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Very quiet in here

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Comments

  • #662
    Irish Aris
    Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Paid Member Posts: 7,648 Mod ✭✭✭✭Irish Aris


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123465494#Comment_123465494

    As mentioned before, the above warning system is only applicable at CA. The most common approach is that for each warning we give one point and the appropriate ban. This ban is only for CA.

    Points though are used all across the site and accumulating 5 (I think) in quick succession result to a temporary siteban.

    Not sure if I get your point about every actionable post been actioned separately. I can only speak for CA of course, but the most common approach would be that even if a poster has more than one actionable posts in, say, the same day we would mostly issue a warning for one of them and apply the appropriate ban. We can of course issue multiple if a poster really takes the piss, but that would be rare. In a way banning, especially in the lower scale, kind of stops a poster, who could simply have a bad day. If it's not just a bad day, but a repeated behavioural pattern, we will know when they are back.

    Part of me thinks whether it would be beneficial for more forums to have a forum ban scale. The reality is though that it doesn't really matter: it's rare a poster will pick up 5 points in a week/2 weeks and get temporarily sitebanned. And if they do, it's very likely that they are here to cause disruption and I would have very little to no sympathy for them.



  • #663
    EmmetSpiceland
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,966 ✭✭✭✭EmmetSpiceland


    This might not be a popular suggestion but, considering the rules change and its clear instructions, shouldn’t a warning be “warranted” for appealing an unappealable warning?

    I, personally, feel that, at this stage, it looks like it’s being done on purpose for users to repost whatever odious post they were warned for and to waste moderator’s time.

    “It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be” - A. Dumbledore

    “It is not blood that makes you Irish but a willingness to be part of the Irish nation” - Thomas Davis



  • #664
    Irish Aris
    Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Paid Member Posts: 7,648 Mod ✭✭✭✭Irish Aris


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123465586#Comment_123465586

    Maybe something to consider if a poster does that repeatedly and they have been told not to do so. But certainly not on the first instance - in my opinion that would be too punitive.



  • #665
    Shield
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators, Help & Feedback Category Moderators Posts: 9,897 CMod ✭✭✭✭Shield


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123465514#Comment_123465514

    The site was in the red. This is freely available information. Sign up to one of the several companies, buy the audited accounts, and your questions will answered.

    It was Vanilla, or goodbye Boards. The site was rescued from being shutdown by Odhran who now owns the site. So we didn’t need all the staff if activity has dropped off, which is noticeable.

    Finally. Mike is the only employee. It’s simple Mike gets a salary, Odhran doesn’t. Again, this is all available from online data houses.



  • #666
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123465566#Comment_123465566

    "Not sure if I get your point about every actionable post been actioned separately. I can only speak for CA of course, but the most common approach would be that even if a poster has more than one actionable posts in, say, the same day we would mostly issue a warning for one of them and apply the appropriate ban. "

    You'd think so, but that's not the case elsewhere in Boards it seems. Avoiding naming anything specific here, but there is an example thread of every actionable post in the thread (pro poster) getting an individual 1 point ban.. which then accumulates. So theoretically you could wrack up a site ban inside a few minutes



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  • #667
    Irish Aris
    Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Paid Member Posts: 7,648 Mod ✭✭✭✭Irish Aris


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123465615#Comment_123465615

    Noted. And it's true that different forums have different rules/charters.

    I'm aware of one thread that has been a complete mess the last 2-3 days and I personally reported a couple of posts. Not sure what (if any) warnings were handed out, but it could fit your example above.

    I still think though that this is not a common occurrence.



  • #668
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123465647#Comment_123465647

    I don't want to say anything specific to keep it a general discussion (and I imagine our posts would just be deleted).

    It just struck me as odd which is why I brought it up. If you think a week or month ban is deserved is one thing, but it occuring through an accumulation of minor infractions isn't a great system imo. It also feels like a hell of a lot more work, particularly if appeals are allowed.

    I mean one good troll could get most of a forum's users permabanned inside a few minutes :D



  • #669
    28064212
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,090 ✭✭✭✭28064212


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123465514#Comment_123465514

    I still don't completely understand how boards went from having (what, 6?) employees to Mike

    Competition from the emergence of popular social media combined with advertising revenue cratering (across the entirety of the internet, not just Boards).

    If the fault was laid completely at Vanilla's feet

    That's a big if. The migration was handled horribly by Boards. It essentially happened overnight. There was no consultation period, nobody got access to a beta version, not users nor mods nor admins. There were literally hundreds of day one problems that could have been pointed out by any regular user of Boards. What's more, there were practically no resources to work on fixes. Three full-time, exclusive, experienced developers (like Boards had in its heyday) can get through an awful lot of work. One non-technical person co-ordinating out-sourced requests? Not so much.

