(Site is a graveyard - How can boards save itself?) Any update?

Irish Aris

On the subject of moderation:

I had considered for a while to volunteer as a mod in the site. The fora that I follow are the less contagious ones: Films, gaming (both have very good mods in place) and music which I think it doesn't have active mods and it could worth a try as for the most part people behave well and genuinely share music. (I also follow soccer, which is a bit more difficult but also has good mods and people behave for the most part).

Two main reasons that make me reluctant to go ahead with it:

1.Written words are not always easy to interpret. Obviously there are clear cut cases where you could tell when a poster takes the piss. There are also posts that are more difficult to interpret and one can easily misunderstand what another person means, what's the context. We saw it earlier in this thread. That's a general observation, applies not just to boards but to most of the Internet.

2.Specific to Boards: it's not clear what's allowed and what's not. I think Flaneur's suggestion about a full review of the charters in the site is one of the few (if not the only) suggestions that can be actioned here and now. Not to say that there weren't other good suggestions, but the luck of resources would make them rather unrealistic. I can't say what the charter should look like - in broad terms I agree with many of the points that Flaneur made, but thankfully it's not for me to decide.

Two more general observations:

-I always find that these feedback threads are almost exclusively for Current Affairs. I'll admit that I'm not using CA almost at all: I might go in a thread if the title catches my attention and scan the first 4-5 posts for any link that may give me some info on the topic (I only follow the Enoch Burke thread, initially because the topic interested me, later because it became entertaining). Rather common that the bickering and digs start straight away. I'm sure moderation isn't perfect there. I can only express admiration and respect to the mods of CA. Because my opinion is: who in their right mind would want to mod CA.

-Posters argued about balanced debate and freedom of speech and that it's a community and these are all fair points. Posters also need to remember that this is aa privately owned company. And the owners can wake up one morning and decide "f**k this" and change the rule book completely on what's allowed and what's not. People will obviously disagree and bring the points in the beginning of this paragraph, bottom line though: their company, their rules. I think it would be good that we all remember that and decide if there is anything we can do in our daily interactions here.

Dial Hard

Jesus christ, gang, some of you really need to get out more.

RobbieTheRobber

I stopped posting on boards and funnily enough I don't get annoyed by posters responding to my posts anymore that way.

Might be helpful to those who feel "piled on" for other users responding to their public posts on a public forum.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122493707#Comment_122493707

This is absolute nonsense. I've seen you go well out of your way to ruin threads on more than one occasion. It's one of the core jobs of any mod to shut this down sharpish.

Some people just see any form of disagreement with ideology (usually whatever right wing crap they've imported from the USA) as all out attack and then start complaining about being assaulted because they can't engage meaningfully.

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122493802#Comment_122493802

It’s not bad advice I have to say. I’ve had issues with abusive posts last month - I think it’s sorted in the main now- but what I noticed were certain posters with some major degrees of paranoia - every poster nearly they saw as a potential “threat” to them - they were posting regularly in certain CA topic threads and collectively decided that certain views or posts were trolling- but instead of reporting, they attacked the poster.

It was extraordinary behaviour to watch - a collective group think approach. Taking a break from such threads even for just a few days certainly does bring down tension - so yeah, “get out more” is not bad advice at all- too much posting just leads to a bunch of “know it alls” who don’t tolerate any posting style or viewpoint other than their own

Goldengirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122493513#Comment_122493513

Wow thats some recall . No context though .

But I did not start this ..that was you .

Good of you " to accept the responses "from me and the other poster you accused ! How condescending of you .

I accept your acceptance , but note very importantly , that you did not say you were sorry for ill placed and ill informed accusations and the resulting upset last night / early morning . To me anyhow .Maybe you don't give a ...

The fact that you do not apologise for what you said says it all as far as I am concerned .

I will leave it there .

Edit .I do see though you admit you were wrong

Goldengirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122493442#Comment_122493442

This. Thank you .

I didn't start this . And it would have been over straight away if the poster had withdrawn it last night . But no way do I want somebody fighting with me on pm in the middle of the night no matter how rational they think they are !

At the end of the day posters are allowed to defend themselves and other posters should have the decency to allow that especially given the thread that we are on .

Tell me how

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122493759#Comment_122493759

I think CA is effectively the M50 of the site. Everyone uses it at some point and at any given time, it probably has the most users so to see it dominating feedback threads is understandable.

