How to Moderate the Thunderdome

Slidey

Well it has finally come down to the wire and the time has come for the Thunderdome to be moderated.

I supposed it was bound to happen sooner or later and now the kid gloves will come out and hold the hands of people who cannot see the funny side to a bit of dark or crass humour or slagging.

Now, this is a seperate thread so I think the reason the 'dome has being closed should be left to the thread nextdoor.

As a realtive newbie I have already seen a few nasty nasty coments in there and some of them ended up in feedback.

What I would like to see is some loose moderation in place.

1) Someone that can be there to delete a post or slap the knuckles of someone who is getting carried away.

2) Some thing like an opt in - opt out system.

Post in the thread and your in.

Send a pm to the mod in charge and your out.
Obviously you cant come in call someone a cnut then say I want out. There could possibly be "Right to Reply" scenario where there is a time limit or something.

3) Certain things are out of bounds, fcuk sake people use your common sense.

I dont know, I'm only new here but on advice recieved, this thread was started.

Do with it what ye may..

6th

Some great ideas there Slideways. The opt in/opt out is a very good idea.

Beruthiel

I agree, all the forum needs is some full time moderation.

SimpleSam06

slideways wrote: »

2) Some thing like an opt in - opt out system.

Post in the thread and your in.

Send a pm to the mod in charge and your out.
Obviously you cant come in call someone a cnut then say I want out. There could possibly be "Right to Reply" scenario where there is a time limit or something.

Hard to moderate that though. When you have public entry but private exits, the mod would spend a lot of time eventually just searching the forum for usernames, and excluding all those before a certain date. Maybe something like post in the thread and you're in forever might be better, caveat emptor.

For my money, Degsy would be the perfect mod for the place. Hear me out, now.

You can usually tell who would be a good mod for a forum by looking at the posters that fit in well there, and to be honest his brand of celtic elan sits better in the TD than anywhere else, also hes got the cop on to know when someone is saying something that might get the place shut down. Again.

Nerin

SimpleSam06 wrote: »

Hard to moderate that though. When you have public entry but private exits, the mod would spend a lot of time eventually just searching the forum for usernames, and excluding all those before a certain date. Maybe something like post in the thread and you're in forever might be better, caveat emptor.

For my money, Degsy would be the perfect mod for the place. Hear me out, now.

You can usually tell who would be a good mod for a forum by looking at the posters that fit in well there, and to be honest his brand of celtic elan sits better in the TD than anywhere else, also hes got the cop on to know when someone is saying something that might get the place shut down. Again.

wont he ban/infract the hell out of Rb?

Earthhorse

Pretty much agreed. If you don't post there you shouldn't be posted about there. Gloves come off if you do though.

Regulars should be happy enough if someone stops posting there as well. They should use their common sense. If someone posts, then receives loads of abuse and stops posting you should leave them be after that.

Also, mods should not move posts there except where a few people are really at each other's throats. This means a very broad thread about boards users in general should never be moved there as it deceives people into thinking everyone's a valid target. It also means that people really have to be going at each other and taking the original thread off topic; just cull the more cutthroat posts to Thunderdome if you can rather than the whole thread if possible.

Finally, where such posts do get moved to Thunderdome regulars should not be allowed pile on indiscriminately. They can contribute, either by egging participants on or by picking a side in the slagging match and pretty much sticking to it. As it stands every thread in there is the same thread which makes having a whole forum redundant.

That's all I can think of right now.

SimpleSam06

Nerin wrote: »

wont he ban/infract the hell out of Rb?

And lose teh powah? I think not.

Karoma

SimpleSam06 wrote: »

For my money, Degsy would be the perfect mod for the place. Hear me out, now.

You can usually tell who would be a good mod for a forum by looking at the posters that fit in well there, and to be honest his brand of celtic elan sits better in the TD than anywhere else, also hes got the cop on to know when someone is saying something that might get the place shut down. Again.

Was he not one of the very very few users to be banned from the Thunderdome for going too far? He went too far a good few times, but eh, why I am I bothering? He's a piss poor choice - he goes too far and would most likely abuse the moderating powah to settle personal differences. You don't make a Moderator out of a user that's repeatedly infracted, warned, or banned in said forum. That'd be like making Mordeth moderator of After Hours for feck sake.

Nerin

SimpleSam06 wrote: »

And lose teh powah? I think not.

i dunno, maybe you're right.
personally id say smods, but then again, does anyone really want the dome at all, pain in the ass job i would see it.

SimpleSam06

Karoma wrote: »

That'd be like making Mordeth moderator of After Hours for feck sake.

Phlann

I was just saying elsewhere:

If I were the admins though I'd be worried about the possible repercussions of giving a free rein to posters who think 'paedo' is a clever insult (even if the victim is Dave McSavage).

A few boards have been sued for libel in the last few years iirc... and as the 'promoter we're not allowed to name' issue proved, Boards.ie aren't exactly inclined to fight the power when threatened by lawyers.

I don't think it's a good idea to have a no-holds barred forum at all... it sounds good but, in practice, sooner or later a comment like the one mentioned above will come back and bite you in the ass. I'm pretty sure football365 have found themselves in hot water on several occasions as a result of comments made on their forums.

