Moderation

[Dale]

I've been thinking a bit about my experiences with moderating this board and I wanted to share.

As boards go, there aren't a lot of rules here. We allow commercial posts (free advertising) with some limitations which most seem to think are reasonable. Overall, after some difficult times with it, I'm personally pleased with how that has worked out. People have largely been very good about sticking with the rules and readers seem to be ok with it.

The stickier thing, really, is the business about manners and refraining from personal attacks. I've learned the hard way that (a) there is a tremendous range of opinion about what constitutes a personal attack. Some seem to feel that if they lose an argument--or even if someone just argues with them--they've been personally attacked. Others feel that they can attack someone freely and then make it ok by simply claiming that it's not personal. Kind of like, you know, 'just kidding.'

(b) The rare person that persistently engages in personal attacks presents a problem for moderators. I recently had occasion to delete several posts by a repeat offender. Now I wish I hadn't: Not because I feel it wasn't warranted but because it mostly generates a lot of confusion when a thread is selectively edited. Responses and replies stay in the thread and so it can end up being incomprehensible when the offending posts are deleted. I am also trying to stay away from EDITING offending posts for other reasons that are too weird to expound on.

People often urge me to "ban" offenders. Easier said than done, and I've corresponded a great deal with Rich about this issue. (Rich manages the forums and databases technically). We can delete a person's log-in, which we've done maybe two or three times in the history of the board. Nothing that is practical can keep the same person from creating a new log-in and/or identity and continuing. It's not a worthless thing for a moderator to do, because it does communicate a stern message and creates inconveniences for the offender, but it's not a "ban," really. We can lock out IP addresses, but this is technically troublesome because we run the risk of locking out non-offenders (which has actually happened recently.)

In many ways, I think the answer to this should lie with the members of the board. Some folks just can't resist responding to trolling and cannot bear to let someone who is being a bit obnoxious have the last word. This encourages the offender to continue. But, I've learned from hard experience that, collectively, board membership won't ignore obnoxious people. I understand that. But if everyone could sort of leave the offending poster sort of ranting in an empty room, it probably goes a long way to discourage that kind of behavior.

All this said, I am very happy with the board because I think that almost everybody is awfully nice and even when discussions get heated, civility is the rule.

I wanted to repeat a request. If and when you write me to ask me to look at or intervene in a thread, it saves me a ton of time if you will just go first to the thread you're referring me to, highlight the URL (the web address), copy it, and paste it into your message to me.

Thanks for being a part of Chiff & Fipple.


Dale

[missy]

Dale - I just want to say "thank you" for the job you do. I certainly wouldn't want to do it!!!

Missy

[jim stone]

The buddha said:

'I will bear harsh words as the elephant in battle bears arrows,
for I know most men speak rashly/ behave badly.'

Talk about good advice that's hard to follow!
(The mind goes--well that's a good rule in general
but THIS case is an exception....)

Also there is an exercise I've read--suppose that everybody
in the world is enlightened but you, and they are trying to
teach you something.

Well this has its limits, of course; still here it's actually
useful sometimes.

There's a story about an Asian monk who arrived in
England a few decades ago and a skinhead on the
street kicked him in the shins and said: 'How do you like that?"
The monk said to the people with him:

'Ah! There are GOOD teachers here!"

[glauber]

(a) there is a tremendous range of opinion about what constitutes a personal attack.

There certainly is. I used to think that Loren and Andrew were out to get me. Andrew specially seemed to be gratuitously stepping on my feet at every opportunity. Years later, i consider both of them as very important members of the C&F club, and persons i'd be honoured to call friends.

[izzarina]

I used to think that Loren and Andrew were out to get me. Andrew specially seemed to be gratuitously stepping on my feet at every opportunity. Years later, i consider both of them as very important members of the C&F club, and persons i'd be honoured to call friends.

Maybe they're just lulling you into a false sense of security!!!! Maybe they really ARE out to get you!!! Maybe I've been watching too many X-Files reruns

[I.D.10-t]

I just wish that there was a way to respond to something without it being bumped up to the top. Sometimes comments are additions that I feel are not worth having people reopen the thread. Especially comments to topics that should be allowed to expire quietly. (Am I making sense?)

[jim stone]

I used to think that Loren and Andrew were out to get me. Andrew specially seemed to be gratuitously stepping on my feet at every opportunity. Years later, i consider both of them as very important members of the C&F club, and persons i'd be honoured to call friends.

Maybe they're just lulling you into a false sense of security!!!! Maybe they really ARE out to get you!!! Maybe I've been watching too many X-Files reruns

Maybe they chilled out.

[avanutria]

I just wish that there was a way to respond to something without it being bumped up to the top. Sometimes comments are additions that I feel are not worth having people reopen the thread. Especially comments to topics that should be allowed to expire quietly.

I find that in those cases, Private Messaging or emailing the individual who is being responded to is a good way to go.

[glauber]

I just wish that there was a way to respond to something without it being bumped up to the top. Sometimes comments are additions that I feel are not worth having people reopen the thread. Especially comments to topics that should be allowed to expire quietly.

I find that in those cases, Private Messaging or emailing the individual who is being responded to is a good way to go.

But a PM doesn't allow you to publicly humiliate the person you're responding to.

[Nanohedron]

Oh. I thought this might be about drinking and stuff.

Never mind.

[izzarina]

Oh. I thought this might be about drinking and stuff.

Are you trying to find out how to drink in moderation?

[Nanohedron]

Oh. I thought this might be about drinking and stuff.

Are you trying to find out how to drink in moderation?

Absolutely not. The very concept is repugnant and flies in the face of what drinking is really all about. One should not trust a "moderate" drinker. I just peeked in on this thread out of morbid curiosity. You know, sort of like a gawker at a horrible accident.




(edited to expand a bit upon my diatribe)

[Cynth]

Accident? Has there been an accident? I always miss all the excitement.

[Loren]

Dale wrote:

"I wanted to repeat a request. If and when you write me to ask me to look at or intervene in a thread, it saves me a ton of time if you will just go first to the thread you're referring me to, highlight the URL (the web address), copy it, and paste it into your message to me. "


Hey dude, why don't you try searching the archives before bothering us, eh?


Loren

[Nanohedron]

Accident? Has there been an accident? I always miss all the excitement.

Well, there HAS been the e-quivalent, if you'll pardon the compression, of a couple of seemingly amok chopping and stabbing sprees (as such things are measured here at C&F). Gouts of blood and entrails all over the place, not unlike like the haggis before it is cooked. I was mesmerised.