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Excessive moderation sucking the fun out of AH

  • 27-01-2016 10:31pm
    #1
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 12,872 Mod ✭✭✭✭riffmongous


    I was told to post this here by a moderator on After Hours, as it seems the mod response to criticism of over moderation is to lock the thread


    About After Hours
    Yeah. It does have a culture.

    An egg shell walking culture where bans are the currency.
    -51 thanks
    Boards has become a much better place imo.

    For many years I considered AH a cesspool where casual isms were the norm and stupid catch phrases were the order of the day.

    It, and Boards has moved past the knuckle dragging nonsense and is much more enjoyable for it.

    IMHO.
    -4 thanks
    IMO AH has become far, far too uptight. AH used to be a fairly South Park-ish kind of place but that was the point of it, and if you couldn't stand the heat you could just feck off.

    This doesn't apply to Boards as a whole, I just find it bizarre that they've essentially forced sanitisation on a forum whose entire purpose was to be unsanitary.
    -23 thanks

    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057553588

    Plenty of feedback for you in there.
    Post edited by Shield on


«13456710

Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 20,660 ✭✭✭✭kneemos




  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 12,872 Mod ✭✭✭✭riffmongous




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 20,660 ✭✭✭✭kneemos


    Probably not the best source to quote from :P



    Why?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,018 ✭✭✭✭Arghus


    I think the lock and the move was a bit excessive - The thread was interesting and it hadn't yet degenerated into childish name-calling.

    Reading about user's perceptions of the change - if any - of the prevailing "culture" of the site was fascinating and, like I said, was still fairly low-key. But I guess you could consider it feedback, strictly speaking.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 18,299 ✭✭✭✭The Backwards Man


    I don't think the moderation is the problem, I'd say the poor mods heads' must be deeved (sorry about the Donegal language) in AH these days. The content comes from the posters, and it's up to the posters to make AH a fun place. There's too many agenda pushers and hobbyhorse riders making too much noise at the minute, and it's up to the regular users to drown them out imo. And a few eejits that don't know the difference between a bit of fun and being a dick, but you'll always get that I suppose.

    It's not ideal at the minute, fair enough, but when you look at the state of other sites (and a couple of other forums on boards, to be fair) where any eejit with an internet connection has a chance to express themselves, it's not all that bad either.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,847 ✭✭✭✭padd b1975


    There's a lot of greenhorn mods still finding their feet over there.
    Although the point is arguably a valid one, I wouldn't rush to judge just yet.


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 12,872 Mod ✭✭✭✭riffmongous


    Arghus wrote: »
    I think the lock and the move was a bit excessive - The thread was interesting and it hadn't yet degenerated into childish name-calling.

    Reading about user's perceptions of the change - if any - of the prevailing "culture" of the site was fascinating and, like I said, was still fairly low-key. But I guess you could consider it feedback, strictly speaking.
    I'm glad one person got it, the thread was never even supposed to be about moderation but the answer was pretty clear I guess, indigenous catchphrases and memes have been replaced by authority and censorship :pac:

    And outrage, no one mentioned it in the thread but it occurred to me later, if there is one trope (besides moderation) that you can take from AH of the last 2 years it's that


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 12,872 Mod ✭✭✭✭riffmongous


    kneemos wrote: »
    Why?
    Because of the thread its from

    Probably true though, AH generates a lot of traffic


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,018 ✭✭✭✭Arghus


    I'm glad one person got it, the thread was never even supposed to be about moderation but the answer was pretty clear I guess, indigenous catchphrases and memes have been replaced by authority and censorship :pac:

    And outrage, no one mentioned it in the thread but it occurred to me later, if there is one trope (besides moderation) that you can take from AH of the last 2 years it's that

    Being honest I'm one of those people who doesn't really have an issue with the level of moderation on Boards, it varies from place to place, of course, but overall I think the certain level of supervision (for want of a better term) that goes on around here is a big contributory factor to why the site is one of the better and more interesting discussion sites on the net.

