Forum Moderation Idea

On the new topic at hand, I definitely can see why people would be offended by variations on the word retard. While it has been homogonized through usage to have little connection to its original usage, it is still always a derogatory word that does have the exact same connotation - someone stupid or slow that doesn't understand something or is just a general idiot.

Labelling it as "hate speech" is a major grey area - attacks against the handicapped do fall under hate speech/hate crime laws in some cases. It's much cloudier when you are levelling it as an insult against someone who is not in fact handicapped. It is further clouded by free speech issues and the intended audience and target. It is quite a stretch to claim Siggy calling someone a tard is hate speech. Offensive, yes - but it would only be hate speech if he were actively attacking someone mentally disabled for purposes of denigrating them based upon their condition.

"Name calling" or making posts to get someone riled up, realy has no place in a "discussion" forum either. I see no value in those posts, they have no positive impact on SL. After all isn't a positive impact on SL what we all realy want?

Cat

"Name calling" or making posts to get someone riled up, realy has no place in a "discussion" forum either. I see no value in those posts, they have no positive impact on SL. After all isn't a positive impact on SL what we all realy want?

i generally agree with your ideas but i'd like to point out that there are exceptions. i think it should be ok to name call and rile people up if they make money in SL because they are leaches ruining everyones fun. i would go so far as to say we should make offensive signs to lobby against them and place them on land next to their businesses.

At serious personal risk of being sent to the cornfield, I do have say that is some serious pwnage...

Jolly good show there chum! Pop pop cherrio!

I'm sorry. This thread started out well, but has gone way off the original topic. Please refrain from fighting.

Ok, this is a little wacky, but I generally like to blurt out everything that crosses my distorted mind anyway, so here goes...

I have been noticing that the tone of forum debate improves significantly when there are multiple people posting on a given subject that are:

- smart
- reasonable
- polite, civil, etc.

What seems to happen is this "raises the bar" for other posters and IMO a kind of "civilizing effect" occurs wherein posters who would normally be less than civil really try to involve themselves in the debate and prove to others that they to can be a "civil intellectual" of sorts.

This effect is really noticeable in group forums but seems to occur even in General.

Similarly, the presence of a single angry "tard" (or several) seems to drag everyone down. Otherwise serious, polite and smart people start stooping to the lowest level and take extreme glee in trouncing said "tard," but using the self-same tactics! This effectively multiplies the "tard" population, and sends things spiraling out of control.

So my thought is that perhaps it's foolish to try to "punish the tards" in the traditional sense of forum moderation. The "tards" are in fact, sometimes ourselves. Additionally, uneven (or perceived to be uneven), "tard" punishment leads to a further escalation in "tard" behavior from people who would also otherwise be "non-tards."

My suggestion then, is that it would be more productive then, to simply encourage the presence and growth of the "non-tard" population rather than try to eliminate the "tard" population, and to bring up the level of debate that way.

The controlling mechanisms then would include some kind of positive reward for "non-tard" behavior. People who consistently help others on the forums, or make positive contributions to debates and generally remain civil in the face of great adversity would be rewarded in some way. This would also make the job of "moderation" better in that the moderator would be focussing on the good posts instead of the bad ones and skip lightly through with her magic wand anointing the good behavior of forum posters and ignoring the "tards."

oh.. and please refrain from the use of the word "tard". I remember when it was cool, but now it is so 1980s and a tad hurtful to those with special needs children.

I'm sorry. This thread started out well, but has gone way off the original topic. Please refrain from fighting.

Who are you to tell other peple what to say?

One of the forum mods, empowered to do exactly that by LL, who is doing their job exactly as they are supposed to?

It is a good idea. The irony is we just provided proof for the theory.

How are we supposed to know who ResMods are? I don't see moderator under the forum name.


Are we now expected to be mind readers?

How are we supposed to know who ResMods are? I don't see moderator under the forum name.


Are we now expected to be mind readers?

Here is a visual

i rather like having the ability to leave my little self-appointed title there.

MJ, is that visible in the thread? No. Moderators on almost every message board have it under their name.

Perhaps res-mods should strip their icons and funny titles while "on the job."

Oh dear, Siggy and David. I see I have made a horrible faux pas and actually posted my thoughts.

I suppose I misread the earlier postings as well:

Pendari - "oh.. and please refrain from the use of the word "tard". I remember when it was cool, but now it is so 1980s and a tad hurtful to those with special needs children."

I suppose the little smilies meant that she didn't mean this whatsoever?

And Stoneself - "however calling people who are not actually retarded retards is denigrating. also, by using it as an insult of someone else's intelligence (especially when they are not retarded) makes the term 'retard' into an insult."

He was joking as well?

coco