Post by Ditch Fahrenheit on Sept 24, 2021 12:16:52 GMT -8
Hello Everyone!
It's been over three months since the last time I popped in. I've received a bunch of emails regarding things going on here and elsewhere, so I thought it was a good time to stop by.
As you may or may not know, for the last several years I've rarely been here. You can read about this HERE if you like. I made a promise to those who have invested their time here to keep this forum open for as long as they wish to use it, and I intend to honor that commitment even if I'm not around and busy with other projects.
To that end, about three years ago I was fortunate enough to find several people to help support and keep this forum up and running on a daily basis. You wouldn't believe how much effort that takes. There are ProBoard issues to contend with, plug-in problems to fix, modifications that must be made, moderation issues, tons of documentation, etc. These people are awesome, and we are all lucky to have them.
So let's talk about moderation. One thing is definitely true...you can't please all the people all the time. There are pros and cons to every approach. For the last eight years or so, all moderation on this forum has been private, and strictly between the Moderator and the moderated. Within the Moderation Group, very accurate records are privately kept and every moderated post is privately archived for future reference. This was my preferred approach, and I believed it showed the most respect to the forum members and treated them as adults. If moderated boardies wanted to discuss their moderation in public, that was up to them; but no one in the Moderation Group (including myself) ever discussed it with anyone outside the group.
Unfortunately, there are trade-offs with private moderation.
1) Moderation can appear non-existent to outside observers.
2) Moderation can appear unfair or uneven to outside observers.
3) Moderated posts and threads which disappear can confuse outside observers.
4) Threads and posts which might contain important information about a moderated forum member's character or actions are sometimes removed from view.
5) For some, private moderation encourages bad behavior simply because it's not public information.
6) Private moderation can require more labor because of the paperwork involved.
For the last three years or so, my Director of Moderation has been trying to convince me to adopt a public moderation approach for most of the above reasons. I've resisted until now, but I think she's right and the time has come to make some major changes.
Here's what is being proposed:
1) A new moderation area will be created.
2) Starting from 8/1/21, a list of all moderation will be made public. This public list will include the forum name of the moderated individual, the specific forum rule which was violated, a link to the moderated post or thread, and the type and length of moderation action (advisory, warning, temporary ban of X weeks, permanent ban, etc.)
3) A forum dedicated to the archival storage of moderated and removed posts and threads will be created and maintained.
4) A Moderation Discussion thread will be created to allow forum members to discuss moderation actions and issues. This will be the first post in that thread.
I'm really busy right now and only have this weekend to get this done, so I'll be starting to implement this right away. Feel free to discuss. I value your input.
It's been over three months since the last time I popped in. I've received a bunch of emails regarding things going on here and elsewhere, so I thought it was a good time to stop by.
As you may or may not know, for the last several years I've rarely been here. You can read about this HERE if you like. I made a promise to those who have invested their time here to keep this forum open for as long as they wish to use it, and I intend to honor that commitment even if I'm not around and busy with other projects.
To that end, about three years ago I was fortunate enough to find several people to help support and keep this forum up and running on a daily basis. You wouldn't believe how much effort that takes. There are ProBoard issues to contend with, plug-in problems to fix, modifications that must be made, moderation issues, tons of documentation, etc. These people are awesome, and we are all lucky to have them.
So let's talk about moderation. One thing is definitely true...you can't please all the people all the time. There are pros and cons to every approach. For the last eight years or so, all moderation on this forum has been private, and strictly between the Moderator and the moderated. Within the Moderation Group, very accurate records are privately kept and every moderated post is privately archived for future reference. This was my preferred approach, and I believed it showed the most respect to the forum members and treated them as adults. If moderated boardies wanted to discuss their moderation in public, that was up to them; but no one in the Moderation Group (including myself) ever discussed it with anyone outside the group.
Unfortunately, there are trade-offs with private moderation.
1) Moderation can appear non-existent to outside observers.
2) Moderation can appear unfair or uneven to outside observers.
3) Moderated posts and threads which disappear can confuse outside observers.
4) Threads and posts which might contain important information about a moderated forum member's character or actions are sometimes removed from view.
5) For some, private moderation encourages bad behavior simply because it's not public information.
6) Private moderation can require more labor because of the paperwork involved.
For the last three years or so, my Director of Moderation has been trying to convince me to adopt a public moderation approach for most of the above reasons. I've resisted until now, but I think she's right and the time has come to make some major changes.
Here's what is being proposed:
1) A new moderation area will be created.
2) Starting from 8/1/21, a list of all moderation will be made public. This public list will include the forum name of the moderated individual, the specific forum rule which was violated, a link to the moderated post or thread, and the type and length of moderation action (advisory, warning, temporary ban of X weeks, permanent ban, etc.)
3) A forum dedicated to the archival storage of moderated and removed posts and threads will be created and maintained.
4) A Moderation Discussion thread will be created to allow forum members to discuss moderation actions and issues. This will be the first post in that thread.
I'm really busy right now and only have this weekend to get this done, so I'll be starting to implement this right away. Feel free to discuss. I value your input.