I would love to see AH dominate as it once did with more traffic in other forums such as soccer/music/games etc than there has been for the last couple of years. But traffic in those is influenced by people not wanting to deal with CA I feel. So trying to resolve that in some way (I've suggested one specific solution) so that it isn't the experience it currently is, is worth discussing.

Part of the issue here, is that it is almost exclusively a user side discussion with minimal input from the site side. If they were to get involved in the discussion, I think the tone could move to being much more proactive than finger pointing. That's the wish anyway.

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122493442#Comment_122493442

I think I suggested before on another thread, could we maybe report the post and/or poster on the specific thread tagging mod(s) that we take issue with instead of by flag report

Flaneur OBrien

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122494342#Comment_122494342

Are your saying that you want the ability to choose who moderates your reports?

Vote4Squirrels

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122494376#Comment_122494376

I don't wish to speak for another poster but there are some threads that certain moderators should not oversee due to very strong opinions.

No one should be able to choose who moderates their comments but some people should be aware that they may find it difficult to be impartial and should recuse themselves from certain threads.

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122494342#Comment_122494342

No just tag all mods over that particular forum

It gives both the reporter and reportee space to explain why and clarify, give both sides, as some posters have said some multiple posts need to be read back over for context

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122493170#Comment_122493170

What, Leggy was asking about your post, I wasn't

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122494512#Comment_122494512

That would just clutter up the threads and make them impossible to follow.
Replying to a post telling the poster you've reported it is currently seen as backseat modding.

Unless you mean create a specific DRP thread or something just for the posts?

I don't think there's any appetite for such public modding, and could open a can of worms.

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122493906#Comment_122493906

You seem very against the right, can you really be impartial when modding a decision against a poster falling on the right side or do you step aside?

Goldengirl

Given the reality that moderators are facing with numbers on some threads , it is crazy to suggest that you would bypass an available moderator to tag a " preferred " moderator .

Maybe the suggestion by some (can't remember who, sorry ) of anonymity for moderators when they are modding would be best then to avert this type of discrimination by posters .

You can pm a mod if its very involved, it has been said by them on feedback , but they would not be able to get back as quick so that might not work .

@JP Liz V1 yes that was clarified by Leg already . When I saw your post to him in the middle I thought you were . Sorry .

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122494558#Comment_122494558

Yes. Even if I wasn't, this is what the final stage of DRP is for.

The thing with an appeal is that you yourself have to make a cogent argument as to why you've been unfairly treated. I always explain my decision as clearly and concisely as I can. If the only counter is lazily claiming persecution or bias instead of making a cogent argument based on facts, it won't go far with the admin.

JP Liz V1

I never mentioned tagging a preferred mod, I suggested all the mods over that particular forum with the thread

Goldengirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122493319#Comment_122493319

Agenda driven ?!

Whats agenda driven about wanting some balance and not to have hate speech and racist conspiracy theories posted on a thread ?

Which btw you don't see much when you pop in to have a look because it has been reported by other posters and deleted by the mods . Usually .

OscarMIlde

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122494693#Comment_122494693

I have no problem with people reporting hate speech or conspiracies, I've no idea why you think I do. I also was posting this in the feedback forum generally not about any particular poster.

I'm sure everyone on boards has seen posters violate the don't be a dick rule in an attempt to win an argument. I'm probably guilty of it myself at times. It can spoil things for people who don't want to engage in sniping.

Irish Aris

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122494620#Comment_122494620

But would this suggestion create a risk posters will start arguing on who reports whom?

I honestly don't think it's a good idea, we have seen from numerous feedback threads how this might end up.

Necro

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122494915#Comment_122494915

It's a terrible idea and completely and utterly unworkable in Current Affairs, which lets face it is the main source of everyone's gripes with the site.

The problem for some here is that they don't seem to understand the role of a moderator. We are not opinion police. It is already a site rule that hate speech is forbidden but it is not for me (and actually, it's not for anyone really) to tell someone their view is incorrect or wrong unless it contravenes that rule. You can robustly debate and disagree with it, absolutely!

As has been pointed out by posters from either side of this ridiculous left/right divide everyone is determined to have nowadays, a thread in CA was nuked just days ago because it went over the line into that sort of rhetoric, which is exactly what should happen.

