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Feedback thread for PI, RI & Bereavement

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  • Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,314 Mod ✭✭✭✭HildaOgdenx


    I have reported instances of old threads being brought back up also, (since this new set up came into being), but likewise, I'm not sure if mods have received the reports.



  • Administrators Posts: 13,535 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Big Bag of Chips


    Reported posts is proving a bit problematic at the moment. We have access to the reported posts forum, but reports are not filtered into our specific forums so we have to scroll through all reports to see if we recognise a thread title from PI to see the report.

    It is not ideal, and something we've been assured is a priority to sort. For now, I don't mind receiving PM reports if a post is really not PI suitable. Or I can be tagged @Big Bag of Chips in a new post on the thread to highlight an issue, zombie thread etc.

    Anonymous posting is not available at the moment, but will be reinstated. For now, if a poster wishes to post anonymously they can create a throw-away account, just for the purposes of posting anonymously in Personal Issues.

    This switchover has been less than smooth, and as moderators we are simply users of the site too, so have no input or influence whatsoever on how things are working or when they will be resolved.

    All we can do is continue to highlight issues to the higher-ups as we find them.

    I would like to say a genuine thanks though to those regular posters who have stuck with us. Navigating the site, and specifically Personal Issues/Relationship Issues isn't smooth sailing at the moment. I'm happy to see a few familiar usernames still with us!

    Post edited by Big Bag of Chips on


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,034 ✭✭✭Jequ0n


    I raised this in the past already. If the site/ forum charter prohibit medical advice including diagnosis, why is it deemed acceptable to suggest mental disorders etc?

    It is as misleading and potentially damaging as offering a wrong diagnosis on physical ailments.



  • Administrators Posts: 13,535 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Big Bag of Chips


    It is not allowed Jequ0n and falls under medical diagnosis. Moderators, and other posters, regularly pull posters up when they start diagnosing.

    However there is a difference between someone saying "it sounds like they could have x, y, or z" and someone saying "they have x, y or z".

    Posters can also give their own experience of a condition or medication for example but cannot tell another poster that they should take such a medication or they have the same condition.

    Again we ask if you see any post that definitely breaches the charter, please report it, or pm one of the moderators. We don't see every post.



  • Registered Users Posts: 6,034 ✭✭✭Jequ0n


    How do you know whether a reported post has been actioned? There is a clear case in a current thread which I reported (“Your ex is a …”) without any response or on thread action.



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  • Administrators Posts: 13,535 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Big Bag of Chips


    Jequ0n, I have said that we are having trouble with reported posts at the moment.

    If you have reported a clear breach of the Forum Charter and you see that it has not been actioned, please PM one of the mod team to bring it to their attention.


    Edit: I have scrolled back through the reported posts and found the post you reported on 8th September. I also see you commented following the post telling the OP to ignore such advice/opinion as nobody can make an online diagnosis.

    In this case, like we often say, the posters (you) had dealt with the issue. Other posters had moved the topic on and offered appropriate advice and opinion to the OP. So specific moderator action was not needed, in this instance.

    I have snipped the line from the post anyway and added a note to not offer diagnosis.

    For a first offense this suffices. If a poster persists in this type of posting then further action would be taken.



  • Registered Users Posts: 6,034 ✭✭✭Jequ0n


    I had commented after no action had been taken but had expected to receive a warning for detailing the thread. I guess PMing the mods is the only option so as the reporting functionality clearly isn’t working.



  • Administrators Posts: 13,535 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Big Bag of Chips


    Jequ0n, how do you think you would be derailing the thread by advising the OP? And surely when you did not receive a warning for derailing the thread then you realised your post was fine?

    I think you are unnecessarily complicating matters. Advise the OP. Disagree with advice offered by others if you feel it is inappropriate. Report a post if you think it breaches the charter or could upset the OP. If you think a reported post has been missed, pm one of the moderators.

    All reported posts don't necessarily require moderator action though.



  • Registered Users Posts: 13,319 ✭✭✭✭Dial Hard


    Guys, I know I'm like a broken record here, but can we ask if reported posts are still falling under the radar? I've reported a rake of posts lately and I'm just not confident at all they're being seen. And yes, we know not all reported posts aren't considered worthy of action, etc etc, but some of them are pretty clear-cut, imo - a thread being left open even after the OP admitted being in the care of Pieta, for example.

