This actually happened to me, but I saw it in time and was able to edit to “nm.”
See, I usually enter a thread by hitting the “see latest posts” button, and then reading downward, chronologically, from there. So I might see…
A: “That’s wrong!”
B: “No it isn’t, it’s perfectly true!”
So I’ll jump in and say, “Whoa, B is right, it’s absolutely true.”
Then I get along five or six more posts and see…
Mod: “This is off topic. Any further posts about this will be warned.”
Oh, hell! If it’s too late for me to edit, can I add a quick, “Ooops! I didn’t see the mod note until too late! Can we pretend I said nothing? Or can a mod ‘nm’ my post?” Would the mods be tolerant of a “oopsie, take-back?” Or do I have to take my medicine?
Do I have to change the way I read and respond to threads?
Self-report … and hope … if you “Preview Post”, the thread is updated and you can check if there’s been a mod note … but if you think you should check, maybe you shouldn’t be posting what you’re posting …
This happened to me once too. There was some poll. I was in a hurry, so I just posted my poll choice and a little joke and was on my way. Little did I know that there was some Big Intense Conversation regarding the poll upthread. And my little joke, due to the timing in the thread, came across as being very jerkish (also just a few posts after a mod note against someone doing something similar). I decided to not fight the warning and now force myself to read entire threads before posting jokes.
No, what I was actually posting was quite mild. But the mod had declared the whole topic off limits, so even a mild, “Well, I agree with B” was a violation.
I may have to start doing this. But, yeah, reverse-ninjaing is embarrassing.
It’s been my observation that it depends. If you’re not known for ignoring mod instruction, and you acknowledge the infraction yourself, they’ll be more likely to let it go. But if your name sticks out as a “career criminal,” you’re more likely to get dinged.
Not seeing the stop sign is no excuse. However, if someone posts an apology I’m likely to be lenient.
It would be a good idea, not only to avoid running afoul of mod instructions but also to avoid repeating what someone else has already said (or someone else has refuted).
The problem I have with the “always read the entire thread” is that IMHO posts often ask your opinion. And, in many case, you don’t want it to be influenced by other opinions.
Still, I always do a quick scroll through and look for mod notes. It’s why I like them having a specific form. I only wish they stood out more.
While I do respect the mods It has happened to me 2x at least, warning given but I posted before I read it (I often take a long time to submit my post, allowing other postings, including mods to go unseen). A email to the mods quickly explained away the situation. Though those things seem to be on my SDMB record, they are noted as reversed. Most mods are human and they understand, though…
That’s just the way the software works. If we reverse a warning it still shows up on your infractions tab (and says reversed, as you note). It’s not really a warning any more though.
I’ve done both. I have both understood and relented at giving someone a warning even after mod notes and I have given out warnings even though they saw it after and said “Oh, sorry, just saw the note now”.
Usually in the second case it’s for those either that were directly involved in the trouble itself, a known troublemaker who might just be looking to hop into some drama, or more than one or two notes were already given out before the person posted.
There have been occasions where someone has self-reported their violation because they noticed it beyond the edit window. While I don’t think it’s an excuse for missing the mod note, I am likely to be more lenient about it than if I hear about the violation from someone else, or if I discover it myself.
As always, of course, best practice is to read the entire thread before responding.
It’s pretty obvious that a lot of people don’t read the OP either, at least not all of it. That won’t solve the problem.
The only real solution is for people to read the thread. I am apt to be more lenient if a mod note was quite a few posts back, but not if the note was recent.
I admit, I’ll take self-reporting into account when moderating a thread. I’d far rather deal with a poster who realized they made a mistake and wish to deal with it. Far better than unrepentant posters who believe rules are made for other people.
That said, each poster is responsible for knowing the contents of a thread before posting. Ignorance of moderator guidelines doesn’t excuse one from having to obey them. Best to read the thread before responding.
Which strikes me as another reason that mega-threads are bad.
The Trump election thread had 7000+ posts when it was shut down this week. Does that mean that if someone misses a mod warning from July can be dinged for failing to follow the mod note if they posted something in late September ?
I’m not going to read every post, but luckily I’ll skim through the thread. Sure enough, I’ve caught the bolding our dear sweet moderators tend to fond of and it was a note about using a “certain word” and that it should stop. Good thing I saw it too, my intended post included that “certain word” over and over and over again.
On another message board, a text color is reserved for the beloved moderator actions. It’s very distinct and clearly identifies when the merciful and godlike moderators is being a normal person or when they’re being the police.
It won’t solve the problem (have you tried it?) so instead you leave instructions where people are even less likely to see them? You could also modify the title.
You have several solutions but seem unwilling to try them. Addressing specific posters is one matter, but implementing narrow, single-thread rules for all posters mid-thread is poor policy and asking for noncompliance, especially when we don’t have a functioning “go to first new post” feature. Is your goal better thread quality? Well you have options to facilitate that.
