What do you want in a moderator?

manateehugger · June 2014

RebeccaB88 said:

With roaming mods, I'd be concerned about the slower boards, that something could easily be missed if a mod didn't check it often. We'd still be paging mods on other boards to check that one.

But roaming mods do make sense, that they wouldn't get too comfortable with just the vibe on one board.

They'd need to be available weekends, holidays, overnights, etc. Which would be a huge responsibility for them. People have lives - work, vacations, plans, families. What if it's a holiday weekend and all the mods had plans or were on vacation? Would there have to be a schedule of who's covering what holiday? Obviously the boards slow down overnight, but spammers like to show up then. Would they be required to be on sometimes on the overnights?

I think it would be tough to find experienced board members who haven't had at least one warning. I've been warned and I usually try to stay out of a lot of the hot button topics (to be fair, the warning was way back before the Great Exodus, when newbies were report button happy). A lot of the board members who'd fit this category are newer members who may have not fully settled into how the board works and the unwritten rules.

There should definitely be a review process before banning (unless it's an obvious spammer) - maybe a temporary suspension until a KG reviews it? (As if they'd ever get around to it.)

And obviously, @KnotPorscha needs an assistant or twelve. She's one person trying to do way more than one person's work. And that's why she's not excelling at anything.

I think this is why I like the idea of giving a mod a "territory." So there can be some overlap in responsibility, but a mod can't lord over the entire community. It also wouldn't hurt for some of the more active boards like E or CC to have more than one mod - for fairness and to handle the volume.

I also think, and this is a hard qualification to measure in some cases, but that the mod's territory should be related to what her knowledge base is as best as possible. Want to be the A&A mod? Have decent alterations, designer, and style advice.

PrettyGirlLost · June 2014

KatieinBkln said:

PDKH said:

Let's also think about things we see daily on TK that we think aren't approrpriate right now and would like a mod to be take a stronger hand against. I don't want people to not speak up in this thread because they're afraid to go against the tide.

There are many times when a SS starts getting upset about how "mean" everyone is that I can practically see people rubbing their hands together with glee, and then "piling on" the poster. A lot of times people chime in perfectly politely (or even a with a little bit of snark) but sometimes I wish there was a way for someone to say, "Okay, guys, point taken" without it necessarily being a "you're banned!" situation. I think people here give excellent advice, but sometimes I think threads become more interested in "sticking it" to a poster who dared to question someone's tone/word choice/whatever and I'm really not okay with that, either. (Granted, I am also not okay with SSs doing the whole, "I feel sorry for your SOs; you're all terrible people" thing, either. It definitely cuts both ways.)

I don't agree with this assessment at all, and it illustrates where there cold be a potential issue with mods and closing threads just because a SS whines bc she isn't getting the validation she seeks.

This is an internet forum and sometimes ppl don't see a thread until later, and even if they are reiterating a point that has been already stated 30 times by other posters, they should still be free to post. That is not "piling on" or "Sticking it" to someone, it's the nature of a forum.

AddieCake · June 2014

Rebecca, I think if a vendor/spammer gets on overnight and nobody catches it, as long as someone takes care of it the next day it's fine. It is things like it going on for days that cause the problems. I don't think anybody needs to pull an all nighter to handle the boards. That will also be helped by having all the time zones covered as well.

KytchynWitche · June 2014

I've modded other boards, and I'd say that I agree with the qualities listed above. I also agree that spanning time zones is a good idea - though I would also then suggest that they add a widget on the side of the screen, where the "Recent Activity" and "This Week's Leaders" lists are, showing which mods are online at any given time so that users can contact them if there's a real shitstorm brewing.

As to the question of roaming vs dedicated, I would say dedicated is better in terms of making sure things actually get responded to, but that mods should also be allowed and encouraged to mod on other boards.

The biggest thing for me is that it's extremely important that TK issues strict guidelines to the mods to observe across all the boards though, so we don't end up with a "Mod A doesn't care if we swear but Mod B gets out the banhammer for it" situation. It's important that the mods be consistent in their "rulings".

As far as warnings go, I would say that general warnings should be offered on the board (as in, "Ladies, this thread is getting out of hand") but specific warnings should be via PM.

