Why is Boards.ie so heavily moderated compared to other forums and sites?

TheBoyConor

I've otften pondered this question as from using this site and other sites it is obvious that the moderation on here is far more heavy handed than on a lot of other sites.
One reason that is often given for this is that Boards could get sued over something defamatory or discriminatory but to be honest I don't really have much faith in that idea. For example, look at the likes of Reddit & 4chan where you would see heated discussions and controversial or unpopular opinions going on along lines that would never see the light of day here on Boards before they were deleted and bans handed out.

Another thing that seems to be outlawed on Boards is speculation on current affairs. It is a big no-no on the site whereas over on reddit there it is the other extreme where there are no brakes at all on wild speculation about current affairs.

The theory that Boards could be sued doesn't add up in my eyes as there are other platforms that have comparatively minimal moderation, such as Reddit, yet they don't seem to face any legal action, even in cases where things have gotten wildly out of control and beyond any sort of reason - one case saw a completely innocent person commit suicide when an out of control witch hunt had him accused of being involved in the boston bombings. despite this the business that is Reddit seems to be doing well with increasing ad revenues and is valued at nearly €2 billion.

I am not suggesting that Boards ought to be the moderation free wild west that is reddit, that goes too far. However there ought to be some kind of reasonable middle ground between the wildly out of control and the extremely tight and restrictive regime of Boards.


I wonder will this post be moderated or censored for questioning the authority of Boards adims and mods?

Doctor Nick

Boards has its base in Ireland and is subject to Irish laws. Reddit and 4chan don't. I think......

EmmetSpiceland

If you want to spout bile and hate, or just “tell it like it is”, you can do so, freely, in the “Current Affairs” forum.

Ficheall

TheBoyConor wrote: »

I've otften pondered this question as from using this site and other sites it is obvious that the moderation on here is far more heavy handed than on a lot of other sites.
One reason that is often given for this is that Boards could get sued over something defamatory or discriminatory but to be honest I don't really have much faith in that idea. For example, look at the likes of Reddit & 4chan where you would see heated discussions and controversial or unpopular opinions going on along lines that would never see the light of day here on Boards before they were deleted and bans handed out.

Another thing that seems to be outlawed on Boards is speculation on current affairs. It is a big no-no on the site whereas over on reddit there it is the other extreme where there are no brakes at all on wild speculation about current affairs.

The theory that Boards could be sued doesn't add up in my eyes as there are other platforms that have comparatively minimal moderation, such as Reddit, yet they don't seem to face any legal action, even in cases where things have gotten wildly out of control and beyond any sort of reason - one case saw a completely innocent person commit suicide when an out of control witch hunt had him accused of being involved in the boston bombings. despite this the business that is Reddit seems to be doing well with increasing ad revenues and is valued at nearly €2 billion.

I am not suggesting that Boards ought to be the moderation free wild west that is reddit, that goes too far. However there ought to be some kind of reasonable middle ground between the wildly out of control and the extremely tight and restrictive regime of Boards.


I wonder will this post be moderated or censored for questioning the authority of Boards adims and mods?

Banned.

Ubbquittious

We have always been a bunch of softies when it comes to this sort of stuff

Stevieluvsye

EmmetSpiceland wrote: »

If you want to spout bile and hate, or just “tell it like it is”, you can do so, freely, in the “Current Affairs” forum.

What he said

Fcuking asylum

haha... I honestly don't find boards to be heavily moderated. If you're remotely sensible in your posts, and respect other posters, there's rarely any issues.

I find people online want complete freedom but won't accept the negatives that freedom brings with it. The internet, in general, is bloody awful these days. I could blame twitter, and other social media, but I suspect it's far more than just that. Few people respect each other, and it's difficult to have a decent discussion without someone's agenda clashing.

I post to boards because it is moderated.

ancapailldorcha

Deleted User wrote: »

haha... I honestly don't find boards to be heavily moderated. If you're remotely sensible in your posts, and respect other posters, there's rarely any issues.

I find people online want complete freedom but won't accept the negatives that freedom brings with it. The internet, in general, is bloody awful these days. I could blame twitter, and other social media, but I suspect it's far more than just that. Few people respect each other, and it's difficult to have a decent discussion without someone's agenda clashing.

I post to boards because it is moderated.

Thanks for posting this.

I occasionally use Reddit and it's usually comprised of echo chambers where anything controversial just gets downvoted to oblivion. It's also a poor place to have a flowing conversation but can be great for getting answers to technical and obscure questions.

The problem with absolute freedom online, as you've noted is that it just takes a few to poison the well and anyone intelligent or moderate will just clear off leaving a cesspit.

