Moderation Questions and General Chat Thread

Moderation Questions and General Chat Thread

The last iteration of the moderation discussion thread was a complete disaster. Numerous attempts to keep it on topic failed, and it became a general discussion thread with almost no moderation related posts at all. And those that were posted were so buried in non-mod posts that it became a huge time drain on the mods to sort through them. Then, when off topic posts were deleted posters complained about that.

This led to the closing of the mod discussion thread, replaced by the post report/pm approach. This has filtered out lots of noise, but has resulted at times in the General Discussion Thread turning into a quasi-mod thread. This is not desirable, but going back to the old mod thread is also not a workable option.

Therefore, I have created this new moderation thread, but with a different purpose and ground rules than previous mod threads. The purpose of this thread is to provide a place for posters to pose questions to the mods about how policies are applied; to bring to the mods attention posts they think are inappropriate and reach the level of requiring mod action; and for mods to communicate to posters things like changes or clarifications to policies, bannings, etc.

Now let me tell you what this thread is NOT a place for. It is not for nonmoderation related posts, even if the discussion originates from a comment in in a mod related post. It is not for posters to post their opinions about other posters or whether a poster should be banned. It is not to rehash past grievances about mod decisions from months or years ago. The focus of this thread will be recent posts that require action now. Or questions about current policies and enforcement.

So basically, this is a thread to ask mods questions. Which means, pretty much that only mods should be answering those questions. If a poster asks why a particular post was deleted or allowed, only a mod can answer that. Everyone else who wants to jump in with their opinion or their mod war story needs to stay out of it. It just increases the noise to signal ratio and does nothing to answer the question.

Everyone needs to understand that this thread has very different rules than the old mod thread and any other thread. Any non-moderation post will be deleted on sight. Not moved to the appropriate thread, just deleted. So don't waste your time crafting a masterpiece post about wars or transgender issues or the presidential election and then post it in this thread. It will be gone. Also, this isnt a thread for general commentary about our mods performance. Posting "browser sucks as a mod" or any such posts that don't actually ask about a policy or request a mod action will be deleted. Everyone is entitled to their opinion about the moderation of this forum. But this thread isnt for complaining about mods. You are free to go to the ATF forum and make your concerns about modding in this forum there.

So with that intro, this thread is open for those who need to bring questions about mod policies or bring inappropriate posts to the mods attention. Again, it is NOT a thread for group discussions about other posters or for other posters to answer questions directed to mods.

We'll see how this goes. If you have what you feel is an open issue raised in the General Discussion Thread, please copy that post or otherwise reintroduce the issue here.

Thanks.

30 January 2024 at 05:27 AM
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6491 Replies

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by formula72 P

This place is a small reg forum of 40+ somethings that doesn't need much moderation other than banning troll accounts and temping/pming over the line posts.

I assume that while roc isn't technically a mod, he still removes obvious over the line spam/garbage posts if he sees them?

I'd be willing to do just that if you are short in that department but I'm not doing much else.

I'd suggest you pm bobo to discuss this further. Ironically most of a mod's time is spent "temping and dm'ing over the line posts" and dealing with all of the drama that revolves around what is and isnt considered over the line, or whether there needs to be a line enforced at all. But thanks for the offer to help.


your job would be a lot easier if you were consistent bowser, you just threatened to ban me over what you explicitly told me was above board just a few weeks ago when i pointed out others doing it to me

furthermore, when someone else directly insulted me just now you just told them to knock it off rather than the temp ban you've told others would receive had they done just that


i fear you're playing favorites and this is exactly why you have so many people confused over what is or is not a rule violation


by formula72 P

This place is a small reg forum of 40+ somethings that doesn't need much moderation other than banning troll accounts and temping/pming over the line posts.

I assume that while roc isn't technically a mod, he still removes obvious over the line spam/garbage posts if he sees them?

I'd be willing to do just that if you are short in that department but I'm not doing much else.

Yeah, I'm sure many would. Modding only seems hard when someone bad at it is trying to do it. Dozens have modded hear and a vast vast majority were adequate or better.


by ecriture d'adulte P

lol yeah. If any reg in decent standing is genuinely offended on a personal level by a post that should really point of out publicly. I don’t think too many trust that all the mods are responding to reports in an honest fashion and not trying to impose their own wild judgment and falling back on PMs and reports when needed.

So your theory is that mods just want to devote their personal time to temp banning anonymous posters on an internet forum in the absence of any actual complaints from other posters? And they do that because they think personal attacks on other posters dont actually violate any forum rules but the mods do it anyway because they can and that gives them some sort of personal satisfaction? And then they lie about having received complaints at all?