JCbride2015 · June 2014

KatieinBkln said:

PDKH said:

Let's also think about things we see daily on TK that we think aren't approrpriate right now and would like a mod to be take a stronger hand against. I don't want people to not speak up in this thread because they're afraid to go against the tide.

There are many times when a SS starts getting upset about how "mean" everyone is that I can practically see people rubbing their hands together with glee, and then "piling on" the poster. A lot of times people chime in perfectly politely (or even a with a little bit of snark) but sometimes I wish there was a way for someone to say, "Okay, guys, point taken" without it necessarily being a "you're banned!" situation. I think people here give excellent advice, but sometimes I think threads become more interested in "sticking it" to a poster who dared to question someone's tone/word choice/whatever and I'm really not okay with that, either. (Granted, I am also not okay with SSs doing the whole, "I feel sorry for your SOs; you're all terrible people" thing, either. It definitely cuts both ways.)

Yeah I see this too. I think it would be really hard though to set a clear line though: it's hard to say you can't agree with PPs because it's piling on. It's helpful to see there's a consensus one way or the other, and when there are 25 internet strangers all saying the same thing, it underscores to the OP that the idea actually is rude.

But yes, I really dislike when things get extra heated and piling on occurs. I just don't see where to draw the line.

offensivekitten2 · June 2014

I think active boards should have more than one mod, to cover the weekends/vacation/timezone concerns.

PrettyGirlLost · June 2014

JCbride2015 said:

KatieinBkln said:

PDKH said:

Let's also think about things we see daily on TK that we think aren't approrpriate right now and would like a mod to be take a stronger hand against. I don't want people to not speak up in this thread because they're afraid to go against the tide.

There are many times when a SS starts getting upset about how "mean" everyone is that I can practically see people rubbing their hands together with glee, and then "piling on" the poster. A lot of times people chime in perfectly politely (or even a with a little bit of snark) but sometimes I wish there was a way for someone to say, "Okay, guys, point taken" without it necessarily being a "you're banned!" situation. I think people here give excellent advice, but sometimes I think threads become more interested in "sticking it" to a poster who dared to question someone's tone/word choice/whatever and I'm really not okay with that, either. (Granted, I am also not okay with SSs doing the whole, "I feel sorry for your SOs; you're all terrible people" thing, either. It definitely cuts both ways.)

Yeah I see this too. I think it would be really hard though to set a clear line though: it's hard to say you can't agree with PPs because it's piling on. It's helpful to see there's a consensus one way or the other, and when there are 25 internet strangers all saying the same thing, it underscores to the OP that the idea actually is rude.

But yes, I really dislike when things get extra heated and piling on occurs. I just don't see where to draw the line.

It's too subjective, hence why a hard line cannot be drawn.

slothiegal · June 2014

I think it makes sense to assign mods a couple of different boards; maybe two slow ones and then a busy third one, without another mod to assist with the busy one (who also has their own slow boards). That way, no one is overwhelmed, every board has someone accountable for it, and the busy ones could have a few eyes (preferably in different time zones) on them.

manateehugger · June 2014

KatieinBkln said:

PDKH said:

Let's also think about things we see daily on TK that we think aren't approrpriate right now and would like a mod to be take a stronger hand against. I don't want people to not speak up in this thread because they're afraid to go against the tide.

There are many times when a SS starts getting upset about how "mean" everyone is that I can practically see people rubbing their hands together with glee, and then "piling on" the poster. A lot of times people chime in perfectly politely (or even a with a little bit of snark) but sometimes I wish there was a way for someone to say, "Okay, guys, point taken" without it necessarily being a "you're banned!" situation. I think people here give excellent advice, but sometimes I think threads become more interested in "sticking it" to a poster who dared to question someone's tone/word choice/whatever and I'm really not okay with that, either. (Granted, I am also not okay with SSs doing the whole, "I feel sorry for your SOs; you're all terrible people" thing, either. It definitely cuts both ways.)

Fucking Box (and I'm going to get my cursing in before it becomes a no-no word again).

So I think the question with this sentiment is "When is it just piling on and when is it agreeing with what has been said?" What's the threshold? Is there a volume limit?