    Usually, when I see a user railing against the tyranny of moderation, my reaction is there's probably an axe being ground somewhere, over someone, over something in the past.

    And then I come across a thread that by it's very nature is going to contain some reference to moderation, but only in moderation - if you know what I mean... And then this same thread gets locked?

    At best: it seems like a bit of a joke.

    At worst: it makes me think some of those raging against the machine might have a point about the place.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22,584 ✭✭✭✭Steve


    Some mods have been here a while and are experienced, some are new, it will always be that way.

    Boards has a pretty good (not perfect) oversight system to make sure it mostly works.

    If you have a problem with moderation in any forum, and you feel you are at a stalemate, send it up the chain :)

    Similarly, if a mod had a problem with someone and they cannot figure it out themselves then there is a lot of resources to help them.

    Anyone (mod or user) who sticks their fingers in their ears and wails blindly will not last long here.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22,584 ✭✭✭✭Steve


    Some mods have been here a while and are experienced, some are new, it will always be that way.

    Boards has a pretty good (not perfect) oversight system to make sure it mostly works.

    If you have a problem with moderation in any forum, and you feel you are at a stalemate, send it up the chain :)

    Similarly, if a mod had a problem with someone and they cannot figure it out themselves then there is a lot of resources to help them.

    Anyone (mod or user) who sticks their fingers in their ears and wails blindly will not last long here.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22,831 ✭✭✭✭The Hill Billy


    Second Toughest in the Freshers - As you are permanently banned from After Hours you are not permitted to post in this thread as per the Feedback forum charter.

    I've removed your posts. Please do not post in this thread again.

    tHB


  • Posts: 50,630 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    I wouldn't (obviously :P) agree that excessive moderation is the sole issue. I agree the place isn't as much craic as it once was but I've seen it from both sides.

    The word "outrage" gets thrown around a lot, and here I am about to throw it around some more, but it is the biggest problem with the internet in general imo. Now, I'm the type of person who thinks that the world would be a better place if people were just nicer, and I don't think people should have a right to "Free speech" if that free speech is just hatred under another guise but I find lately people being excessively offended about every little thing. Everything that is posted is taken seriously, and posters seem to jump on things that were meant as light hearted and attack whoever posted it when it was, indeed, meant as light hearted. It's not just AH, or boards either, it's on Facebook, Twitter, news site comments sections. People getting offended on behalf of others - on behalf of people who likely aren't even offended themselves!

    I've also found that light hearted threads slip off the front pages faster than those ones where there are lots of loud noises and no real discussion, and that comes back to the responsibility of the posters themselves. If you want a bit of craic in AH – create it, or at very least – keep it running when someone else does.

    I wanted to make a general point moreso than a specific one, but just to jump on the issue of "banned phrases", that was something which was requested years back by the posters - not by the mods - and it was something that went to poll and it was voted by the posters - that those phrases be banned. The ban did what it set out to do and what the posters at the time wanted it to do - it stopped them being posted in every single thread. It's been a long long time since those phrases were actioned by the mods though, I asked quite a while ago that we stop carding for them as they were no longer an issue. Everyone agreed. And let's face it, sometimes "yore ma" is a fcuking legendary comeback (in my, immature, opinion).

    Do threads get locked too quickly? I would say that at times I think they do, yes. However, this was something that just before I stepped down we were working on, is it resolved? I would say no, not quite, but I've no doubt that the point I made in the other thread still stands - if you feel a thread is unnecessarily locked - report the closing post and give your reasons, or PM a mod. On the latter option - I would say include a couple of mods on it so that you can see the opinion of a few, seeing as you didn’t agree with the opinion of the one who locked it!

    My view on modding is that it should there be to take out nastiness, to keep the place tidy, but to leave the place to flow as fluidly as possible otherwise – and that’s what new mods have always been told and when I was much more active as a mod, something we strived for. We were always on the side of the poster, as long as a poster wasn’t being a dick.

