posted
I've just had a good look in TMO's history looking for something but I can't seem to find it.
I'm 99% sure this is something sparked off by either Gods Plumber or Idiot Disco Thingy, but one or the other of them made some noise and generally annoyed several people here a couple of years back as I'm sure most of you are aware.
A long time ago when I came back here just to lurk a bit, I found this thread where one of the above made a twat of themselves, Black Mask said sarcastically that Darryn should make them a moderator and Darryn responded with a list of qualities a moderator should have, sarcastically replying that the trouble-causer had the qualities and would obviously make a fantastic moderator.
I'm scouting for a new moderator for another board and have been trying to find that list. Only, after a thorough search I can't seem to find it.
Can someone either direct me to the right thread or Darryn reproduce that list for me?
Thank you so much,
Lickapaw x
-------------------- Black Mask: Have a good weekend, TMO!
Well, that was a fantastic example of leadership, Darryn, from which I've taken note several points, and I can almost guarantee I'd ask you a few questions about modship if I end up with the position on the other forum. You're without doubt the best one I know.
That wasn't the thread I had in mind. But as for coming up with a list of moderator qualities, there's no particular hurry. I've sent a request to the site founder who is dragging his/her feet on the issue, anyway.
Hmm. That argument had a sting in its tail though, didn't it?
EDIT: If it's any help, I have the beginnings of a list of qualities I'm looking for, as follows:
- flexible enough in their religious beliefs to tolerate the conflicting beliefs of a staunch and verbally active atheist (ie., me. And I answer almost everything). - able to frequent the forum at least three times a week. - to have been through the mill somewhat and be willing to bring their life experience to the forum.
posted
Well, we're jogging along okay without a moderator for now, but there is the threat of several problems.
We've had a trio of girls turn up on the site and use it liberally as a chat room and been mildly abusive to several regulars.
The last moderator to disappear (there were 6 when the forum was founded) did so when I debated with her over religion. I am prepared to step down as far as temporary agnosticism as there isn't conclusive scientific basis for there being no God but that's as far as I'll go. She was too uncomfortable with that and couldn't cope with me not being a Christian. When I defended my position she got upset and left.
There is a bit of a tendency for new visitors to post things in completely the wrong forum and we can occasionally find ourselves in a bit of a mess. It could do with a bit of a tidy up once in a while, which it doesn't get.
There's been requests for a Sex/Relationships section on the forum as a lot of people come with queries about related issues, but as no moderator is present, the requests go essentially unanswered.
So we need one alright. Well, 2, I think.
But there's a certain free-for-all feeling to an unmoderated forum that gives you room to stretch your limbs, certainly.
-------------------- Black Mask: Have a good weekend, TMO!
Here's a genuine point, and I need to qualify it with the acknowledgement that Darryn almost always does a fantastic job and I appreciate the site and the work he does on it.
However, there's one tiny thing I was suprised and by and sort of disagreed with, and that was when - at Ringo's request - he deleted the 12 page 'It Begins' thread dealing with Ringo starting to cycle to work. There wasn't anything massively offensive there, just a few comments that Ringo felt were mocking and off it went, even though there was tons and tons and tons of stuff other people had contributed. It didn't seem right. I don't really think that anyone owns a thread that they start, especially given how off topic musings and random comments on totally unrelated digressions are part of the character of threads on TMO. There may be the occasional complaint or smackdown if stuff starts to degenerate, but it's left up to the posters how they want to react to that - there's no enforcement the way there is on Barbelith, and I think that's a good thing. So, really, I didn't think that having everyone's contributions wiped off at Ringo's request was a bit... not quite fair.
Similarly, I didn't think that thread in S&R where kovacs stirred up a hornet's nest with some deliberately outrageous comments needed to be deleted. Again there seemed to be a bunch of stuff in reaction to that that people were heartfelt and committed to, and I don't think it should have been struck from the records. So it goes, though. It's partly because TMO is so hands-off in its moderation that these examples really stand out.
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posted
I hear you, Thorn, about the differences in moderating styles. I guess that's always something that has to be worked around.
Well, goodness knows that there's enough room for ridicule with those girls.
Recently one of them started a thread saying, "I love sex. Do you like sex? You should." and that was it. On a board full of emotionally-charged, sometimes suggestible teenagers.
A few of us came back with sarcastic comments about loving gonorrhea as well, and pointing out that you don't love sex quite as much when you've finally got the baby to sleep for 15 seconds and an early start tomorrow etc.
A few others gave predictable - though no less correct - assertions that if she likes it that's up to her but there's no obligation to like sex. Especially if you were deflowered by your fat, smelly, overweight uncle.
