Moderation: Too much or too little?

[The Chairman]

I agree! ScubaBoard is bigger than any of us. Think about your moderation... Few knew but you that you were even moderated. Also, your moderation did not result in any action against your account. Your reaction to being moderated is pretty typical... Anger (surprise) morphs into analysis which usually resolves into a better understanding. Heck, I'm proabably the most moderated person on ScubaBoard. Personally, I am glad when cooler heads wipe out those words that make this place less friendly. FWIW, Igo through the same process and it helps me to be a better poster. If our perceptions never evolve, we aren't using our capacity for critical thinking.

My main point was - it's not about me! SB is bigger than me, and if it's different than what my perception of it is/was, I need to take a minute or two and change my perception! I mean, yes, I voted that way bc I have an opinion but I just want to take a moment and get my perspective balanced again.

 

[SC_Hoaty]

One of the issues that has come up is the inconsistency of moderation. As an example, a post earlier in this thread was moderated. The reason cited was "attempt to bypass the auto-censor." A less-than-complimentary term for stubborn folks was misspelled - perhaps to bypass the autocensor, or perhaps to "take the edge off" of the term.

The reason I associate this with inconsistency is that a simple seach of SB showed that word, spelled as it had been in this thread, shows up in 69 other threads. I didn't bother to re-do the search to see how many posts.

69 threads where no action is taken, one where it is. I know the line about hitting the report button - but it appears no one was offended in most of the cases.

Inconsistency.

 

[The Chairman]

Did you report the posts? Unless someone reports it, we may miss it. Are we imperfect? Oh yeah. Of course, depending on the Zone it's in, it may get a bit different treatment. I hope this helps.

One of the issues that has come up is the inconsistency of moderation. As an example, a post earlier in this thread was moderated. The reason cited was "attempt to bypass the auto-censor." A less-than-complimentary term for stubborn folks was misspelled - perhaps to bypass the autocensor, or perhaps to "take the edge off" of the term.

The reason I associate this with inconsistency is that a simple seach of SB showed that word, spelled as it had been in this thread, shows up in 69 other threads. I didn't bother to re-do the search to see how many posts.

69 threads where no action is taken, one where it is. I know the line about hitting the report button - but it appears no one was offended in most of the cases.

Inconsistency.

 

[SC_Hoaty]

Did you report the posts? Unless someone reports it, we may miss it. Are we imperfect? Oh yeah. Of course, depending on the Zone it's in, it may get a bit different treatment. I hope this helps.

Nothing to report, really. As it turns out, the word is NOT included in the auto censor, so therefore any claim of it being an attempt to bypass it was simple :gans:

Thus, not only was the reason for the moderation wrong, the post should never have been messed with in the first place.

PM me if you need details. I don't want to derail the thread, but it is just wonderful when a thread about the level of moderation turns into an example of abuse of moderating power.

 

[Buoyant1]

Did you report the posts? Unless someone reports it, we may miss it. Are we imperfect? Oh yeah. Of course, depending on the Zone it's in, it may get a bit different treatment. I hope this helps.

My qualm with it, and I related this to the moderator, was that it was a comment to make a point as opposed to being a jibe at someone. The reason it was misspelled WAS to censor it..yet the moderator took it further! (and after another moderator had obviously seen it, and didn't do anything to it, and in my opinion did it correctly!)

Context in conversation is different than calling someone out! As I said previously, I spend a good amount of time in a sports forum, and the conversations, as they seem to do in sports, tend to run into more emotional diatribe, than what I've seen here (except in some of the tech forums, previously) and the moderators there let most play out, until personal attacks are happening, then obviously they need to step in.


I would think that heavy moderation in the "basic scuba" threads would be a priority, a little less in some of the more advanced forums, and as I also said, until it gets out of hand, next to nothing in the social forums! If you are worried about people seeing it that would get offended, then maybe the "disclaimer" needs to be modified!

 

[ScubaSteve]

 

[TSandM]

Some MOST others have very poor people skills, and seem to enjoy being bullies. We have both seen it.

Thanks! I appreciate the vote of confidence

I don't know if most people realize it, but the vast majority of moderation actions are not unilateral. They occur after a discussion among the moderators and an attempt to reach consensus about what, if anything, should be done -- and that "if anything" is important, because often the decision is to do nothing. And we are not above getting irritated and critical with our own, if we think someone has stepped out of line. If you look at moderation history for any particular mod, either that person gets more and more disciplined in what they do over time, or they stop being a mod (which has happened).

 

[Buoyant1]

Thanks! I appreciate the vote of confidence

I don't know if most people realize it, but the vast majority of moderation actions are not unilateral. They occur after a discussion among the moderators and an attempt to reach consensus about what, if anything, should be done -- and that "if anything" is important, because often the decision is to do nothing. And we are not above getting irritated and critical with our own, if we think someone has stepped out of line. If you look at moderation history for any particular mod, either that person gets more and more disciplined in what they do over time, or they stop being a mod (which has happened).

In this case Lynn, you aren't one of the problems! (not to say that you are a problem at all, in my experiences, you seem to be one of the more level headed and fair moderators here.)

My experiences have shown a lot of "knee jerk" reactions, mostly when it comes to "timely" changes, and a few over the years (and some that are still here) that seem to have free reign and do as they please. (and the odd person that has a personal vendetta against certain posters) The "moderator discussions" appear to only be with something so far out of the loop that they need to close it down and play with it in the back room...I'm not talking about those cases, though.

Some of the cases I HAVE brought to the attention of certain people have pretty much gone unresolved, and that's one of the reasons I tend to spend less and less time here. (and I know certain others that feel the same way...we should start a "milk carton" thread!)

 

[boulderjohn]

I agree that there is inconsistency in moderation, but that is unavoidable. Moderators are not always unanimous in their feelings about the controversial items--in fact they rarely are. I myself am pretty tolerant. There have been many, many times that I have read through a thread without having a glimmer of concern only to find out later that a post in it has been reported, a step that then led to its being moderated. In the controversial issues, I argue my point, and sometimes that point prevails and sometimes it doesn't. I don't see anything wrong with that; I don't see any way it could possibly be any different. If we waited for every single moderator to come to agreement on every single point, nothing would ever happen.

If you look through the history of SB, you will see many cases in which a thread topic is repeated, with the overall trend in the conversation being very different from the last time that topic was discussed. That is a very common occurrence in all discussions. The ultimate direction of a discussion often depends upon the persuasiveness of an early poster. The same thing happens in moderation discussions, and I don't see how it could be any different.

We do the best we can. You see our successes. You see our mistakes.

 

[Insta-Gator]

Though all the winds of doctrine were let loose to play on the earth, so Truth be in the field, we do injuriously, by licensing and prohibiting, to misdoubt her strength. Let her and Falsehood grapple; who ever knew Truth put to the worse, in a free and open encounter?


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Tru dat.

If one of the gray beards is tired of inane questions, don't frequent that forum. Problem solved.

People don't know what they don't know. It may not seem like a stupid question to them, at their level of understanding.