I am no longer a moderator, but felt it would be useful to tell a short story of one incident that I experienced.
About a year ago, I got involved with removing several posts that I felt were inappropriate. The incident was discussed in the forum, and one individual started making comments about a lack of specific rules or standards that explained what was or was not allowable to be posted and stated that the actions taken by the moderators were very subjective. I continued the conversation with this individual by private message, and finally it got to the point where I asked him if he was willing to accept a project, which would be to help to define a rule. He agreed and I sent him the following message...........:
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From: mwmiller
Date: Oct 28 14:36
Subject: RE : Posting rules
Form a committee, select one specific subject encountered regularly in the forum, and define rules for that subject. Define the subject in specific detail and describe what exactly is acceptable and what should be removed by a moderator.
Your committee must consist of a representation of the RHP community. It must include people from different countries, with different age groups, liberal and conservative viewpoints, religious beliefs, educational backgrounds, etc. You get the idea.
Some subjects to select from could be spam, inappropriate language, personal attacks, etc. but just select one.
Organize the committee, define the task and produce a finished product that your committee agrees on.
The finished rule must be clear and specific and cover the subject without leaving any loop-holes or require the moderator to use interpretation or have to deal with anything in a subjective manner.
I would be interested in seeing the finished product.
regards, Marc
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............ I have not received a result so far.
As I am no longer a moderator, the person who is working on this should contact a current moderator when the project is conpleted.
regards, Marc
Originally posted by mwmillerOh dear. The person to whom you sent that became very busy for about a year after that message, and gradually forgot about it. However, that person still thinks that it is a very good idea and will try to stimulate interest. That person also apologizes for carelessness 🙁.
I am no longer a moderator, but felt it would be useful to tell a short story of one incident that I experienced.
About a year ago, I got involved with removing several posts that I felt were inappropriate. The incident was discussed in the forum, and one individual started making comments about a lack of specific rules or standards that explained what ...[text shortened]... rking on this should contact a current moderator when the project is conpleted.
regards, Marc
Originally posted by mwmillerLesson for mods:
I am no longer a moderator, but felt it would be useful to tell a short story of one incident that I experienced.
About a year ago, I got involved with removing several posts that I felt were inappropriate. The incident was discussed ...[text shortened]... current moderator when the project is conpleted.
regards, Marc
You are the establishment.If a poster kicks off it is not you but what you represent.
Originally posted by mwmillermarc,
I am no longer a moderator, but felt it would be useful to tell a short story of one incident that I experienced.
that is a great story.
it is also an excellent exercise!
i like it very much that you insist your assignments be completed - even if the individual attempts to avoid it for more than a year 😀
i think the exercise will help us all to appreciate the phenomenal difficulties any moderator could face.
the very clear message that so many posters and recommenders have sent out over the last few days is that we want forums that are civilized!
they are to be free of racism and sexism. there is no room for rudeness, insults, intimidation or harassment.
this message is also a very clear indication that we do support and appreciate our excellent moderators, present and past!
and Toe's Best Moderator thread is such a good one too:
http://www.redhotpawn.com/board/showthread.php?id=13405
We ourselves should be the best moderator by moderating ourselves!
What a simple yet powerful idea!
There are several other posters there that have provided practical approachs for achieving this end. The thread is well worth looking at.
How we conduct ourselves really must be our responsibility.
Therefore, rather than debating over questions like "what is offensive", we should ask "how can i be courteous"!
in friendship,
prad
In reality, the 'project' will never be completed. It was my way of proving a point, which is that there will always be times when the moderators have to work in a subjective manner.
When something in a post is questionable, they do have to make a decision based on their own personal view and experience. Sometimes they have the option of first discussing it with other moderators to get different viewpoints, but in some cases it is more important to take immediate action to prevent a problem from escalating.
I do not believe it is possible to create a clear and precise set of rules that everyone who uses this forum will agree with and adhere to. We will always have a small part of our community who insist on pushing the limit, and they will always have another small group standing behind them (just out of firing range), who encourage them to keep doing it.
I do agree that the best moderator is the person who looks at their own post before placing it in the forum, and asks if it is acceptable. I also believe that it is important to use the 'alert moderator' link if you see a post that offends you.
regards, Marc
Originally posted by mwmillerLol, I wonder if there is something akin to Goedel's theorem which makes such a project impossible.
In reality, the 'project' will never be completed. It was my way of proving a point, which is that there will always be times when the moderators have to work in a subjective manner.
When something in a post is questionable, they do have to make a decision based on their own personal view and experience. Sometimes they have the option of first discus ...[text shortened]... portant to use the 'alert moderator' link if you see a post that offends you.
regards, Marc
In any case, we're trying it anyway.