Get Yer Ya-Yas Out [FR Moderating Gripe Thread]

[I Am Not A Mod]

LM here.

It's been a while since we had a thread along these lines.

I can tell from comments I am seeing in threads, on abuse reports, and in Freepmail that some people are unhappy with various policies and their implementations by the staff here.

I've seen allegations that certain factions are picked on. I've seen allegations that the moderators have killed activism. I've heard rumors that we killed Kenny, and even that we killed the radio star. I see certain personality conflicts acting up, and know that one (or both) sides in it feel that we aren't doing what we should.

So let's open this can of worms.

This thread is for making your grievances heard. If you think something stinks or is wrong, make your case here. Back it up with facts. Let the audience at large weigh in on your evidence.

I'll read the thread. Jim will too in all likelihood. So will the other moderators. Depending upon how well you make your point, and depending on if you can convince Jim, me, the other moderators, and/or the world, maybe you can change things. And if you don't, then it might make you feel better to have vented, so it won't make this thread a total loss.

I'm not going to reply to this thread for quite a while. Rather, I am going to sit back and watch to try and get a feel for the general tenor. I encourage those who are both happy and unhappy with things to particpate in this thread.

Let's rock.

[mhking]

I think this would work for everyone involved. For those who like the news of the weird, it would put them in one place and give it visibility for them. For those who think it clutters the place up, it would be out of the way and they wouldn't see it as much. And mhking wouldn't have to maintain the ping list any further.

Like I said, the status quo for now, but I would not mind hearing some feedback on my idea. If people are for it, let's do it.

On the surface, that doesn't sound half bad. I'd like to chew on it a bit though, if folks don't mind.

One thing that comes up is that some more pedestrian topics fall under the "JD" sort of omnibus arena that I've cobbled together, but there may be some other option that may work for that...

[TheSpottedOwl]

And I guess you'll say all the stuff you've said behind her back TO HER FACE, right?

But of course, and I'll do it in the nicest, gentlest way possible ;-)

[Texas2step]

What " dalereed thread"? Is it something over on LP?

He/She said "I saw the deleted thread", talking about what you wrote on the Masonic discussion thread. Basically said that s/he thought some of your comments were out of line and may have responded likewise.

He then offered you an olive branch of peace. You misread "deleted" as "dalereed" (what a coincidince, huh?) and went off on him about something that wasn't even there.

Now, wanna try again. :-)

[Lead Moderator]

You could always still ping people to those. Like I said, just throwing out suggestions.

[TheSpottedOwl]

No, that's what YOU do.

Sorry sweetie, but I don't belong to that particular "circle".

After you resorted to personal attacks the other night, I got FReepmailed by several folks. You're a pretty interesting person.

[Lead Moderator]

Why would I ban you for that?

However, I don't agree with it. I am not much for open borders, and that extends to Free Republic. Thanks, LM

[Texas2step]

That is a ton of abuse reports for one thread. And it wasn't just one side, and not all of them were invalid complaints. Jim tired of it after the first few dozens of complaints, and moved it to the backroom. Sometimes, if people are bound and determined to flame away, the best thing to do is to give them that vent otherwise it shows up in other threads.

It was already in the backroom, why not just lock it down when it gets to the point of too many abuse reports? Wouldn't that serve the same purpose? Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

[TheSpottedOwl]

Nobody asked me so feel free to ignore this post. Opinions are like certain bodily orifices; everybody has one. Here’s mine. Relative to the issue of moderating, there is a wolfpack at FR that loves pinging each other to particular threads and then deliberately trashing their opponents....

Just damn. Thank you for posting about what many of us have found out the hard way.

[Born Conservative]

So let's open this can of worms.

[Quix]

NOW THERE'S A THOUGHT!

Except that people go ballistic when money gets involved.

Some do even when it's just pennies!

I'd REALLY like to see, though, and not by mandate . . . but by consensus custom . . .

That we ALL developed a 'terminal level' thick hide

at VIRTUALLY ANYTHING ANYONE said about our

WORDS

as long as they didn't assault our personhood, character.

A goodly number of our company could do with some emotional growing up.

And a BIG PART of growing up involves learning to distinguish between

what we PRODUCE

vs what we ARE.

I realize from plenty of personal experience how fierce the temptation is to respond as though comments about our words are Supreme Court rulings about our ESSENCE. But that's actually pretty childish.