    We were often accused of being biased, and it was something that I thought about a fair amount in the few years I was there. The other lads would tell you that I would have had a very very strong view that if you can’t mod objectively then you shouldn’t mod at all and should ask one of your comods to look at it; something which I did a few times myself. However, having thought about it, I suppose if only one side of the argument are reporting posts then you could be forgiven for thinking we are only modding that side, when the reality is we’re just modding what’s been brought to our attention. Something to consider for mods and posters alike.

    The longest standing AH mod has recently been made a Cmod, and I know for a fact that he wants the forum to be a place that people actually want to come and have a laugh, and wants to keep cards and bans to a minimum, he’s also pretty sound (in my opinion :P), and would happily take feedback on board from anyone who wants to give it.

    TL; DR – Posters and mods are responsible for their forum

    Apologies that that's a bit long and all over the place but I type as I think :P

    Oh hai wibbs – you proud of my long post? :D


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 68,190 ✭✭✭✭seamus


    kneemos wrote: »
    Why?
    Because the Ireland forum on reddit is full of whingey cranks who mostly seem to have been banned from boards at one stage or another.

    As for the OP, the number of thanks a post get isn't necessarily indicative that it's a majority or widely held opinion.

    By definition, threads which complain about boards are going to attract people who want to complain about boards, and tend to repel others because they just become a whingefest. Thus, posts which agree with the theme will get more thanks, posts which don't will receive less.

    This isn't a boards phenomenon by the way. I've seen it happen on reddit - you post two virtually identical responses in two threads on the same theme, but depending on the content of the OP, one reponse may get well upvoted, the other gets downvoted.

    People read threads which they find interesting. When it's a tired old theme like, "boards is crap now", people tend to switch off after the first post and stop reading. I'm guilty of it myself.


  • Moderators, Politics Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,269 Mod ✭✭✭✭Chips Lovell


    Ever since I signed up to Boards (in 2002), people have been complaining that AH is just not the same as it used to be a few years ago. Go figure...


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 24,561 ✭✭✭✭Cookie_Monster


    Ever since I signed up to Boards (in 2002), people have been complaining that AH is just not the same as it used to be a few years ago. Go figure...

    BUT ITS NOT!!! AAARRRGGHHH!!!! :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,796 ✭✭✭Azalea


    Overall I like AH - the discussions can be really interesting and there can be some very funny posts. The moderation isn't perfect but it can't be, to be fair - mostly it seems fine in my opinion. One thing on the moderation I notice however is that jokes can get penalised - they might be bad taste jokes but they are still just jokes. E.g. jokes that would be deemed sexist, like women should stay in the kitchen - I think the spirit in which they are intended should be considered: a joke like that is harmless. It's unoriginal and a bit tedious for sure, but it's also very unlikely the person posting something like that is genuinely having a go at women.

    Whereas there are some people who constantly just post things to wind people up, and they don't seem to be admonished. Although maybe it is not an easy one to action, if they are constantly just skirting the line.

    But I don't know, sometimes it seems like the priorities are wrong. The people I am referring to are just relentlessly popping in to say something inflammatory/fish for thanks and it drags a discussion down. Whereas the obvious trouble-makers can be filtered out easily IMO, but the former group seem to know how to stop just short of crossing the line, and are more of a nuisance.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22,584 ✭✭✭✭Steve


    AH is .. not my cup of tea.
    Never has been.

    Nothing wrong with it, I just like to be able to take in peoples points in a thread, chew it over, regurgitate it, get my facts straight, think about it more and then reply. AH moves way to fast to allow that.

    Some people like that, some don't, boards caters for all :)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 40,061 ✭✭✭✭Harry Palmr


    AH is packed with jobsworths and busybodies. The days when it was full of (very occasionally) snappy/witty/iconic/controversial posting is long over.