That's an interesting theory. As unrelated to reality as it could possibly be, but interesting nonetheless. And it's pretty ego centric, thinking that any mod gives a minute of thought to what you or any other poster is doing at any particular moment in time. It's sort of like the "vaccine tracks your location" group because they think Bill Gates gives a **** about where they are in the world.


bowser, you see a flowing stream and start thinking about how if it were damned then there's all this great benefits to society that would come out of it such as providing hydro electricity and flood control

you ignore the fact that people are there specifically to enjoy that flowing stream and you were actually hired to simply pick up a few empty beer cans some inconsiderate had left on the banks


by ecriture d'adulte P

Yeah, I'm sure many would. Modding only seems hard when someone bad at it is trying to do it. Dozens have modded hear and a vast vast majority were adequate or better.

Lol. According to a certain regular member of this forum your misuse of "hear" rather than "here" is not simply an act of carelessness, as I maintain, but a solid indication that either your education level or intelligence level is below average, and therefore it would be a fruitless endeavor to continue this discussion.

If modding here were such a great deal with little time required, why do you think we had dozens of "adequate or better" mods leave? Why would no member of the community step up to mod and why would no active mod volunteer for this forum?

If you gave the order that Santiago wasn't to be touched, and your orders are always followed, why was it necessary to transfer him off the base?


do you seriously have no shame?

by browser2920 P

Lol. According to a certain regular member of this forum your misuse of "hear" rather than "here" is not simply an act of carelessness, as I maintain, but a solid indication that either your education level or intelligence level is below average, and therefore it would be a fruitless endeavor to continue this discussion.

you post this immediately after this series of posts explicitly expressing that posts such as what you just did were not allowed, all while refusing to respond to my request for genuine request for you to clarify the rules

by rickroll P

word on the street i'm hearing is that trolly is too stupid to understand he could ever be wrong

that's what i hear though, not an opinion of my own obviously, but that could possibly explain why this occurs if there is any truth to those rumors i hear

by browser2920 P

Rick. Your lame attempt to bypass the rules failed. Should you attempt this again you will be banned.

I must be flowing with community spirit today. All warnings and no bans. Please knock this stuff off before the spirit leaves me, like those who leave church on Sunday for brunch and yell at the waitress.

by rickroll P

can we clarify this

genuinely asking because earlier you made it abundantly clear that such posts were above board just a few weeks ago so i find this unnanounced change in policy confusing

the person who needs a timeout here is you bowser, you should stop modding this forum, i like you personally but you're not cut out for it and try to mod it like a vigilante


by rickroll P

bowser, you see a flowing stream and start thinking about how if it were damned then there's all this great benefits to society that would come out of it such as providing hydro electricity and flood control

you ignore the fact that people are there specifically to enjoy that flowing stream and you were actually hired to simply pick up a few empty beer cans some inconsiderate had left on the banks

Ohhh, such cleverness calling me bowser! You're clearly a cut above the average troll. To use your admittedly lame and faulty analogy, there are 40 streams running right next to each other. People can watch 39 of them flow by to their hearts content. Just one stream has its flow restricted so the stream bed below can be seen clearly and quickly. And how does one make sure all the streams remain enjoyable for all? Just as you said, you remove the trash.


you're getting way too defensive here thinking i'm trolling you - another sign you shouldn't be modding

you have yet to answer my question as well, still waiting on that


by browser2920 P

Lol. According to a certain regular member of this forum your misuse of "hear" rather than "here" is not simply an act of carelessness, as I maintain, but a solid indication that either your education level or intelligence level is below average, and therefore it would be a fruitless endeavor to continue this discussion.

If modding here were such a great deal with little time required, why do you think we had dozens of "adequate or better"


You can ask someone else about the forum history, but I'll use this as a valid imo reason to write a mod ignore script as as I don't see any point in continuing with you. I'm not sure your reading comprehension is good enough but the difference in treatment you and all the other mods recieve is well deserved.


having a natural default to willfully ignore questions about rules for posting and respond by calling them trolling alone should be grounds for dismissal from moderation duties

that's just flabbergasting and makes it clear you're more about punishment than ensuring we foster a strong community here

especially so that you yourself are guilty of the same exact thing i did which earlier that same day you told me would lead to a ban (which weeks earlier you explicitly said was perfectly fine)


by ecriture d'adulte P

You can ask someone else about the forum history, but I'll use this as a valid imo reason to write a mod ignore script as as I don't see any point in continuing with you.

No need to write a script. Go to ATF and make your case that I should be removed as a mod for incompetence. I'm sure others will join your case. And with the apparently massive amounts of evidence you must have showing that I am enforcing my own personal rules rather than the site rules, it should be an open and shut case, and I'll be gone. Easy peasy.