Of course, part of such a working, more mature consensus would involve pretty disciplined efforts to insure that our wording DID refer strictly to words, arguments, logic and the like.

Oh, I suppose IF ALL THE POWERS THAT BE AND OLD TIMERS DECREED IT--we COULD have a few KOSHER, APPROVED phrases that were slaps upside the face just for effect--sort of

a

CERTIFIED COMMUNITY SLAP

--but which no one could complain about receiving . . .

That is, when someone was becoming insufferable, community members could key one of the CERTIFIED COMMUNITY SLAPS to them as a warning across their bow that the abuse button was likely to be next. Or, merely that the level of tension and bad attitude stuff had reached a hazardous and unproductive level.

such as . . .

--You need a moose shower!

or

--Your cheese stinks!

or

--Did your mother really dress you THAT funny today?

or

--Your drool is messing up all our keyboards.

or

--You're starting to smell like a liberal.

or

--Did you recently pick up a Goauld at DU?

or

--Your attitude is starting to smell like Shrillery's breath.

or

--Your logic is starting to mimmic John Kerry's brain.

or

--Your haughtiness is beginning to match Shrillery's nose in the air.

--Are you competing with the words and attitude of Belladonna ABzuggy?

--Is Gritch Shrillery starting to short your logic circuits?

--Please let your fingers do the walking to a cold shower or time out box.

--Are you really eager for a finger-ectomy?

--You may prefer that we gag you with cheese--but your attitude is begging for moose poop instead!

OTHER CANDIDATES for a CERTIFIED COMMUNITY SLAP?

[Texas2step]

The banned or suspended posters list is a whole different ball of wax.

First, in general the actions we take with a user are between that user and us, or between that user and Jim.

OK, I can respect that, but then when that poster's buddies come rolling out with the rumors, "Joeschmo was suspended for saying goodbye with his eyes closed in a sarcastic manner", then it's no longer "between" anyone. If it was me, for example, I'd want everyone to know why I had been suspended.

Second, Jim's experience in the past has been that such things just invite rounds of second guessing, and we'd end up having to repost all of the stuff we removed that led to the action.

You're going to be second guessed anyway. Like I mentioned in a later post, you could request that suspensions not be questioned. Again, using the hockey analogy, no criticising the refs. :-)

Third, there are always the litigation concerns.

I don't see how the posted suspension reason could be grounds for litigation, but then I'm not a lawyer.

[mhking]

The only real question/concern I've got is the restrictions involved in linking to blogspot.com addresses - there are so many blogs whose content is relavant (and I'm not just blowing my own horn here, either) to conversations here.

Case-in-point: Just this morning, I found an analysis, point-by-point of the new Iraqi Constitution on someone's blogspot.com site.

I realize that there are a lot of blog-type stuff that is more fluff than not (but a good slap on the wrist to any who abuse that, I'm sure would work), but given the amount of good stuff that gets lost, I think it might be worth it.

[Quix]

You are probably right.

However,

We ALL already have an

IGNORE BUTTON

within us IF WE will use it.

[Xenalyte]

I was in Rainbow girls........does that count?

Do you remember the secret sign, you sinful proto-Eastern Star, you? (I never had occasion to use the secret sign. I do, however, remember far too much of the Secret Work.)

[Vernon]

It was already in the backroom, why not just lock it down when it gets to the point of too many abuse reports?

When I was in the military - eight years - we learned justice involved taking action against the offending person, not mass punishment. Taking specific action against an offender after being warned (I would suggest by FReep mail) or even a "Knock it Off," would seriously reduce the flame wars and number of abuse reports, many of which are simply ignored.

[Howlin]

remember far too much of the Secret Work

Yes, selling all those candy bars without anybody finding out was hard work, wasn't it?

[Texas2step]

Taking specific action against an offender after being warned (I would suggest by FReep mail) or even a "Knock it Off," would seriously reduce the flame wars and number of abuse reports

Ditto...#315

[Lead Moderator]

It was backroomed, and the complaints still were piling in, until Jim got sick of it and pulled it.

You'll have to convince him, not me, on it if you want that one back. Thanks, LM

[Lead Moderator]

I'll request that blogspot be removed from the restrict list. But if things get out of hand with it, as was happening before, it'll end up back on it. Thanks, LM

[#3Fan]

I think false accusations against members of things that are illegal should be removed and don't understand why they're not. This goes beyond personal attacks.