# Should moderator actions be in public or in private? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [June 30, 2021, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-moderator-actions-be-in-public-or-in-private/945286 "2021-06-30T00:43:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2021, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-moderator-actions-be-in-public-or-in-private/945286/143 "2021-07-13T17:21:43Z")
Hmm, I think I’ll start a war with all the mods that way no one can moderate me! ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2021, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-moderator-actions-be-in-public-or-in-private/945286/144 "2021-07-13T17:26:00Z")
Haha, it’s funny but over on Wikipedia that’s a tactic that some people take with administrators. They try to pick fights so that later they can claim that any action they take against them is personal. Unfortunately for them, it doesn’t work. If you attack an admin they can sanction you for violating the policy against personal attacks, and as long as it was clearly a personal attack and the sanction isn’t disproportionate there is nothing preventing the admin from taking action. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2021, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-moderator-actions-be-in-public-or-in-private/945286/145 "2021-07-13T17:27:12Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I am just saying that W.E should have let another moderator handle it. Otherwise it appears as a conflict of interest. I don’t agree, but for a moment let’s grant that this is a true statement. So what? Where does the Straight Dope Message Board in its rules guarantee that you won’t be moderated by someone with a conflict of interest against you? If you threaten to sue the Dope and the Dope bans you, is that a conflict of interest? If so, so what? Should Zuckerberg not be allowed to ban you from Facebook for posting claims that he drinks the blood of children to stay young because that’s a conflict of interest? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2021, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-moderator-actions-be-in-public-or-in-private/945286/146 "2021-07-13T17:29:03Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Where does the Straight Dope Message Board in its rules guarantee that you won’t be moderated by someone with a conflict of interest against you? So, it has to be written down in the Rules or else it is not wrong? 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2021, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-moderator-actions-be-in-public-or-in-private/945286/147 "2021-07-13T17:30:09Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > [Zuckerberg] drinks the blood of children to stay young He drinks their blood! OMG, today I learned. I have to go repost that! ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2021, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-moderator-actions-be-in-public-or-in-private/945286/148 "2021-07-13T17:33:01Z")
After all the bitching and moaning about the rules being unclear, nebulous, and made up on the fly now we get someone appealing to completely non-existent rules. The entertainment value of this place goes up every day. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2021, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-moderator-actions-be-in-public-or-in-private/945286/149 "2021-07-13T17:46:34Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > So, it has to be written down in the Rules or else it is not wrong? 🙄 Yes, exactly - my entire moral code derives from the SDMB registration agreement. That’s precisely the message I was trying to communicate to you - excellent work deciphering my intent so quickly! ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2021, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-moderator-actions-be-in-public-or-in-private/945286/150 "2021-07-13T20:10:04Z")
Speaking of **WhatExit?** and public modding. I still have not received an answer from him on whether or not he hid my post from everyones view until he could comprise his defense and shut down any replies to it post. If my post was really so bad that enough posters flagged it that it was automatically removed by Discourse, why then after he had his post ready, did my post reappear totally unmodded and acceptable. What exactly did all these posters find objectionable in my post? Did all mods receive notice of this terrible post of mine but come to an agreement it was ok in such a short time? All of this in about five minutes in a thread that had no posters after I posted. If only the mods worked this fast on everything. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2021, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-moderator-actions-be-in-public-or-in-private/945286/151 "2021-07-13T20:32:05Z")
What are you talking about? I’m a little lost. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2021, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-moderator-actions-be-in-public-or-in-private/945286/152 "2021-07-13T20:32:32Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > I still have not received an answer from him on whether or not he hid my post from everyones view until he could comprise his defense and shut down any replies to it post. You aren’t gonna receive an answer outside the Pit, like I said. So since you aren’t gonna let this go, I answered you in the Pit. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2021, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-moderator-actions-be-in-public-or-in-private/945286/153 "2021-07-13T20:44:30Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > What are you talking about? I’m a little lost. I’m going to PM you since apparently the post was so offensive it was disappeared by the system while you composed your defense of posting on Giraffe. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2021, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-moderator-actions-be-in-public-or-in-private/945286/154 "2021-07-13T20:54:12Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > You aren’t gonna receive an answer outside the Pit, like I said. So since you aren’t gonna let this go, I answered you in the Pit. Oh noes! A giraffe board member pits a Doper! Whatever shall I do? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2021, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-moderator-actions-be-in-public-or-in-private/945286/155 "2021-07-13T21:09:59Z")
I’m completely lost. On another Discourse board with different settings, I know how a mod can hide a post, and then unhide it. I don’t know that a mod can even do that here. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2021, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-moderator-actions-be-in-public-or-in-private/945286/156 "2021-07-13T22:34:37Z")
**Moderator Action** > [@mordecaiB](#): > > Oh noes! A giraffe board member pits a Doper! Whatever shall I do? I don’t know what’s so difficult about the concept “we don’t allow board wars here”, but you’ve managed to derail another unrelated thread into another giraffe complaint. Since this thread has long since moved past its original topic, I think we’re done here. Thread closed. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2021, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-moderator-actions-be-in-public-or-in-private/945286/157 "2021-07-13T22:34:41Z")
[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-moderator-actions-be-in-public-or-in-private/945286.md?page=7)