    It seems to me (rightly or wrongly) that mods are only actioning stuff they happen to notice in-thread themselves rather than acting on reports. Should we still be PM-ing in addition to/instead of reporting? It just seems like modding activity fell off a cliff after the Vanilla changeover and never recovered.

    Post edited by Dial Hard on


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,653 Mod ✭✭✭✭Faith


    Not a PI mods, obvs, but the issue with reported posts is still ongoing, unfortunately.



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  • Registered Users Posts: 3,217 ✭✭✭Tork


    I've noticed that across boards. It looks like anybody moderating these days is trying to do so with one hand tied behind their back. I hope things improve for you all soon because it's a valuable but thankless job.



  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,856 Mod ✭✭✭✭Hannibal_Smith


    Ah thanks Tork! That's lovely 😀

    I check reported posts every day. If necessary I do what has to be done with them. Unfortunately I'm not online as much as I used to be because I have a new job and other general life things going on. Added to that, reported posts aren't filtered at the moment. So all reported posts are going to the same place, which means if I haven't been on in a while it's likely PI/RI reports end up like needles in haystacks to try and spot. But there is work being done in the background to help us filter reports, so that should help ease matters soon.

    I'm sorry if I've missed some reports, I thought I was managing to locate them all but clearly not. It's definitely not that reports are being ignored or modding has fallen off a cliff. If there's something that you feel is quite urgent and needs action, by all means PM me or any of the other Mods who are also here and working away and we'll see it straight away when we log in and review it.



  • Registered Users Posts: 13,319 ✭✭✭✭Dial Hard


    Thanks HS. Another question I've asked before - is there any way to auto-lock threads once they've been dormant for, say, a month or whatever? The issue of people posting in threads that have been dead for weeks on end is still rampant. There's one in RI right now - last post was on August 4th but someone just posted in it. That's a zombie by PI/RI standards.

    Also, while we're at it, I just reported an utter troll post in RI too.



  • Administrators Posts: 13,535 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Big Bag of Chips


    Dial Hard, if you think a post really needs attention, will you send a PM to one, or all of us!

    Reported Posts is not working in any kind of meaningful way for us, so I'll be honest I scroll through occasionally but don't really go looking too deep.

    I'm happy to take PM reports for the time being. Even moderating is difficult at the moment as we don't seem to have full functionality yet. In PI, we generally prefer to nudge posters with onthread reminders rather than carding or banning. But in some cases cards are needed or posts to be deleted.

    So if you notice something that is dangerous in PI, drop one of us a PM rather than report it just for the moment.



  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,856 Mod ✭✭✭✭Hannibal_Smith


    There's no hard and fast rule with dormant threads. Sometimes the OP is still around and might possibly be still getting notifications or benefit from something newly posted. Also, the forum itself has been pretty slow of late so it may not be obvious to the latest poster how old the thread is, but they're posting a genuine piece of advice that might help the OP. I wouldn't like to think they're getting a wrap on the knuckles or turn them off the forum by thinking they did something wrong when they were only trying to help.

    So, if it's a once off post which again maybe of benefit to the OP, it comes back to a judgement call on the post/thread itself. If its obviously months old and the OP has never engaged since close to Day 1 or it kicks it all off on a carousel again, I'll close it off. Sometimes the OP does come back so again from their point of view unless it's been months, I'd hate for them to get a nugget of advice and then find their thread closed.

    I'll go take a look at reported posts now 🙂



  • Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 4,267 Mod ✭✭✭✭TherapyBoy


    It’d be worthwhile listing the current active PI/RI/Bereavement Mods here or in a sticky of it’s own until they fix the issue with the reported posts, maybe with a short post explaining that, temporarily at least, a PM directly to a Mod would be a valid option.

    It used to be easy to identify who was looking after a forum, not so easy now.



  • Registered Users Posts: 13,319 ✭✭✭✭Dial Hard


    Me yet again, sorry.

    So, I've been thinking a lot about why the standard of posters and posting has declined so much lately and kept wondering was it because the mod tools aren't what they used to be, a lot of regular posters have disappeared since the change to Vanilla, etc...

    And then I copped it - PI/RI threads never used to appear on the front page before, but now they do. So people who would never necessarily have come here are just seeing them on a casual browse, clicking in and then replying without realising (or perhaps caring) that they're in what was previously quite a "protected" part of Boards.

    Is there any way of getting threads here hidden from the front page again? I genuinely think it would sort out an awful lot of the nonsense we've been inundated with recently.



