# Marley: moderating a thread you started **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [August 24, 2012, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marley-moderating-a-thread-you-started/632543 "2012-08-24T22:19:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marley-moderating-a-thread-you-started/632543/1 "2012-08-24T22:19:57Z")
[link here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15419542&postcount=12) I thought you show excellent judgment in acknowledging that a Mod really shouldn’t moderate a thread he started, but giving your (again excellent) reasons for violating that principle in this instance. I think it’s the least a mod could do, saying in effect, “Not such a good idea, generally, but please indulge me here for the sake of preventing this whole thread from flying off the rails.” I think there are better alternatives to this (emailing another mod, asking him to look at the post in question, and then abiding by his/her judgment), but at least you showed a little sensitivity to your somewhat contradictory roles as an admin and as a poster, and (implicitly) that those roles when conjoined present an ethical issue. Good on you. I appreciate your effort. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marley-moderating-a-thread-you-started/632543/2 "2012-08-24T22:47:52Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > [link here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15419542&postcount=12) > > Good on you. I appreciate your effort. Crap! Someone stole **prr’s** account. We’ll get to the bottom of this… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Simple\_Linctus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Simple\_Linctus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Linctus)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marley-moderating-a-thread-you-started/632543/3 "2012-08-25T03:46:02Z")
Is this an attempt at damning by faint praise? If not I can’t really see what this thread is about. Anyway I don’t see why a technical etiquette breach matters when it’s obvious to anyone that any sane moderator would have done the same thing. It’s not as if Marley was censoring counter-opinions to his own. He was just stopping thread shitting. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marley-moderating-a-thread-you-started/632543/4 "2012-08-25T04:01:02Z")
There’s no rule against it, but I agree it’s not ideal. In this particular case I wanted to prevent a thread hijack and those can happen quickly. I’m also by choice kind of the only mod in Elections - **tomndebb** and **twickster** back me up when needed, but mostly their attitude is that since I supported the idea for the forum, I am stuck with it. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marley-moderating-a-thread-you-started/632543/5 "2012-08-25T10:59:19Z")
> [@Simple\_Linctus](#): > > Is this an attempt at damning by faint praise? If not I can’t really see what this thread is about. > > Anyway I don’t see why a technical etiquette breach matters when it’s obvious to anyone that any sane moderator would have done the same thing. It’s not as if Marley was censoring counter-opinions to his own. He was just stopping thread shitting. Man, I can’t catch a break! It’s dead-serious–I’ve been requesting (mostly politely, sometimes not-so-much) that the Mods recuse themselves in threads they’d like to post in for several years, or at least do what \*\*Marley \*\*did here: apologize for the obvious conflict of interest. It’s kind of silly when a thread gets all heated and controversial (and shit, of course) and the dude moderating it has to spend half his time chewing someone’s ass out and the other half pretending to being a fair and impartial judge of people’s arguments. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marley-moderating-a-thread-you-started/632543/6 "2012-08-25T12:15:01Z")
> [@Simple\_Linctus](#): > > Is this an attempt at damning by faint praise? If not I can’t really see what this thread is about. I think it’s the equivalent of a guy telling his cowering girlfriend with the black eye and varicolored bruises concealed under inappropriately long sleeves that she “looks real pretty today.” ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marley-moderating-a-thread-you-started/632543/7 "2012-08-25T12:52:02Z")
waaahwhyareyoumoddingmeIdon’tdeservetobemoddedinfactyou’reahypocritebecauseyousaidthisaboutsomethingisaidbutyoudidn’tsaythatabajillionthreadsagosoyoudon’tdeservetobeamodandimgoingtoflounceovertoATMBandpissandmoanbecauseIdon’tseewhyyouhavetosinglemeoutforbeinganabusiveprickbecauseinmyheartitrulybelieveihavearighttobeanabusiveprickandifyoucallmeoutforbeinganabusivepricki’mgoingtomakeyourlifehellbymakingyouengageinpointlessargumentsabouthesamegoddamnthingeverygoddamndayuntilthedayidiebecauseitiss mygodgivenrighttobeanabusiveprickandyou’reallabunchofmeaniesfornotlettingme ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marley-moderating-a-thread-you-started/632543/8 "2012-08-25T18:51:52Z")
