[Harlequin]

I have to agree with everything sevesa has said. Unfortunately democracy isn't really suited to the internet.
Maybe a system where we report posts and when x reports are made the post is locked and flagged up for review by a moderator to make a decision would work. From what I have seen here it's only the occasional spammer that causes a problem. So rather everyone jumping in and challenging the spammer we could just hit the report button.

[Soultrader]

Originally Posted by TradeRunner »

Voting manipulation like this has already occurred with POTM. In January I saw DBPheonix organising "block" voting via the chat room.

POTM is just a bit of fun so who cares about that. However voting to have posts deleted and people banned is putting too much power into peoples hands.

Thanks for the feedback. Valid point here. This could potentially ruin the purpose of the community moderation system. Im looking for ways to split this balance of power evenly... so members can also participate in keeping the forum atmosphere.

POTM was meant to be fun

Originally Posted by Harlequin »

I have to agree with everything sevesa has said. Unfortunately democracy isn't really suited to the internet.
Maybe a system where we report posts and when x reports are made the post is locked and flagged up for review by a moderator to make a decision would work. From what I have seen here it's only the occasional spammer that causes a problem. So rather everyone jumping in and challenging the spammer we could just hit the report button.

I am trying to think of ways to make the report button more effective. We have been quick to take action based on 1-2 reports and with my own judgement. However, my concern is that do members find it fair? Should posts be allowed more votes and voices from other members before they are cleaned up? My tolerance for abusive posts and spam are close to zero that I am rather quick to take action. Not sure if this is a method preferred by members.

[Tams]

you have a "Thanks" button on each post, which is a good idea.

how about adding a "Thumbs Down" button to complement the feedback?

[DbPhoenix]

I hope that you will consider this action carefully. Rather than provide a forum where we can air our differences in public, this course will encourage us to attack each other in secret, resulting in the sort of atmosphere which is exactly the opposite of what TL has traditionally valued. If a post is abusive and disrespectful, it is up to the moderator of the forum (or the administrator, if the forum has no moderator) to act. Waiting for some sort of consensus among the membership merely extends the number of posts involved and prolongs the conflict, and what was one post becomes twenty, resulting in the "ton" of deletion notices. And if nothing is done about the member making the post, then the problem is most likely perpetuated, and the need to act is merely postponed.

As for disputes between moderators and members, these are not avoided by concealing the identity of the moderator who has deleted something. Rather the resentment becomes free-floating, usually resulting in further posts which are made because of that resentment. If a moderator wants to avoid disputes, perhaps he should think about why he wanted to become a moderator in the first place. What is it exactly that a moderator is supposed to do, or not do?

One should also keep in mind that hundreds of members visit the site every day, and the actions of one or two people become noticeable largely because the site runs so smoothly and because members do behave toward each other in ways that are very different from what one sees on other sites. One can therefore begin to perceive incorrectly that everything is degenerating into chaos when one needs only to weed the garden.

As for the comment earlier about campaigning for a POTM, why not? If one sees a post that he believes should be seen by as many members as possible, I see nothing wrong with drawing attention to it and encouraging people to vote for it if there's some sort of recognition involved and if they think it's worth voting for. This is a very different matter from encouraging people to vote against a post, which as of now is fortunately not possible. A more pertinent behavior -- at least as regards the chat room -- is kicking people out of the room, sometimes playfully and sometimes not so playfully. It does not require a stretch of the imagination to see this being done on the boards as well if members are given the option to do so. This to me is a negative, and is completely unnecessary.

[Soultrader]

Thank you very much for your detailed feedback Db. Some great points you have mentioned. It is very important to me to hear all feedback to see any potential new problems that may arise from implementing this community moderation system.

One should also keep in mind that hundreds of members visit the site every day, and the actions of one or two people become noticeable largely because the site runs so smoothly and because members do behave toward each other in ways that are very different from what one sees on other sites. One can therefore begin to perceive incorrectly that everything is degenerating into chaos when one needs only to weed the garden.

This is very true. Perhaps I am being a bit too sensitive here with ongoing issues... and should accept this as the norm. Maybe even compared to other boards the ongoing issues are significantly less. However, I tend to care deeply such issues while I have seen many admins simply leave member issues and requests alone.

It does not require a stretch of the imagination to see this being done on the boards as well if members are given the option to do so. This to me is a negative, and is completely unnecessary.

Yes, I can visualize this happening. Will either need to think of further ways to make this happen or keep the current moderation format.



Thanks again, I will wait for further responses and see what sort of ideas I can come about. I have already mentioned to development to wait until I receive feedback from my members so plenty of time for me to determine which path to take. Once again, I appreciate the feedback.

[DbPhoenix]

Originally Posted by Soultrader »

Perhaps I am being a bit too sensitive here with ongoing issues... and should accept this as the norm. Maybe even compared to other boards the ongoing issues are significantly less. However, I tend to care deeply such issues while I have seen many admins simply leave member issues and requests alone.

In your OP, you said "for any discussion related to TL's moderation, please post here". So perhaps you could clarify what these issues are and why you believe they are ongoing.

[AgeKay]

I like the idea of voting with thumb up and thumb down buttons where the current "thanks" would equal a thumb up. You could then show the delta (thumbs up - thumbs down) just for information like digg and youtube does. You could then use this information to highlight "best posts" on the front page and review posts where 80% of votes are thumbs down.

[brownsfan019]

Let's just call it what it is - some people don't like others around here and as others have said, it can turn into an internet fight real quick and whoever is more popular will win.

For example, sevensa and I did not see eye-to-eye last week. There's a good chance that one and/or both of us would have received some nice points there. Would it be justified? I don't know.

Feels like this system would basically tell everyone - play nice & don't say too much b/c you might offend someone who can then try to get you banned.

I guess this all stems from how much moderation and limiting discussions you want to have James. If you want an open forum, then this does the exact opposite. If you want a forum where everyone is treated as a child and all potential 'bad' posts are removed, then this will work beautifully.

As my signature says - there is a block user function on this forum. If people are easily offended by user, then they can use it. That's what it's there for. I understand that some of my posts may irritate people, but it's your choice to 1) view my responses and 2) to reply to them. If you choose to do that, then I may choose to respond.