  • Registered Users Posts: 1,939 ✭✭✭Glaceon


    That’s a good point. I often saw PI/RI threads on the front page and thought to myself “I don’t remember seeing these here before”.



  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,856 Mod ✭✭✭✭Hannibal_Smith


    This is a something the Mods discussed at the initial stages of the change over. Unfortunately there's no way at the moment of hiding the PI/RI threads from the front page and also keep following the forum in the manner we currently can. It is something that's on the list to be worked on though.



  • Registered Users Posts: 9,991 ✭✭✭Caranica


    Going back to an old chestnut but meaningful thread titles seem to be an issue again? Would report the OP but no point with current mod tool issues



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  • Registered Users Posts: 5,679 ✭✭✭Princess Calla


    Send a mod a direct message, bboc or HS , I've done this a couple of times and fairly prompt reply. Everyone knows the situation so the mods know you're not annoying them.



  • Registered Users Posts: 6,034 ✭✭✭Jequ0n


    @shesty I tried to contact you directly, but this does not seem to be possible as per your settings, so I will try this route instead of posting on thread. Not aimed at you but rather asking for guidance in general:

    My response had not intentionally been confrontational. However, how do you (mods in general) want people to respond in cases when a poster opens multiple threads on the same topic and does not seem to take advice on board? Asking for advice is good and well, but if the forum becomes a crutch to enable existing self-destructive behavior it is surely failing its purpose?



  • Administrators Posts: 13,535 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Big Bag of Chips


    However, how do you (mods in general) want people to respond in cases when a poster opens multiple threads on the same topic and does not seem to take advice on board? 

    In line with the forum charter, mature constructive civil advice. If you can't do that because you feel the poster has history in the forum you can always refrain from replying to them.


    Asking for advice is good and well, but if the forum becomes a crutch to enable existing self-destructive behavior it is surely failing its purpose

    That's a call for the moderators to make Jequ0n. And indeed we often do advise posters that maybe PI is not suitable for them any longer.

    As always, we ask you to report any post or poster you have an issue with. And thr moderators will look in to it. That doesn't necessarily mean immediate action will be taken. The moderators are aware of every thread in PI. We might not see every reply, all the time, but we are aware of what threads are running and who has started them, or is replying to them. We are constantly monitoring the forum.

    We ask in Personal Issues that OPs are treated with a little kindness by way of offering advice that is mature, constructive and civil. We don't know anyone's circumstances or anyone's state of mind. There are ways of saying everything. And there's usually always a kind way.



  • Registered Users Posts: 9,991 ✭✭✭Caranica


    I'm back on my meaningful thread titles soapbox. Threads like "advice" and "help a dude out" in RI for example?



  • Registered Users Posts: 9,991 ✭✭✭Caranica


    What's going on in this forum lately? Some threads and posts way below what used to be acceptable are popping up. Reporting does nothing.



  • Registered Users Posts: 13,319 ✭✭✭✭Dial Hard


    It's been an issue since the change to Vanilla, tbh. I think it's a combination of PI/RI threads showing up on the front page when they didn't used to and a change in the tools available to mods.

    Also, far less modding on the site in general means there are way more trolls/WUMs/re-regs than there used to be and, inevitably, some of them are making their way here.



  • Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 4,267 Mod ✭✭✭✭TherapyBoy


    No doubt the way PI/RI threads are now showing up on the front page are contributing to the type of threads/posts now appearing in these forums, another failure in the way this Vanilla software works.

    If you see something off please do report it. It’d be useful to tag one of the forum moderators in the report to make sure it’s not missed - @bigbagofchips is the only one I can think of at the moment 👍🏼



  • Administrators Posts: 13,535 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Big Bag of Chips


    Thanks @TherapyBoy

    Since the move to Vanilla we have lost some functionality and notifications. Reported posts are not filtered, and we're not notified of them. So unless we go looking through the Reported Posts forum we won't know if anything is reported.

    I also don't read the forum as much as I used to, so often I would have spotted posts even before I saw the report.

    I am happy to be PMd with a link or screenshot of a problem post and will look at it then. The other moderators are also OK with receiving PMs with reported posts.

    @Hannibal_Smith @HildaOgdenx @shesty



  • Registered Users Posts: 9,991 ✭✭✭Caranica


    Thanks. But like seriously, the AITA post about heating was left to run and run? On what planet is that a PI?



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  • Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 4,267 Mod ✭✭✭✭TherapyBoy


    Best to just make sure a mod sees it, report it & link the mod names above onto it 👍🏼



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