Moderation rules question

Tks... great!... First that explanation then the Lindens ones (of course) ... thats information-... and no one of us all wil live without info.,..

Non answer and non info are the worst any can be treaten by.. everwhere in life...


/Tina

you know, i think that's probably (and sadly) the best course of action from this point on.

does anyone remember the Off-Topic thread about Jeska's comments when closing a thread? the one that encouraged her to use humor and wit? that was part of my basis for trying to bring some humor to my comments when closing a thread.. but alas, it appears this rubs too many people the wrong way.

similarly, i would leave reasons for closing a thread because when the ResMod program started and we started closing threads for review, we were being asked by the community to provide a reason why we were doing so. now it appears, this has done a 180 and the preferrance would be for us to simply close a thread without saying anything, or rather.. as Spinner suggested "closed for review", which seems like a decdent idea at this point.
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on another moderation note, i want to clear something up. there is NO list of "ignore ARs from this person", nor is there "give preferrential treatment to that person".
yes, there are a good amount of ARs that don't get acted upon, but it has nothing to do with who they come from (because quite simply, we don't know that information.. unless the one reporting offers that info), it's simply because some of the posts/threads ARed are not in actual violation.

and there ARE ResMod guidelines/rules besides the ToS/CS. tihs is part of the reason that there is now a week of "training" for new ResMods, so they have time to learn said information while also learning what to do by observation from "behind the scenes".
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i'm taking my role as a ResMod seriously and it's threads like this one that help give insight into what is working, what isn't working and what ideas might be able to be expounded upon to help mold this program into the useful tool it could grow to be. (that's why i'm glad to have seen this thread turn back around to On Topic!)

Cybin,

Perhaps the reason humor is lost upon many people when closing a thread is because often times it seems a rather arbitrary and lazy thing to do. Instead of editing offending posts or getting the thread back on track as a good moderator would do, someone just swoops in and says "ok, you guys are all done now go play somewhere else". It's insulting, honestly, and there is nothing funny about it. Yeah some threads do go to hell and are far off from where they started, but such is life. They often die on their own anyway, but coming in and locking a thread is guaranteed to piss some people off who may be interested in that thread and want to continue.

This is one of the best posts I have read in a long time.

absolutely true, Cris. that's why i will usually try to help get a thread back on track before opting for closing a thread for review. as far as editing posts goes, that's Jesk'a territory and ResMods have no such power.
also, you're quite right about some threads dying on their own. there have been a few that were reported, but by the time i got to them, they were already off on page 3 or further of whatever forum they were in, so i just leave it be and if it resurfaces in a bad light, then i'll return and do whatever needs to be done.

and when i talk about using humor, i hadn't realized how it could come across as condescending and i apologize to the community at whole if i've come across as such. here's a quote of a post i had made as an attempt to curb flaming with in a thread (although i hadn't closed it):


i'm honestly curious as to whether the community would rather these type of comments not be made or does the levity help? or what if i had made such a comment in a post announcing a thread being closed for review?

this is a point about ResModding that isn't discussed much, but that i would really like to know the answer to. i'm a big fan of humor, so (attempting) to use it comes naturally to me, but if it's shining badly then i would try to refrain from doing so.

Prob with that is it's not authorative and your in a position of authority.

Making light of it won't get your point across.. Nor will anything longwinded as folks will simply ignore it. An old sergeant I knew had an excellent saying: Nice guys make excellent doormats.

If you've been in the military - think of it as giving an order. Use as little words as possible to get your point across, and leave nothing to the imagination as to what your saying:

Like:

This thread is closed, pending review

Short - sweet - simple.

groovy, honestly.. a bummer, but i'll take these points to heart and apply them when closing a thread.

what about when trying to address flaming, trolling, spamming, et al? or trying to bring a thread back from Off Topic? should i be applying the same theory, or do you guys think humor can help in those instances? (like the example in my previous post?)


and by the way, i thank you guys for discussing this plainly with me. i will be posting these opinions within the ResMod forum in an attempt to get us all on the same page.

On closing topics.

I see the point of keeping the reason short and to the point, but sometimes a longer explination would be nice. Some topics get complicated and the reason it was closed may not be clear. So I guess it depends on the situation, at least for me.

Cat

I think that if your in a position of authority, and wish to be taken seriously - then you adopt an authorative tone.

Thats the way it works if you wish people to listen to you.

When you're the boss - you have to act like the boss. Sure there will be people that don't like it - but thats the way it is, you can't have it both ways.

People who want to try and have it both ways end up being walked over.

You are not a Linden Lab employee. You should not be interpreting the TOS or appearing to be to set policy. It crosses a line that should not be crossed by a customer to other customers. Unless you guys are receiving some strict training for a couple days on the moderation, customer service, company policy, and the TOS, I don’t see how you can have the necessary experience to decide what to do.