(I'm just trying to get some specific terms/ideas down, not trying to poke at you)

RebeccaB88 · June 2014

KytchynWitche said:

I've modded other boards, and I'd say that I agree with the qualities listed above. I also agree that spanning time zones is a good idea - though I would also then suggest that they add a widget on the side of the screen, where the "Recent Activity" and "This Week's Leaders" lists are, showing which mods are online at any given time so that users can contact them if there's a real shitstorm brewing.

I really like this idea. Easier and less public than paging a mod on one board to go to another. Also can privately make note of the specific complaint, if necessary.

theartistformerlyknownas · June 2014

Agree with everything above. I think there need to be enough mods that there can be a few overlapping/roaming multiple boards at any given time, not assigned to any one/multiple places and holding the sole responsibility.

Definitely need to be impartially cool-headed, and not overreact to cursing/snarkiness. Agree there's a huge difference between "you're a bitch" and "you're acting like a bitch."

KatieinBkln · June 2014

PrettyGirlLost said: KatieinBkln said: PDKH said: Let's also think about things we see daily on TK that we think aren't approrpriate right now and would like a mod to be take a stronger hand against. I don't want people to not speak up in this thread because they're afraid to go against the tide. There are many times when a SS starts getting upset about how "mean" everyone is that I can practically see people rubbing their hands together with glee, and then "piling on" the poster. A lot of times people chime in perfectly politely (or even a with a little bit of snark) but sometimes I wish there was a way for someone to say, "Okay, guys, point taken" without it necessarily being a "you're banned!" situation. I think people here give excellent advice, but sometimes I think threads become more interested in "sticking it" to a poster who dared to question someone's tone/word choice/whatever and I'm really not okay with that, either. (Granted, I am also not okay with SSs doing the whole, "I feel sorry for your SOs; you're all terrible people" thing, either. It definitely cuts both ways.) I don't agree with this assessment at all, and it illustrates where there cold be a potential issue with mods and closing threads just because a SS whines bc she isn't getting the validation she seeks.

This is an internet forum and sometimes ppl don't see a thread until later, and even if they are reiterating a point that has been already stated 30 times by other posters, they should still be free to post. That is not "piling on" or "Sticking it" to someone, it's the nature of a forum.

I will not be surprised if I get a lot of disagreement on this point. And honestly it's a subtle thing--I don't think ALL posts that happen after the "point" has been made qualify as piling on. And I don't think every post that takes a SS to task is sticking it to them. It's definitely subjective, and perhaps not something I'd want mods stepping in for--it's more something that makes me personally annoyed/uncomfortable. So I guess I retract my desire to have a mod step in and say "Enough." But I do find there are moments when a poster reacts with hurt feelings (NOT reactionary "Oh yeah, well screw you and your stupid judgmental friends and your long-suffering SO!") and instead of just collectively laughing it off or ignoring it, sometimes we like to go in for the kill. Again, it's just my assessment, some of the time. Obviously no one has been so meeeeeean that I didn't want to stick around, myself, so in the long run it's probably fine.

ETF boxes, paragraphs, etc.

AddieCake · June 2014

Regarding the "piling on," and I've said this before, I don't think there can be a volume limit. We're going to say, "OK, 10 replies saying yay or nay max either way, and after that, nobody else is allowed to speak in this thread. Some people do not even get to the threads until later and may feel like they are not able to participate at all. I do think people need to stop the piling on once the OP has changed his/her mind, etc. If I say I am having a cash bar, and 12 of you ream me out, and I say, "I never thought of that! Thanks! New plan!" there is no need for 3 more people to come along and ream me after the fact.

manateehugger · June 2014

RebeccaB88 said:

KytchynWitche said:

I've modded other boards, and I'd say that I agree with the qualities listed above. I also agree that spanning time zones is a good idea - though I would also then suggest that they add a widget on the side of the screen, where the "Recent Activity" and "This Week's Leaders" lists are, showing which mods are online at any given time so that users can contact them if there's a real shitstorm brewing.

I really like this idea. Easier and less public than paging a mod on one board to go to another. Also can privately make note of the specific complaint, if necessary.

Much more useful than being on E and seeing, I don't know, the Missouri Local Board leaders, despite the fact that the last post was 3 weeks ago. That has driven me nuts ever since they rolled out the new community web design.

