WoV Clean Air Act

You have to remember one thing, anytime a board is overly moderated it generally dies. Deleting posts and locking threads on a small board like this should be rare occurrences. The sock puppets should have been stopped earlier, however I wouldn't overcompensate now and stifle the entire board. Sometimes people are controversial, sometimes people get pissed off, that's life. For a massive board like 2+2 a lot of moderation is needed but even then they go overboard. I think that a board the size of WoV will be hurt by over moderation. Even with flagging I see a lot of posts that disappear that I wouldn't allow to be vanished on my boards. It would be nice to see this board grow and flourish, let's not kill it because of one asshole.

Quote: Croupier

Good Call. And may I add DJTeddyBear to te list of nominees.

Thanks, but....

Quote: Face

Quote: DJTeddyBear

I frankly don't know if you're talking about me or Teddy.
...
or if it is me, if I should feel insulted or not!

I was using you, specifically because you've been absent from the mess. I didn't want to use an actual example and unfairly single someone out.

... I tend to stay out of it because I truly don't want to be involved, don't was to say something that will cause me to become the next whipping boy. I tend to take the higher ground, while fearing I have a "kick me" sign on my back.

Quite frankly, I don't know if I'd be a good moderator here or not. I don't like the idea of ANY member having too much power and authority. Then again, maybe for that reason, I'd be ideal. For the record, I believe I've hit the Flag Post button maybe a dozen times in total. Half of those were due to a new member posting spam - what is obviously an advertisement / link to another site. The other half were for posts that were so inflammatory, that one need not have read anything else to be offended.

I do not think the Flag Post function is set up well. A couple members flags causing a post (or thread) to disappear is not ideal. What I think should happen is that the thread goes on a 24 hour lock status, with indication that it's only 24 hours (and perhaps a time remaining indicator). This provides a fair cooling-off period, without making any specific demands that the Wiz or any moderators take action or be responsible for not taking action.

Quote: Wizard

Actually, those with admin status can do this already. I almost forgot about it. While I could see the fight moving to another thread, I will make more use of that going forward.

Locking threads is a very effective moderator function. Sending posts to never-never land is not.

Sure, the fight can move to a new thread, but if that happens, the tolerance level is much lower because the fighters are on alert, and/or the fighters take on a much calmer approach.

Quote: AZDuffman

It isn't a matter of getting people to quit responding to "dead threads." There is reason to do so, the "Pawn Stars" one being an example. I am more saying sometimes you need to kill one. Think of a bartender telling two rowdy guys, "CHANGE THE SUBJECT" when things get out of hand and are bothering the other patrons. More peacefully, it is just the moderator saying, "you have beat this to death, move on" to keep the board fresh.

Not saying kill threads daily, but a board like this needs to be interesting and inviting to members and new members. Moderators sometimes need to prune a little to keep the garden growing.

I wonder if the 1.41% hoax thread would have been locked because it had gotten beaten to death. While many found it painful that Tutti remained unteachable and unconvinced, there was also a lot of good info in that thread.

If threads that become non-productive (or turn into ongoing feuds) were locked when that became obvious, then none of the threads in the "Top Threads" list would have ever acquired that status.

(If it's not obvious from some of my posts in the past 24 hours or so, I feel that the "Top Threads" list should be renamed "Worst Threads" or "Most-Annoying Threads".)

I thought about suggesting the moderator function to the Wizard, but thought against it. It's simple to ignore the offending person and they will eventually go away. I really think JL would have been tolerable here had it not been for MKL. Yes, we have one offender who (probably) keeps coming back as someone else. IMO, that adds to the personality of this forum. Does that then require a moderator?

If you do go down the (additional) moderator path I would think PacoMartin is a great suggestion. DJ would also be a fine moderator. I'd probably would also nominate PaiGowDan, or MathExtremist. I think they reflect the flavor of the site and seem to be fairly neutral.

I'd offer myself but I'm not consistently on the site and I would probably nuke AZ and EvenBob, just because I like to argue with them.

I agree that locking threads makes more sense then removing posts.

Face: That's a very sensible suggestion, but it won't work. Someone always takes on the troll, sometimes even with reason (such as correcting misinformation).

Croupier, Wizard and everyone else who suggested me for a moderator, I am flattered, but I must preemptively decline. I've done such things before, once I even ran a board as admin and proxy-owner for a few months. I'm a tyrant when it comes to such things. I don't tolerate trolls, baiters or flamers and have little patience for heated controversy.

Worse yet, when a flame war does erupt and common heavy-handed methods for dealing with the trolls don't work, I tend to abuse any power I have to the last drop.

I do a lot better just posting.

Quote: Wizard

That is not a bad suggestion. Both of them I agree are worthy. Do I have any other nominations or volunteers?

I'll second the nomination of Nareed, pacomartin, and/or DJTeddyBear.

Edit: Seems like most of these people have declined, and regardless, I don't think it is necessary to have additional moderators yet.

Quote: teddys

I'll second the nomination of Nareed, pacomartin, and/or DJTeddyBear.

Edit: Seems like most of these people have declined, and regardless, I don't think it is necessary to have additional moderators yet.

Most?

Yeah, Nareed declined, but Paco hasn't even participated in this thread yet.

And while I and not campaigning for the job, I have said that I am unsure I'd be a good choice. However, I would accept the task if assigned to me, and, unlike Nareed, I would tend to use the power sparingly - preferring to err on the side of 'providing benefit of doubt'.

I would volunteer as a mod, but maybe modding should be like politics. Anyone who wants to be a politician shouldnt be allowed.

My suggestion would be for the Wizard to select the candidates, and have a site poll for the community to elect the mods. The community could also hold the mods accountable, and if one has become power drunk the community also poll for the removal of certain people as mods.

But as its the Wizards site, it up to him and I support his deciion.

Quote: Croupier

I would volunteer as a mod, but maybe modding should be like politics. Anyone who wants to be a politician shouldnt be allowed.

My suggestion would be for the Wizard to select the candidates, and have a site poll for the community to elect the mods. The community could also hold the mods accountable, and if one has become power drunk the community also poll for the removal of certain people as mods.

But as its the Wizards site, it up to him and I support his deciion.

I don't quite agree with a vote but I do agree they should be "revoked" if they get power-drunk. This site is more of a "kingdom" not a democracy.

I think I have flagged 4-5 posts at most since we learned how it works, most of them in the recent flame-war in "suspension list." It works as intended, the one I flagged dissapeared before my eyes so I must have put it over the top.

Is it just me, or did 90%+ of these problems show up after JL and MKL showed up?

Quote: AZDuffman

... Is it just me, or did 90%+ of these problems show up after JL and MKL showed up?

I don't remember any problems before that, other than a few people who seemed to refuse to believe that mathematics could be related to winning and losing at casino games.