Is criticism of Moderators a bannable offense?

[HowardE]

I thought it was funny how he started the notice with 'facist regime here...'


(for those who don't get that part, it was a take off to joking comments from the original thread).

yes - the big ape in charge certainly has a sense of humor

 

[The Kraken]

Andy,

You've posted some intriguing suggestions!

This suggestion,
"if someone asks about a banning, have an official representative (not six Mods saying different things) explain why it was done, within the limits of privacy concerns",
simply doesn't require a response because a ban, as stated in the TOS, is issued as a result of the violation of the TOS and needs not be expanded upon by either a Mod or Advisor to a third party.

That's if you are implying that the question about the ban is being raised by a third party.

The Kraken

 

[H2Andy]

a ban, as stated in the TOS, is issued as a result of the violation of the TOS and needs not be expanded upon by either a Mod or Advisor to a third party.

that is exactly what i am saying. you may want to revise this policy if you want to keep speculation down and keep people informed. it will also help keep the sense of "random enforcement of TOS' down.

why was ABC banned?


answer 1: according to the TOS, we don't have to tell you

answer 2: he violated TOS by [insert general description, for example, using offensive language repeatededly despite warnings]. i can't be more specific because of privacy concerns.


???????

of course, as you know, this is simply a suggestion. clearly it's up to the staff to decide how they want to handle this sort of thing.

 

[HowardE]

what about the closing and/or deletion of threads?


@ Andy - nice suggestion...

All of the secrecy is what most likely led to the negative "beyond the realm of civil participation" comments.

 

[Diver Dennis]

I think it is important to keep a cool head as well when posting. A disagreement does not have to lead to the closing or elimination of a thread. Stating your case in a calm way using facts or citing examples can go a long way to ensuring an interesting yet civil interaction. There are however, posters here that will intentionally throw out insults and try to inflame a thread into something the Mods have no choice but to shut down or at the very least sanitize, to cover up the fact they are wrong. I've seen this happen ever since I first came to SB.

This is the internet after all and some people feel emboldened to post things that they would never say to you in person. This can be a good thing or a bad thing. It lets people who may be shy or have less experience to add what they think is a relevant point to a discussion or it can be bad because it is easy to hide behind a keyboard and make outrageous claims or statements to start a fire.

I find it much more effective to see, or at least look, at both sides of an issue. No matter how much experience a person my have they can always learn something. Although there a lots of people who know it all already, or so it seems sometimes...

 

[Doc Intrepid]

There are basically only three reasons why threads disappear or are closed:

1. The OP PMs or emails or calls and asks that their thread be closed. Happens more frequently than you'd imagine.

2. The thread is off-base from the start. Example: "'Bush's War in Iraq Sucks' - Discuss"...

3. The thread is so badly hijacked in such short order or over a longer period that cleaning up the thread would take more time than any moderator is willing to spend going through the thread and deleting or expunging offensive posts. How frequently would you be willing to spend 50 minutes or so going through a thread, removing posted content, and PMing the poster regarding said removal? It takes time. You may be at work or at home on a weekend; want to spend most of an hour cleaning up a thread? If a thread gets that far gone, repeatedly, it is nuked and a PM is sent to the OP.

When a thread is disappeared, there is no placeholder that serves to say "This thread went wonky and offered no socially redeeming value whatever due to X". We would in effect have to start another thread to announce the demise of the previous thread, thereby offering a ready forum for the same sort of bozonity that was manifested in the thread which disappeared.

As in all things, decisions are made along a continuum that seeks to weigh how much value a thread offers to the board against the amount of supervision or oversight required to sustain that thread. If it's relatively self-sustaining, no issues.

If it's consistently going into the gutter, then someone needs to ask how much of their time and effort are they willing to spend to clean it frequently, send out PMs, and deal with those who can't stifle themselves from posting un-allowed content.

Your mileage may most definitely vary...

Doc

 

[H2Andy]

Your mileage may most definitely vary...

yes, it will be impossible to let all posters to a thread know what has happened (if it is closed, that's easy ... just a last post explaining)

but a PM to the original poster and maybe a post in the Site Support forum would go a long way:


Everybody, post XYZ on the ABC forum was pulled because it [insert reason].


that way anyone who cares to know why the thread went poof can find out

again, the idea is to keep the members in the loop as much as possible

 

[The Kraken]

Or perhaps,

answer 2: XXXXXX was banned due to a violation of the TOS of ScubaBoard.com. Due to the position of ScubaBaord.com relative to private communications between the board and an individual member,we regret we can provide you with no further information.

If you feel you need more information regarding this matter, please make your inquiries directly to XXXXXXX.

If the banned party wishes to divulge the reason or reasons for the ban, then I think s/he is certainly withing rights to do so.

But I think the board would be in a sorry state if it were to release the information from a private communication to a third party simply because of the person's curiosity.

Just my position on the matter.

The Kraken

 

[H2Andy]

K, think about that

you can either provide your version of events, or direct members to XXXXX who is probably not exactly happy with ScubaBoard, its Mods, and several pagan deities at this point

ymmv

you seem to misunderstand WHY i am suggesting you take a proactive attitude towards this sort of thing

it's not to impose further burdens on the staff. it's actually because i think it will make all you all's life better and keep the members happier

 

[Cacia]

it's actually because i think it will make all you all's life better and keep the members happier

information vacuumes are usually bad.