Site is a graveyard - How can boards save itself? [Threadbanned users in 1st post]

02-04-2024 10:23AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121964772#Comment_121964772

"And posters are often sided with against the actions of a moderator."

Often? Apologies in advance, but I genuinely doubt that.

Well, I've put my thoughts out there, as best I can. That's all I can do.

Maybe we will see some improvement (on both sides) after this thread. Maybe not.

02-04-2024 10:26AM

This is more for the Bugs feedback thread, but using the iPhone has become very difficult on Boards. I’m not sure how much it is a Vanilla issue or combined with more recent iOS updates. I have particular close sight issues but the spinning of the threads up and down, the disappearing of what you’ve just attempted to type, the automated changes of a sentence you’ve just typed making the semantics almost the reverse of what you intended have made using the otherwise (often) fun, useful, engaging and informative platform very tedious. It’s just another layer than can cause difficulties or misunderstandings if you don’t notice the automated changes by “spellcheck behaving badly”. I started a thread about funny typos where posters have noticed spellcheck with newer AI is broadly, not just on this platform, working against people.

Big Bag of Chips · 02-04-2024 10:27AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121964805#Comment_121964805

You "doubt" that? But do you know for definite? Or are you just basing your opinion on disgruntled posters who didn't have their warnings overturned? As we say the disgruntled usually have louder voices than the happy.

Decisions often get overturned in DRP. That means that Cat-moderators/Admins often side with the poster.

02-04-2024 10:29AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121964818#Comment_121964818

I think many of us, if we think objectively, realise that we have overstepped the mark and accept the sanction.

02-04-2024 10:30AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121964805#Comment_121964805

The dispute process is very transparent and can be viewed by anyone here you just need to go to the forum.

Even resolved disputes are visible to all posters and I think a lot of them here should go and have a look before making up their mind. Having an unfavourable DRP personally should not mean you decry the system which it appears plenty are doing.

We get compared to Reddit an awful lot but to my knowledge they have no such process at all. If you’re banned that’s you. No dispute no nothing.

Furze99 · 02-04-2024 10:30AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121964744#Comment_121964744

Yah but once you get into differing opinions that are held honestly and sometimes trenchantly, then these can easily verge on what some might consider uncivility and abuse. This can arise between posters but can also be directed towards individuals and their families, or the subjects of the thread.

Anyway zero tolerance will always of necessity be subjective?

02-04-2024 10:33AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121964834#Comment_121964834

try using your iPhone to find anything on Boards 😁 it’s a treasure hunt

Big Bag of Chips · 02-04-2024 10:34AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121964836#Comment_121964836

And that's where Cat-Mods and Admins can step in. Decisions get overturned. I think going 'zero tolerance on muppetry' as we like to call it will absolutely increase DRPs. Some will be upheld, some will be overturned.

But people are calling for change. This is something that will help. We did it for a while in some areas and it worked. Trolling dropped. Serial trollers were sitebanned. Others copped themselves on.

02-04-2024 10:36AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121964818#Comment_121964818

A bit of both.

I'm basing it on experiences that have been shared with me by others and also from the many dispute threads I have read in the Helpdesk, and on the Dispute Resolution Archive.

Whatever those statistics actually are, they don't include the number of posters who won't even open a dispute because they feel it's not worth it, or if they do it will put a target on their back. Posters do talk to each other by pm about these things.

02-04-2024 10:36AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121964836#Comment_121964836

Ideally one would nearly need a time staggered debate on controversial topics, where you join a queue to make a better-argued post, without immediate reflex reactions. I know this is not practicable on Boards.

Furze99 · 02-04-2024 10:38AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121964858#Comment_121964858

OK but what is 'muppetry' and who defines it?

I reckon you should explain it in detail with good examples across the various forums.

Then put it to a poll?

02-04-2024 10:43AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121964880#Comment_121964880

10-20 examples of “muppetry”would be useful to cover most scenarios but would take time for mod team to compile as it would take a bit of research as to the commonest recurrent scenarios. I think Roy Keane may have popularised the term.

Big Bag of Chips · 02-04-2024 10:47AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121964880#Comment_121964880

"Don't be a dick" is a good start. If you're being a dick then expect to be pulled up on it. Continue to be a dick and you'll be sitebanned.

rock22 · 02-04-2024 10:47AM

Inconsistant moderating is a real problem now.

i am on Boards for as long as i can remember, maybe 15 years. never had a heated exchange or any post removed by a mod. Then about 6 months ago , i was attacked by another poster. I had posted on a Politics thread which i regularly read and on which I often posted. When I responded, I was thenattacked by a mod you told me he was considering giving me a warning. Not surprising , that the first poster who attacked me was also a mod but not apparently moderating. My crime, my post was too short. This in a thread where i had posted regularly and with considerable length but on this occasion my post was considered too short.

I have no doubt that the mod was joining in the 'bullying' ( am I allowed call it that) because the first poster also happened to be an off duty moderator.

I haven't posted on the forum since. I am not too sure what the requirements here are anymore.

yagan · 02-04-2024 10:51AM

All the drama seems to be in a couple of forums instigated by the same few people.