    Its like the Opinion pages on the guardian now basically, modded to death.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,342 ✭✭✭Whosthis


    Steve wrote: »
    If you have a problem with moderation in any forum, and you feel you are at a stalemate, send it up the chain :)

    I may be wrong here but I don't think this works. I've never seen a dispute resolution thread in which the "higher ups" have overturned a mods decision. Had a problem in a different sub recently and didn't bother bringing it to the higher ups because it appears to be a waste of time. It was only a temporary ban but I'll never post in the sub again because of a mods actions.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22,584 ✭✭✭✭Steve


    Whosthis wrote: »
    I may be wrong here but I don't think this works. I've never seen a dispute resolution thread in which the "higher ups" have overturned a mods decision. Had a problem in a different sub recently and didn't bother bringing it to the higher ups because it appears to be a waste of time. It was only a temporary ban but I'll never post in the sub again because of a mods actions.

    I've overturned mod decisions in the past, and so have other CMods and Admins.

    It depends totally on the circumstances, I admit it's rare, but it does happen.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 396 ✭✭Corpus Twisty


    I got a 1 month ban for calling a user a cissy. To me, that's harsh, very harsh. I thought "cissy" was pretty damn mild. It's gone to pot.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22,584 ✭✭✭✭Steve


    AH is packed with jobsworths and busybodies. The days when it was full of (very occasionally) snappy/witty/iconic/controversial posting is long over.

    Its like the Opinion pages on the guardian now basically, modded to death.

    Like the days when you got banned cos Terry was on the beer?

    Yeah, that was fair - it was also a lot of lol to watch.. ;)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,796 ✭✭✭Azalea


    I got a 1 month ban for calling a user a cissy. To me, that's harsh, very harsh.
    A month for that is ridiculous IMO. I read that comment; thought you were just messing.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22,584 ✭✭✭✭Steve


    Azalea wrote: »
    A month for that is ridiculous IMO. I read that comment; thought you were just messing.

    Second rule of boards, attack the post - not the poster.

    That was always gonna end badly.


  • Registered Users, Subscribers, Registered Users 2 Posts: 47,365 ✭✭✭✭Zaph


    I got a 1 month ban for calling a user a cissy. To me, that's harsh, very harsh. I thought "cissy" was pretty damn mild. It's gone to pot.

    As you're currently banned from AH for a month, in accordance with the Feedback charter you are not permitted to post in this thread. Please refrain from doing so again. Thanks.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,767 ✭✭✭SterlingArcher


    I .

    The word "outrage" gets thrown around a lot, and here I am about to throw it around some more, but it is the biggest problem with the internet in general imo. Now, I'm the type of person who thinks that the world would be a better place if people were just nicer, and I don't think people should have a right to "Free speech" if that free speech is just hatred under another guise but I find lately people being excessively offended about every little thing. Everything that is posted is taken seriously, and posters seem to jump on things that were meant as light hearted and attack whoever posted it when it was, indeed, meant as light hearted. It's not just AH, or boards either, it's on Facebook, Twitter, news site comments sections. People getting offended on behalf of others - on behalf of people who likely aren't even offended themselves!

    The people you speak of being outraged. I always picture them as the whingy crone lady from Donnie Darko who got typecast as the bible bashing head of the pta.

    Ps my finger is numb from all the cutting of your original manuscript..


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,191 ✭✭✭Eugene Norman


    Zaph wrote: »
    As you're currently banned from AH for a month, in accordance with the Feedback charter you are not permitted to post in this thread. Please refrain from doing so again. Thanks.

    It says Users currently serving a ban from a forum with a duration over 1 month are not allowed to post on feedback threads concerning that forum

    Over a month.

    And yes, surely I can challenge moderation in a feedback thread about moderation, unless we go even more meta and have a feedback feedback forum.


  • Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 35,909 Mod ✭✭✭✭pickarooney


    And here comes the rules-lawyering, the absolute ****ing bane of boards.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 31,152 ✭✭✭✭KERSPLAT!


    I got a 1 month ban for calling a user a cissy. To me, that's harsh, very harsh. I thought "cissy" was pretty damn mild. It's gone to pot.

    You can continue to think you were banned for this reason but as I explained in PM, more than once, the one month ban is due to the multiple cards, infractions and bans across multiple accounts and is nothing to do with that post.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 713 ✭✭✭Edward Hopper


    If you want the fun sucked out of your boards life, mod a busy forum. You over moderate, people whine, you don't moderate enough, people whine. People just f#ckin whine.


