I’d like to put in a good word for DrDeth. He has a different sense of balance than the Mods (and myself) on this issue, but he hasn’t been a tool about it. Furthermore, the OP of this thread is totally legitimate as topic of discussion among members (and commentary by mods). We all know that jokes can derail GQ threads (though the mods handle this problem pretty well I think), and that a certain level of wisecracks in GQ is welcome. It’s an issue of calibration.
In general I opine the junior modding is very much a lesser sin and that not obeying mod instructions is a greater one. Including mod instructions about junior modding. This is appropriate as the line between chiding, imploring and laying down orders can be a fine one.
cochrane: That departed poster did a poor job of it, but restrained thread maintenance by the original poster can be helpful. Again it’s a matter of balance: hit and run OPs are at the other end of the spectrum.
The other area in which jokes have been an issue are obituaries, celebrity death threads. We decided long ago that such were permitted, even some of excruciatingly bad taste, so long as it’s celebrity deaths; jokes are NOT permitted when a poster reports a personal loss. Kind of a sub-category of insults, which can be directed against celebrities but not at other posters.
I came here right after reading the thread to see if it was discussed, because it seemed to me DrDeth was unfairly treated. I don’t think it’s “junior modding” to mention that you came in GQ for serious answers, as they should be, when faced with an unending string of jokes instead. Any manisfestation of impatience, any mention of the kind of answer you want is “junior modding”. Mentioning that he came to GQ and not MPTIMS for a reason doesn’t seem like junior modding to me.
I suppose it might seem so without the context of DrDeth’s other behavior. This was one reason I mentioned his thread reports. Since he wasn’t the OP, didn’t seem to have anything to contribute to the content of the thread himself, and didn’t ask for further information from those who had posted factually, it didn’t seem as if he was all that interested in the topic of the thread. Since he had already reported three other posts he believed were inappropriate, it was pretty obvious that he was trying to control the behavior of other posters in the thread because he doesn’t like people making jokes. There’s also the fact that he reported Reverend Meade’s post, which was actually just a mild joke, as junior modding. If he objected to comments like that as being junior modding, then surely his own post would have qualified as junior modding by his own criteria.
The OP can ask that the thread stay on topic. But it’s nothing more than a request that posters can honor or ignore at will. Unless a moderator enters the thread and instructs posters to stay on topic.
I’ll see your ask and raise you a plead and cajole. But otherwise I agree: barking orders or making categorical statements about what’s permissible isn’t especially effective.
My other technique is to address the hijack briefly, then explain why it’s extra-topical. I’m reluctant to curb jokes too much, as they bump the thread.
I don’t think his reporting posts should come into play, that’s between he & the mods [out of thread communication should be treated as sacrosanct, like the confessional!); DrDeth didn’t engage in junior modding in the thread that I can see.
Posters with standard punctuation and spelling should be welcomed to the board, along with a friendly note saying that the thread dates from 20XX, and the consequences of the same.
[/QUOTE]
Maybe I missed it the FAQ. What is the issue with threads that date from 20XX if interesting and/ or relevant? What is the consequence?
If what they posted is new or relevant then it isn’t a problem. What people complain about is when newbies pointlessly revive an old thread. The point being made is that when that happens, we shouldn’t crack zombie jokes and treat them harshly. Just kindly point out that they are reviving an old thread, which they may not have been aware of if they came here via google (as often happens).
Since you asked … With all due respect, your thread reports very frequently do not correspond to the way the moderators interpret the rules. This goes not only for jokes in GQ, but many other matters, including reports in other forums (according to what the mods of those forums have told me).
If you report a post, check to see whether any of the moderators take action on it. If they don’t, you should reevaluate whether you should really be reporting such posts. If you have a question on why a particular post that you have reported has not been moderated, feel free to ask a moderator by email or PM to provide feedback.
While we appreciate post reports, if you find yourself frequently reporting them, it would be good to calibrate your evaluations with those of the mods, and not keep reporting things that the mods take no action on.
