Mod Style for this Forum - Your chance to choose

castie

Hi guys,

Up until now ive been taking an approach of if someone doesnt complain/report a post/thread then its all fair game barring any abuse I may spot myself.

Now Its been flagged to me that some users may think I am acting out against them and then not acting against others and they have outright accused me of having a biased approach to modding this forum.

I can guarantee that I have previously shown no bias towards any users in making decisions.

If youve been infracted/banned/had a post deleted, in 9/10 of the cases youve been reported and I have then investigated and determined if action needed to be taken.

It now appears previously punished users may have a problem. They feel other users go unpunished for things which they feel warrant punishment.
( these issues are unreported and hence not investigated by myself. )



So the choice is here right now.

We can have the approach of "if its not reported no ones offended so lets keep the debate going" *

or

I can recruit 1/2 more mods and we can punish any and all incidents that we judge possibly offensive to users of this forum ( reported or not ).

Now Id mush rather the first approach and in my opinion its worked quite well and also requires less mod effort for the forum. In the end of the day though this is your forum and you should decide.

* within reason of course

Also may I add that if any user has issues with the current goings on in the forum regarding modding/rules please feel free to drop me a PM to discuss. I welcome feedback to help improve what we have here.

mudokon

I like the easy going style of moderation in this forum & a big part of that seems to be down to the fact that there is only a small group of regular posters on here who behave in a manner that doesn't require stricter moderaion.

I have seen very little posted in here that I would get offended over & would hope the moderation continues in the same way.

Ludo

I would go for a third option. Keep modding style the same as it seems to be working quite well, but also add another mod. IMHO there should always be more than one mod of a forum. This can be of benefit to the users as well as the mod(s).

castie

Current workload really doesnt lend to the need for a second mod in all honestly.
There are a few Cmods over this forum also to keep me in check

Ludo

castie wrote: »

Current workload really doesnt lend to the need for a second mod in all honestly.
There are a few Cmods over this forum also to keep me in check

But one of the two CMods is a dub so he doesn't count

kingtut

Well I personally like the way the Cork forum is run. I have been highly active in this forum for the last 3 or so years (especially the last 2) and have only had to use the report button once (over a year ago!).

To my knowledge Castie is the only moderator and while I appreciate his efforts and patients thus far (especially when it comes to my monthly please sticky my thread message!!) I do have the following recommendations / suggestions:

1) Have 1 / 2 additional mods who are actually reasonably active in the forum (with all due respect Castie you do not seem to be an active user of this forum and only post when a problem arises - and when it does you respond pretty quickly I must add!)

2) The report button is there for a reason however some people might be afraid to use it, perhaps you can explain for idiots like me what actually happens the minute you hit it? Do all the mods on boards see it etc? Maybe people are worried about someone knowing that they reported another member?

3) While I am usually against the strict rules and regulations that seem to govern boards there may be some postings / threads that go against what boards deems 'appropriate' and because no-one reports them they go un-noticed until a mod happens to read it (which could be a long time after the post is posted....)

Ok well that is my two cents...for now...:o

kingtut

Ludo wrote: »

I would go for a third option. Keep modding style the same as it seems to be working quite well, but also add another mod. IMHO there should always be more than one mod of a forum. This can be of benefit to the users as well as the mod(s).

+ 1

Purple Lemons

Did i make a boo boo? :pac:

castie

For 1)

While i may not seem like an active user I can tell you I read alot of what goes on in here. You can guess my user style from my post count and join date. Im more of a reader than a writer.

For 2)

When a user reports a post Mods and Cmods (unsure of this) get a notification of the post, poster and reporter along with whatever message they attach. These reports also get posted to a reported threads forum viewable only by mods ( this forum contains all reported posts for the entire site )

For 3)

This is what I meant by "within reason" and I whole heartedly agree that its possible an issue could take awhile to come to light. ( if ever )

Just as a note to people I will likely raise some of the issues mentioned here now and in future with the region Cmods to get their opinion also on the matters.