    Additionally, we don't know what Boards are paying Vanilla for. Are they paying for a full-stack customised experience with dedicated support staff? Or are they paying for a minimal platform, where they can request customisations and if they happen to coincide with Vanilla's plans, then they might get implemented? I don't know for sure, but I know where I'd guess.

    Ultimately, it all comes down to money. Unless someone is going to dump cash into it endlessly like a Saudi owner of a Premiership club, Boards has to at least be self-sustainable, and I very much doubt it is, nor are there many paths to a situation where it becomes so. It would require significant investment upfront, which is problematic

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  • #670
    nullzero
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,166 ✭✭✭✭nullzero
    °°°°°


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123465514#Comment_123465514

    There are plenty of active and well used Web forums out there.

    Just look at sites dedicated to discussing Premier League football clubs and you'll get an idea of the amount of traffic these types of site can still generate.

    Boards is an outlier inasmuch as it isn't focused on one topic but is dedicated to anything and everything Irish and it isn't (yet) an echo chamber of one set of opinions.



  • #671
    Raichų
    Site Banned Posts: 1,745 ✭✭✭Raichų


    lads, why don’t ye just not bother to have mods for CA?

    Honestly it would be better than this BS system.

    Get 3 warnings even if they were months apart and you get banned for a week; fcuk me



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  • #672
    Raichų
    Site Banned Posts: 1,745 ✭✭✭Raichų


    the funniest part of this for me is despite months of people complaining it’s a shite system - you just revise the damn thing a little and stick with the same principles!

    Feedback? Me arse



  • #673
    EmmetSpiceland
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,966 ✭✭✭✭EmmetSpiceland


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123465705#Comment_123465705

    Do you not think they are bending over backwards to cater for the “type” of user who would rack up that many warnings?

    You’ve been a mod, you must remember giving warning after warning to the same users? Do you feel you should have changed or them?

    “It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be” - A. Dumbledore

    “It is not blood that makes you Irish but a willingness to be part of the Irish nation” - Thomas Davis



  • #674
    Raichų
    Site Banned Posts: 1,745 ✭✭✭Raichų


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123465830#Comment_123465830

    but the fact is users who otherwise wouldn’t be a “problem” are going to still receive bans if they accrue a couple of warnings- that’s ridiculous.

    Permanently ban those who are causing trouble. Simples. Don’t need some graduated approach- you’re not dealing with children here.

    In my opinion there’s little fairness in not only the warnings never expiring but you also can’t appeal the first few at all?



  • #675
    Big Bag of Chips
    Administrators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 16,098 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Big Bag of Chips


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123465703#Comment_123465703

    It has been pointed out that warnings months apart won't necessarily carry lengthy bans. A poster who picks up an odd warning every now and again is likely to get a PM asking them to not do something rather than a direct warning.

    The moderators, as always, will use their discretion.

    why don’t ye just not bother to have mods for CA?

    Now there's an idea 🤔



  • #676
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123465703#Comment_123465703

    While elsewhere on Boards, threads are completely and blatantly unmoderated, and reports routinely ignored.



  • #677
    Raichų
    Site Banned Posts: 1,745 ✭✭✭Raichų


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123466218#Comment_123466218

    and they’ve managed more or less. It seems in an attempt to have less moderation they’ve just went for the fastest route to ban.



  • #678
    Quantum Erasure
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,270 ✭✭✭✭Quantum Erasure


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123465586#Comment_123465586

    Maybe if they post in an unrelated feedback thread, but I think it's good for these 'unwarranted' bans to be posted in dispute resolution, so that they're on the record and we can all see what people are being banned for

    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123415923#Comment_123415923

    (In this case the 'odious' post wasn't included in the OP, I had to go looking for it. IMHO the poster should lay out their whole case as concisely as they can, so that anyone looking back over it in a year can make a judgement in a couple of minutes, without having to follow up with PMs or searching for posts. Anything that was an obvious overreaction or mistake should be clear enough)



  • #679
    Raichų
    Site Banned Posts: 1,745 ✭✭✭Raichų


    I don’t really see how it’s reasonable a poster will serve a cumulative ban length of 5 and a half weeks before being allowed to appeal anyway. That’s the part about this that’s the most ridiculous to me.

    Mods are not infallible but you can just deal with it until a point? Doesn’t make any sense.