Well, that may be true. But in my defence, the Moderation here is hardly a hive-mind, nor is it always consistent.
Let me clarify that. You guys do a fantastic and not well enough appreciated job of blocking spammers, socks and trolls. Kudos! This is hard work, and I know it’s the bulk of what you do. Sincere thank yous.
But when it comes to grey areas, the Moderation here is not consistent and it changes with the tides. In order for any of us to know whether or not the moderators are going to take action, we’d have to know:
What the current tide is on that subject (we dont get to read the Moderator forums)
What Moderator is going to get the report
What mood that Moderator is in at that time. (likely the least critical)
However, you post sends mixed messages:
A. Dont Junior Mod, report everything, we appreciate all reports.
B. If your reports arent matching how we currently moderate this board, we will consider you a troublemaker and resent your activities.
In other words, somewhere along the line, a poster can cross from "helpful reporter of bad stuff’ to “bothersome troublemaker we dont wanna hear from” . Nice.
In other words, the FAQ here needs to be changed:
*"Q: I see something posted on the message board that I think breaks the rules. What should I do?
A: Use the REPORT BAD POST button – the little exclamation point in the red triangle in the upper right corner of each post. When you click on that button, you will see a box above a message that says
Quote:
This form is for reporting anything you believe would benefit from the immediate attention of SDMB staff, such as spam, advertising messages, and potential violations of forum and/or board rules.
Type in the box to let the forum moderators know why you’ve flagged the post.
This doesn’t have to be a long and complicated message: “spam” or “personal insult” could be enough. On the other hand, if you want something specific done, such as a thread title change, or if there’s a personal insult hidden in a lonnnng post, then please be specific, to help save the moderator’s time.
Since the message board is so active, and the moderators are unpaid volunteers, we appreciate any assistance that our members can give us. We can’t be everywhere, we can’t see everything, so we rely on you to report infractions of the rules."
*
To
Q: I see something posted on the message board that I think breaks the rules. What should I do?
A: Use the REPORT BAD POST button (unless you have done this too often and only we know what “too often” is)
Quote:
This form is for reporting anything we believe would benefit from the immediate attention of SDMB staff, such as spam, advertising messages, and potential violations of forum and/or board rules. (unless you hit it once too often, in which case we will resent it, and put you on “double-secret probation”)
Since the message board is so active, and the moderators are unpaid volunteers, we appreciate any assistance that our members can give us… unless of course we don’t appreciate it and actively keep a list of people who annoy us. We can’t be everywhere, we can’t see everything, so we rely on you to report infractions of the rules… unless of course, you annoy us by trying to be helpful and doing exactly what the FAQ asks you to do.
We don’t regard reporting posts as “squealing.” We appreciate the fact that people are trying to be helpful. The issue isn’t at all that DrDeth reports a lot of posts, it’s just that his assessments of those posts often differ from those of the moderators. There are other posters who report more posts, but their assessments are usually more accurate.
I tried to provide some advice about reporting posts. If you don’t want to take that advice, or choose to be offended by it, that’s up to you. If you actually want to be helpful, you should try to adjust your reports so they more closely reflect what the moderators regard as problems. With regard to consistency, if none of the several forum moderators take action on your report, that probably means none of them thought it was required.
It’s calibration DrDeth. I agree that no action on a particular complaint implies only a little, since it is but one example. But 3? 5? At least when they are of similar type? (Not that I have any idea about your reporting habits.)
It’s clear (to me at least) that mods like to err on the side of over-reporting for most posters. Thus the FAQ. That doesn’t mean every poster uses the report button wisely.
Speaking personally -yes others may disagree- I find DrDeth’s positions on this board to be reasonable, or at least in the vicinity thereof. I also typically disagree with him. No contradiction there, right? spinky: thanks and I’ll try to bear that in mind next time. Apologies for digging my hole a little deeper in this post.
