a discussion thread about moderating this forum

[driphoney]

There has been some investigation into what makes a well-run forum and what does not. Moderators, apparently, on the best run sites, act in place of the normal community controls you would find in real life, not as thought police, but rather, controlling the very type of thing that has brought everyone to this table. They act as a common courtesy monitor. The guidelines are very narrow in this type of moderating. Only personal insults are removed and if continued the poster is banned after warning. Apparently after an initial dust-up, the lesson is learned usually pretty well and moderating actually isn't the chore we all imagine. I'm sure around here, with the inmates having run the asylum for so long, it would be quite high drama for longer than usual!


This has the added benefit of not running off newbies and grows the community. I've been told by several in my very short time here that this forum isn't what it used to be.

But I'm new and inadvertently had my own playground brawl on this very topic a short while ago, so, I'm not advocating either way. I just wanted to point out that a moderator does not always equal thought police or lack of discourse.

Edit: I'm going to ask my acquaintance for the source as I'm not giving it first hand, and will post it when/if I can get it. Everyone can be an authority' when not giving citation, so ...

 

[cloudy]

I suspect if you get what you wish for, you may come to regret it.

This.

I remember several years ago when T started campaigning to become moderator of the AH. The idea absolutely horrified me. I didn't trust him to moderate two six-year-olds, much less a large group of people much more intelligent than he.

I would trust very, very few people with that post, and those would be the ones least likely to want it or have time for it: Og, Neon, Rumple...that's about it.

I agree with your wants, Stella. I just don't see a way to get them without getting a lot of other things we absolutely don't want.

 

[Recidiva]

This.

I remember several years ago when T started campaigning to become moderator of the AH. The idea absolutely horrified me. I didn't trust him to moderate two six-year-olds, much less a large group of people much more intelligent than he.

I would trust very, very few people with that post, and those would be the ones least likely to want it or have time for it: Og, Neon, Rumple...that's about it.

I agree with your wants, Stella. I just don't see a way to get them without getting a lot of other things we absolutely don't want.

Og would be great.

But probably way too smart to take the job.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

If there's a quicker way to kill a board than moderating it, I dont know of it. Most become kiss-ass heavens, then everyone loses interest and the board withers away.

 

[shereads]

Uh, no, not in forums. You remove the hate speech. It doesn't exist. The speaker is not benefited.

They move elsewhere, armed with the story of their heroism in the face of censorship.

There is always a forum. There are always uncommitted lurkers waiting to be won over. I don't want to help JBJ or amicus influence anyone by making martyrs of them.

 

[sr71plt]

Again, I don't see the super need for a moderator here. Just a nip and tuck in public for all to see and contemplate.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Sr71plt

people Want Moderators So They Can Post Moronic Crap That No One Is Allowed To Make Fun Of.

 

[sr71plt]

Sr71plt

people Want Moderators So They Can Post Moronic Crap That No One Is Allowed To Make Fun Of.

No, mostly they just don't want to be constantly hassled by impotent sour pusses--like you.

Unfortunately, the "delete their work posted here" wouldn't work on the likes of you--you are a drone here; you have contributed no stories to this site.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

SR71PLT

Floyd? They'll eat you alive with a moderator. Come back to the Dark Side before its too late.

 

[sr71plt]

SR71PLT

Floyd? They'll eat you alive with a moderator. Come back to the Dark Side before its too late.

You're sounding a little desperate, JBJ. Got you thinking about your behavior?

 

[cloudy]

C'mon, y'all. This isn't helping.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Floyd? I dont think you'll win any popularity contests, either. If STELLA flushes me and AMI, my guess is youre 3rd on the list.

 

[TheeGoatPig]

I would only have two rules if this board were moderated (beyond the standard Lit rules of no pedophilia and no bestiality). No ad-spam and no hate-speech.

The first part of that, no ad-spam, is quite easy to enforce. Someone stops by trying to sell us shoes, stocks, porn, scams, whatever, they get banned and all of their posts deleted.

Unfortunately for the second part, while seeming straight forward, has a lot of gray areas.

What has been going on the last day or so is completely unconscionable, by one of the most reprehensible people around. But extreme situations sometimes lead to extreme measures that aren't needed the rest of the time. What rules we put into place over this incident could have bad repercussions on later less offensive mistakes made in the future.

I'm not against moderation, but I do think that we should wait for calmer heads to prevail, or I'm mixing my words again.

 

[sr71plt]

Floyd? I dont think you'll win any popularity contests, either. If STELLA flushes me and AMI, my guess is youre 3rd on the list.