    I imagine.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 22,648 ✭✭✭✭beauf


    Whosthis wrote: »
    I may be wrong here but I don't think this works. I've never seen a dispute resolution thread in which the "higher ups" have overturned a mods decision. Had a problem in a different sub recently and didn't bother bringing it to the higher ups because it appears to be a waste of time. It was only a temporary ban but I'll never post in the sub again because of a mods actions.

    I agree its pretty pointless.

    For me Moderation is so illogical on some forums I just avoid that forum. AH is one of those.

    Similarly on some forums the moderation is bias to one side that they in effect shut down any counter discussion. And likewise I would avoid that forum.

    Which is why some forums seem to be very one sided in their content and not a good source of information.

    But once you realise this and stay out of those forums you generally avoid the attention of the mods. Obviously the mods have a tough job as some posters are just out to cause trouble.


  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    I don't think the moderation has got that bad.. I mean sometimes it can be overzealous, but what's definitely gotten worse is the userbase. As someone who's been here over a decade (holy f*ck), I've seen it go from what was one of the funniest places to be, to being full of uptight, over sensitive, out to be offended, so becomes offended, triggered users? So the moderation team has to react to that, because boards will be nothing without users and that's their userbase now.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,162 ✭✭✭MadDog76


    The longest standing AH mod has recently been made a Cmod, and I know for a fact that he wants the forum to be a place that people actually want to come and have a laugh, and wants to keep cards and bans to a minimum, he’s also pretty sound (in my opinion :P), and would happily take feedback on board from anyone who wants to give it.

    Which Mod/Cmod are you referring to? It'd be useful to know who to turn to if a Poster feels they are being treated unfairly in AH.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 43,313 ✭✭✭✭K-9


    Azalea wrote: »
    Overall I like AH - the discussions can be really interesting and there can be some very funny posts. The moderation isn't perfect but it can't be, to be fair - mostly it seems fine in my opinion. One thing on the moderation I notice however is that jokes can get penalised - they might be bad taste jokes but they are still just jokes. E.g. jokes that would be deemed sexist, like women should stay in the kitchen - I think the spirit in which they are intended should be considered: a joke like that is harmless. It's unoriginal and a bit tedious for sure, but it's also very unlikely the person posting something like that is genuinely having a go at women.

    Whereas there are some people who constantly just post things to wind people up, and they don't seem to be admonished. Although maybe it is not an easy one to action, if they are constantly just skirting the line.

    But I don't know, sometimes it seems like the priorities are wrong. The people I am referring to are just relentlessly popping in to say something inflammatory/fish for thanks and it drags a discussion down. Whereas the obvious trouble-makers can be filtered out easily IMO, but the former group seem to know how to stop just short of crossing the line, and are more of a nuisance.

    With the ones who skirt the line it takes more time and attention to get to the bottom of it. Also, what maybe an annoying poster to you might be that edgy/controversial poster that others want more of.

    Mad Men's Don Draper : What you call love was invented by guys like me, to sell nylons.



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  • Moderators, Music Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 25,734 Mod ✭✭✭✭Boom_Bap


    MadDog76 wrote: »
    Which Mod/Cmod are you referring to? It'd be useful to know who to turn to if a Poster feels they are being treated unfairly in AH.

    That would be KERSPLAT! that is the CMod. :)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 43,313 ✭✭✭✭K-9


    KERSPLAT! wrote: »
    You can continue to think you were banned for this reason but as I explained in PM, more than once, the one month ban is due to the multiple cards, infractions and bans across multiple accounts and is nothing to do with that post.

    You mean he wasn't banned for calling someone a cissy?

    Mad Men's Don Draper : What you call love was invented by guys like me, to sell nylons.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 68,190 ✭✭✭✭seamus


    It says Users currently serving a ban from a forum with a duration over 1 month are not allowed to post on feedback threads concerning that forum

    Over a month.

    And yes, surely I can challenge moderation in a feedback thread about moderation, unless we go even more meta and have a feedback feedback forum.
    We should solve this issue by extending his ban by another month.

