Moderator

[wishfulthinking]

I don't mean to be insensitive to Killermuffin, or just plain rude to lit, but I would like to canvas the idea of a temporary moderator/s for the feedback forum until KM comes back to us.

How do other people feel about this, or is it just me?

How about Dr M and Rainbowskin?

 

[BlackShanglan]

I haven't seen a post from the good Doctor lately, more's the pity. He's got a good critical eye.

What are the duties of a moderator? At the moment, possibly due to a blissful state of pig-ignorance, I haven't noticed anything that seemed to cry out for intervention or ... well, moderating. What sorts of issues would the moderator handle?

Shanglan

 

[Omni]

I assume, wishfulthinking, that you mean this forum you have posted this in, Story Feedback? Just asking as it threw me off, because this forum (Story Feedback) does not have a moderator.

It be unmoderated ~lol


What are your reasons for suggesting it have one?


Omni ~

 

[GratefulFred]

Who needs Mods?

If someone gets out of hand and posts some abusive unrelated stuff or a spammer shows up, I'm sure he can be decked word wise by any of the personas out here.

Having a Mod can lead to censorship and I for one don't want to go down that path.

 

[wishfulthinking]

eek - when I first posted on lit KM was the moderator - shows my age

I just thought as this forum seems to be the first port of call for newbies, it would be great that there would be one or two people to throw out the welcoming mat, keep threads productive or facilitate discussion, help out when questions or threads go unaswered for over a day or two.

I see it less as a censorship thing, because I really haven't seen the need for it [although not saying that could change]. I don't see it much as imposing rules either, although it would be nice to see a general guideline for those requesting feedback that it is encouraged they give feedback to others also requesting in the forum.

Must be just me!

 

[BlackShanglan]

If you picture the role more as encouraging discussion, welcoming new users, etc. - does it need to be "official"? Surely you're doing rather a good job of that already?

Shanglan

 

[Lady Illusion]

It is high on the bulletin list, so that's my reason for choosing it.
What does a moderator do?

I sort of expected this to be where I list my story for ideas.

 

[BlackShanglan]

Lady Illusion -

You can post a story for feedback from the main story feedback board. Just go there and click the "start new thread" button on the upper right. That will allow you to start a new thread on the story feedback board, where you can paste in your story (or outline of it, or whatever). Then we will all be glad to offer feedback - or I will at any rate

Shanglan

 

[hiddenself]

History as I understand it

The SF forum was meant to be unmoderated, in contrast to the SDC (KM is still listed as the mod there). The point was that 'anything goes' here, but there has to be some 'committment' in the SDC (ie, critique before you can be critiqued).

KM felt that the two forums should be merged and the SDC rules applied to the new board. She was annoyed with the 'little birds' who want to be fed but never feed anyone themselves. I believe there were discussions about this and the majority of people in the fourms (AH, SDC, here) came down in favor of the existence of two separate forums.

 

[BlackShanglan]

Little birds ...

I can only assume that this makes me either a giant worm or possibly a kitty eating the little birds. I comment but don't post. In my defense, I would love to post and get advice, but I'd have to solve that "averaging 30-40 pages" issue first. Any advice on that?

Shanglan

 

[Rainbow Skin]

I've no interest in spending time critiquing experienced writers who don't need it. Much more utility in popping in here showering rose-petals on first-time writers who could be encouraged to continue or improve.

And I don't think I'd be much of a moderator, I'd be all Dolores Umbridge, banning everything: no smiling in the corridors, no threads titled 'Feedback please', no prescriptive grammar, no arguing with the ref.

 

[wishfulthinking]

no smiling in the corridors

(mentally crossing RS off the list )

What RS and HS say makes a lot of sense. I can fully understand KM's thoughts of committment before commenting. But as the newbies rarely know any different, you can't blame em.

As to showering rainbow petals, even the more experienced writers need guidance from time to time, but I fully get where you are coming from.

And BS - that you can write 30-40 pages without getting bored - I wish!

 

[BlackShanglan]

And BS - that you can write 30-40 pages without getting bored - I wish!

If only I could do it without getting boring.

You know, I have been pondering this, and I think that there is a place for a "no-return" feedback place. I realized that I found myself giving more feedback here than on the story discussion board, which struck me as interesting, so I thought it through. My conclusions:

1) This is "no-return," but also "no wait" and "no procedure." I can post spur-of-the-moment if I ever decide to, and handle the issue of exchange if and how I wish. It's a little quicker and easier.

2) I can read shorter, simpler things and sometimes offer a different level of advice. Most of the pieces posted on the story discussion thread are rather long; sometimes I'm not in the mood for something that big, but would not mind talking over a shorter piece. And sometimes it's fun getting into the real nuts and bolts of writing. It's a challenge, at times, to take a short work with a lot of issues and work out the intellectual puzzle of what the key issue is - i.e., what change will yield most improvement?

3) I don't always really want to post anything for critique. I enjoy exchanging critiques with like-minded writers, but I'm not always sure that I want a barrage of relatively short (according to the story discussion thread rules) reviews by people I don't know very well. It would be hard to weigh their advice. Also, in my experience, when people *must* review in order to get what they want, quality can deteriorate.

I like what we've got now - one place for quid pro quo, another that's more free-styled.

Shanglan

 

[Lying Eyes]

Re: History as I understand it

KM felt that the two forums should be merged and the SDC rules applied to the new board. She was annoyed with the 'little birds' who want to be fed but never feed anyone themselves. I believe there were discussions about this and the majority of people in the fourms (AH, SDC, here) came down in favor of the existence of two separate forums.

That's interesting that KM thought this yet if you have checked the Story Discussion Circle board in the past six months you would have noticed she has completly ignored the forum despite having the moderator status. If it wasn't for Pure who has become basicly the defacto moderator without any real power then that forum would of been completly dead. All requests to Laurel to give Pure oficial moderator status or install someone other then KM who actually vsits the forum has been ignored.

 

[hiddenself]

That's interesting that KM thought this yet if you have checked the Story Discussion Circle board in the past six months you would have noticed she has completly ignored the forum despite having the moderator status.

So what? KM has not been active in Lit for months. Life intervenes, you know. Pure has done a great job in locus moderator.

 

[Lying Eyes]

The problem is unlike this forum that board needs a moderator. If KM doesn't have the time or interest that is perfectly fine. But without a real moderator there always seems to be confusion on that forum. I don't understand why someone else such as Pure isn't placed as the moderator until KM decides to return.