appreciate the absence of some of the wilder excesses of language, bullying, and other forms of abuse and detritus that are the hallmarks of many websites. The popularity of this site is testament to the policy of the sites owners and the effort of those who contribute.
As for the seperate comment that "people vote with their feet" which clearly involves some serious keyboard dexterity
the truth is that this is a free resource and nobody really votes at all in that context. PPRuNe is targeted at professional pilots from all over the world, and has expanded to include and provide forums for many other people with an interest in the subject or an involvement with commercial aviation generally. The site is dynamic and the owners set the broad outline policy for the forums which might vary from time to time. This site, and in turn the forums will never please everybody and nor is it intended to. Nevertheless this site remains one of the most popular of its genre, and continues to attract an ever increasing number of members and visitors as the never ending strain on its servers bears witness to.