I think what you did was fine, maybe it should have worded better. It is better than just warning someone or banning them for the thread. You gave him a chance to show he wasnt just trolling.
Dont let some few old time posters get you down with their incessant demands you be perfect and a carbon copy of a previous long term mod.
Why would a mod do it in the thread? A ‘concern’ implies there is insufficient reason to cite them for breaking a rule, so if a mod wants more info they should seek it by PM, or even in an ATMB thread as poster must do when they have concerns about modding. A mod can also use a note that points out a post is close to a violation of the rules with stating that it absolutely is. But a moderator’s investigation of a poster should not be part of the thread.
ETA: While the unbalance proportion of left vs. right Dopers may lead to complaints of mod bias that’s not the issue here at all. Dopers shouldn’t have to be concerned with any unfairness in the moderation for any reason. We don’t need inquiries and trials, the rules are clear, just enforce them dispassionately.
Nah. I agree that warnings should cite the broken rule, if it’s not obvious (in the case of Kearsen1 telling What_Exit off, it’s obvious enough to omit the citation). I do not agree that notes - or anything which isn’t a warning - have to cite the rule.
They’re moderators, not referees or judges.
~Max
I wonder if this is really the case.
It only takes one report to bring a mod’s attention to something, and there are conservatives on here. As quick as they often are to leap to ATMB to discuss moderation controversies, I cannot imagine that they are reticent to hit the report button for violations they perceive.
If there are no conservatives in a thread, then maybe it doesn’t get reported by a conservative, and is therefore not seen. But, if there are no conservatives in a thread, what rule violations are you worried about?
OTOH, there is a bit of a bystander effect. When I see someone who is obviously out of line, I rarely report them, as it’s likely that they have already been reported by someone else. I wouldn’t be surprised if some conservatives who have crossed the line have fallen under the radar from time to time as they are not reported, as everyone assumes someone else will.
If that was the purpose of the question, then it should have been asked with mod hat off.
Anyone could ask a question, and offer someone the chance to explain themselves. It doesn’t require a moderator to do it.
And that’s a natural consequence of the board’s make-up, and so not a problem.
Unless you’re suggesting that the board’s moderation should be different for conservatives? That they should be given more of a safe space from moderation? That some kind of action be taken to affirm these conservatives, even when they don’t meet existing standards (of behaviour)?