Had this little exchange earlier this morning in GQ, and thought it was worth posting here.
engineer_comp_geek
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Moderator Note
I have edited the thread title to indicate that there are spoilers in this thread (The Blacklist and Law and Order so far).
As for moving the thread, this is a factual question about the law, and not about a legal issue that might involve legal opinions (which would be an IMHO topic). I’m not a lawyer, but to me the thread seems factual enough for GQ at the moment.
#11
Leo Bloom
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Go ecg. And props for the unusual, unnecessary but nice words on what mods actually do (um…think :)) for a non-living at SD.
Which leads me to the thought that a mod’s unseen hand, having writ, moves on most often silently except in ATMB, when they are either letting their hair down or responding to some querulous query or other.
I wonder how much that is a matter of time, principle (because it’s inviting talk back where it doesn’t belong, even if not querulous but genial), or sympathy with that particular post, or poster, or general mood of the thread when A Grownup steps in out of the blue.
ETA: I understand when it’s a ding, the mods correctly briefly cite SD Law or custom. But in the other more administrative chores like this one where usually you see just a “moved.”
Plus “genial talkback where it doesn’t belong” is a self reference…
Leo, I’m not entirely understanding your comment here, but I’ll try.
Lots of mod notes give detailed explanations about a moderator action. Simple things often don’t require detailed explanation (like if something about food was posted in IMHO, a move to Cafe Society may be self explanatory). I give more detailed notes when I think there is some ambiguity about why I’m doing what I’m doing or if it needs additional context. No personal feelings really factor in.
If you’re ever not sure about why a moderator took action, you can always PM them.
It also depends on how long the poster in question has been here. If I see a newbie posting in the wrong place, I’ll generally go into a bit more detail about the differences between the forums, because they might not have realized. If it’s an experienced member, though, then I’ll assume that they put it in the wrong forum by mistake, or if it wasn’t a mistake, that the move itself plus a minimal comment will make it clear to them.
Hi Ambivalid…you and I go way back, and I’m certainly comfortable cutting one every now and then when we’re together, but since we’re also among other friends: that was one hell of a thread fart.
Not only was it answered coherently, but for the life of me I can’t see where what I have written is in any ways unclear or well-expressed, if the “moving hand having writ” archaism is to be humored because it humored me citing some phrase from some poet in the dustbin of my memory. One paragraph statement, the second a reference to it (“that”) about which I wonder. Which implies, in this context (a forum) an interrogative. A more gentle one, perhaps–it is up to you to respond to the incessant wide-eyed childlike wonder I simply exude during my daily GQ trips. No questions asked.
I say this because I have posted a zillion OPs, some more some less well written, some even without numbered interrogative sentences, as I’ve been doing of late, to forestall the need for readers who look for them to the exclusion of anything else.
And it is a kind of hiccup/friendly-or-not-so-friendly tease by now for many with me (e.g., “any of your posts”) and, in the absence of any further engagement with what you are commenting on, it is stinky.
I’ve often wondered if you chose your screen name because you often write like Joyce, or if you admired his writing style and adopted his style of writing.
While Ambivalid was perhaps, unnecessarily blunt, I know where he’s coming from. I find your writing (like in this OP) convoluted and a challenge to follow. I made an effort since I’m replying in my moderator capacity.
I think you mean well, but perhaps you don’t realize that it can come off as hard to interpret.
Here’s the crux of the problem. I also can’t make head or tail of what you’re on about in your OP, especially the last sentence.
When you think you’re writing clearly, but multiple people (including a few with advanced degrees) tell you they don’t understand you, the problem is clearly on your side.
Leo, I know you get upset with me when I try to get you to frame your questions in a less elliptical fashion in GQ. You’ve said that you enjoy asides, digressions, and elaborate language. That’s all well and good, but if people don’t understand your posts it’s counterproductive. Not only will people have trouble answering your questions if they can’t easily parse them, they end up getting annoyed with you (and I end up having to mod them for taking potshots at you).
If you want to indulge in creative writing, you can do it all you want in IMHO. When you want a question answered or a response, it would behoove you to take a minimalist approach in your posts, and phrase them in the simplest and most straightforward way possible. You may find it entertaining to be more recondite and convoluted, but it causes problems.
And you. How funny that you chose to post in this thread. If there is one person on this board whose posts are more difficult to parse than LB’s, it’s you.
And I apologize to the Public Education System of the State of California … the tax-payers paid top dollar to teach me English … I guess I was a no show …
I purposely keep moderating comments as short as is necessary. Editorializing in moderation can appear to bring in personal bias which I attempt to avoid to the extent possible.
It’s not just a matter of antecedent. You have more than a dozen clauses in two sentences, not to mention parenthetical asides, superfluous adjectives, and so on.
See, you can write clearly if you try. You will do a lot better if you ask your questions in such a straightforward way, rather than going for creative writing. With with all due respect, it doesn’t work for you. If you want to do so, do it in IMHO or MPSIMS. If you want to get an answer to your questions, just ask them in the simplest way possible.