“Closed pending review” is really the best option. You fretting over your inability to keep it short and simple makes you seem like an overzealous hall monitor drunk with faux power. I am not calling you this, but it does create a certain appearance that you have to get a comment in on a thread.

cybin, i appreciate the fact that you are sticking your neck out to ease the tensions about the resmod program. and you've been good about trying to deal with what you can deal with.

but i have to ask, why are you the one doing this? why isn't it jeska or robin? (ok i know torley has been trying, but... time in grade). whose ass is on the line if the forums blow up? who is supposed to own this problem/situation? why aren't they speaking up? why are they letting the resmods take so much heat, when ultimately it's not the resmods' responsibility?

you're doing the best you can, and you're doing pretty well (aside from criticism you're already trying to deal with).

but what you say really lacks the ring of authority, direction, and leadership that people are looking for.

you're not the leader here, and it's pretty clear you're not even a mouthpiece. so what you have to say doesn't actually carry much weight with me - when it comes to policy.

there's a whole lot of "the resmods have no power" going around. if that's the case... why should anyone listen to the resmods?

unless, you're claiming you have the authority to back up your policy claims. in which case that brings up the whole issue of "how much power do the resmods actually have?" there's a whole lot of bullshit around what the resmods can and can't do, what powers they have, what influence they have, what they are supposed to be doing, etc. sadly, much of it coming from the resmods.

but i don't think it's the resmods' fault... i think the leadership and guidance (and expectation setting) has been lacking from the linden end. the resmods have been trying to fill the void left by the lindens.

Cybin, as I said before - wake up and smell the insanity. Yes, they are in actual violation. Ask Satchmo for an explanation of why it works that way.

coco

I have to agree with Cocoanut here. Please explain to me how "fuck yourself, twat", from a recent Suicide Girls thread, is not actionable? It was reported by many people and no warning given.

you and cocoanut realize that this problem has been around since before the resmod program...?

It's because of who said it, not what was said. Although I'm really tempted to use it on a few ppl just to see what will or won't happen to my account LOL.

Cat

It sure has, and the poster above me got away with it too.

You didn't hear Coco screaming then though - just making excuses.

Agreed - and - where are Launa and Damien???

OH look its Nolan talking about me again. Hello Stalker!

/me waves at Nolan.

Everyone wave to Nolan

Liar, I never said "fuck you, twat".

:runs to the nearest building to dial 911.

No, just "fucking moron", "piece of shit", and "fuck your opinions" (several times), all without a single warning. All direct and profane personal attacks.

I can turn that right back at you, the "it depends who it is thing", because I reported you for those statements, and you were never warned.

See Cat, I can appreciate that you claim you've changed, toned it down or what not, that's great, it really is - but what I cannot appreciate is your PREACHING now to others now about how they should act.

Be the change, but for Pete's sake, when you have almost all the same skeletons in your own closet, don't preach at others, and I think this is what Aaron was trying to get at over on SLU, albeit not very nicely.

Be an example, let that example speak for you, but please, and I am asking nicely, don't preach to people about things you've done yourself, it's really quite annoying.

Your computer is outside?

Time to schedule a lolocaust.

Absolutely, I was responding to exactly what Cybin said, which is that if the AR did not contain anything actionable, no action would be taken. I am asking him to explain no action being taken in that case, when ARs were filed, based on the statement he made. Just because the problem has existed for awhile doesn't mean it is not worth questioning, especially in this context.

Push ppl past their normal limits then never let them live it down. Nice tactic.

You never let anything go, ever. You need to leave me alone. I view you as a STALKER.

See, this is how I read that:

"Everyone needs to be accountable for their actions. Everyone except me."



I view Nolan as a baked potato. Doesn't mean he's actually a delicious tuber, excellent with butter. I means It have delusions about him being a baked potato.

I honestly do not think that it depends at all on who said what.

I think it's just a flawed system.

For example, a few months back, I quoted another poster who called someone else a "fag". Well guess what? I received a formal warning for it. For QUOTING a personal attack , and worse yet, the person who said it's post was not touched. "Fag" reamined in his post, and is probably still there today. I emailed Jeska about it, since it was she who sent me the warning - no response.

So, with respect to the resmod program, I do appreciate that they seem to be trying to take some action to improve moderation, I am just not wholly convinced that having our direct peers monitor us is the solution - it opens up a whole case of cans of worms.

I really wish they would just hire a couple people to do it full time. For the life of me, I don't know why they don't or won't.

Oh and for the record, I don't have a problem with the person who said "fuck yourself, twat" not receiving a warning, as I think the whole thing is lame. What I have a problem with is the sheer arbitrary nature of who gets warned and who doesnt'. What is the sense of having rules if you only apply them at random?