Really, samclem?

[Fiendish_Astronaut]

Policing a situation to the letter of the law is often not the shrewdest way to tackle a problem. It felt to me in this instance that the moderator warning ruined the friendly ambiance of the board. At least in that thread anyway.

I humbly suggest a softer touch is required, though I’ve only moderated smaller boards and I’m sure that moderating the SDMB not as easy a job.

I think the balance of helpful, friendly, insightul, knowledgeable and humorous answers in GQ is spot on so I’m posting here to help nip over-zealous moderating in the bud. I don’t doubt this was just one of those human misjudgements. Please don’t stop moderating. But, at the same time, please don’t over-moderate. And thank you for your work. I’m sure you don’t get paid, and the boards would be considerably lessened without you. Possibly even useless.

[John_Mace]

Sam should have made it clear in the warning what the warning was for. As it stands, it just looks like the poster was being warned for making a joke in GQ, not for doing so too soon.

[samclem]

Let me amplify my first post to this thread. I wasn’t drunk. I drink beer/wine almost every night after work. I seldom am “drunk.”

Hail Ants will suffer no lifelong disability from my actions.

He broke a longtime rule in GQ. I had the option of giving him a note or a warning. He’s been here 11 years. I warned him. I was correct.

[cochrane]

I’m disappointed, samclem. The warning was over the top. Your obstinate inflexibility in refusing to reverse it shows narrow-mindedness. Hail Ants is one of the good guys here and should’ve been cut some slack, IMO. He doesn’t have a pile of warnings and suspensions and I think a mod note in this situation would have gotten the point across as well as a warning. I agree with nailing the trolls to the wall, but people who make innocent mistakes deserve much better. Especially someone who’s been around for eleven years and doesn’t cause any trouble.

However, Hail Ants is willing to move on, so this will be my last word on it, too.

[Inner_Stickler]

So you don’t have a reason for choosing a warning over a note. Good to know.

[Oakminster]

@samclem

I was correct.

You’re normally a pretty reasonable guy. Tonight, you’re getting all jackbooty on the wrong guy in the wrong thread for the wrong reason.

[samclem]

@mhendo

OK, so we’ve established that Hail ants did, indeed, break a GQ rule, and that, while sometimes such infractions go without a warning, that’s acceptable because moderators aren’t around 24/7 and can’t be expected to police stuff that they don’t see.

You said, in the other thread where i brought this issue up:If Jinx gets that sort of kid glove treatment after hundreds of ridiculous threads and multiple moderator cautions over an extended period, why not treat Hail Ants’ minor indiscretion with a similar, moderate response?

Valid point. Two different questions.

Jinx and ralph are posting bad GQs. I guess I could ban them after they continually post shit questions. I don’t consider this ban-worthy. I think? I formally warned one of them for posting crap. I could be wrong.

Hail Ants is an intelligent, valuable poster who has been here for quite some time. He’d have to go to great lengths to get banned. He got a mod warning. It’s not a big deal. It’s somewhat akin to asking the cop who pulled you over for driving 65 in a 50mph zone why he didn’t pull over the other drivers who were passing them.
Did you break the law or did you not?

[samclem]

@cochrane

I’m disappointed, samclem. The warning was over the top. Your obstinate inflexibility in refusing to reverse it shows narrow-mindedness. Hail Ants is one of the good guys here and should’ve been cut some slack, IMO. He doesn’t have a pile of warnings and suspensions and I think a mod note in this situation would have gotten the point across as well as a warning. I agree with nailing the trolls to the wall, but people who make innocent mistakes deserve much better. Especially someone who’s been around for eleven years and doesn’t cause any trouble.

However, Hail Ants is willing to move on, so this will be my last word on it, too.

You’re correct. Flashing your “I support the local police” badge should cut us all some slack.
Tell it to the judge.

[Inner_Stickler]

@samclem

Valid point. Two different questions.

Jinx and ralph are posting bad GQs. I guess I could ban them after they continually post shit questions. I don’t consider this ban-worthy. I think? I formally warned one of them for posting crap. I could be wrong.

Hail Ants is an intelligent, valuable poster who has been here for quite some time. He’d have to go to great lengths to get banned. He got a mod warning. It’s not a big deal. It’s somewhat akin to asking the cop who pulled you over for driving 65 in a 50mph zone why he didn’t pull over the other drivers who were passing them.
Did you break the law or did you not?

No, but it’s a little like asking the cop why he’s ticketing you for jaywalking while someone’s looting TVs a block over.

[AClockworkMelon]

Especially when the cop is admitting to your face that the reason he’s going after you is because he’s had a bad day and a few drinks.

[Darth_Nader]

Wow. It’s possible to be right, and not a jerk about it.

I suspect there is some serious mod burnout here.

[cochrane]

@samclem

You’re correct. Flashing your “I support the local police” badge should cut us all some slack.
Tell it to the judge.

An exercise in futility when you’re the judge.

[samclem]

@cochrane

An exercise in futility when you’re the judge.

Nope, I was the cop giving you a ticket for an infraction.

[samclem]

@Darth_Nader

Wow. It’s possible to be right, and not a jerk about it.

I suspect there is some serious mod burnout here.

Not really.

[Darth_Nader]

About the burnout? Or being a jerk?

[Inner_Stickler]

Well, if this is going to be your new moderating style, you’ll forgive me if I give GQ a pass from now on.

[samclem]

@AClockworkMelon

Especially when the cop is admitting to your face that the reason he’s going after you is because he’s had a bad day and a few drinks.

I didn’t issue a warning because I had a bad day or had a few drinks. I’ll try to be sure to NEVER(notice the caps!!) in the future to say I had a beer before warning someone.

The “cop” didn’t admit he gave you a ticket because he had a bad day and a few drinks. Where are you getting this?

[samclem]

@Darth_Nader

About the burnout? Or being a jerk?

No burnout. I wasn’t a jerk, IMHO. YMMV.

[Erdosain]

Sometimes I swear this board is just a giant Stanford Prison Experiment.

The goal of this particular simulation is to discover how little power you can give someone before they inexplicably turn into a jerk.

[samclem]

@Inner_Stickler

Well, if this is going to be your new moderating style, you’ll forgive me if I give GQ a pass from now on.

If, in your humble opinion, I’m sullying GQ, why would you give up on GQ? You can post threads and answer questions without fear that I’m at your throat. As long as you don’t violate any basic rule, why would you give GQ a pass?