Retirement?

[Ross]

When we have heated debates here, which are going to happen from time to time, what would YOU as a moderator, do about them. It's your problem now, your the moderator, tell me how you'd deal with it. Be prepared, I'm going to come at you like some of you have come at me, playing devils advocate.

I want to see who's moderator material here.

Only those that are not admins/mods are allowed to answer this thread.

This little parody song is a celebration of the joys of moderating that I thought I'd share...

(To the tune of Jim Croce's Operator)

Moderator, oh could you help me make this post
You see I'm angry and on the verge of flaming
A post up on page 3
About what may or may not be
A guy popped in the thread and started berating...

Isn't that the way that these things go
But let's forget all that
And look up the poster so you can ban them
And tell them that they're out of line
I'm no retarded troll
I bathe so I don't smell
I only wish my words could just calm down myself
That's its not a big deal
But that's not the way it feels.

Moderator, oh why did you nix my post too?
Cause I could swear that I was only being helpful
I only want them to know
That I am smarter then all them jokes
They should feel fortunate I'm here to enlighten

I know that whatever you say should go
But let's forget all that
And lift my banning if you are able
So I can post just tell them I'm fine and to show
I can behave myself
I learned not to insult
I only wish my words could just convince admins
That I'm not a true heel.
I just post the way I feel.

Moderator, oh let's forget about this board.
There's no one there I really wanted to talk to.
Thank you for your time
Oh you've been so much more than kind
Shove it up your behind...

Isn't that the way these things goes
But let's forget all that
Now I'm banned so you can shove it
And tell all those punks on the board
Your all a bunch of prudes
Your IQ's low and crude
And I've got every right to be real mean and rude
And nothing here is real
But that's not the way it feels...

 

[cp172]

No one in their right mind would allow me to moderate anything. But if I was warped to a world where I was a forum moderator I would put a huge wooden sign up on my wall over my computer inscribed with:

WWRD​

I would let the sign be my guide to being a succesful moderator.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Ross -

We know YOU and we know your role as Moderator.
When you admonish (any of) us, we know where you are coming from and what you stand for.

These MYSTERY MODERATORS are UNKNOWN.
We have NO IDEA who they are or where they are coming from
(or if they have their own mystery agenda).
Images of the Gestapo / SS / KGB come to mind.

I think it would be best to either have them identify themselves
OR, ELIMINATE the MYSTERY MODERATORS.

That is MY unabashed Opinion on the issue of Mystery Moderators.

'AL Capshaw'

 

[Ross]

But no one wants to play?

Honestly, I want to know how you would handle a heated thread. What's the right thing to do? What's the wrong thing to do? I want to see and hopefully expose just how diverse the people of this forum are.

 

[lance]

Ohh Ross, where to begin ................

Ohh Ross, where to begin ................

Let me begin by saying I have no idea what caused the "War Room" to be shut down. I did post a response on the "toilet roll" thread when I considered the thread amusing. When it became not amusing to me I lost interest and didn't return to the thread. Others probably enjoyed it and that's fine--enjoy away. The merits of universal health care were fought and settled years ago in Canada so there was nothing for me to add to that thread and I didn't visit that one either. If I don't like a thread I don't participate.

Moderators are in a vulnerable position--you can't please everyone all of the time. Moderators most likely need skin resembling cast iron. Moderators must feel they are between a rock and a hard place.

If postings become morally offensive or threatening, crude or totally erroneous and subject the site owners/managers to litigation then things have quite obviously gone too far.

When asked I had a difficult time answering Hank's two questions.

We're all adults here and individually recognize postings for what they are.

This board is invaluable to the members. They have taught me so much and are always there when I experience heart related challenges with thoughtful informative messages. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion--freedom of speech I think it's called. Another forum (horse oriented) I belong to has become so saccharine its useless. Horses, their riders, breeders and trainers don't spend every day tip toeing through the tulips.

The members on this board are all well intentioned and far from ignorant and I don't understand why anyone has anything to complain about.

Ahh, on a lighter note I do detest poor grammar. You know the nonsense one sees on text messaging.