    It's bull**** like this that's sucking the fun out of AH. Go back to your model railway you dull pedant.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 35,194 ✭✭✭✭Penn


    Whosthis wrote: »
    I may be wrong here but I don't think this works. I've never seen a dispute resolution thread in which the "higher ups" have overturned a mods decision.

    It does happen. I've had mod decisions I've made overturned by CMods/Admin as a result of DRP threads, and as a CMod I've overturned some mod decisions.

    The reason most DRPs aren't overturned is because in most cases, the mod was right.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,162 ✭✭✭MadDog76


    Boom_Bap wrote: »
    That would be KERSPLAT! that is the CMod. :)

    Thanks Boom .......... I'd have to agree with Whoops opinion of KER, he has always come across as a reasonable enough Mod to me ......... and that's coming from someone who's received an Infraction from him in AH in the past!!

    EDIT: I deserved that particular Infraction btw. :o


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 27,944 ✭✭✭✭4zn76tysfajdxp


    As far as I'm concerned, AH hasn't changed at all. It's always been full of whingers.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 31,152 ✭✭✭✭KERSPLAT!


    Whoops pretty much summed it up, what follows will probably just muddy the water :D

    All AH mods welcome feedback. The reason we mod the forum is because we enjoy the forum and want to see it grow. We want it to be a fun place for users where you can go and have the craic but at the same time if you have a serious issue you can fire up a thread and expect some decent responses.

    With regards to locking threads. This is something we are actively working on and have been for a few months now. Some threads will still be locked, as they will be in any forum, but we do try to leave as many threads open as possible. Sometimes though, it just isn't possible. If you feel a thread has been locked and shouldn't have been, please PM the mod who locked it and if you're unhappy with their response, please PM me and I'll look into it.

    On the banned phrases, this isn't something we actively mod at the moment. I don't recall anyone being actioned for using either of the two phrases mentioned in my time modding AH. I know it is mentioned in the charter so I'll speak to the mods about maybe removing it.

    Sometimes you may feel that we are harsh or the forum is over modded but bear in mind some of the issues we have to deal with. Most posters are fine and we never have any issue with them but there are some trouble makers, as you are all aware I'm sure, and our 'job' is to try keep the forum flowing, clean up any messes and stop the trouble makers from, well, causing trouble. We have some posters who think they can say what they want and face no repercussions and then we have others that jump on every single post, we have to use our best judgement to decide what is a joke and what is not. We don't always get it right but we try.

    The AH mod forum, I would say, is the busiest mod forum on boards and I think the reason for this is not just because it's a really busy forum but because we discuss so many reports and issues and try to ensure that the call we're making is the right one.

    I would ask that if anyone has any issues or feedback with/for AH, feel free to PM me. I want AH to be fun, everyone to have the craic, etc as much as the next person, your feedback can help achieve that.

    TL;DR

    We're trying :D


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,162 ✭✭✭MadDog76


    KERSPLAT! wrote: »
    All AH mods welcome feedback. The reason we mod the forum is because we enjoy the forum and want to see it grow. We want it to be a fun place for users where you can go and have the craic but at the same time if you have a serious issue you can fire up a thread and expect some decent responses.

    I don't know if you're 100% correct with that statement, I can understand why you'd say that (or even think it) but there is an undeniable and sizeable opinion that there is excessive moderation in AH .......... that comes from somewhere that can't be dismissed or just blamed on a "certain kind of Poster" who have an axe to grind.
    KERSPLAT! wrote: »
    I would ask that if anyone has any issues or feedback with/for AH, feel free to PM me. I want AH to be fun, everyone to have the craic, etc as much as the next person, your feedback can help achieve that.

