Suggestion Suggestion: Please Don't Make Threads Disappear Because of a Few Bad Posts

[H2Andy]

in a recent thread, which has been going on and on for ever, about a fairly volatile subject (Creation v. Evolution) the following Mod comment was posted:

*** MOD POST***
Keep The Insults Off The Board. If you can't do so then you will be removed and this thread will disappear.
*** END MOD POST ***

first, let me say that I agree 100% that personal insults have no place on this board, and they need to be rooted out. i'm not sure what it's meant by "you will be removed" but I assume that means that the person will lose posting privileges, per TOS. again, not a problem for me. we have no room for people who insult others.

my concern is with the last clause, "this thread will disappear."

i say NO, PLEASE!!

don't remove good threads just because some people act like bongholes. shut the bungholes up, but let the "good citizens" keep on discussing what they're discussing.

just a suggestion, not meant to flame anybody

 

[Thalassamania]

As the one the words were aimed at I have to say that the statements were so over the top, (e.g., vile and evil) that they did not sting at all. They're in the realm of puffery, rather than vitriol. But be that as it may, if the Mod felt they were inappropriate I'd suggest that the most effective thing to do, right then and there, would have been to delete the offending post and PM the miscreant. No one even had to know since the first offending post was not even really in the stream.

 

[Kim]

But be that as it may, if the Mod felt they were inappropriate I'd suggest that the most effective thing to do, right then and there, would have been to delete the offending post and PM the miscreant. No one even had to know since the first offending post was not even really in the stream.

How do you know that's not what actually happened? Or that the post you are referring to was the origin of the problem? When people continue to post regardless of warnings etc then sometimes we simply lock or temporarily remove a thread to stop any more additions while it's cleaned as has already been said. It's no big deal. We try very hard not to completely remove whole threads, although as Andy knows full well sometimes (not that often), a thread can get so out of control and be deemed to add so little of real value anyway that it gets removed completely.
FWIW the thread in question is still there isn't it? I'd have to think quite hard and a while ago to come up with a major thread that was 'disappeared'.

 

[H2Andy]

a thread can get so out of control and be deemed to add so little of real value anyway that it gets removed completely.

"deemed of so little value" by whom?

obviously not by the members who continue to post and follow TOS, despite a few bad apples. if the Mods don't think it's of value, don't post to it.

clealry, the members think this Board is of value, since they keep coming back.
obviously, if they keep posting to a thread, it's because it's of value to them.

are we being told what is and what isn't of value here? not sure what you mean.
isn't that decision for us to make, so long as we follow TOS?

so ok, if the thread gets out of hand, close it a couple of hours, clean it, and bring it right back up.

i just HATE the idea that the solution "make the thread go poof" should be a viable one.

that's basically conceding the Board to the troublemakers.

or to Mods who want a particular thread gone?

 

[H2Andy]

El Orans is indicating that sometimes cleaning a thread (not necessarily this one) can take some serious time, and during that time it can further degenerate. When some good threads go bad, they often need to be pulled to stop the degeneration and then hopefully returned after they have been "cleansed".

not a problem. get the thread cleaned and get it back if it gets that bad.

using the "threat" (not sure what word to use) that this thread will go poof if people don't behave, to me, makes no sense

dear law-abbiding citizens, your thread will dissappear because some people can't behave themselves.

huh?

 

[Tassie_Rohan]

How about a new un-moderated sub-forum entitled 'The Pit' where all out of hand threads can be moved to….. ?

Make it subscription-only to protect the childern and general public. Volia! Problem solved.

Cheers,
Rohan.

 

[H2Andy]

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

lovely attitude

(and a false dichotomy, i might add)

in other words, any attempt to comment on the Board or to suggest a different way of doing things will be perceived as criticism, and a personal comment about somebody or other, which will lead to hurt feelings...

we need to grow up, y'all

 

[Kim]

"deemed of so little value" by whom?

By the Mods Andy....just as you agreed to in the TOS...

The Moderators have the last word in any dispute and are responsible for interpreting the TOS. At their discretion, when they deem it in the best interest of ScubaBoard, they may edit or delete avatars, pictures, posts and threads, and even ban users when necessary.

As I already said though it's virtually a non-issue as the only threads that get automatically deleted are spam threads from people trying to sell mobile phones or whatever.
Any other threads that might get pulled end up reviewed by a lot of people. No ones personal agenda dictates much, Andy, in spite of your insinuations.

Basically we don't pull threads unless we think there is no other course of action that can reasonably be taken. In spite of your obvious dislike of that fact we ARE the people who decide what's reasonable or not!
I don't quite understand why you are continuing to complain though. We didn't pull the thread you're talking about and it's been dealt with in exactly the way you suggested to start with. Where's the problem? If you didn't like the turn of phrase that a particular Moderator used why not tell him/her privately by PM, rather than start a thread that seems to suggest that all we want to do as mods is delete as many threads as we can, for no reason or because we don't like them????? Isn't that rather making a mountain out of a molehill?

 

[H2Andy]

In spite of your obvious dislike of that fact we ARE the people who decide what's reasonable or not!

oh brother ...

why do i ever bother to try to do anything constructive?

ah well... it's not the last time i'll swear "i won't try it again"


to return to topic, Kim, the issue is whether pulling an entire thread because of a few bad posts is a bad idea.

i think it is, and that's why i posted here (the Suggestions forum), Kim

it makes no sense to me that you, the Mods, should threaten to make a thread dissapear. it punishes the guilty and the non-guilty alike, Kim

am i allowed to express that opinion in the Suggestions forum, Kim, without insinuations as to my motives? i guess not...

so, Kim, stop being so defensive and think about my *suggestion* for a while

 

[Thalassamania]

As I said, it all could have been handled without anyone except the mod and the perp knowing about.

 

[mislav]

I too agree with Andy that threads shouldn't be pulled permanently but cleansed instead. I too have been unpleasantly surprised when I read that mod notice, but I feel better now that I have read the SB stuff replies in this thread.

If you guys clear the noise in your comms channel you might realize that you actually agree on this.