 

[ChouDoufu]

allrighty, i'll play.

first off, let's reopen the war room, but remove it from the public section.
set it up like toots, you must be a member and logged in to see it.

and second, require anyone who wants to access it read and sign a
disclaimer of some sort. in that disclaimer they must acknowledge
they understand what sort of goshawful behavior is commonplace in
less-moderated forums. if they are overly-sensitive, just stay out.
once you sign up, sign the disclaimer, you get a secret password to
get into the dungeon.

within the forum, keep moderation to a minimum. delete posts that
border on libel. close threads that have lost meaning and are nothing
more than 'you're stupid' "no, your stupid" "oh, yeah, well you're stupid
cause you cant spell you're"

maybe want to keep topics somewhat heart- or health-related. there
are plenty of other forums throughout internetland that are more
suitable to discuss politics, war policy, or sarah palin's hello kitty undies.

do i get the job?
how much does it pay?
wanna see some hello kitty undie photos?

 

[Lisa in Katy]

Well, if I was the Moderator, I would bow to whomever "donated" the most to further my cause. You want a post removed? Is it worth $5 to you? You want an entire thread removed? Gonna cost you $100. If you're not willing to pay, it's obviously not that important, so shut your pie hole!

 

[Bina]

allrighty, i'll play.
.....................
.maybe want to keep topics somewhat heart- or health-related. there
are plenty of other forums throughout internetland that are more
suitable to discuss politics, war policy, or sarah palin's hello kitty undies.

do i get the job?
how much does it pay?
wanna see some hello kitty undie photos?

I'm thinking that Ross could benefit from an assistant like Mr. Choudoufu.
Talk about Paradise....TWO slightly alien and warped moderators....I may never leave.

 

[Ross]

Well, if I was the Moderator, I would bow to whomever "donated" the most to further my cause. You want a post removed? Is it worth $5 to you? You want an entire thread removed? Gonna cost you $100. If you're not willing to pay, it's obviously not that important, so shut your pie hole!

+1 Why didn't I think of this long ago?

 

[Ross]

This isn't about what's happened with the war room. This is a quest to see how different people would handle the same situation in a a heated, argumentative thread. I'll further the lesson plan as we move along.

Bare Bear? in mind, when I started as a Greenhorn, I was basically thrust into a flock of hungry wolves. I made mistakes and so will anyone else. I tried various things with little result other then full blown being a prick.

 

[Bina]

If a poster is obviously having a "moment" of rage, could they be given a forced "time out" to cool off?
Or maybe a warning system put into effect. After 3 (?) warnings a temporary ban is applied to that member.
*Just like in the hockey games where players get stupid and try to beat the crap out of each other....there have to be consequences.

 

[Ross]

allrighty, i'll play.

A-first off, let's reopen the war room, but remove it from the public section.
set it up like toots, you must be a member and logged in to see it.

B-and second, require anyone who wants to access it read and sign a
disclaimer of some sort. in that disclaimer they must acknowledge
they understand what sort of goshawful behavior is commonplace in
less-moderated forums. if they are overly-sensitive, just stay out.
once you sign up, sign the disclaimer, you get a secret password to
get into the dungeon.

C-within the forum, keep moderation to a minimum. delete posts that
border on libel. close threads that have lost meaning and are nothing
more than 'you're stupid' "no, your stupid" "oh, yeah, well you're stupid
cause you cant spell you're"

D-maybe want to keep topics somewhat heart- or health-related. there
are plenty of other forums throughout internetland that are more
suitable to discuss politics, war policy, or sarah palin's hello kitty undies.

E-do i get the job?
F-how much does it pay?
G-wanna see some hello kitty undie photos?

A) I tried that, didn't work.

B) I tried that, didn't work.

C) +1

D) Woe, Sarah Palins Hello Kitty Undies are fine with me.

E) Wait to be asked.

F) $0, long hours, lots of anger directed at you constantly.

G) Sarah's?

 

[Bina]

(anyone else googling Sarah Palin's Hello Kitty undies)

 

[Ross]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=sarah+palins+hello+kitty+undies

 

[Bina]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=sarah+palins+hello+kitty+undies

Smarty pants.........google images=nothing.

 

[Ross]

If a poster is obviously having a "moment" of rage, could they be given a forced "time out" to cool off?
Or maybe a warning system put into effect. After 3 (?) warnings a temporary ban is applied to that member.
*Just like in the hockey games where players get stupid and try to beat the crap out of each other....there have to be consequences.

In the process of implementing that type of system now. We've had it, but never really used it.

