Is there any moderation here any more

Seve OB

I’ve reported a number of posts and trolls

nob listening

DontHitTheDitch

It seems to me that Boards has moved from having moderators to having editors. Maybe if you post something that goes against the unspoken editorial policy they will just close the thread. A bit drastic but seems to be the only option.

Dial Hard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058255399/is-there-any-moderation-here-any-more

It's been accepted/noted that the Report function essentially doesn't work anymore - mods don't get notified about reports and the posts in question just get sent to one giant pool where they're not indexed by category/forum etc., mods have to basically manually scroll through them all looking for posts they might recognise as being from the fora they moderate. That, of course, only applies to the mods who are still active. I believe many left as a result of the change to Vanilla and haven't been replaced.

The advice from the mods of the fora I frequent is to PM them about questionable posts rather than reporting them. It's a pain in the hoop and I only tend to bother when I consider something to be particularly egregious.

Spear

The reporting notification system is mostly fixed now, but it'll take time for that to be reflected in mod actions.

Annasopra

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119368134#Comment_119368134

Why?

Beasty

Because in the absence of such a feature many mods did little or no modding

Now it is in place they need to familiarise themselves with what powers they have and how to apply them. Some mods may well not come back, or indeed may only gradually return. It's not a "magic switch" that will turn everything around overnight

Annasopra

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119474842#Comment_119474842

So if there are a lot of former mods who essentially abandoned modding then should they not be demodded and replaced? Surely even just ask them if they still want to be mods as a start?

Beasty

We do not know who has "abandoned" modding. For much of this time the evidence I have seen has indicated I and my fellow mod Ten of Swords had been doing more than half the modding across the site across CA, Coronavirus and for ToS AH

Many "gave up" because there was no easy way of knowing which forum reports related to. Spotting a Coronavirus report was not difficult and given the majority of all reports were being made across those three forums it was often easier to rule out reports relating to other forums (although I would keep an eye out for multiple reports as they would often relate to spammers). And there was little point in replacing mods while we had limited powers to offer replacements

Now we have notifications of reports more mods are getting more involved. We will have to review the situation in due course, but TBH it is not easy to find time when I'm one of the two most active mods and the most active Admin on the site. This has all been explained previously in Feedback and/or Help Desk thread

osarusan

I've never really understood the 'no point in getting new mods when the powers are so limited' argument.

Regardless of what powers they have or don't have, surely more eyes on a forum is better than fewer.

More mods to issue threadbans or warnings to get back on topic or whatever is better than fewer.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058255399/is-there-any-moderation-here-any-more

If you're not part of the solution you're part of the problem???

Tom Mann Centuria

I imagine it was quite the grind modding when it was a mass of reported posts, glad it sounds like it's got better in that regard now. Although I've avoided a card I am sure I deserved recently (not saying I wasn't right though, just I shouldn't have said it)

EmmetSpiceland

A lighter touch in the “Current Affairs” forum might be an idea. It’s such a pain when the users that are thread, or forum, banned from there head straight for “After Hours” to spit their bile and drivel.

They are easily spotted, on mobile anyway, by the prison bars on their avatars and toxic opinions dumped throughout the forum.

AH should definitely be the priority.

Beasty

To be clear, I have handed out many more "nil point" warnings than pointed ones or forum bans in CA. It's a shot across the bows to discourage posters from repeating any indiscretions. However I would say in 99% or more of cases where I hand out nil or pointed sanctions the post is also deleted so you will rarely see "offensive" posts or ones that otherwise breach thread, forum or site rules for more than a few hours

The only time any mod action is visible to non mods is when an in- thread warning is posted or threadban issued.

ohnonotgmail

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119489701#Comment_119489701

which is part of the problem. If users can't see moderation happening they are going to, and are, assuming that none is taking place.

Beasty

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119489709#Comment_119489709

Even if the "offensive" post is not visible?

On the old platform we had visible red and yellow cards. We do not have anything like that on this platform. Hence the only way to make it visible is to post about the sanction applied, which in itself is a diversion from the topic in hand. Not only that but when warnings are posted often someone feels it appropriate to comment on the warning. Then I see posters actually questioning via PM someone else's warning, when they have no idea of the background or the poster's record on the site which may affect the nature of sanction (and then people complain about inconsistency - so for example someone who is not a bother may pick up a "nil pointer" - which is a useful way to attach a post to a PM. Someone else may have already had the benefit on a nil pointer and next time pick up a one pointer). All perfectly explainable, but not something that a thread should be incorporating, and TBH it would result in a hell of a lot more grief to moderate

Seve OB

So the old site was better for you then also 😎

Beasty

Much better in terms of moderation and administration tools.

