Moderation

[spike]

So I noticed there's a mod (Shadowfax) who hasn't posted in a year.

Thoughts?

 

[Gonz]

Leave of Absense. We know who's where & why.

 

[spike]

I guess the the issue is not so much where they are or why but more a question how effective you can moderate while being gone for a year kinda thing.

 

[Inkara1]

My guess is that the slack is being picked up by others, with a promise for his job to be waiting for hom when he returns.

 

[unclehobart]

When was the last sighting of the Flying Dutchman anyway? Was it when he was doing that work in Egypt?

 

[Altron]

I think he dropped in like a year ago to make a few posts. The last time I remember him actually posting regularly was almost five years ago, right around when I was banned.

 

[Luis G]

He's been peeping. His last activity was on the 18th.

 

[unclehobart]

I really wonder if Martin ever intends to come back. Many people have come and gone over the years. The culture at the start was certainly different from the culture at the middle, and very different form the culture of the now. Those that return usually don't stay because they don't recognize the place, their social circle has departed, or their perception of such boards have changed radically in thier minds from the age of 17-25. I do miss some of the old days though... the times when one could hammer out 250 posts swimmiing freely twixt 50 different conversations. I guess we would have to triple our daily posters to get back to those free flowing days. The trouble is that the collective IQ of posting tends to drop with the crowd size.

 

[chcr]

I really wonder if Martin ever intends to come back. Many people have come and gone over the years. The culture at the start was certainly different from the culture at the middle, and very different form the culture of the now. Those that return usually don't stay because they don't recognize the place, their social circle has departed, or their perception of such boards have changed radically in thier minds from the age of 17-25. I do miss some of the old days though... the times when one could hammer out 250 posts swimmiing freely twixt 50 different conversations. I guess we would have to triple our daily posters to get back to those free flowing days. The trouble is that the collective IQ of posting tends to drop with the crowd size.

Doesn't your perception of everything change radically between 17 and 25? Mine certainly did.

 

[SouthernN'Proud]

I'm all for moderation...in moderation, of course...

 

[Starya]

Funny though, I was discussing the concept of message boards with the Critter the other day. He's member of a forum run by people in the 16-22 age group, and he was upset about the strickt rules and heavy moderation the board had. Stuff like strick rules of how a topic title "should be", all responses to a post had to be relevant and if a moderater thought it wasn't relevant enough it'd be deleted, threads that could be seen as similar as older threads were locked, bumping old threads was frowned upon.. etc etc. He had made a thread politely wanting to discuss the strick moderation and was quickly flamed for having the nerve to do so.

Anywhoo, I told him this was something I had often seen on forums where tenage boys were in charge (especially tech-forums, I see the point in excluding non relevant discussion there, but not in all sections...). Has anyone else experienced this? My theory was that their new-found position of power gave them a power-trip that made them love slamming ridiculous rules over people's heads, not leaving room for debate.

In my experience, most forums with older users/moderators give room for discussion that may evolve to something other than the original topic. Not only can these discussions with a natural flow be interesting, they also allow posters to get to know each other and each others "tone" better.

 

[unclehobart]

They wouldn't allow old threads to be bumped nor similar new posts? Geez... what a drag. You eventually do run out of stuff to talk about. Everything old does become new again... eventually.

 

[tonksy]

But you see, it's a teenage geeks first taste of power and they weild it with an iron fist.

 

[BeardofPants]

Starya? You haven't been to entmoot have you?

 

[Inkara1]

What's always fun is the ol' QATC... question answered, thread closed.

 

[Starya]

But you see, it's a teenage geeks first taste of power and they weild it with an iron fist.

Exactly what I said.

Bop: I visited once in the past, but it just wasn't my kinda place..

 

[unclehobart]

I hate it when they whip out the ol' Qatar Automobile and Touring Club.

 

[BeardofPants]

Exactly what I said.

Bop: I visited once in the past, but it just wasn't my kinda place..

Well, I guess I just wanted to point out that strictness isn't necessarily restricted to teenage power-tripping fiends.

 

[unclehobart]

No doubt. Par Ex: HardwareCentral. Jeez... what a bunch of Stalinazis.

 

[Starya]

Well, I guess I just wanted to point out that strictness isn't necessarily restricted to teenage power-tripping fiends.

True, I've seen it elsewhere too. But the teen-forums are over represented.

I reckon mah Critter would love a forum that was more like this one. He actually joked about joining once (he's a over-shoulder-peeker), but I told him that if I ever caught his sorry ass in here, I'd.. I'd... Well, it wouldn't be pretty.