Report confirms dismantling of Apple forum staff
Apple Computer has decided to do away with its discussion support team, a group of forum hosts that have monitored and moderated its user discussion boards, a new report has confirmed.
"The end result, however, has been a marked decrease in the quality of discussions, and an increase in everything from rudeness to instructions on pirating music and software," the report states.
It's believed that Apple started to break down the discussion support team late last month. Specifically, AppleInsider sources indicated that Apple began dismissing the majority of the staff members on June 29th.
The Apple Discussion boards have long been a resource for Apple customers to report problems with the company's products and receive helpful advice on how to solve those problems from other users and forum staff members.
At times, the boards also became a focal point of the online and mainstream media due to questionable moderation practices. To the dismay of customers, it wasn't uncommon for staff members to close or completely remove lengthy discussion threads that brought attention to problems with Apple products that the company had yet to officially recognize.
But Apple's decision to do away with its moderation staff has only added to the complaints users have about the boards.
"The forums have declined to such a state that they are certainly a disgrace to the Apple Corporation," one user wrote. "I don't know if any of the upper echelon from Apple ever visit, but they should. They would get a rude awaking."
Another added, "It is unfortunate that whomever is in charge, and their management, does not recognize what these forums have contributed in the past, and what they've lost by the decision to let go a team of support professionals that were extremely dedicated to improving Apple's customer support."
58 Comments
I thought this might happen. Whenever a website is talking about a problem with an Apple product, for example the MB discolouring, they would link to the Apple forums. Then you'd find a few days later that the thread had been closed. The forums put Apple in a bad light, mainly for them always closing threads.
The forums are (were?) definitely moderated en masse by Emmanuel Goldstein himself.
If one would be so bold as to imply that something within the Mac/Apple realm was faulty, needed redesign and suggested procedures/methods for improvement, it was a sure way to get that posting removed.
Also, most--if not all--of the solutions simply involved reinstalling the entire OS, even if that problem happened to be, oh, the wrong font was showing up or some other trivial matter.
Reminds me of the time a dealer suggested I replace my engine since my back seat was creaking.
It's been a long time since I used them, but it used to be that the discussions were the ONLY way to get support on most issues for me. Answers came from other users as much as moderators and it was all very helpful. I guess things have changed since my last visit?
I really don't see a benefit for any large corporation to run an open forum because of the time it takes to deal with random crank posters and the tensions that rise over any disagreement.
If they are going to kill threads regarding problems with their products, then it's not really much of a support forum.
In the last several months, I've been an habitué of the Apple Forums. IMHO, the "disappearing thread" phenomenon occurs because, at some point, the "flame" posts become a little out of control. Yet, I've never really seen any threads get that out of hand...With prudent moderating..any -good- thread can be brought back to life.
So, w/the removal of Apple's Support team on their forums..does that mean the support forums are going to disappear as well?
If so, that positions AI and/or MR for some heavy traffic.