Lads ye need to start advertising for mods

Pawwed Rig

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119976523#Comment_119976523

It isn't that easy. If someone is clearly breaking site rules then yes they can be (and have been) demodded immediately. However if someone who is doing their best and just isn't up to it then what do you do? Firing well meaning volunteers is not an easy or pleasant task and takes up a huge amount of time as multiple people will have to be in agreement.

There is also access to the mod forums to consider. It would not be appropriate to let just anyone have access.

growleaves

Commuting and Transport is a real mess imo. Bullies ganging up on people in every thread, shouting down any disagreement and telling people their opinion doesn't count or what they're allowed to say.

Other forums aren't nearly as bad, including the one that everyone hates: Current Affairs.

EmmetSpiceland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119976594#Comment_119976594

The less moderation in CA the better. Keep them in there. Tighter moderation just leads to AH and other, more normal, forums getting stunk up.

Have the absentee mods been de-modded yet? One would have to suspect that privy information may be being reported back to inner cliques for shíts and giggles.

growleaves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119976933#Comment_119976933

???

I only mentioned Current Affairs in passing to try to give some perspective of just how bad C&T is.

Commuting & Transport would benefit from moderation and enforcing the charter there imo. New posters come in to ask a question or share an account of an experience and immediately receive denigration and abuse. Is that fair?

Beasty

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119974998#Comment_119974998

I am not contesting any of that, except to caveat one point - IP addresses can be personal data. They are not in all cases personal data

I am simply saying that the small number of us who can access this information have no interest in using it to ID any poster - clearly I can only talk specifically for myself in terms of actual use, but I am not seeing any evidence of such use. We use it to spot re-regs and the like, not try and identify anyone other than people who may be shilling their business (and again I have no interest in finding out who they actually are, just in stopping them using this site for commercial activity/personal gain contrary to site rules)

And yes we all know about VPNs. Some re-regs use them, some don't. IP addresses are only one tool we can use to identify re-regs (as Site Admins - only Site Admins and the likes of Mike in the office are in a position to identify and ban re-regs)

GreeBo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119976583#Comment_119976583

Well someone trying their best has to be better than no one at all, right?

If "you" keep approaching it they way "you" have been for the last 2 years "you" will have the same results.

Its a problem that will solve itself, by people continuing to leave and the site being left with AH, Politics & Soccer just trolling each other to the bottom.

Pawwed Rig

Well no not really. You end up with a heap of DRPs and feedback threads with people giving out yards about inconsistent or bias moderation. Couple that with dealing with the mod in question it becomes alot of extra (unpleasant) work on volunteers. When volunteers have to perform unpleasant tasks guess what happens.

They stop volunteering.

You also upset a previously good poster who typically (ime) doesn't post on the site again

GreeBo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119978762#Comment_119978762

"Heaps of feedback and DRP threads about inconsistent or bias moderation?" Now why does that sound familiar?!

EmmetSpiceland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119978912#Comment_119978912

To be fair nearly all of those threads were started by a small section of oddballs, and malcontents, from the “Current Affairs” forum who can’t seem to play by the rules and the rest were coordinated attacks by the shinner lot still hurting from the loss of the “Big 10” during the McMurphy Affair.

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119975684#Comment_119975684

The reference to "tools" was for performing mod duties, not appointing mods.

In general, appointing mods goes as you say. CMod identifies a forum that needs more mods (or a mod asks for help), they ask the existing mods for suggestions or identifies good candidates themselves, puts them to admin who will come back with a yes / no in a few days.

The process itself is very straightforward, the difficulty is usually finding good candidates or getting people to say yes to doing it!

ohnonotgmail

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119986745#Comment_119986745

So how many users have been asked to become mods?

PommieBast

@awec

The process itself is very straightforward, the difficulty is usually finding good candidates or getting people to say yes to doing it!

The latter is a good point and many will consider it a poisoned chalice. Even outside their moderation zone moderators are expected to maintain a higher standard than the average poster, and that means far less leeway in making controversial points.

GreeBo

tbh this is all just sounding like excuses for doing nothing for the last year or two.

so many reasons why you can't get more mods yet it seems like you haven't dont the fundamental thing of actually ask people?

If you need more blocks laid you dont keep hiring more foremen.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119990239#Comment_119990239

There have been some new mods appointed.

The thing is you need a few qualities in a good mod. You need someone who's going to actively contribute to a forum, someone with a level head and the ability to act fairly. In a forum like Photography, that might be a fairly easy combination. In Soccer or Current Affairs, much harder. It's also a voluntary gig and the busier forums need a lot more time than others.

Pawwed Rig

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119990239#Comment_119990239

Meh

I have tried to explain it to you but you're not accepting what I am saying. Your prerogative

GreeBo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119990452#Comment_119990452

If you have your pick of people applying then that's fine, but it seems like you don't?

Using the same approach from when boards.ie was as its peak to now seems prone to failure.

GreeBo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119990514#Comment_119990514

I'm fully accepting what your current approach is, my opinion is that its no longer suitable, as evidenced by the lack of mods.

You can keep trying the old ways of course, your prerogative.

muffler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119990548#Comment_119990548

Would you become a mod if you were asked?

GreeBo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119990743#Comment_119990743

Not again.

bucketybuck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119990514#Comment_119990514

All you did was list out a load of reasons why it is hard to find good mods.

But nobody needs to be told yet again that finding mods is a tricky task, most people already know that.

The point is that for any difficult task, at some point you have to stop saying that it is hard and start actually doing something tangible.

muffler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119991868#Comment_119991868

Not again what?

GreeBo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119992019#Comment_119992019

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119990743#Comment_119990743

I wouldn't become a mod again?

GreeBo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119991936#Comment_119991936

This.

In any area of life there is only so long you can say that you are too busy working to spend time adding more people to help.

hullaballoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119991936#Comment_119991936

It isn't for want of effort. It's scarcity of resources.

We can't look at it as though if only those admin-types would get the finger out, we'd have tons of shiny new mods.

With the best will in the world, it's a finite userbase so there is a finite number of users who will meet the reasonably high threshold required to be mods of any given forum. I have spent years searching for suitable candidates for certain forums and have yet to find mods for those forums.

As mentioned you need to be pretty sure of the temperament as well before making someone a mod as misjudging that can be disastrous.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119992072#Comment_119992072

And people can go through a very bad or stressful period which can affect all interactions in life. It’s sometimes necessary for some good people to step back.

In theory, in an ideal world, an algorithm of high post count with small number of infractions, none serious, could aid a behind the scenes system to help the selection process, once posters had individually consented to such data being taken for mod selection & vetting. That way it would be broadly known whether a poster was potentially willing to mod in the first place, then if they met the criteria. Could go to admins etc discussion then before invitation.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119991936#Comment_119991936

I’m being reminded here of Irish Rail and the reasons that tea can’t be served in the train 🙂

bucketybuck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119992072#Comment_119992072

You are just doing the same thing, again just repeating that it is hard. I know it is hard.

And I never once said or even implied in the slightest that there could be lots of shiny new mods if only somebody got the finger out.

awec

FYI, we have 6 category mod additions to announce.

The Black Oil and pixelburp are joining Entertainment.

magicbastarder and Nody are joining Arts

ShamoBuc is joining Sports

Sierra Oscar is joining Soc & Culture.

muffler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120030047#Comment_120030047

Good news indeed about the new Cmods. What's the story though regarding the current pool of Admins. How many are there but more importantly how many are active?

ohnonotgmail

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120030047#Comment_120030047

Nothing for social & fun? Current Affairs and After Hours seem to be the forums that require new mods more than others.