 

[Ross]

Member x feels they should be able to say anything they want too, that this is America and have the right to free speech.

Is it?

 

[Bina]

Member x feels they should be able to say anything they want too, that this is America and have the right to free speech.

Is it?

Yes and No.
Example:
If you are in MY house and offend ME, it is up to me to either:
1) let it go
2) give a warning
3) boot their butt out the door

 

[tobagotwo]

I don't have any good answers to this. It's a nasty job. There are few black-and-white issues, and anytime someone would weigh in on a gray issue, there could be (probably is) legitimate criticism from both (or several) sides.

There will always be people who will find justification to write cruel or irretreivable things. Some people just have that need to "drop a bomb" when they are trading opinions, thinking they will wipe out the competition. And there will always be people who are easily hurt enough to react the way that the first type wants them to. These are reliable aspects of human nature, and to a site of this kind, both of these types (justified or not) represent real liabilities in terms of reducing the patronage of the bulk of members in between.

People also tend to lose sight of the fact that they are still liable for libelous, threatening, or other types of statements that violate others' rights or substantially misrepresent them. The web is not a legally unprotected environment. Posters still retain responsibility for what they post.

Even if it were a free-for-all (and again, it's not), a person's integrity can be measured by their willingness to stand by - or apologize for, if need be - what they've written and posted. There are universal personal standards that transcend legalities.

Some thoughts about monitoring:

- Policies must be highly visible and plain. It's always essential that any actions taken be tied to the policies, and not to the person who is taking the corrective actions.

- Any phrasing that personally attacks an identifiable person or group is subject to cropping, a right which the site ownership already has. A symbol should appear in the text that indicates there has been a deletion by the monitor. The poster should be notified by email or PM that his or her post has been altered. The original wording will be considered unusable (it has already proven objectionable, even if it's only because it's being misinterpreted), but the poster should be allowed to try to reword the passage in an acceptable way and have it replaced.

- If the entire post is objectionable, it is subject to deletion, and the poster should receive a warning. How many warnings before ejection will be (actually already is) the purview of the site ownership.

- I am not personally keen on the War Room or other political/opinion forums. I've never seen a final resolution or outcome to the highly-charged issues that appear in one, although everyone seems to approach them as if their logic will win the day and create new understanding in the entire opposing side (never happens...never). And the arguments tend always to become more heated and personal as they move forward. I guess a password-access system could work, with a disclaimer that people would have to acknowledge, and the realization that if that is the cause of them leaving, they must leave quietly, rather than damaging trust in the other part of the forums. Of course, these are people who wouldn't be leaving at all, if it weren't for the opinion/War Room forum, so... (See what I mean? It just seems to be all downsides and no plusses. I keep coming back to, "Why bother?").

*non-sequiter* We do need to figure out a new way to provide access to our References section. As a forum, it doesn't seem to get nearly the use that it should. I don't know if it should be a separate function off of the Home Page, or somehow be highlighted within the forums. A big reason people come here is for information, and this is a great resource for background information for those who want to ask intelligent questions. As it stands now, a lot of people do seem to come in and post desperately for information that is readily available in Reference Sources. While that will never stop completely (there are always those who won't want to look for themselves), we could cut down on repeating ourselves quite a bit, and reduce the risk of leaving things out or misstating them in the repetition. And we provide a more consistent information background to newcomers than we can by replying off-the-cuff to each new request for the same data.

I am not a would-be monitor. I like expressing my researched opinions and sharing what I've discovered about heart valve issues and treatments with other members and newcomers, as well as associated health information I trip over in the process.

If there's anything that can be easily taken from my postings, it's that I'm an independent and rather recalcitrant pragmatist, and not a member of any establishment. Although establishments are entirely necessary to provide such beneficial things as this forum, they tend to create limitations for me personally, rather than opportunities.

If I were associated as a moderator or other authority within the site, I would feel that that independence could be compromised in the eyes of other members, even if it were not in actuality. In the position, I would likely be privy to a lot of emails and opinions about other members (a practical necessity for the monitoring function), and that would create in my mind an artificial separation between me and other, "non-informed" members. When things become (as they will in life) "us vs. them" on occasion, I would rather be neither.

Best wishes,

 

[ChouDoufu]

G) Sarah's?

not quite.......