Stampeda wrote:... I wonder is why do a forum use a "Ombudsman while their are moderators / admins running these boards".
Cus Im pretty sure that "Forum users" have no "rights" or "freedom" of speech.
So why should forum user need to complain while it isn't their forum ?
hehe... I used to manage a retail entertainment store before I went to university. Sometimes we would get customers who came in and were upset and in the course of their outbursts they would say something to the effect of 'free speech' or something similar. They didn't realize a few things - (1) there is no such thing as free speech, and (2) they were on private property so their claims to speak freely didn't mean anything (or less than it did before).
I think many people didn't realize that this was not a free and publicly run forum. It's own and operated by a private citizen. Expenses are minimized each month (because it is a
free game - free to the public) by soliciting volunteers to help manage the forum - widely called the community space.
In creating a position for ombudsperson, it was an attempt (in my opinion) to have more of a grassroots type feel/way things went to the place. If you had a grievance you could go to someone and voice your concerns. They would look into it, and for lack of a better description, act as mediator between the two parties (user-user, user-mod, user-admin).
As many have pointed out, on at least one occasion, that the ombudsperson had preconceived and faulty notions about what the position meant. They did not speak directly with admin Jason during a chat session to ask what
his vision for the position was (roles, jobs, boundaries, etc.), and instead relied on their and their friends own misconceptions as to what it meant to be ombudsperson.
Not this time. 
