Why can't staff members be put on ignore?

[Coyote]

NO site has a perfect set of mods.

But this site gets an A- minus for trying, imo.

What seems to cause a problem is, on some forums mods and Admins won't really post other than to warn people about stuff, and don't actually show their positions and opinions. Here you have staff that are active in conversations but also have power. It can be a difficult balance, think about it like this. Think of a boss who likes to fraternize with their workers. They go to the bars and stuff with them, well then a worker calls off the next day because they are sick from drinking too much the night before, and then the boss doesn't accept their excuses and punishes them for it. It then causes conflict at work, and that same principle happens here.

Mods should be like judges. Know the law (rules) and apply them equally. The problem comes when such application is in a subjective area. Then personal bias comes into play. Also, they have to interpret each incident relative to the rules and the good of the board. This is an economic enterprise and its survival must also be taken into consideration. Moderating here is not as easy as it seems on the surface.

That's one reason why we have a team approach - so it's not a one-person tyranny. We can talk actions through, we can disagree, we can change our minds - if someone is unhappy at one of us, they can approach another. Bias is impossible to eliminate - we're all human, and we see things through our own unique lens. But a team approach helps to reduce bias imo.

 

[JakeStarkey]

^^^ transparency (to an extent) is very helpful. Mods talking to other mods ('that is good' or 'maybe you want to rethink that') certainly gives new insights for their actions.

This is a good thread.

 

[flacaltenn]

^^^ transparency (to an extent) is very helpful. Mods talking to other mods ('that is good' or 'maybe you want to rethink that') certainly gives new insights for their actions.

This is a good thread.

It is a good thread. And there's no "intel leak" here. Important for members to know how much visibility ANY mod action has in the Mod Room. Nothing happens without notes and evidence. We could literally review feuds from years back. And no one is assigned SPECIFIC duties. We all roam thru the boards on an equal basis.

Unfortunately, the only way to do this without being bogged down in accusations of bias --- is to give a measure of privacy to our actions and counseling. Meaning that any action is matter between us and the person involved. So in a nutshell -- members have no freaking idea of what gets done in general and don't have enough evidence to even MAKE the bias claim.

We've often discussed fixing that. Like doing it the DOJ way. Where the names are removed and we just dump STATISTICS of the deletions, moves, merges, warnings, ban, etc. Maybe each month. But we'd need separate people to accumulate and organize all that. And STILL -- it would just incite accusations if we even TRIED to measure those actions in terms of race, gender, or political ideology.

BECAUSE --- statistics really aren't facts, they are the answers to a specific question. And many times the parameters of that question are not completely disclosed. Either by innocent omission or by calculated deviance. And AS SUCH -- they are most often --- debatable. Maybe you've never heard that before -- but it's true. That's why there is so much ARGUING on USMB over statistics.

 

[saveliberty]

Its a good board.

Suggestions:

1. Duty free liquor store.
2. Eliminate the Badlands and build a day spa.
3. Offshore banking.
4. No sanitarium internet access.

 

[saveliberty]

In no particular order: Toro, Kat, Toro and Dot.

 

[saveliberty]

Term limits.

 

[flacaltenn]

In no particular order: Toro, Kat, Toro and Dot.

Now you've wrecked it.

 

[JakeStarkey]

Of course bias does exist in mod actions, and everyone last one of us who have been on this Board for some time, particularly in 2009-2010 and 2012-2013, can testify and say "amen."

Other mods need to have access to mod behavior so that "any action is" not a "matter between us and the person involved" only.

In other word, trust but verify. Mods can do that well behind the scenes.

I must admit the last two or three weeks have been unusually smooth and clean in mod and member interactions.

 

[saveliberty]

No one minds a gored ox, until its their ox.

 

[Lewdog]

^^^ transparency (to an extent) is very helpful. Mods talking to other mods ('that is good' or 'maybe you want to rethink that') certainly gives new insights for their actions.

This is a good thread.

It is a good thread. And there's no "intel leak" here. Important for members to know how much visibility ANY mod action has in the Mod Room. Nothing happens without notes and evidence. We could literally review feuds from years back. And no one is assigned SPECIFIC duties. We all roam thru the boards on an equal basis.

Unfortunately, the only way to do this without being bogged down in accusations of bias --- is to give a measure of privacy to our actions and counseling. Meaning that any action is matter between us and the person involved. So in a nutshell -- members have no freaking idea of what gets done in general and don't have enough evidence to even MAKE the bias claim.

We've often discussed fixing that. Like doing it the DOJ way. Where the names are removed and we just dump STATISTICS of the deletions, moves, merges, warnings, ban, etc. Maybe each month. But we'd need separate people to accumulate and organize all that. And STILL -- it would just incite accusations if we even TRIED to measure those actions in terms of race, gender, or political ideology.

BECAUSE --- statistics really aren't facts, they are the answers to a specific question. And many times the parameters of that question are not completely disclosed. Either by innocent omission or by calculated deviance. And AS SUCH -- they are most often --- debatable. Maybe you've never heard that before -- but it's true. That's why there is so much ARGUING on USMB over statistics.

Sounds like the CIA that is now under fire because their actions are no longer private because of WikiLeaks...

Sometimes there is a necessity to secrecy.

 

[JakeStarkey]

^^^ transparency (to an extent) is very helpful. Mods talking to other mods ('that is good' or 'maybe you want to rethink that') certainly gives new insights for their actions.

This is a good thread.

It is a good thread. And there's no "intel leak" here. Important for members to know how much visibility ANY mod action has in the Mod Room. Nothing happens without notes and evidence. We could literally review feuds from years back. And no one is assigned SPECIFIC duties. We all roam thru the boards on an equal basis.

