Can I ask that this incident begin a discussion amongst the mods about the following:
How to spoiler a link/comment/etc. Putting an entire post inside a spoiler tag helps absolutely fucking no one. You need to describe what is inside the spoiler tag so that people can decide whether they want to open it up or not. This is the #1 source of confusion regarding spoiler tags, and it’s ridiculous that mods don’t know how to use them.
That this apparent territoriality between mods and mod decisions be torn down. There’s no reason that it should have taken this much poking, prodding, explanation and gnashing of teeth to circumvent Ellen Cherry’s decision and give Floater an actual warning. I understand you don’t want to give mixed signals, but if the mod in question is obviously out and about and not near the computer, then a quick note to her of “hey - after a quick discussion we elevated your note to a warning over in this thread” solves the problem quickly. This is where the oh-so-hated “circling the wagons” term has gotten its negative connotation around here.
Hey, you’re just a guest, so your opinions don’t count.*
I don’t see why people need such instant gratification on the whole warning thing. An issue was raised and resolved. Is it really that big a deal that a MB warning took 72 hours instead of 12? Let me answer that…not at all. And hindsight being 20/20, Ellen realizes that she made a mistake in not giving detail. Most mods will see that and I’m willing to give them the benefit of a doubt that they’ll try not to make the same mistake. What more do you want…another set of rules for posters regarding spoiler use? BS like that will just get some (like me) to start spoilering my entire posts (OccupyStraightDope FTW).
First off, I want to say that I don’t think the mods were “circling the wagons” on this one. But there were a few “Ellen’s not here, so we can’t do anything” type posts. That’s pretty standard, and I think a detriment at times. The rest of the staff should be able to moderate on top of other moderation without it being some sort of turf war or viewed as a crumbling within the ranks.
Secondly, regarding spoilers (and totally off-topic) - yes, I want a set of rules regarding spoiler use. As I said, the number one cause of confusion regarding spoilers is not indicating what’s *inside *the spoiler box. If you don’t do so, there’s absolutely no reason for the spoiler box, and it erodes the purpose of having them as board feature, and leads to ridiculous threads where every post in it is in spoiler boxes - absurd.
This really pretty much what happened, Munch. There was some time that went by to see if I’d get on the computer; when a bit of time had passed and I hadn’t, samclem went ahead and issued the warning. It’s not so much as territorial behavior as just something that we tend to do as moderators, which is let the person that started handling whatever finish it. We have a brace of moderators to cover the board; it would be a poor use of resources if every single mod was kept to a standard of staying abreast of every single situation other moderators are handling, don’t you think?
But, as in situations like this when people’s emotions are running high, well then a moderator might step in and handle something already started by another moderator. Again, what you’re calling for is what actually happened.
As for the spoiler tag, yes I agree, in hindsight, that adding the information sam eventually added would have been more helpful. That doesn’t mean that I (or the moderators in general) don’t know how to use them.
I promise you, I’m not offended or feeling defensive! But it is very easy to armchair quarterback things, especially on fast-moving message boards. I try to help keep things on an even keel here, and if I’m not 100% perfect at it, I ask your patience as I’m only human. I’m just another Doper like yourself, who decided to take on some extra responsibility.
It seems to me there were multiple violations with that post. First was the link to graphic images, and the second was an undescribed blind link. Either one in itself is a rules violation, but stacking both together - especially for the complete dischord with the tone of the thread - and it definitely ranks in Jerk territory. That said, it probably was intended as a joke - a crass, tone-deaf, tasteless joke, but a joke.
I applaud both Ellen Cherry and samclem for taking action. My only comment is the description added is a little vague.
“Not Safe For Work” is really a bit off - not safe for eyeballs might be better. Maybe I don’t read between the lines well.
Thanks for chiming in, Ellen. You’re right - that is indeed what appeared to happen, and it would be a waste of time/effort to have everyone police everything. I’m not suggesting you guys do so - just that there’s a bit more tag-teaming like this (which I initially didn’t see) in the future. In the past it seemed like the mods were a little too eager to deny the possibility of a mod getting the initial call wrong.
As others have said, I greatly appreciate your tendency to issue notes instead of warnings. As a poster with a bit of a history of being critical of board moderation in the past, I love to see you not jump to conclusions, and you focusing on the spirit rather than the letter of the law. I wish the rest would take a cue from that.
I went looking for Floater since we haven’t heard from him in this thread or the cat thread where it all started. Interestingly, he hasn’t been online since …