Yep, definitely sound nervous. Good.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

There are as many definitions for hate speech as there are people. And when you go thru the door, you cant go back.

 

[TxRad]

Floyd? I dont think you'll win any popularity contests, either. If STELLA flushes me and AMI, my guess is youre 3rd on the list.

You flatter yourself too much. You are just an irritant. nothing more, nothing less.

 

[Stella_Omega]

They move elsewhere, armed with the story of their heroism in the face of censorship.

There is always a forum. There are always uncommitted lurkers waiting to be won over. I don't want to help JBJ or amicus influence anyone by making martyrs of them.

They won't be here, in our forum. The newbs wh show up here won't read hate speech on this forum. Other hate speakers won't think this is a cool playground for them.

 

[Stella_Omega]

There has been some investigation into what makes a well-run forum and what does not. Moderators, apparently, on the best run sites, act in place of the normal community controls you would find in real life, not as thought police, but rather, controlling the very type of thing that has brought everyone to this table. They act as a common courtesy monitor. The guidelines are very narrow in this type of moderating. Only personal insults are removed and if continued the poster is banned after warning. Apparently after an initial dust-up, the lesson is learned usually pretty well learned and moderating actually isn't the chore we all imagine. I'm sure around here, with the inmates having run the asylum for so long, it would be quite high drama for longer than usual!


This has the added benefit of not running off newbies and grows the community. I've been told by several in my very short time here that this forum isn't what it used to be.

But I'm new and inadvertently had my own playground brawl on this very topic a short while ago, so, I'm not advocating either way. I just wanted to point out that a moderator does not always equal thought police or lack of discourse.

Edit: I'm going to ask my acquaintance for the source as I'm not giving it first hand, and will post it when/if I can get it. Everyone can be an authority' when not giving citation, so ...

Absolutely, and this is the kind of moderator I think AH needs.

 

[sr71plt]

I guess this would be an inopportune time to point out that it was a moderator action that dropped Scouries's root thread into the AH to begin with?

 

[_Lynn_]

I don't see the necessity of running straight to a moderator. As I've suggested elsewhere, I think one fell swoop of the Web site asserting its ownership interests and deleting everything posted on the site by one or two key troublemakers would get a message across to everyone else with a minimum of fuss and consternation to those not significantly acting out.

And I think those one or two seeing a couple of years of their work evaporate would deliver a message even they would understand. Even if they came back under a new name, consider how long it would take them to build up their portfolio here again (only to be zapped again if they hadn't learned anything from the process).

Sometimes the solutions aren't all that difficult. Of course here it hinges on the interest and courage of the Web site owners.

. . . I do think that we should wait for calmer heads to prevail . . .

I haven't said much but I've followed these threads most of the day. I guess I agree here more with what these guys said. Right now everyone is livid. We should be, but getting the scum out of here seems to make more sense to me right now than having a moderator in place. If they were gone, we could make this back as we want it, without the hateful crap they spew.

 

[Recidiva]

I guess this would be an inopportune time to point out that it was a moderator action that dropped Scouries's root thread into the AH to begin with?

Well, whenever scouries shows up on the GB...

Um...

Well...it's funny to me anyway.

He doesn't stay long.

Link:

http://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=645445&highlight=scary+toilet

Didn't last long.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I guess this would be an inopportune time to point out that it was a moderator action that dropped Scouries's root thread into the AH to begin with?

Yeah, and us without a moderator to protect our interests!

That pisses me off.

I haven't said much but I've followed these threads most of the day. I guess I agree here more with what these guys said. Right now everyone is livid. We should be, but getting the scum out of here seems to make more sense to me right now than having a moderator in place. If they were gone, we could make this back as we want it, without the hateful crap they spew.

Thats the problem, we can't do it without a mod.

 

[sr71plt]

C'mon, y'all. This isn't helping.

I can't agree. I think the ramifications (as a couple of posters could consider them) of what I am challenging the Web site owners to do is a lot more real and doable and helpful--and digestible and understandable by those involved--than the pie-in-the-sky call for a thread moderator.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I can't agree. I think the ramifications (as a couple of posters could consider them) of what I am challenging the Web site owners to do is a lot more real and doable and helpful--and digestible and understandable by those involved--than the pie-in-the-sky call for a thread moderator.

Forum moderator.

And I'll stand behind your challenge one hundred percent, because I'm vindictive that way.

 

[cloudy]

I can't agree. I think the ramifications (as a couple of posters could consider them) of what I am challenging the Web site owners to do is a lot more real and doable and helpful--and digestible and understandable by those involved--than the pie-in-the-sky call for a thread moderator.

That's not what I meant, but that's okay.