If people like Boards, great. If they want something more free flowing and less rigidly moderated then there are places for that too.

JohnnyFlash

Stevieluvsye wrote: »

What he said

Fcuking asylum

I go in there the odd day for the lols, but it is disheartening to think that people like some of the regulars actually exist, and have found a platform where their ill-informed (at best) and hateful (at worst) opinions getting an airing. Not really the fault of Boards, but before the internet these mouth-breathers would have been confined to writing poison pen letters to politicians, and maybe making the odd phone-call to Liveline.

marieholmfan

Boards is based in Ireland and subject to Irish law. I think the moderation works broadly speaking.

There should be a way to merge discussions instead of just closing them.

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

I go in there the odd day for the lols, but it is disheartening to think that people like some of the regulars actually exist, and have found a platform where their ill-informed (at best) and hateful (at worst) opinions getting an airing. Not really the fault of Boards, but before the internet these mouth-breathers would have been confined to writing poison pen letters to politicians, and maybe making the odd phone-call to Liveline.

Aye you've 500 posts there ...

JohnnyFlash

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

I go in there the odd day for the lols, but it is disheartening to think that people like some of the regulars actually exist, and have found a platform where their ill-informed (at best) and hateful (at worst) opinions getting an airing. Not really the fault of Boards, but before the internet these mouth-breathers would have been confined to writing poison pen letters to politicians, and maybe making the odd phone-call to Liveline.

Not really. Actually, it reminds me somewhat, as the bastard child of the old Humanities forum, and the, again, older Politics forum.

The problem is that everything online is pushed to the extremes these days. Everyone must be pushed into a left or right camp with their views. It's next to impossible to be a moderate anymore.

Neyite

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

I go in there the odd day for the lols, but it is disheartening to think that people like some of the regulars actually exist, and have found a platform where their ill-informed (at best) and hateful (at worst) opinions getting an airing. Not really the fault of Boards, but before the internet these mouth-breathers would have been confined to writing poison pen letters to politicians, and maybe making the odd phone-call to Liveline.

I suspect it would be a good indicator of who to avoid at a beers.

Stevieluvsye

Deleted User wrote: »

Not really. Actually, it reminds me somewhat, as the bastard child of the old Humanities forum, and the, again, older Politics forum.

The problem is that everything online is pushed to the extremes these days. Everyone must be pushed into a left or right camp with their views. It's next to impossible to be a moderate anymore.

It is a basket case of a forum

Currently there are 4 different threads about sinn fein and have you ever read through the "Greta" thread.........................And these are not 2 sentence posts. Paragraphs.

Where do they get the time.

Also, no one is EVER wrong over there

KiKi III

I post here because moderation keeps it fairly civil most of the time. I’d argue that the way it’s moderated is often inconsistent but there’s only so much you can expect from a volunteer team.

EmmetSpiceland

KiKi III wrote: »

I post here because moderation keeps it fairly civil most of the time. I’d argue that the way it’s moderated is often inconsistent but there’s only so much you can expect from a volunteer team.

For me, personally, it’s moderated to perfection. Any stronger and they’d all come “gunning” for AH and other, more normal, forums.

Graces7

EmmetSpiceland wrote: »

For me, personally, it’s moderated to perfection. Any stronger and they’d all come “gunning” for AH and other, more normal, forums.

Some forums are well moderated; others ? Nah. It is the ones that have been quieter and very civilised in the past who do not seem to understand the methodology . AH is well sorted.

Effects

OSI wrote: »

It's not a theory. Boards frequently get legal threats, and although many of them may be baseless they would still require hiring legal representation to defend them which is not something Boards can afford.

Daft Media online group records profit of €2.4m

Have overall profits slumped in more recent years?

TheBoyConor

I of course agree that posting should be respectful and free of hate or discriminatory speech but what I personally find to be disappointing is the effective ban or theorising and hypothesising about breaking news events or current affairs.

Any time there is an incident of some sort the moderation seems to restrict posts to little more than expresssions sympathy or horror at what may have happened.
Usually the scope for posulating and reasoning about the circumstances is strongly discouraged. Threads are often headlined with "no speculation"

I honesly don't see the point because such gossip will be taking place anyway in kitchens, pubs, cars and offices up and down the country.

retro:electro

I think the balance is well struck. Can you imagine the nightmare of an under moderated site? Imagine getting into a debate with a poster and then all of a sudden they’ve doxxed you, found out where you live and your Facebook profile and posted it for all to see — and there was no one to complain to. Because that’s the kind of shlte that goes on. I’d rather it be a little on the tighter side with room to argue your side in the DR, than have very little or often no moderation at all and a complete free for all.

