# Why I'm Leaving This Board **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 15, 2022, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-im-leaving-this-board/961063 "2022-03-15T00:11:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-im-leaving-this-board/961063/161 "2022-05-21T21:49:52Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > This post has confused me?.. There’s an unintended double negation in there I think. Moderators obviously should _not_ simply defer to the views of one poster without giving the matter due consideration. So delete the “not” in the second sentence. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-im-leaving-this-board/961063/162 "2022-05-21T22:18:01Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > This post has confused me? > [@Riemann](#): > > There’s an unintended double negation in there I think. Moderators obviously should _not_ simply defer to the views of one poster without giving the matter due consideration. So delete the “not” in the second sentence. Right. I meant moderators who didn’t do their job but it doesn’t parse that way. Sorry for the confusion. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-im-leaving-this-board/961063/163 "2022-05-21T22:23:49Z")
So your meaning was “not”, not “not not”. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-im-leaving-this-board/961063/164 "2022-05-21T22:25:41Z")
A very knotty phrase. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-im-leaving-this-board/961063/165 "2022-05-21T22:36:07Z")
I guess we could define the word “maybe” as: > not not not not not (not “not”, not “not not”) We have some work to do to reach buffalo status. You can obviously keep just negating _ad infinitum_ but that seems cheap. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-im-leaving-this-board/961063/166 "2022-05-21T22:37:21Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > We have some work to do to reach buffalo status. Sweet! ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-im-leaving-this-board/961063/167 "2022-05-21T23:03:25Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > You can obviously keep just negating _ad infinitum_ but that seems cheap. Maybe, maybe not. Not “not”, not “not not”, not not “not”, not not “not not” ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-im-leaving-this-board/961063/168 "2022-05-22T10:55:29Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Yeah, I think we’re going to have to call that little experiment a failure. If we come up with something that actually works, we’ll let you know. Thanks for trying it out, anyway. > [@DrDeth](#): > > And yes, only the mods get to Moderate things here. Posters don’t vote on these things. Posters do, however, get to give opinions. You’ve posted in, and started, enough ATMB threads yourself that that high horse looks pretty damn silly. > [@DrDeth](#): > > Why should they? What business is that of yours? It was a PRIVATE Message. It is none of your business. Because how a moderator moderatess impacts me when it’s my turn to request moderation in a forum they moderate, obviously. The impact may be moderate, but it’s not immoderate to want more information on a moderator’s moderation style. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-im-leaving-this-board/961063/169 "2022-05-22T14:05:52Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > The system doesn’t work all that well. To have a mod discussion we have to remove the poster that flagged the post from it. At that point they can’t see it. > > It is far too much work to try and give them the part of the PM stream that they had access too, especially if we’re doing it from a phone. I’m not even willing to try unless a technical fix is made. > > I think it is fair to say I communicate in the flag system more than most mods. But what you’re asking for is too much. OK. Bear in mind that I’ve got no way to tell what’s difficult for you and what isn’t, other than you telling us. Thanks for addressing it. I doubt we’d have much luck asking for changes to Discourse as I suspect most boards don’t have this sort of setup. In future if I wind up in any sort of significant conversation in a flag thread I’ll copy and save posts for myself as I make or see them, if I think I might want to refer to them later. But I expect there are going to be others taken aback because they don’t understand what’s going on. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-im-leaving-this-board/961063/170 "2022-05-22T14:27:39Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Yeah, I think we’re going to have to call that little experiment a failure. If we come up with something that actually works, we’ll let you know. Not sure how it would work in PMs, but have you tried Whispers? ---
**Author:** ![yarblek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/71e660/32.png) [@yarblek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yarblek)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-im-leaving-this-board/961063/171 "2022-05-22T15:35:49Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Because how a moderator moderatess impacts me when it’s my turn to request moderation in a forum they moderate, obviously. The impact may be moderate, but it’s not immoderate to want more information on a moderator’s moderation style. Moderation! Heck yeah! ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-im-leaving-this-board/961063/172 "2022-05-22T16:32:13Z")
When the ancient Greeks said _moderation in all things_, few people realize that what they meant is that the domain and scope of the moderator’s power is without limit. ---
**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:** [May 22, 2022, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-im-leaving-this-board/961063/173 "2022-05-22T16:33:44Z")
What are Whispers? I don’t recall that Discourse feature. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-im-leaving-this-board/961063/174 "2022-05-22T16:46:07Z")
Basically, they let staff add notes to threads (and I think to PMs) without the regular membership being able to see them. They’re like secret posts. [See here](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-do-i-create-a-whisper-post/44247) ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-im-leaving-this-board/961063/175 "2022-05-22T16:50:28Z")
I agree with what was said above: The Dope’s moderating is already better than 95% of the Internet’s message boards. Anyone who leaves it is welcome to immerse themselves in the cesspool of power-jerk-tyranny-modding elsewhere (Reddit, Democratic Underground, anyone?) and have fun there. ---
**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:** [May 22, 2022, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-im-leaving-this-board/961063/176 "2022-05-22T16:54:40Z")
I have used whispers. I have mixed feelings about them. They always leave me anxious as to whether the “whispered” post is actually private or is public. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-im-leaving-this-board/961063/177 "2022-05-22T16:56:55Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I have used whispers. I have mixed feelings about them. They always leave me anxious as to whether the “whispered” post is actually private or is public.  They do take some getting used to. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-im-leaving-this-board/961063/178 "2022-05-22T16:58:47Z")
If you do use them, I suggest a standing order that anything that was supposed to be a whisper but didn’t get toggled can be immediately deleted without discussion by anybody with the power to do so. Can save a lot of embarrassment and hurt feelings. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-im-leaving-this-board/961063/179 "2022-05-22T17:15:12Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Posters do, however, get to give opinions. You’ve posted in, and started, enough ATMB threads yourself that that high horse looks pretty damn silly. About warnings and rule changes. Not a PM that makes no difference. There is no reason to demand a PM be made public unless you just want to give a mod a hard time over it. > [@Velocity](#): > > I agree with what was said above: The Dope’s moderating is already better than 95% of the Internet’s message boards. I concur. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-im-leaving-this-board/961063/180 "2022-05-22T17:22:21Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Not a PM that makes no difference. It caused a poster to leave. That’s not “no difference”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-im-leaving-this-board/961063.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-im-leaving-this-board/961063.md?page=10)