Then all the mods-in-waiting in this tight knit community will have the mod position opened up so they can fight each other for it and finally do it the right way.


The script will take like 10 min and I can do it unilaterally. If you want to save me 10 min resign.


by ecriture d'adulte P

Yeah, I'm sure many would. Modding only seems hard when someone bad at it is trying to do it. Dozens have modded hear and a vast vast majority were adequate or better.

damn, to bad d2 is band


by rickroll P

having a natural default to willfully ignore questions about rules for posting and respond by calling them trolling alone should be grounds for dismissal from moderation duties

that's just flabbergasting and makes it clear you're more about punishment than ensuring we foster a strong community here

especially so that you yourself are guilty of the same exact thing i did which earlier that same day you told me would lead to a ban (which weeks

I didnt ignore questions about rules. You just didnt like the answer. And nowhere, in any post, did I state or imply that "attacking the argument not the person" included your lame bs attempt about "I heard on the street that Trolly is stupid..."

And if, after all the previous back and forth about bowser versus browser, ( and chillrob versus chillirob and ganstaman versus gangsterman) including pictures of bowser and myself, do you really expect anyone to think you just made an honest mistake rather than a very poor attempt at trolling? Really?


by ecriture d'adulte P

The script will take like 10 min and I can do it unilaterally. If you want to save me 10 min resign.

I would think a post in ATF would take far less than 10 minutes so that would save you a lot of time.


Great job on trying to understand these posts..... but obviously I cannot get you demodded in 10 min but I can ignore you in close to that. Actually I think I'm done so later.


by browser2920 P

I didnt ignore questions about rules. You just didnt like the answer. And nowhere, in any post, did I state or imply that "attacking the argument not the person" included your lame bs attempt about "I heard on the street that Trolly is stupid..."

And if, after all the previous back and forth about bowser versus browser, ( and chillrob versus chillirob and ganstaman versus gangsterman) including pictures of bowser and myself, do you really

you still haven't laid out what the rules are

and again, you're attributing malice where none exists


by rickroll P

you still haven't laid out what the rules are

and again, you're attributing malice where none exists

That wording sounds familiar. Are you telling me I have violated Hanlon's razor?😉


again, i'm still waiting for you to clarify what the rules are

you just called a poster here stupid and i'm very unclear how that would be ok for you to do so but not for others


by rickroll P

again, i'm still waiting for you to clarify what the rules are

you just called a poster here stupid and i'm very unclear how that would be ok for you to do so but not for others

You can keep waiting then. If you somehow interpreted anything I have posted previously as saying that what you said about trolly was somehow within the rules, I honestly dont know what to tell you. How can you possibly continue to post that you honestly believe that "you heard on the street that trolly is too stupid..." is OK? What post of mine do you think states that a post like that would be OK? Please quote it, so at least we have something to go on, because right now that appears to be flat out you calling trolly stupid.

So let's see what your basis is for thinking you were ok in posting that. Then I will be glad to show you why I didnt call anyone stupid and what the difference is.

PS. And are you holding to your story that you really had no idea my screen name is browser, not bowser, and you typed bowser in good faith thinking that was my screen name?


see now you're just being a dick for no reason, refusing to state clearly what the rules

feels like you get off on bans and thus want it this way

it's insane that you won't clearly post what the rules are


people literally call me rick all the time here, many believe it's my real name, it's neither my username nor my real name, but i don't get all flustered when people think of me here as rick

you need to chill, go experience some people who've been sexually trafficked if that's what it takes


by rickroll P

see now you're just being a dick for no reason, refusing to state clearly what the rules

feels like you get off on bans and thus want it this way

it's insane that you won't clearly post what the rules are

You stated repeatedly that I posted something that you insist said that posts like yours about trolly were ok. Ive asked you to quote it as I dont believe it exists. So far you refuse and name call instead. This whole back and forth started when you took exception to me warning you that you would be banned if you posted another post like that.

So quit changing the topic and just post my quote that says posting "I heard on the street that trolly is too stupid..." is acceptable. You must know exactly which quote you are refering to as you have referenced repeatedly.

The rules are clearly stated. No personal attacks or personal insults. It's six words long. Somehow you interpreted that to mean you can say you heard on the street that trolly is stupid. If you dont think that is either a personal attack or a personal insult, what else can be clarified?

Here's an important note for you: if you suggest anything to me like using sexually trafficked people again you will be permabanned instantly. I hope that is clear enough for you to understand


how is you calling that poster stupid not a personal attack?

this right here, how is this not a personal attack?

by browser2920 P

either your education level or intelligence level is below average


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