ETA: Are there any powers or qualities (past behavior e.g. - doesn't have to get specific) we think a mod should explicity NOT have?

AddieCake · June 2014

RebeccaB88 said:

KytchynWitche said:

I've modded other boards, and I'd say that I agree with the qualities listed above. I also agree that spanning time zones is a good idea - though I would also then suggest that they add a widget on the side of the screen, where the "Recent Activity" and "This Week's Leaders" lists are, showing which mods are online at any given time so that users can contact them if there's a real shitstorm brewing.

I really like this idea. Easier and less public than paging a mod on one board to go to another. Also can privately make note of the specific complaint, if necessary.

I like this, too.

PrettyGirlLost · June 2014

PDKH said:

KatieinBkln said:

PDKH said:

Let's also think about things we see daily on TK that we think aren't approrpriate right now and would like a mod to be take a stronger hand against. I don't want people to not speak up in this thread because they're afraid to go against the tide.

There are many times when a SS starts getting upset about how "mean" everyone is that I can practically see people rubbing their hands together with glee, and then "piling on" the poster. A lot of times people chime in perfectly politely (or even a with a little bit of snark) but sometimes I wish there was a way for someone to say, "Okay, guys, point taken" without it necessarily being a "you're banned!" situation. I think people here give excellent advice, but sometimes I think threads become more interested in "sticking it" to a poster who dared to question someone's tone/word choice/whatever and I'm really not okay with that, either. (Granted, I am also not okay with SSs doing the whole, "I feel sorry for your SOs; you're all terrible people" thing, either. It definitely cuts both ways.)

Fucking Box (and I'm going to get my cursing in before it becomes a no-no word again).

So I think the question with this sentiment is "When is it just piling on and when is it agreeing with what has been said?" What's the threshold? Is there a volume limit?

(I'm just trying to get some specific terms/ideas down, not trying to poke at you)

Every time I have seen someone bemoan that they are being "piled on"- think the Library thread in CC, or I have seen another poster claim that everyone was piling on the OP. . . frankly, all that was happening was that people were continuing to post and participate in a discussion. And sometimes a discussion was heated. But there was no piling on.

AddieCake · June 2014

The piling on discussion is probably better suited for TK gods to sort out (with input) at a later date. We are just supposed to be talking about mod qualities, right?

manateehugger · June 2014

PrettyGirlLost said:

PDKH said:

KatieinBkln said:

PDKH said:

Let's also think about things we see daily on TK that we think aren't approrpriate right now and would like a mod to be take a stronger hand against. I don't want people to not speak up in this thread because they're afraid to go against the tide.

There are many times when a SS starts getting upset about how "mean" everyone is that I can practically see people rubbing their hands together with glee, and then "piling on" the poster. A lot of times people chime in perfectly politely (or even a with a little bit of snark) but sometimes I wish there was a way for someone to say, "Okay, guys, point taken" without it necessarily being a "you're banned!" situation. I think people here give excellent advice, but sometimes I think threads become more interested in "sticking it" to a poster who dared to question someone's tone/word choice/whatever and I'm really not okay with that, either. (Granted, I am also not okay with SSs doing the whole, "I feel sorry for your SOs; you're all terrible people" thing, either. It definitely cuts both ways.)

Fucking Box (and I'm going to get my cursing in before it becomes a no-no word again).

So I think the question with this sentiment is "When is it just piling on and when is it agreeing with what has been said?" What's the threshold? Is there a volume limit?

(I'm just trying to get some specific terms/ideas down, not trying to poke at you)

Every time I have seen someone bemoan that they are being "piled on"- think the Library thread in CC, or I have seen another poster claim that everyone was piling on the OP. . . frankly, all that was happening was that people were continuing to post and participate in a discussion. And sometimes a discussion was heated. But there was no piling on.

So should we try to encourage people to say, "I agree with PP" if they don't have a new sentiment to add or just leave it alone and let people post as they will?