  • #680
    suvigirl
    Site Banned Posts: 12,922 ✭✭✭✭suvigirl


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123465566#Comment_123465566

    So if a poster was given a warning for each individual post, which were made all around the same time, that's unusual you think? What would be the reason



  • #681
    Big Bag of Chips
    Administrators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 16,098 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Big Bag of Chips


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123466582#Comment_123466582

    Yes it's unusual, but not unheard of. If a handful of posters go on to a thread intent on completely disrupting it with offtopic comments then that would be a very legitimate reason.

    You picked up multiple warnings for doing just that and got threadbanned suvigirl. You were lucky not to have been sitebanned.

    Irish Aris is a poster in the television forum same as you, while they may have an opinion on the moderation of the forum or thread, they are not a moderator there. So the moderation is left to the moderators. And local moderators will take what action they feel is warranted. Same as other moderators might not agree with the moderation of CA, but it's up to the CA moderators to manage the forum.



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  • #682
    suvigirl
    Site Banned Posts: 12,922 ✭✭✭✭suvigirl


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123466615#Comment_123466615

    So what you're saying is only posters who are intent on derailing a thread would be treated that way?



  • #683
    Big Bag of Chips
    Administrators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 16,098 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Big Bag of Chips


    No. Not "only".



  • #684
    The Black Oil
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Regional East Moderators, Paid Member Posts: 19,436 CMod ✭✭✭✭The Black Oil


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123457926#Comment_123457926

    Just to keep the positivity going, something I like about boards is the problem solving mindset. Got a problem with your car/phone/robot lawnmower or want to try a new recipe nd so on, people are always willing to lend a hand. Years ago the various college fora were thriving and that's gone now. Same when there were big outfits like banks and phone companies with a presence on here.

    Moderator: Television, Psychology and Dublin County North.

    CMod: Entertainment



  • #685
    Necro
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators, Paid Member Posts: 58,061 Mod ✭✭✭✭Necro


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123466511#Comment_123466511

    Nobody has to serve any of that. Just post within the rules. As you know, if someone's record is relatively clean they will likely have a number of 0 point warnings applied before they're even banned for a day.

    (Also, your maths is off and annoying me irrationally!) It's six weeks and four days cumulatively.

    Moderator: Current Affairs/IMHO, Soccer, Pro Wrestling, State Benefits



  • #686
    Hodors Appletart
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,798 ✭✭✭Hodors Appletart


    Unappealable sanctions shouldn't go towards a totting up process. It's extremely unfair.



  • #687
    Goldengirl
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 17,200 ✭✭✭✭Goldengirl


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123466655#Comment_123466655

    With all due respects unless you actually know what you are posting is not within the rules and are given a chance to change your posting between these cumulative warnings , how is it a fair system ?

    And then you are deemed a problem poster or a' timesink' if you ask questions .

    It is increasingly clear to me that Boards is not interested in facilitating people who post here , with any regularity , from the Vanilla mess and constant glitches that rarely get fixed to the changes to CA which despite increased mods are resulting in more and more people afraid to post in case they end up site banned for some arbitrary reason .

    The rules change for every thread

    And that is not a criticism of any mods . It is a minefield trying to interpret rules that are so vague and subjective.

    .

    Help keep Boards going , subscribe or donate if you can.

    https://subscriptions.boards.ie/



  • #688
    Quantum Erasure
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,270 ✭✭✭✭Quantum Erasure


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123466655#Comment_123466655

    Nobody has to serve any of that. Just post within the rules.

    I think I had four warnings in CA before the new rules came in, two of them were overturned, another one could have / should have been (imho). Was I posting within the rules or not?

    I picked up a one day ban the day the new rules were brought in, under the old rules I'm sure the mod would have at least responded to my PM, and could have easily removed the ban without having to go through dispute resolution.



  • #689
    suvigirl
    Site Banned Posts: 12,922 ✭✭✭✭suvigirl


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123467425#Comment_123467425

    Exactly. Some of the uncivil claims, or baiting claims are down to which mod deals with the report. It's impossible to know what innocuous post that could fall foul of these rules



  • #690
    Necro
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators, Paid Member Posts: 58,061 Mod ✭✭✭✭Necro


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123467674#Comment_123467674

    I have no idea given I wasn't a mod of the forum at the time and have had zero interaction with you in CA at all. Why are you bringing up sanctions from over 8 months ago though?

    Moderator: Current Affairs/IMHO, Soccer, Pro Wrestling, State Benefits



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  • #691
    ancapailldorcha
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 43,412 CMod ✭✭✭✭ancapailldorcha


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123467694#Comment_123467694

    It's not. The overwhelming majority is common sense. The fact of the matter is that most people who use this place will have very limited, if any interaction with the site's moderators and even less with CMods and Admins.

    The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

    Leviticus 19:34



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