I can only imagine what the sarcasm levels would be like with people from here! But it's an entertaining thought, either way!
posted
Dr Benway's right though. If you've got girls on your forum, I can probably get them off. As he points out I've managed to get most TMO girls off. Some, like London kept coming back, so I had to get her off over and over again, although I haven't been able to get her off since she got pregnant. I got Louche off, without even trying. So yeah. Any chicks that need getting off, I can handle that, ably.
quote:Originally posted by Lickapaw#2: We've had a trio of girls turn up on the site and use it liberally as a chat room and been mildly abusive to several regulars.
Surely that is exactly the way people should introduce themselves to a forum? All the best posters started by just turning up and chatting with their mates and pretty much ignoring the well established posters.
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quote:Originally posted by Thorn Davis: However, there's one tiny thing I was suprised and by and sort of disagreed with, and that was when - at Ringo's request - he deleted the 12 page 'It Begins' thread dealing with Ringo starting to cycle to work. There wasn't anything massively offensive there, just a few comments that Ringo felt were mocking and off it went, even though there was tons and tons and tons of stuff other people had contributed. It didn't seem right. I don't really think that anyone owns a thread that they start, especially given how off topic musings and random comments on totally unrelated digressions are part of the character of threads on TMO. There may be the occasional complaint or smackdown if stuff starts to degenerate, but it's left up to the posters how they want to react to that - there's no enforcement the way there is on Barbelith, and I think that's a good thing. So, really, I didn't think that having everyone's contributions wiped off at Ringo's request was a bit... not quite fair.
Yeah, I probably agree if I’m honest. I’m not sure what was going through my head at that point. Sometimes I can feel a bit like people are ganging up on me, and that can be really frustrating, when you’re trying to say something and it’s all being twisted and whatnot. Anyway, I was pretty upset about that and asked Darryn to delete it. But if I’m honest, I think part of that was because I knew I’d said some stuff which had maybe made me look pretty bad or stupid, or whatever, and was a little embarrassed about it. So I ran away from the situation a little bit.
I think that kind of comes from when I was a kid in first school, and I wasn’t very popular. I wasn’t hugely bullied but sometimes the other kids would get a kick out of really winding me up, saying stuff they knew upset me and then twisting anything I said so I got more frustrated. Then I’d end up either lashing out or crying, or running away. I don’t know if it’s that sometimes I still get that panicky feeling of being surrounded by people bent on making me look like a prick, or if it’s some aspect of my personality I never grew out of.
Either way, I have to face up to the fact that other people deal with criticism and these situations better than I used to do, so I’d like to make a mends and apologise for acting like that from time to time. It was that behavior which set me on the path to become the overweight, depressed person I was a year ago, and it’s only through addressing and confronting those personal demons that I’ve been able to make the positive steps in my life that I have done recently. So yeah, I’ve reacted badly in certain situations, and made an arse of myself. And I’m sorry for that, and hopefully can put that behind me and move on.
Sorry, bit deep that, I know.
I’m a moderator on two internet forums if that helps?
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posted
Well, you know. I wasn't having a go at the fact you wanted it deleted. I just don't think Darryn should have agreed. You know - you're entitled to ask, I just think the request should have been refused. And then you should have been banned. And then all your past posts deleted from the forum, and all pictures with you in them be photoshopped until everything that suggested you were ever a part of this community be expunged from the boards and if anyone were to return from an absence and say "does ringo still post", then their account would disappear too. But if you wanted to ask, fair enough.
As for the thing of feeling that the entire forum is ganging up on you - surely everyone gets that sometimes? I love it when everyone rounds on me. It feels like imminent victory.
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quote:Originally posted by Ringo: [QB I’m a moderator on two internet forums if that helps? [/QB]
I'm always up for more suggestions.
And SG: you're probably right, although the trio were saying a lot of very basic, two-or-three word sentences that nobody else could make any sense of.
Usually along the lines of 'school sucks', 'I love my friends', 'is anyone there?' and other abstractions. If they'd actually elaborated like people do here then fine, but what's everybody else to do with such short, bland statements?
-------------------- Black Mask: Have a good weekend, TMO!
posted
aww.. I love my friends too. So, you're in charge of a load of teenage girls, eh lickapaw#2? Vikram might make a good moderator. He's interested in probing the issues that they face, offering a helping hand when they need it, and can come up with ways of helping them to get things off their chests.
quote:Originally posted by Lickapaw#2: We've had a trio of girls turn up on the site and use it liberally as a chat room and been mildly abusive to several regulars.
This doesn't need to be moderated... This is a 'regulars' anomosity to newbies who don't follow status quo.
A forum is meant to be a 'chat room'... If it wasn't, you'd be staring at a static page and talking via MSN.