I do think sometimes it gets a little nuts, like in a newb thread, where people kept telling her she is acting selfish after she agrees to reconsider her plans. I think it that case, a mod could step in to say "Hey PrettyLostGirl, she acknowledged your point - see post above."

theartistformerlyknownas · June 2014

Re: the piling on... I agree that it's happened, but it can't be quantified. More like "you know it when you see it." As long as everyone's still providing answers, even if they're all the same "no, this is a bad idea" answer, I don't have a problem with it. We've all seen threads derail into nothing but gifs though and I think that's when it becomes "piling on" - hell, I admit to having participated in it. However, I DON'T THINK that should result in bannings or thread closures. I think we need to be able to have mods we respect enough that if they issue a "cease and desist" we can all recognize that we need to cool it.

ashleyep · June 2014

PrettyGirlLost said:

PDKH said:

Every time I have seen someone bemoan that they are being "piled on"- think the Library thread in CC, or I have seen another poster claim that everyone was piling on the OP. . . frankly, all that was happening was that people were continuing to post and participate in a discussion. And sometimes a discussion was heated. But there was no piling on.

I don't really agree. I think a lot of times, you get people who don't read all the responses before they post and they do nothing but repeat what a bad idea the OP has or how rude she is, and it's not adding anything to the discussion. It's already been said a dozen times already.

You don't need twenty people to reiterate some variation of "you're so rude if you do that."

I don't think you can quantify a rule for that, or how many posts are and aren't allowed, but I would certainly appreciate it if a mod were to step in and say "ok, you've gotten the point across. You can't make her change her mind, step engaging her."

AddieCake · June 2014

NEWBS AND LURKERS:

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO JOIN THE CONVERSATION! Hell, make a new account for the discussion if you want to remain anonymous, even!

misshart00 · June 2014

AddieCake said:
NEWBS AND LURKERS:

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO JOIN THE CONVERSATION! Hell, make a new account for the discussion if you want to remain anonymous, even!

THIS! I want to know what you guys think too.

manateehugger · June 2014

AddieCake said:

NEWBS AND LURKERS:

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO JOIN THE CONVERSATION! Hell, make a new account for the discussion if you want to remain anonymous, even!

Quoted for truth and wisdom and love of cake.

Newbs become regs eventually, and we need fresh ideas and "outsider" opinions.

AddieCake · June 2014

Yes! We were all newbs once!

PrettyGirlLost · June 2014

PDKH said:

PrettyGirlLost said:

PDKH said:

KatieinBkln said:

PDKH said:

Let's also think about things we see daily on TK that we think aren't approrpriate right now and would like a mod to be take a stronger hand against. I don't want people to not speak up in this thread because they're afraid to go against the tide.

There are many times when a SS starts getting upset about how "mean" everyone is that I can practically see people rubbing their hands together with glee, and then "piling on" the poster. A lot of times people chime in perfectly politely (or even a with a little bit of snark) but sometimes I wish there was a way for someone to say, "Okay, guys, point taken" without it necessarily being a "you're banned!" situation. I think people here give excellent advice, but sometimes I think threads become more interested in "sticking it" to a poster who dared to question someone's tone/word choice/whatever and I'm really not okay with that, either. (Granted, I am also not okay with SSs doing the whole, "I feel sorry for your SOs; you're all terrible people" thing, either. It definitely cuts both ways.)

Fucking Box (and I'm going to get my cursing in before it becomes a no-no word again).

So I think the question with this sentiment is "When is it just piling on and when is it agreeing with what has been said?" What's the threshold? Is there a volume limit?

(I'm just trying to get some specific terms/ideas down, not trying to poke at you)

Every time I have seen someone bemoan that they are being "piled on"- think the Library thread in CC, or I have seen another poster claim that everyone was piling on the OP. . . frankly, all that was happening was that people were continuing to post and participate in a discussion. And sometimes a discussion was heated. But there was no piling on.

So should we try to encourage people to say, "I agree with PP" if they don't have a new sentiment to add or just leave it alone and let people post as they will?
I do think sometimes it gets a little nuts, like in a newb thread, where people kept telling her she is acting selfish after she agrees to reconsider her plans. I think it that case, a mod could step in to say "Hey PrettyLostGirl, she acknowledged your point - see post above."

Meh, maybe. But I think we are going to get into a situation where threads are closed very quickly w/o allowing ppl to comment. Personally, I would ditch the whole idea of trying to make a hard and fast rule for moderation of piling on unless people are starting to get nasty, calling names, personal attacks, etc.

manateehugger · June 2014

Oh, another question: Impeaching mods? Should it happen if deemed necessary? How do we go about it?