Unfortunately, the only way to do this without being bogged down in accusations of bias --- is to give a measure of privacy to our actions and counseling. Meaning that any action is matter between us and the person involved. So in a nutshell -- members have no freaking idea of what gets done in general and don't have enough evidence to even MAKE the bias claim.

We've often discussed fixing that. Like doing it the DOJ way. Where the names are removed and we just dump STATISTICS of the deletions, moves, merges, warnings, ban, etc. Maybe each month. But we'd need separate people to accumulate and organize all that. And STILL -- it would just incite accusations if we even TRIED to measure those actions in terms of race, gender, or political ideology.

BECAUSE --- statistics really aren't facts, they are the answers to a specific question. And many times the parameters of that question are not completely disclosed. Either by innocent omission or by calculated deviance. And AS SUCH -- they are most often --- debatable. Maybe you've never heard that before -- but it's true. That's why there is so much ARGUING on USMB over statistics.

Sounds like the CIA that is now under fire because their actions are no longer private because of WikiLeaks...

Sometimes there is a necessity to secrecy.

Stalin certainly thought so. And USMB is not the CIA.

Don't even give them the idea, or they will be running around in the Mod Room in super spook slueth hats. They are good in the bib overalls and straw hats they have now. They are doing a good job.

 

[Lewdog]

^^^ transparency (to an extent) is very helpful. Mods talking to other mods ('that is good' or 'maybe you want to rethink that') certainly gives new insights for their actions.

This is a good thread.

It is a good thread. And there's no "intel leak" here. Important for members to know how much visibility ANY mod action has in the Mod Room. Nothing happens without notes and evidence. We could literally review feuds from years back. And no one is assigned SPECIFIC duties. We all roam thru the boards on an equal basis.

Unfortunately, the only way to do this without being bogged down in accusations of bias --- is to give a measure of privacy to our actions and counseling. Meaning that any action is matter between us and the person involved. So in a nutshell -- members have no freaking idea of what gets done in general and don't have enough evidence to even MAKE the bias claim.

We've often discussed fixing that. Like doing it the DOJ way. Where the names are removed and we just dump STATISTICS of the deletions, moves, merges, warnings, ban, etc. Maybe each month. But we'd need separate people to accumulate and organize all that. And STILL -- it would just incite accusations if we even TRIED to measure those actions in terms of race, gender, or political ideology.

BECAUSE --- statistics really aren't facts, they are the answers to a specific question. And many times the parameters of that question are not completely disclosed. Either by innocent omission or by calculated deviance. And AS SUCH -- they are most often --- debatable. Maybe you've never heard that before -- but it's true. That's why there is so much ARGUING on USMB over statistics.

Sounds like the CIA that is now under fire because their actions are no longer private because of WikiLeaks...

Sometimes there is a necessity to secrecy.

Stalin certainly thought so. And USMB is not the CIA.

Don't even give them the idea, or they will be running around in the Mod Room in super spook slueth hats.

I have a feeling Flactenn has a shoe phone already.

 

[JakeStarkey]

 

[ChrisL]

I found out what Alt F4 does! Jerk wad!

Did it fix the problem?

I didn't do it. Do you think I'm stupid? I googled it.

 

[ChrisL]

I found out what Alt F4 does! Jerk wad!

Did it fix the problem?

What problem? I don't believe I was having any problem.

 

[Gracie]

Meanwhile....it never ceases to amaze me how mean people are when in front of a monitor. Which is why I try real hard to stay in The Lounge. At least topics in there can be discussed, agreement or not, without it resorting to being in a sleazy bar with a bunch of obnoxious drunks yelling at everyone.

 

[Divine Wind]

I found out what Alt F4 does! Jerk wad!

Did it fix the problem?

I didn't do it. Do you think I'm stupid? I googled it.

Smart lady! Still, all it does is shut down the browser window.

 

[Divine Wind]

Meanwhile....it never ceases to amaze me how mean people are when in front of a monitor. Which is why I try real hard to stay in The Lounge. At least topics in there can be discussed, agreement or not, without it resorting to being in a sleazy bar with a bunch of obnoxious drunks yelling at everyone.

Some people can be mean and very few of those are malicious. Most, IMO, are simply reacting out of fear and confusion. Most people are good, although I've yet to see a malicious asshole admit they were evil and truly believe it.

Most issues are simply escalation of misunderstandings since text is a very poor form of communication. What one person posts in jest or sarcastically could easily be taken seriously by another with a stern reply. This reply is taken as a personal attack by the first poster and then we are off to the races.

 

[ChrisL]

I found out what Alt F4 does! Jerk wad!

Did it fix the problem?

I didn't do it. Do you think I'm stupid? I googled it.

Smart lady! Still, all it does is shut down the browser window.

I wouldn't do anything anyone here tells me to do unless I checked it out first for myself!

 

[ChrisL]

Meanwhile....it never ceases to amaze me how mean people are when in front of a monitor. Which is why I try real hard to stay in The Lounge. At least topics in there can be discussed, agreement or not, without it resorting to being in a sleazy bar with a bunch of obnoxious drunks yelling at everyone.

Some people can be mean and very few of those are malicious. Most, IMO, are simply reacting out of fear and confusion. Most people are good, although I've yet to see a malicious asshole admit they were evil and truly believe it.

Most issues are simply escalation of misunderstandings since text is a very poor form of communication. What one person posts in jest or sarcastically could easily be taken seriously by another with a stern reply. This reply is taken as a personal attack by the first poster and then we are off to the races.

There are some pretty horrible people who spend their time online. They are called trolls. They are the types of people who would egg someone on to commit suicide (which has happened), etc. There are really monsters out there, but they are in human form.