As has been explained to you before, closing a thread to confer on what needs done is NOT the most extreme option. Not even close. “We’re going to discuss this and get back to you” isn’t even a decision. It’s just delaying the decision. The thread might stay permanently closed (which is the nuclear option) or it might be re-opened. There might be further instructions issued, there might not.
Do you understand this? Because you keep repeating this incorrect information, which very strongly indicates that you just don’t get it.
So you think that you aren’t being given a true choice unless you can keep the option to do it exactly the way you want to even if the mods decide otherwise?
I want to emphasize this again. Because I said it upthread (and was promptly ignored by it’s targets, which does illustrate the mods points about notes and people not actually complying with them). There are all sorts of short pauses in threads, to cool-down when tempers are high, to head off hijacks, to wait if a forum mod is available, etc.
The only reason this one was unusual was the duration, and that was because of IRL issues on a (minor) Holiday weekend! I don’t think the OP would be getting as much support or attention if it had been a more usual 1 hour pause, but the longer duration seem to be fueling their ‘nuclear’ exaggeration.
It vehemently disagree. This clearly created more disruption than a note would have. As stated, only a few people were actually discussing the problematic part, and could be reigned in. If they persist, then that’s a reason to deal with them. As for active moderation–that’s what reports are for. It shouldn’t be your goal to put in the least amount of effort, but to moderate in the least disruptive fashion.
A 24-hour shut down may not be a big disruption, but it is still a disruption. And that is why there was resentment created. While I do think posters went overboard, I do get why that is extremely frustrating. When the amount of people actually doing the possibly bad thing is small, there’s no reason to shut down the 90% of the rest, even if that is easier.
And, well, it wasn’t easier, since it added all the effort you guys took to respond to this thread. So it fails on those grounds.
As for people getting warnings for violating mod instructions, evne if those later change? That happens all the time. The Warning would be for ignoring mod instructions.
I’m not a fan of creating new ways to moderate unless you can show some significant problem with the way things have been done before. That example with the thread bannings was a good one (and honestly would be a good tactic to use for any poster who ignore the mod instruction. Ban them from the thread.)
So, no, I don’t think this is a practice that makes sense to continue. The other people got too mad, but their strategy for dealing with this was the better one, the less disruptive one that would accomplish the same goal, and less work than having to deal with people getting angry that you’ve once again come up with a new way to moderate that seems more restrictive than before.
It should be our goal to reduce the effort required on the part of the moderators.
They have a hard job to do, and I don’t see why we should make it harder.
Eh, the people who are angry are those who look for something to be angry about. This thread would be here no matter what option the mods took, well, other than taking no action at all. They wanted to talk about all the poor men who won’t be able to tell a woman what to do with her body. That’s what they are upset about, not about the temporary closure, that’s just the disingenuous fig leaf.
Now, some posters found it legitimately inconvenient that they had posts they wanted to make on the actual topic of the thread, and couldn’t, and that’s understandable. But they are not the ones who are actually angry about this.
And there’s absolutely no urgency for the mods to respond in this thread. This thread is not the sort of thing that makes people feel uncomfortable posting on the SDMB. What could have been posted in that thread was. So, honestly, replying in this thread is both less disruptive to the board AS A WHOLE and also easier on the mods.
Y’all know I’m not exactly always siding with the moderation, and not a fan of delayed responses, especially when some result is promised and then a week passes. I’ve bumped more than one ATMB thread needling for some answer on something, I know. But I find I’m liking this particular flavour of delay, and can see how it’s an evolved response to folks not being told on dropping something, over and over again.
Makes less work for the mods, and all that’s asked of posters is some damn patience. Seems like a fair trade.
This board isn’t a transport system, nobody is going to be affected if they can’t post right now. “Disruption” is melodramatic exaggeration.