I've always appreciated the practical community information sharing and the time mods give to keeping this service alive.

I always avoided afterhours and most CA affairs as they just seemed full of people lashing out at everyone from behind a vail of anonymity. I don't know what the answer is to this pointless behaviour.

Perhaps we're still in the juvenile phase of the internet with the initial fun playschool days behind us.

Arghus · 02-04-2024 10:53AM

I think we all know a few posters - some on this very thread - who persistently fail to make a point or a post without throwing a sly - not even sly most of the time - dig at the posters on the site or the site itself. I think that's low hanging fruit that could easily be dealt with.

Opinions are one thing, but just blatantly insulting people for the wind up is another. Posters who resort consistently to baiting people - often if its not directed at one individual most of the time - should be IMO given a lot less indulgence and rope than they currently are.

02-04-2024 11:02AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121964929#Comment_121964929

You raise a good point. I’m active on another forum and they restructured so that the mods had to use a 3rd party non mod flagged account to post outside of their mod duties. It seems to have improved things.

I think being a mod creates a stigma (which works both ways). Their views are just as important in topics outside their area of moderation but I feel their mod status either attracts unneeded attention or they like to wave their mod status around even if it’s not on that forum. In a recent interaction one of the mods most active on this thread actually posted in another forum that if they modded that forum they would have banned a poster they were in a full scale posting war with. You couldn’t find a clearer case of back seat modding yet no action because of who it was.

I also think former mods should be banned from proclaiming that they were mods and giving their input into how they would run things if they were still a mod. They have moved on so they should leave it to the admins to figure things out. (Obviously this thread is fine as it’s useful input but some ex mods seem to use it as some kind of glory war medal non stop).

Backstreet Moyes · 02-04-2024 11:05AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121964937#Comment_121964937

Just look at an immigration thread and when a new poster arrives and has anything negative to say.

A handful of posters pile in with rereg and racist etc.

Now some may be re-regs,but it's not great user experience for a new poster.

Whether those posters are breaking a rule or whatever, it takes a bit of common sense to get rid of them.

yagan · 02-04-2024 11:12AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121964971#Comment_121964971

That's really interesting.

I was getting very frustrated with one poster who was idiotically spamming a thread, throwing digs at everyone, usual nonsense behaviour we've been talking about. Yet when I looked at their contributions to forums where they were a mod there was none of the awful behaviour.

There must some power tripping thing where some they think that being a mod in one forum means they can shyte endlessly elaswhere.

I think that 3rd party non mod account could work well if it kept everyone feeling they're on an equal footing.

Thanks for that.

02-04-2024 11:13AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121964919#Comment_121964919

And we've come full circle, back to where we started.

🙇‍♀️

Furze99 · 02-04-2024 11:15AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121964919#Comment_121964919

I'm not trying to be difficult I can assure you, but how do you even define 'Don't be a dick'. You might say it's something you recognise when you see it, but doesn't everyone see things differently (hopefully)? Is there any guidance around the idea or does it come down to each moderator and how they feel at any given time as what is 'Don't be a dick'.

For that matter am I engaging in 'being a dick' or 'muppetry' here?? Honest answer.

My user name is carefully chosen as I'm probably a bit of a contrarian in some peoples eyes. But contrarians are useful in that they will question assumptions & group think etc. My observation is that we have quite a few sheeple here - yes people and we also have a good sprinkling of contrarians.

sydthebeat · 02-04-2024 11:16AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121964858#Comment_121964858

100%

there is WAY too much leeway given to muppetry here. Posters know where the line is and those that consistently are stepping over the mark are just making work for everyone.

A huge issue with the forum is the fact that ordinary posters cannot see when a post has been moderated, without the moderator having to put an in-post not in. That equates in a lot of cases to it looking like certain posters get away with stuff, while they actually be given an infraction for it.

it would be so much better if a clearly rule breaking post was met with a one week immediate thread ban. The poster gets a slap on the wrists, the posters arguing opposite can see that muppetry is dealt with, and any casual viewers can clearly see where the line is drawn. its literally win-win-win in my eyes.

it will only work however if forum rules are tight, not wishy washy, and all form mods are in agreement with the actions and how to implement the actions. I assume that most fora that have multiple mods have private chat thread where they discuss posters and actions between them

BailMeOut · 02-04-2024 11:21AM

the biggest issue is that boards.ie needs a mobile app. The site is currently only useful from a PC so this will be the main reason it is losing users.

RobbingBandit · 02-04-2024 11:23AM

Reinstate the THUNDERDOME.

Green Peter · 02-04-2024 11:25AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121963054#Comment_121963054

The wagons are being circled

02-04-2024 11:28AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121964971#Comment_121964971

well I did declare my former nodding in this thread because it would be disingenuous not to admit it whilst commenting.

02-04-2024 11:33AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121965056#Comment_121965056

absolutely. I post whilst doing other things around the place, or stopping off for coffee during shopping out, it’s always on the iPhone which has scrolling issues on the site and on various “news” sites as ads load up and it all spins up and down so much you couldn’t even focus on the ads these sites are waving about.