    A welcome offer and duly noted! :)


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 12,872 Mod ✭✭✭✭riffmongous


    I don't think the moderation has got that bad.. I mean sometimes it can be overzealous, but what's definitely gotten worse is the userbase. As someone who's been here over a decade (holy f*ck), I've seen it go from what was one of the funniest places to be, to being full of uptight, over sensitive, out to be offended, so becomes offended, triggered users? So the moderation team has to react to that, because boards will be nothing without users and that's their userbase now.
    But those people would never have survived in the old AH, nor would they have wanted to go there in the first place, at some some point though the pendulum swung in their favour. Probably as a slippery slope from cutting out the overt sexism that the place used to be riddled with to people complaining about anything seen as 'offensive'. Not necessarily a bad thing as AH is now a much better place to post.. but not to read imo.

    And just on the issue of banned phrases, my original point wasn't about phrases being banned but rather that they are disappearing (even ones that weren't banned like atari jaguar) and seemingly being replaced by nothing, not a complaint just an observation


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,342 ✭✭✭Whosthis


    One other thing I've come across in AH with regards to threads being locked is somebody posts a new thread, mod locks thread and says there's already a thread, use the search function post there.

    Then you have the posters that use the search function and post in an old thread, mod locks thread and says don't bring up old thread post a new one.

    You can't win, maybe all threads that haven't been posted in for say 6 months should automatically lock at least then you only have one consistent rule


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 40,061 ✭✭✭✭Harry Palmr


    Steve wrote: »
    Like the days when you got banned cos Terry was on the beer?

    Yeah, that was fair - it was also a lot of lol to watch.. ;)

    Terry was a joke of a moderator, modded me cos he didn't like my passport basically.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,981 ✭✭✭KomradeBishop


    And here comes the rules-lawyering, the absolute ****ing bane of boards.
    In fairness, 'rules lawyering' is an invalid criticism of posters. If something is technically within the rules, it's not 'rules lawyering' to point that out - in fact, it's not uncommon for mods to 'rules lawyer' the crap out of posters, by taking a technicality in the rules (or re-interpreting rules to suit their own decision), and then insisting on a 'computer says no' strict adherence to the newly interpreted rules.

    A lot of the time I've seen the 'rules lawyering' term brought out, it has been used to dismiss legitimate criticism from posters - one among many very self-serving arguments that mods trot out from time to time.

    Striking a balance with moderation and the rules is hard, and technicalities which let posters evade the spirit of a rule, can be a pain in the hole - agreed - but leave terms like 'rules lawyering' out of it, as that's an easily abused term for dismissing valid criticism, and even abusable for branding a poster with legitimate complaints, as a troublemaker, to eye them up for more mod action.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,730 ✭✭✭Sheep Lover


    In fairness, 'rules lawyering' is an invalid criticism of posters. If something is technically within the rules, it's not 'rules lawyering' to point that out - in fact, it's not uncommon for mods to 'rules lawyer' the crap out of posters, by taking a technicality in the rules (or re-interpreting rules to suit their own decision), and then insisting on a 'computer says no' strict adherence to the newly interpreted rules.

    A lot of the time I've seen the 'rules lawyering' term brought out, it has been used to dismiss legitimate criticism from posters - one among many very self-serving arguments that mods trot out from time to time.

    Or the term "don't be a d1ck" used as a reason for banning. Quite a ambiguous rule that can be used in virtually any circumstance a mod deems appropriate.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,191 ✭✭✭Eugene Norman


    seamus wrote: »
    We should solve this issue by extending his ban by another month.

    It's bull**** like this that's sucking the fun out of AH. Go back to your model railway you dull pedant.

    Jesus wept. I'd report that post except you are clearly here to suck up to the mods. And can apparantly get away with abuse in feedback.

    However a few remedial explanations.

    1) this isn't AH. It's the feedback forum.
    2) the thread is about over moderation.
    3) it is over moderation that is destroying AH not attacking mod decisions (which is illegal in AH.)
    4) clearly the mod was over-modding just as this thread as AH is being over- modded.

    Now warm up that 60 ish IQ and do try and keep up with what this thread is about.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,191 ✭✭✭Eugene Norman


    Or the term "don't be a d1ck" used as a reason for banning. Quite a ambiguous rule that can be used in virtually any circumstance a mod deems appropriate.

    Absolutely.


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