Papa_Lazarou

I must say i don't have a problem with the way this place is moderated. Its a fairly sensible crowd that post here id say 99.9% of the stuff here people wouldn't have a problem with. Although i suppose a second mod wouldn't go astray just for the sake of having two opinions if a problem does occur with users and to avoid yourself of getting accused of being bias.

But eh i like they way you do your job so keep it up

corkcomp

kingtut wrote: »

+ 1

+1 also

kingtut

Castie thanks for clearing those things up. I think the fact that this forum runs so smoothly is mostly due to the fact that let people have their fun and don't intervene unless absolutely necessary.

Having a forum full of people who have mutual respect for each other and their opinions 99% of the time also helps.

All that is outstanding now is when are you coming to a meetup

castie

Papa_Lazarou wrote: »

I must say i don't have a problem with the way this place is moderated. Its a fairly sensible crowd that post here id say 99.9% of the stuff here people wouldn't have a problem with. Although i suppose a second mod wouldn't go astray just for the sake of having two opinions if a problem does occur with users and to avoid yourself of getting accused of being bias.

But eh i like they way you do your job so keep it up

The current Dispute Resolutions Procedure for Boards is to contact the Moderator who you feel has unfairly infracted/banned you. If after this the mod does not retract the offense and you still feel wronged you escalate to the Cmod and after that a thread on helpdesk. If another mod was taken on for here ( which is a possibility ) it wouldnt really be a case of one mod overviewing anothers decisions. This is mainly to avoid fellow mods of forums falling out. ( When the boss (Cmod/Admin) overrules you theres no fighting back )

castie

kingtut wrote: »

Castie thanks for clearing those things up. I think the fact that this forum runs so smoothly is mostly due to the fact that let people have their fun and don't intervene unless absolutely necessary.

Having a forum full of people who have mutual respect for each other and their opinions 99% of the time also helps.

All that is outstanding now is when are you coming to a meetup

Hehe Id be lynched by angry posters!
Work and relationship situation doesnt currently allow much interacting.
although I may be persuaded for something around the end of April.

mudokon

castie wrote: »

The current Dispute Resolutions Procedure for Boards is to contact the Moderator who you feel has unfairly infracted/banned you. If after this the mod does not retract the offense and you still feel wronged you escalate to the Cmod and after that a thread on helpdesk. If another mod was taken on for here ( which is a possibility ) it wouldnt really be a case of one mod overviewing anothers decisions. This is mainly to avoid fellow mods of forums falling out. ( When the boss (Cmod/Admin) overrules you theres no fighting back )

While I can understand other people's concerns about only having one mod, This is the reason that would put me off having an additional mod. The new mod could have a more hands on approach which is not really neccessary in my opinion.

Owen

The correct and proper approach to modding (What I did when I was a mod), is to PM users causing hassle, and warn them without using the official system. Most people will react positively to this, and it takes no longer to send a pre-typed PM then it does to use the infraction/warning/PM system.

What's happening currently in this forum, is that people are banned/threads locked, without any attempt to steer conversations and debate in the right direction. It's as if the final steps are being taken before the initial steps.

I'm happy to help if you need a mod anyway, and it's not a dig directly at you Castie - but you can't be online all of the time, and reading all the threads. And the easiest option for you is to nip things in the bud, but sometimes a whisper can command attention better than a roar.

kingtut

castie wrote: »

Hehe Id be lynched by angry posters!
Work and relationship situation doesnt currently allow much interacting.
although I may be persuaded for something around the end of April.

Alcohol is always a good bribe well sure if you think you might be free be sure to post and let us know! In the right thread of course my gentle warnings about posting in the right thread apply to everyone lol




*dammit hope he does not ban me *

Owen

PS, I'm full of alcohol, so apologies if my post is confrontational.

castie

PaintDoctor wrote: »

PS, I'm full of alcohol, so apologies if my post is confrontational.

No problem and no offense taken whatsoever.