I think it’s only when you really need a moderator to assist you with something when you actually really appreciate their presence.

Would like to be able to write the word **** though.

Stevieluvsye

Graces7 wrote: »

Some forums are well moderated; others ? Nah. It is the ones that have been quieter and very civilised in the past who do not seem to understand the methodology . AH is well sorted.

Some forums don't even require mods

JohnnyFlash

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

I go in there the odd day for the lols, but it is disheartening to think that people like some of the regulars actually exist, and have found a platform where their ill-informed (at best) and hateful (at worst) opinions getting an airing. Not really the fault of Boards, but before the internet these mouth-breathers would have been confined to writing poison pen letters to politicians, and maybe making the odd phone-call to Liveline.

i spose there's a big difference between you calling anyone a mouthbreather and whatever it is that they are saying that so offends you.

the difference is, of course, entirely subjective, and the lines will be dependent on your own personal views and limits.

but you either subscribe to the view that all interactions are governed by set standards or you dont, or (as boards has kind of done) you set zones where those rules are different, which comes with its own problems.

people never want their vilest enemy to be offered the same protections as their bosom ally. the policing is almost always to some degree clamoured for on opinion, and not the method of expression. the debate has raged as long as manners have been offered as an apology for disagreement.

anyroad, its the same as always. the high towers with their hankies to their nose moaning about the manners of the scum in their cesspit.

the ironing is delicious.

TheBoyConor

Re, I am not saying there should be no moderation, there should. But I think it is heavy handed at the moment. I think there is a more reasonable balance that could be had between the current heavy handedness and the free for all that is reddit and the likes of it.
Any instances of personal harrassment, bullying or stalking like what you write about should absolutely not be tolerated.

I think that moderation could be a bit more relaxed on things like hypothesising about breaking news stories. What is the big deal about someone proposing their theory on why some breaking news incident or event might have occured?

Something that is often said when there has been a suspicioud death or something is "oh, relatives might be reading it". Hardly going to be reading the internet after a major personal loss event and anyway, if you cannot emotionally handle the internet then you shouldn't be on it.

retro:electro

TheBoyConor wrote: »

Re, I am not saying there should be no moderation, there should. But I think it is heavy handed at the moment. I think there is a more reasonable balance that could be had between the current heavy handedness and the free for all that is reddit and the likes of it.
Any instances of personal harrassment, bullying or stalking like what you write about should absolutely not be tolerated.

I think that moderation could be a bit more relaxed on things like hypothesising about breaking news stories. What is the big deal about someone proposing their theory on why some breaking news incident or event might have occured?

Something that is often said when there has been a suspicioud death or something is "oh, relatives might be reading it". Hardly going to be reading the internet after a major personal loss event and anyway, if you cannot emotionally handle the internet then you shouldn't be on it.

Because some people are incapable of separating their opinion from fact, and things like that can be highly litigious, as well as disrespectful. And how do you know relatives won’t be reading it? They could be, and can you imagine reading a wealth of strangers writing complete and utter disrespectful horseshlte in the wake of a personal tragedy?
And as for “if you can or emotionally handle the internet then you shouldn’t be on it”.. aren’t you the one complaining about moderation though? Maybe take your own advice :pac:

Mr. CooL ICE

TheBoyConor wrote: »

I of course agree that posting should be respectful and free of hate or discriminatory speech but what I personally find to be disappointing is the effective ban or theorising and hypothesising about breaking news events or current affairs.

Any time there is an incident of some sort the moderation seems to restrict posts to little more than expresssions sympathy or horror at what may have happened.
Usually the scope for posulating and reasoning about the circumstances is strongly discouraged. Threads are often headlined with "no speculation"

I honesly don't see the point because such gossip will be taking place anyway in kitchens, pubs, cars and offices up and down the country.

Because if discussing, say, a family tragedy, posting speculation about it online leaves it there for everybody to see. And with Ireland being such a small country, friends and family of the deceased reading it is pretty likely. And boards.ie does not want to be part of any further hurt that could occur as a result.

Comparing it to office gossip is like comparing apples and oranges. I just think it's common sense tbh

...

Anyway, laugh if you want that this thread is closed, but you got reprimanded for doing pretty much the above recently. This thread serves as little more than a conduit for complaining about a mod action against you. You were in the wrong. Take it on the chin and move on.

AH is not the place for this. If you want to complain about moderation in general, feel free to post in Feedback. If you want to appeal a mod action against you, use the Dispute Resolution forum.