# Announcing a Doper's death requires Mod/Admin pre-approval **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [June 24, 2012, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/announcing-a-dopers-death-requires-mod-admin-pre-approval/626122 "2012-06-24T03:19:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/announcing-a-dopers-death-requires-mod-admin-pre-approval/626122/21 "2012-06-25T12:32:49Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > Bad policy is made when an organization overreacts to exceptional circumstances and gradually accrete laws that stifle it from within. How many years has the Dope been around? How many fake death announcements have there been? > > If there starts to be a rash of them, maybe we should have this discussion but I think we should just leave it for the time being. Oh man. Although this doesn’t have anything to do directly with the SDMB, one of the flaws of the organization where I work is to try to respond to fluke circumstances by changing policy. Recently we determined that a letter sent by another organization did not reach us because the US Post Office did not deliver it. The next sentence out of one manager’s mouth was, “We should have a meeting to determine how we can prevent this from ever happening again.” This was the first time it had ever happened in the nine years I’ve been here, and no one could remember an instance of it ever happening before that in the entire history of the organization. Furthermore, we don’t control the Post Office, nor can we control how other agencies send things to us. In some cases, use of the US Mail is _mandated by law_ for certain official correspondence. But some people are psychologically incapable of admitting that this was [ul] [li]A fluke event[/li][li]The only time it’s ever happened[/li][li]Entirely outside our control[/li][li]Not very important in itself (there were no bad consequences)[/li][li]Discovered through routine cross-checking that already tales place and would discover any future failed delivery just as well[/li][/ul] And that’s just one example. Another time, a manager was handling two documents and asked several questions about them, then later came by and asked about the status of “those two documents.” It turned out he actually was describing a different set of two documents (ONE of the original two documents and a new, third item), but because he didn’t _name_ them and didn’t clarify that he was discussing new material, a misunderstanding occurred. He then announced a policy change, effective immediately, in which all future info would be routed through him. Uh, dude, _you were the problem_. Routing the info through you _increases_ the chance of error, because you rushed off half-cocked and didn’t even look at what you were being asked, and your loose use of language got you a false answer, AND then you didn’t cross-check what you were told, because _looking like_ you’re dynamic is more important to you than actually paying attention. The “lesson learned” here should have been, YOU need to pay more attention to what you’re doing. OK, I ranted. But the principle is similar – changing policy in response to one-time events, especially said change is rushed out, is poor policy. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/announcing-a-dopers-death-requires-mod-admin-pre-approval/626122/22 "2012-06-25T12:44:10Z")
So, we are hoping that someone with intent of pranking the board will follow this rule instead of just starting a thread? Good luck with that. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/announcing-a-dopers-death-requires-mod-admin-pre-approval/626122/23 "2012-06-25T15:49:59Z")
> [@srzss05](#): > > If you were dead you would not remember not posting here. Which is why I said that, if I don’t post, I must be dead, or at least unable to use a computer. > [@Revtim](#): > > So, we are hoping that someone with intent of pranking the board will follow this rule instead of just starting a thread? Good luck with that. I’d assume they’d lock and hide the thread while they check. Or, at the very least, pop back in and tell you that there was no verification. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/announcing-a-dopers-death-requires-mod-admin-pre-approval/626122/24 "2012-06-25T16:01:04Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Which is why I said that, if I don’t post, I must be dead, or at least unable to use a computer. Not quite accurate. When you get banned, you won’t be able to post either. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/announcing-a-dopers-death-requires-mod-admin-pre-approval/626122/25 "2012-06-25T17:09:34Z")
The title of this thread is deceiving; it appears to be an official announcement. ---
**Author:** ![Hbns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hbns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hbns)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/announcing-a-dopers-death-requires-mod-admin-pre-approval/626122/26 "2012-06-25T17:13:28Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > Bad policy is made when an organization overreacts to exceptional circumstances and gradually accrete laws that stifle it from within. How many years has the Dope been around? How many fake death announcements have there been? > > If there starts to be a rash of them, maybe we should have this discussion but I think we should just leave it for the time being. Even one fake death announcement is one too many. Think of the children. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/announcing-a-dopers-death-requires-mod-admin-pre-approval/626122/27 "2012-06-26T05:49:39Z")
When I die, everyone dies. I’ve already made those arrangements. So if you wake up dead one morning, and float around and see that everyone else is dead too, well then, I’m dead. Just thought you’d like to know. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/announcing-a-dopers-death-requires-mod-admin-pre-approval/626122.md?page=1)