If the main idea of ambassadors is to help others, then why do they ghost edit and close other users’ discussions?
I’m extremely grateful to them for helping newbies by pointing out certain rules they might have overlooked. However, I don’t see the point in them being given the ability to close discussions. Essentially, the ambassador simply decides, “Okay, everyone shut up,” and that’s it. He is not interested in the author’s opinion on whether the discussion should be closed, nor in the opinion of other participants in the discussion.
You’re correct, that they’re here to help people. So maybe ask yourself why they feel the need to remove some of your posts? Likely your removed posts are felt unhelpful.
Why do they decide? If there’s a button to report a discussion, let the moderators handle it. They’re clearly more familiar with the rules. Let a post be deleted or closed if several members find it unhelpful. Why is it decided by one person who isn’t a true moderator?
So what’s the difference then? I can’t trust a person who is signed as an “ambassador,” meaning he’s supposed to help people, but who instead single-handedly closes all the threads.
Why would they close the topic in general? If a topic isn’t interesting to people, it will be forgotten and fade into the forum’s history. Essentially, the ambassador decides they’re not interested in the topic and closes it themselves.
They are an ambassador and also a moderator. Closing threads is done using the role of a moderator and it is a perfectly normal thing to do on forums, to moderate threads.
A thread will be closed if it is not productive for that discussion to continue - if bad blood will otherwise ensue. There’s nothing to prevent the OP from immediately starting a new thread in order to continue that discussion, but doing so, especially repeatedly, is not in the spirit of the forums. When a discussion is closed, almost everyone can see why. If the OP cannot, then it would be sensible to step back and reflect. These forums are intended to be helpful and friendly, and succeed well at that.
I cannot tell you how many times I have sent flags on discussions here. I love that some ambassadors have taken on the role of keeping this forum a friendly place to be. You don’t see these flags from the community that the moderators - staff and ambassadors - are acting on. I appreciate that they are so active and don’t let discussions go off the deep end.
Keep in mind that the forums do have guidelines, and anyone with mod privileges are tasked with making sure all are following them. You can review them here: FAQ - Niantic Wayfarer Community
I’ve had many of my posts flagged and have flagged those from others for moderation as well. Some I don’t fully understand why action was taken, others I don’t understand why no action was taken. However, for the most part, the mods keep the forums in line with the guidelines, and that’s a good thing. This isn’t Reddit, Discord, Twitter, or other social media where there may be little to no moderation.
If you cannot trust those to whom the moderation of this forum has been assigned, perhaps you should not participate in this forum. They have been very generous in extending you the assumption of good faith.
The Wayfarer community also exists outside this forum. There are venues like the Wayfarer Discussion Discord, Reddit, and in-person events such as Go Fest. Presence or absence on the forum alone does not define an Ambassador’s effectiveness.