They have managed to incorporate some improvements but as a moderator and site admin this platform still offers us a lot less

However the old one really was on its last legs and I suspect would have continued to cause more and more problems. At least we know where we stand with the new one and have to accept its limitations

endacl

Is the nothingworksproperlyanymore@boards.ie address up and running yet?

Beasty

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119491278#Comment_119491278

Yep. It's like my work email, Never gets read....

Does appear that some forums such as conspiracy theories, don't have any mods active.

While other forums which were known for their stricter posting requirements, such as politics are getting the posters who are banned from CA threads like the Russian one, repeating the same bs that got them their CA ban as there is only very limited mod activity there.

Lads, just report and they'll get to it. It's that easy. Asking mods to detail why they've dealt with someone in a thread is pointless. The reason is most likely because someone was being a dick and was reported as such.

degrassinoel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119474842#Comment_119474842

Some forums are busier than others too, especially busy forums would have more active mods (generally contributing and thereby more able) others wont.

If possible perhaps a big fat bold moderator by default font could be used in moderated posts, warnings, threadbans etc..

Annasopra

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119477632#Comment_119477632

Can you not ask moderators if they actually want to still be moderators?

nullzero

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119490858#Comment_119490858

The cards applied to posts system from vbulletin was a handy visual indicator.

Would it be possible to use a set of standardized image files that follow a similar logic that could be added to an offending post by a moderator?

Sorry lads but it's fcking impossible to post on Current Affairs threads without being low level trolled. Multiple posts reported over last number of months and nothing done. I know CA is short staffed in terms of volunteer mods or whatever the reason, intervention is sporadic at best- you can't rely on Beasty to mod that forum.

I'm fcking sick of it- the trolls know they'll likely get away with it, just because moderation is so light these days. I've just called out a poster on thread because I'm at the end of my tether - it's a sh1tefest at this stage and you're just losing contributors who want to "discuss"- I've no faith in the moderation overall on CA and absolutely no way reflecting Beasty as the workload is just too much- but all we see is his interventions- everyone else is invisible, if there is any other mods there?

osarusan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119598377#Comment_119598377

Not enough mods, not enough mod actions.

CA needs what CA has always needed - somebody to ban the dicks which plague the forum. No, don't just warn them, don't just delete their shitposts, ban them.

It's crazy to see somebody being banned and the comment is along the lines of "You've had 16 yellow cards, 12 reds, 5 forum bans, and you're just back from a second site ban".

I mean, how much notice do you need that somebody is only out to be the most disruptive prick they can be for as long as possible. And imagine how many threads they dragged to the gutter while building up that record.

For a forum whose abiding motto is 'Don't be a dick', CA has always been absurdly lenient with those posters who have only want to be the biggest dick they can for as long as they can.

EmmetSpiceland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119620460#Comment_119620460

They have to be lenient, though, O. If they ban them from CA they, immediately, head over to AH and start spitting their, poisonous, “bile” all over the place.

A ban from CA should include AH, let them have the Radio and Television forums.

cena

I have reported a post twice in the galway city forum to remove names that were posted by someone else. I have not heard anything back

dulpit

On the topic of moderation, a mod is being called out for posting what a number of people (myself included) view as transphobic content. He doesn't seem to care, even though they are a mod of the forum. Post has been reported, but no actions. See this thread for more: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2057952167/the-taylor-made-cvpl-chat-thread/p195

Necro

Mea culpa, I admit I abandoned modding after the move to the new platform cos quite frankly I frigging hate the damn site since the update. It killed the forum I frequented most (modding aside) stone dead because the functionality doesn't permit the games we used to play at all.

It also happened to coincide with a number of life changing events for myself personally, including the loss of one of my parents, a new baby and the other parent being diagnosed with cancer.

Still processing all of that to be quite honest and while I look at the forums I used to mod and feel terribly guilty for not giving my fellow mods a helping hand even from time to time, I'm just not up to dealing with all the work that comes with modding, ie the multiple PMs with posters who feel personally wronged for getting a slap on the wrist on the internet, the dispute resolution process, checking reported posts 15 times a day at a minimum, etc.

Tom Mann Centuria

Real Life comes first, don't think there's any need to apologise for that. Sorry for your loss and congratulations on the baby.

Purple Mountain

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119715994#Comment_119715994

I echo that to Necro who I know is one of the good guys round here 👋

Seve OB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119715962#Comment_119715962

Fair play. Always admire someone who stick their hands up.

condolences and congratulations, odd to say in one phrase like that but the world went a bit mad there for a bit