“abusive prick” in ATMB? Hmmm…curious how long this goes unwarned. We’ll see. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marley-moderating-a-thread-you-started/632543/9 "2012-08-25T21:23:56Z")
If it does, I won’t complain. 🙂 Sorry to raise a stink, and I don’t have a beef with you, but do you really need to be so tweakerish about this stuff? Every time you do it, you lose not only the argument, but credibility. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marley-moderating-a-thread-you-started/632543/10 "2012-08-25T21:44:29Z")
I’m always so touched about people’s concern about my loss of gravitas. Bless your heart. ---
**Author:** ![Molotok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Molotok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Molotok)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marley-moderating-a-thread-you-started/632543/11 "2012-08-25T21:53:04Z")
**An Arky** , I have a sneaking suspicion **ppr** doesn’t take your last post seriously! Or even really bless your heart! ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marley-moderating-a-thread-you-started/632543/12 "2012-08-25T22:04:03Z")
I’m not convinced he’s even a priest. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marley-moderating-a-thread-you-started/632543/13 "2012-08-25T22:26:17Z")
> [@An\_Arky](#): > > waaahwhyareyoumoddingmeIdon’tdeservetobemoddedinfactyou’reahypocritebecauseyousaidthisaboutsomethingisaidbutyoudidn’tsaythatabajillionthreadsagosoyoudon’tdeservetobeamodandimgoingtoflounceovertoATMBandpissandmoanbecauseIdon’tseewhyyouhavetosinglemeoutforbeinganabusiveprickbecauseinmyheartitrulybelieveihavearighttobeanabusiveprickandifyoucallmeoutforbeinganabusivepricki’mgoingtomakeyourlifehellbymakingyouengageinpointlessargumentsabouthesamegoddamnthingeverygoddamndayuntilthedayidiebecauseitiss > mygodgivenrighttobeanabusiveprickandyou’reallabunchofmeaniesfornotlettingme MODERATOR WARNING FOR JERKISH BEHAVIOR. You already knew you’d get warned, so I’ll save the pixels. **samclem** , Moderator ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marley-moderating-a-thread-you-started/632543/14 "2012-08-25T22:28:22Z")
Well, I for one, have never Moderated in a thread that I initiated. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marley-moderating-a-thread-you-started/632543/15 "2012-08-25T22:36:14Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Well, I for one, have never Moderated in a thread that I initiated. \*Note to people who have only been around a short time. **tom** has started two threads since becoming a moderator. The job just sucks the creativity out of you. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marley-moderating-a-thread-you-started/632543/16 "2012-08-26T01:47:08Z")
> [@An\_Arky](#): > > waaahwhyareyoumoddingmeIdon’tdeservetobemoddedinfactyou’reahypocritebecauseyousaidthisaboutsomethingisaidbutyoudidn’tsaythatabajillionthreadsagosoyoudon’tdeservetobeamodandimgoingtoflounceovertoATMBandpissandmoanbecauseIdon’tseewhyyouhavetosinglemeoutforbeinganabusiveprickbecauseinmyheartitrulybelieveihavearighttobeanabusiveprickandifyoucallmeoutforbeinganabusivepricki’mgoingtomakeyourlifehellbymakingyouengageinpointlessargumentsabouthesamegoddamnthingeverygoddamndayuntilthedayidiebecauseitiss > mygodgivenrighttobeanabusiveprickandyou’reallabunchofmeaniesfornotlettingme I just watched an episode of _Perception_ and the screwed-up-sleuth™ solved a code that looked just like this. I want to warn everybody in this thread not to open packages sent to them they aren’t expecting because they may contain canisters of sarin inside. And check on your parents to make sure they aren’t being held hostage. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marley-moderating-a-thread-you-started/632543/17 "2012-08-26T02:30:28Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > I think it’s the equivalent of a guy telling his cowering girlfriend with the black eye and varicolored bruises concealed under inappropriately long sleeves that she “looks real pretty today.” More like “Today you really did a good job of not forcing me to hit you” ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marley-moderating-a-thread-you-started/632543/18 "2012-08-26T19:41:07Z")
“… too hard.” ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marley-moderating-a-thread-you-started/632543/19 "2012-08-27T15:35:50Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I’m also by choice kind of the only mod in Elections - **tomndebb** and **twickster** back me up when needed, but mostly their attitude is that since I supported the idea for the forum, I am stuck with it. 😉 [Nelson] Ha! Ha! [/Nelson]