Gentle reminders or possibly a designated area for chat would be the solution here.
quote:Originally posted by Lickapaw#2: The last moderator to disappear (there were 6 when the forum was founded) did so when I debated with her over religion. I am prepared to step down as far as temporary agnosticism as there isn't conclusive scientific basis for there being no God but that's as far as I'll go. She was too uncomfortable with that and couldn't cope with me not being a Christian. When I defended my position she got upset and left.
A moderator is someone who can be 2 people... The poster who is like everyone else and joins in and the 'moderator' who enforces rules when they are broken. The two should never mix. I've had people moderate my boards and as soon as they have access to the modCP, it's like you've just given them a sceptre of power and they start to figuratively strut around the forums. Those are the types who usually last about 2 days a moderator.
This person seemed to combine the two roles and instead of taking umbrage against you as a poster, she decided that she would leave the forum without a moderator. She wasn't an ideal candidate.
What I do on one of my boards is have a global mod account called "Hand of Justice" and I have 3 people who have access to that account. They use their everyday accounts to take part in the forum, but if something needs moderating, they log into the global one to do it.
This way users do not know who the moderator is so they don't 'act different' around that person when they post AND when an action is taken, people don't turn on the moderator since they don't know who did it.
quote:Originally posted by Lickapaw#2: There's been requests for a Sex/Relationships section on the forum as a lot of people come with queries about related issues, but as no moderator is present, the requests go essentially unanswered.
A moderator wouldn't be able to create sections, only an admin can do that. Moderators can edit/soft delete/move/merge posts and threads, and depending on the software, give infractions to users. But the ultimate duties of permanently removing of a thread and creating forums is down to an admin. Of course this is dependant on the software, but mods are usually like community support officers... The walk around to give the impression of authority, but in reality, they might as well be at a fancy dress party for the power they actually have.
quote:Originally posted by Thorn Davis: not quite fair.
To an extent, I agree. I own 2 forums and admin 3 others and I think the only thing I ever deleted was spam, one DMCA letter complaint, and a cease and desist from a lawyer. The reason I don't normally delete is because if you were in a pub and someone was picking on you, you couldn't go to the landlord and whinge that someone made fun of you and you want the conversation stricken from the past. People say stuff, if you aren't strong enough to take it, grow a back bone.
That said there are times when, for the sake of the community, you have to take action whether it be deleting a thread or banning a member. A 'show of force' is sometimes needed to let people know that even though the forum is more or less a free-for-all, there still is a 'power' that watches. The occasional smack down is all most forums need to keep it in check without needing heavy handed moderation.
More often than not though, when someone tattle-tales and wants something deleted because it didn't go their way, I just join in the piss take. Just because I have 'power' doesn't mean I can't abuse it!
-------------------- Evil isn't what you've done, it's feeling bad about it afterwards... Yield to temptation. It may not pass your way again. Posts: 3793
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quote:Originally posted by Dr. Benway: aww.. I love my friends too. So, you're in charge of a load of teenage girls, eh lickapaw#2? Vikram might make a good moderator. He's interested in probing the issues that they face, offering a helping hand when they need it, and can come up with ways of helping them to get things off their chests.
If I didn't know better I'd guess that you'd phrased all that deliberately.
Let's be honest, you and Thorn are a bit salty, aren't you?
And to answer Sabian - I agree very much with a lot of what you've said there. I like the global moderator account idea very much and might bring it forward. If only the founder will deign to reply to me.
I also agree that, like with Darryn, moderatorship should be as light as possible. Especially in the type of forum I'm talking about - controversial questions and answers come up so often that a laid-back approach would be necessary, it's true.
posted
Vikram would be too soft on these girls. Spare the rod and spoil the child. I wouldn't be soft. I would be hard. If these girls stepped out of line I wouldn't hesitate to get my rod out.
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quote:Originally posted by Thorn Davis: If these girls stepped out of line I wouldn't hesitate to get my rod out.
Amen!
If anyone needs the rod, it has to be emotionally damaged teens... They react to it so well, and as the wielder of said rod, you get a sense of satisfaction of a job done well.
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quote:Originally posted by sabian: If anyone needs the rod, it has to be emotionally damaged teens... They react to it so well, and as the wielder of said rod, you get a sense of satisfaction of a job done well.
posted
Look at this. This was almost a thoughtful discussion about online communities. I know I sort of started all this innuendo, but the last thing I wanted was to rub off on Benway And Sabian.
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quote:Originally posted by Thorn Davis: I think vikram would just try and palm it off on someone else.
Not until he's made a complete mess of it first though.
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quote:Originally posted by Thorn Davis: but the last thing I wanted was to rub off on Benway And Sabian.
Why? Do I need to shower? Does my beard put you off?
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