Purple Lemons

Why did i think Castie was a girl too? :eek:

I think the forum is run brilliantly though, i know i've only been posting a few days but have read threads and not seen any offensive posts anywhere so yeah

castie

Purple Lemons wrote: »

Why did i think Castie was a girl too? :eek:

I think the forum is run brilliantly though, i know i've only been posting a few days but have read threads and not seen any offensive posts anywhere so yeah

Common mistake .

The fact that your not seeing any offensive posts is down to the user base respecting each other and the charter.

corkcomp

I'd have to agree with paint doctor in that disputes with a mod are better discussed via pm and it is not in Anyones interest for either individual or mod to let it spill into public forum

kingtut

Castie - A question arising from PaintDoctors post offering to help as a mod if the need arises, can you tell me, in the event of a new mod being required how is one chosen?

54kroc

I reckon the current approach to moding here is quite good and imo is certainly better than most other parts of boards.
It ain't broke castie so no need to fix it.

castie

kingtut wrote: »

Castie - A question arising from PaintDoctors post offering to help as a mod if the need arises, can you tell me, in the event of a new mod being required how is one chosen?

It would be a choice between

• Someone recommended by me and vetted by the Cmods/Admins.
• Request the Cmods/Admin appoint one themselves
• Post in moderators forum for volunteers from the current mod pool

colblimp

The forum should be moderated, not censured, as it is at the moment.

I also agree 100% with Paintdoctor thus:

The correct and proper approach to modding (What I did when I was a mod), is to PM users causing hassle, and warn them without using the official system. Most people will react positively to this, and it takes no longer to send a pre-typed PM then it does to use the infraction/warning/PM system.

What's happening currently in this forum, is that people are banned/threads locked, without any attempt to steer conversations and debate in the right direction. It's as if the final steps are being taken before the initial steps.

All posters, of course, should watch their 'attitudes'...

kingtut

castie wrote: »

It would be a choice between

• Someone recommended by me and vetted by the Cmods/Admins.
• Request the Cmods/Admin appoint one themselves
• Post in moderators forum for volunteers from the current mod pool

I swear that money was just resting in my account ...

corkcomp

Seriously colblimp dude, your doing it again there, having a snipe at a mod, most of us would prefer not to have to keep reading that. Is it not possible to keep it to pm and escalate to CMod if you are still not happy?

castie

colblimp wrote: »

The forum should be moderated, not censured, as it is at the moment.

I also agree 100% with Paintdoctor thus:

The correct and proper approach to modding (What I did when I was a mod), is to PM users causing hassle, and warn them without using the official system. Most people will react positively to this, and it takes no longer to send a pre-typed PM then it does to use the infraction/warning/PM system.

What's happening currently in this forum, is that people are banned/threads locked, without any attempt to steer conversations and debate in the right direction. It's as if the final steps are being taken before the initial steps.

All posters, of course, should watch their 'attitudes'...

Some Questions.

How do you feel this forum is being censored?

What type of content do you think is being removed that should remain?

kingtut

corkcomp wrote: »

Seriously colblimp dude, your doing it again there, having a snipe at a mod, most of us would prefer not to have to keep reading that. Is it not possible to keep it to pm and escalate to CMod if you are still not happy?

+ 1 to this.

Colblimp you are a great guy and have spent many a night out with you but I have to add that in the 3 or so years that I have been in the cork forum you are the only person I have seen receiving a ban for posts in this forum... It think that says a lot for how easy going Castie is.

colblimp

kingtut wrote: »

+ 1 to this.

Colblimp you are a great guy and have spent many a night out with you but I have to add that in the 3 or so years that I have been in the cork forum you are the only person I have seen receiving a ban for posts in this forum... It think that says a lot for how easy going Castie is.

A ban that was totally unjustified. How Castie has the nerve to say I'm racist when he hasn't met me and knows nothing about me is an absolute disgrace, it's slanderous!

Anyway, I want to move on - I have better things to be talking about than mod decisions.