KatieinBkln · June 2014

lolo883 said:

Re: the piling on... I agree that it's happened, but it can't be quantified. More like "you know it when you see it." As long as everyone's still providing answers, even if they're all the same "no, this is a bad idea" answer, I don't have a problem with it. We've all seen threads derail into nothing but gifs though and I think that's when it becomes "piling on" - hell, I admit to having participated in it. However, I DON'T THINK that should result in bannings or thread closures. I think we need to be able to have mods we respect enough that if they issue a "cease and desist" we can all recognize that we need to cool it.

Yeah, I think it may be completely unquantifiable...and actually I don't mind the GIFs, or when people just start talking about wine or puppies or randomness. I also agree that banning or thread closings aren't the answer here.

Someone else suggested that this is for the TK gods to figure out, and not really a "mod" conversation. That is probably true--sorry to derail!

Edited to delete a phrase that made it sound like Lolo's comment was useless, but I meant that maybe MINE was...

PrettyGirlLost · June 2014

ashleyep said:

PrettyGirlLost said:

PDKH said:

Every time I have seen someone bemoan that they are being "piled on"- think the Library thread in CC, or I have seen another poster claim that everyone was piling on the OP. . . frankly, all that was happening was that people were continuing to post and participate in a discussion. And sometimes a discussion was heated. But there was no piling on.

I don't really agree. I think a lot of times, you get people who don't read all the responses before they post and they do nothing but repeat what a bad idea the OP has or how rude she is, and it's not adding anything to the discussion. It's already been said a dozen times already.

You don't need twenty people to reiterate some variation of "you're so rude if you do that."

I don't think you can quantify a rule for that, or how many posts are and aren't allowed, but I would certainly appreciate it if a mod were to step in and say "ok, you've gotten the point across. You can't make her change her mind, step engaging her."

Yep, and that's just the nature of a forum and how forum posting works.

I have no problem with a mod saying something like that, but I don't want to see threads closed just because people are joining in the discussion and the OP doesn't like the response. And I also don't think a mod making a statement like that should preclude ppl from continuing to comment if they so choose, and as long as they are not being inflammatory, attacking ppl, etc.

PrettyGirlLost · June 2014

PDKH said:

Oh, another question: Impeaching mods? Should it happen if deemed necessary? How do we go about it?

Yes, I think we as a community should be able to contact the KGs and request that a mod be replaced if many ppl think that the mod isn't active, is abusing power etc. I think this should be done by users PMing the KGs and if they receive a substantial amount of complaints about the same MOd over and over, and the same type of complaints, the KGs should consider warning or replacing the mod.

theartistformerlyknownas · June 2014

KatieinBkln said: lolo883 said: Re: the piling on... I agree that it's happened, but it can't be quantified. More like "you know it when you see it." As long as everyone's still providing answers, even if they're all the same "no, this is a bad idea" answer, I don't have a problem with it. We've all seen threads derail into nothing but gifs though and I think that's when it becomes "piling on" - hell, I admit to having participated in it. However, I DON'T THINK that should result in bannings or thread closures. I think we need to be able to have mods we respect enough that if they issue a "cease and desist" we can all recognize that we need to cool it. Yeah, I think it may be completely unquantifiable...and actually I don't mind the GIFs, or when people just start talking about wine or puppies or randomness. I also agree that banning or thread closings aren't the answer here. It's so murky, it's almost a useless observation...
Someone else suggested that this is for the TK gods to figure out, and not really a "mod" conversation. That is probably true--sorry to derail! WHERE THE HELL'D THE BOX GO?
Yeah it's not the gifs themselves, I love me some gifs. But 20 or 30 WTF/didn't read/NO/eyerolling gifs in a row probably aren't going to do anything to make the OP change their tune, and sometimes I feel are just posted to be a part of the action and get some Love Its for a particularly funny one. I think that's when people can feel ganged up on and maybe a level-headed "ok, that's enough" post is warranted. That was how the Canadian "presentation only" one got derailed. Again, NOT banning or closing because COME ON, it's not bullying.

Never for puppy gifs though. Gimme all of those.

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