Community,
Given there have been quite a few changes the last few months, we thought a quick State of the Sub would be appropriate. I think the major changes in terms of the changing of the mods has pretty much completed. I don't forsee any major changes in the team anytime soon.
Mods Mods Mods Mods Mods
We've dwindled a bit in numbers over the last few months. But we've also added some great people to the list as well. Modding is one of those things that can wear you down. I'm actually surprised we have some long tenured ones still around. But for one reason or another, mods step down. /u/sapiophile and /u/ziz1 have been around quite a while and have always been quite active in the sub. I don't know how they do it. I know I've come close to hitting my wit's end at times. /u/samwhiskey is a somewhat new addition (although in mod years he might as well be tenured) but he was a fantastic choice. I like to take credit for suggesting him, but I can't remember if I actually did, lol. /u/CanUTasteTheWaste should be known to everyone and we've turned what was supposed to be a few weeks of help into long term help. And our newest addition addition /u/coffeencreme has helped out a ton and reduced the overloaded testerone of this group. I know many have stepped forward to volunteer to help out and its much appreciated, we'll keep you in mind but right now we are trying to gauge the workload to see what additional help we may need. I'm not a fan of making too many changes at once, so we try to take it slow, make sure the person is the right fit and can work well with the team. Its better to go slow and get the right fit than rush in and have to make a change later. Its always fun to add someone new to the team, never fun to have to remove them.
Rules
I don't like rules either. Nobody likes having to ban someone (thankfully its usually temporarily) or remove their post. Its a necessary evil. We implement rules to protect the sub, first and foremost. Secondly, we have additional rules to keep the sub free of clutter.
Sourcing posts, for the time being, will result in an immediate 3 day ban (for first time offenders). Don't take it personally. If you fall on teh wrong side of this rule, take a moment to review the rules and understand why it was not allowed. We are doing this because the sourcing posts have grown unwieldly. Its become such a burden because this rule was largely being ignored. I'm sure we'll be able to get back to the old 1st time's a warning at some point. Banning helps. People take the time to understand things when it results in a ban.
Vendor Ads should be contained in the Darknet Deals thread. Please, don't advertise outside of this thread on the sub.
Direct Deals aren't tolerated. This and doxxing are the two most important rules of the sub. We are NOT a dealing platform. We are here to discuss activities that happen elsewhere.
Upcoming Discussions
Historically we have not listed vendor stores in the sidebar. There have been a few different reasons for this but given that we have seen more and more single vendor dedicated markets/storefronts, this is something we will be discussing.
Reminders
The Market Superlist is not an endorsement of any market or service. The Market Superlist is there for the convenience of the community and hopefully serves to combat phishing scams. We do not endorse any particular market or service. Please look at the requirements of being listed on the Superlist. A market that is listed simply meets those requirements and nothing more. Do not read more into the list than that.
Unless the post is distinguished, a post/comment is a mod's personal opinion. We try to distinguish "official" posts as a mod, but remember, we are part of the community as well. We have opinions and thoughts. Unless a post is marked as such, it is the opinion of that particular mod.
We are all responsible for the content and enjoyability of the sub. We have a handful of mods. We don't produce much content as compared to the whole sub. We are here to moderate and facilitate discussion. That's it. Making the sub enjoyable is all of our responsibilities. If you think the sub sucks, its not my fault. Its probably /u/Jay-__'s fault though. But its a reflection of us.
We are not arbiters or judges. We don't participate nor mediate transactions between private parties. We do not decide who is a scammer and who is legit. If you want to report a scam, the onus is on you to make your case and prove to the community. You do not need to prove it to the mods. We do not vouch for claims. If there is sensitive evidence, that can be discussed and arranged, but short of that, scam reports are between you and the community. For instance, someone might claims that a particular market is scamming. Great. Post it. Prove it. The reporter should not get mad at the mods because they can't prove their case. Its not anyone else's fault if the reporter can't convince anyone on an anonymous platform regarding an allegation that is unproven. We do not actively investigate markets or vendors. We do our best to protect the community but if you want to show someone to be a scammer, its up to you to make your case to the community. If you can't convince the community, that's on you.
Lastly, enjoy the place. I have fond memories of discovering the DNMs via this sub. It was a smaller place back then but I do think this place can still be a fun learning experience for all. Don't take things too seriously.
nobody reads the rules :p