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smiley) In fact, maybe you should make sure that the moderators of the New Diver and Basic forums ARE at least DM certified so they can wade through the BS and get people on the right path...I think the mods SHOULD patrol the other forums just to make sure no one is giving horrible advice as well, but the basic and new divers should at LEAST have that sort of consideration given to them....I typed
I'm not sure you understand the role of the mods here. ScubaBoard will not and should not be the ones vetting information. This site consists of user generated content. It's up to us individually to correct people who are wrong and to do it in a way that does not violate the ToS. In this regard, ScubaBoard is an interactive service and does not attempt to be a wikipedia.
I agree. We do need more moderation from posts like that, especially in the newbie areas.
We all have a different set of people telling us this, but by and large the clarification usually given to me involves seeing others attacked when they dare to admit making a mistake. It's common for people to question their training, their intelligence and even their mother's parental lineage rather than post on topic. People have put such a stigma on accidents and even getting bent, that quite often people put off talking about it for fear of the Scuba Inquisition. This is actually why people put off going in to the hospital when they are bent: shame at making a mistake. While we would never promote people making a mistake just to be able to post, we feel it's important to create a civil and friendly atmosphere that will encourage people to come clean as it were. It's good for them and it's great to teach others how to avoid the pain. Next time you're on a dive boat full of strangers, simply ask them about ScubaBoard. Some will love us and the others will fear us.
I think there's a place for some content moderation ... particularly where unsafe diving practices are being promoted, at least in forums where the relatively inexperienced may be influenced by them. I also think blamestorming should be moderated ... particularly in the Accidents and Incidents forum where it's supposed to be against the rules anyway.
The whole "do a search" concept rubs me raw ... people who do that should be moderated, warned, and if they continue doing it, banned from forums where newer divers are asking questions. Those three words probably do more to inhibit interaction on ScubaBoard than anything else that happens here.
Again, I see this falling under the "blamestorming" category ... particularly in A&I, where it's supposed to be verboten. And I have, on several occasions, reported posts there that went unmoderated for long periods ... if at all ... which were clearly a violation of the rules for that forum. A recent death during a class at one of my local dive sites brought about a spate of posts calling for the head of the instructor ... this was long before there was any information about what actually happened to cause the accident. There were several wild-ass claims of standards violations that I KNEW to be incorrect simply because I'm familiar with the site ... those were allowed to remain, and remain to this day.
... popcorn makes ya fat ...
for everyone. It's good for you.
IMO, this is the most serious thread over an almost non-issue I've seen in years.
Lighten up