Moderators are like referees in a football match. We're there to make sure people abide by the rules. This, perhaps is the main issue with CA, in that there is no apparent charter to reference and something that should definitely be fixed.

I'd make one suggestion as well seeing as US Politics seems to pervade every single thread now. Make a new US Politics subforum under the Politics banner and mod it as robustly as Politics is currently. You can keep one thread in CA for the presidential election as it is a Current Affair, but there doesn't need to be thread for Trump, a thread for Biden AND a US election thread (is there one for Harris now too?)

As for a space where there are no rules that @Tell me how mentioned before... Erm. That would be turning Boards more into Stormfront than anything anyone else has suggested. You're around long enough to remember how the Thunderdome ended and the whole VOAT nonsense where posters and mods alike were doxxxed. That's just not a good idea in all honesty.

In terms of finding mods honestly I can see in the background the work admins and C-mods are doing to try and find new ones but the problem is nobody wants these jobs. The abuse that volunteers get is absolutely crazy these days as evidenced from @Big Bag of Chips simply posting an on-thread warning earlier.

I said it on the previous thread but if people just simply took two mins to think before posting and treated others with a little bit more respect it would be a much nicer place to go. But now everything is a battleground where people who are completely different ideologically are trying to "win" unwinnable arguments instead of agreeing to differ the odd time. You have to understand you are not going to change someone's opinions through your posting. If you can Co-exist with people with different views in real life then you have to ask yourself why can't you do that online?

Vote4Squirrels

I think all people want is fairness. To see all rules applied across the board - and the referee analogy is apt, VAR favours some teams and not others for example.

I've just seen a poster warned for being uncivil - fair enough, that is a rule we all try to stick by. However, it was in response to a poster with a very obvious MO - posting baseless claims, refusing to provide any links whatsoever (e.g. a post aimed at me saying that the thread was "full of racism and Islamophobia" yet replying with "you can read" when I asked for examples).

Yet when that particular poster demands "proof" - and is given it - there is a snide reply of "so you've got none". It seems deeply unfair that some posters are seen as more equal than others.

I was banned for two weeks for trolling (which I was not, it was sarcasm if badly phrased) - yet I can go into CA/IMHO right now and see a dozen posts which are worse, and nothing is ever done.

I inadvertently breached a site rule earlier that I wasn't aware of, I am now and won't do it again. Thank you to @Beasty for their time and understanding. Perhaps @Necro is right above - and more detailed rules are needed ? When I joined here and racked up some points early on it was suggested I read the CA charter - I did so and do "try not to be a dick" - however there are indeed posters who can't be described as behaving in any other manner and yet there's NEVER a warning tag on their posts, like there are on so many others.

That's what would help - openness, transparency and fairness. To all.

Tell me how

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122495111#Comment_122495111

As for a space where there are no rules that @Tell me how mentioned before

That isn't what I've mentioned.

I've specifically said still have rules in terms of not allowing outright abuse and insults but not this uber-sensitive 'say nothing about the poster' approach that is attempted to be implemented currently and which leads to lots of frustration. And I've suggested previously to have this space be like the Soccer forum where it's invisible to all but those who deliberately seek it out. And have conditions on granting access to it. Minimum post count, time on Boards etc etc.

odyssey06

The Soccer forum was mentioned by way of comparison with CA.

For example, open to correction - I think there's a rule about thanking an abusive post, such posters can be sanctioned also. If anything is a "pile on", that is.

Something that should be considered for CA.

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122495233#Comment_122495233

"Thanks trolling" is / was a thing discussed in various soccer feedback threads a few years ago, but I do not believe this rule was ever adopted in the end. It would be pretty much impossible to moderate fairly and accurately.

Vote4Squirrels

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122495233#Comment_122495233

That would be a great idea - I saw an especially abusive post today and was not surprised to see the thanks added - to my mind it’s agreeing with the abuse and should be dealt with as such.

Just my 2c though!!

RobbieTheRobber

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122495510#Comment_122495510

Nothing worse than all the thanks you see an openly racist/sexist/abusive post get. Then later posters in the same thread referring to the harsh moderation or how a good poster is lost when it is later dealt with.

nullzero

If you're going to start sanctioning people for thanking posts we're going to need a bigger boat (or a lot more mods as it were).

Vote4Squirrels

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122495620#Comment_122495620

Or people could just not be a dick and not thank abusive posts?