Overheal

Nerin wrote: »

i dunno, maybe you're right.
personally id say smods, but then again, does anyone really want the dome at all, pain in the ass job i would see it.

I pity the mod that has to crack whip in the Thunderdome, that place really interferes with my aura.

2) Some thing like an opt in - opt out system.

A Soccer-like admission on the dome? Clear cut way of knowing who's in, who's out. I like it.

Nerin

Overheal wrote: »

I pity the mod that has to crack whip in the Thunderdome, that place really interferes with my aura.

overheal for mod

Adam

I would say get rid of it tbh. What purpose does it serve?

Wibbs

slideways and Earthhorse have the bones of a pretty good charter there. Make them mods. Poison chalice mind you but still. I think overheal wouldn't be a bad choice either tbh.

Gordon

Nerin wrote: »

i dunno, maybe you're right.
personally id say smods, but then again, does anyone really want the dome at all, pain in the ass job i would see it.

It's one of the fora that's right up there in my least wanting to mod list.

Mordeth kthxbai! wrote: »

I would say get rid of it tbh. What purpose does it serve?

Lots of people enjoy it, just like others enjoy TCN, AH, PI etc.

It's going to be difficult to get the right balance, having rules where people opt in and out will be way too complicated. Why not just make it for one on one personal gripes - the way it used to be. Having a forum for people to slag off other people in general will be too complicated to mod. But if the mods are up for that job then fair enough.

Another option is that you can only reply directly to someone that has replied on the particular thread you are having a discussion on.

Quality

The thunderdome is not as bad and hatefilled a place as it may seem to the outsider looking in... Its like Lolocaust except the expense of the joke is on the poster you are posting about..

Most of us regulars know the score, when it comes to what is acceptable etc.

Perhaps moderation is needed to a degree, I would like to nominate TBH for the job.



I am not sure how an opt in/out system would work.. Generally if someone posts.. they get the piss taken out of them.. they either reply or they go away...

In some cases posters names are brought up time and time again.. Or are abused without consent.. wanker of the week thread would be one of these.

Perhaps it would be best in this case that The thunderdome was made private.. like lolocaust.. In that case anything can go.. You can opt in or out.. And you can slag who you like without fear of being banned.

Me, Quality and Snyper for the job tbh .

Just ban me from boards if I am hungover because there will be rage banning over that insult thread

Beruthiel

Gordon wrote: »

It's one of the fora that's right up there in my least wanting to mod list.

Ditto!

Adam

I'd be surprised if anyone did...

dr.bollocko

Light touch tbh. Do something right and nobody will ever even know you did anything at all.

Unless flutter is doing something right, in which case everyone within a one mile radius will smell just who did it and how it's done right.

DeVore

The idea of the Thunderdome originally was you had to put yourself in the game (by posting there) to be a valid target for abuse/rows/whatever. Unfortunately the ability to move threads there messed that up but the forum kinda worked anyway so I left it alone. Maybe we should review the ability to move threads there and reinstate the original rule.

I've zero problem with rough play (I love Lolocaust for example) but I appreciate that not everyone does and that people have a basic right to remain unattacked.

DeV.

ps: as for Moderation, my 2c is that we probably SHOULD have a moderator but maybe one who is a long time user and will handle both our concerns about targetting non-users while protecting the laisse-faire attitude of the forum.

Mirto

Where would one find this thunderdomicle?

Captain Darling

Mirto wrote: »

Where would one find this thunderdomicle?

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=484

Careful now.

Mirto

Captain Darling wrote: »

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=484

Careful now.

Cheers.

Tuigim, mo chara.

6th

I'd back slideways for mod, he can be a Dome poster when he's in there but doesnt carry it across into other forums.

Slidey

6th wrote: »

I'd back slideways for mod, he can be a Dome poster when he's in there but doesnt carry it across into other forums.

Well thanks.. I think!;)

RoundyMooney

I think tbh would be an excellent candidate, going forward (another phrase I hate).

Flutterin Bantam too, he knows where the line is, by now.

You need someone with a sense of humour in there, who is also a regular rather than (with all due respect) a yes man.

'nuff said.

Hagar

RoundyMooney wrote: »

You need someone with a sense of humour in there, who is also regular

I have a sense of humour and I eat two bowls of All Bran every day but wild horses wouldn't drag me in there.

copacetic

6th wrote: »

I'd back slideways for mod, he can be a Dome poster when he's in there but doesnt carry it across into other forums.

I wouldn't agree, this line in the OP shows an apparent lack of concern/understanding of the reason for the locking of the thunderdome to begin with:

slideways wrote:

now the kid gloves will come out and hold the hands of people who cannot see the funny side to a bit of dark or crass humour or slagging.

Why are people suggested who 'know' where the line is. It is locked because there isn't a line, people obviously don't know where it is.

CreepingDeath

Maybe the Thunderdome can be renamed to "Fight Club"... so nobody is under any illusiions.

We need an oasis of political incorrectness away from the anally retentive "post reporters" of the boards. Ye know who you are.

I agree with the "opt in / opt out" idea alright.
For the most part the insult thread did play to those rules.

Maybe we can extend invitations to people we want to join the Thunderdome