[quote author="Nude" date=1252069657][quote author="IrvineRenter" date=1252066637]Nude reappears to remind us why we instituted a "be nice" policy....</blockquote>
But I got pissed because your own policy isn't being enforced, your own moderators are being attacked, and you don't lift a finger to do anything about it. So yeah, I handed it to Skipper Dan. Had he left it at that, it would have been the end of it, but he had to stick his foot in his mouth again.</blockquote>
When we started a social network, I had no idea what we were getting in to. We have had endless debates about where to draw the line. Zovall and I draw the lines in different places. I am more permissive, and Zovall is more restrictive.
The "be nice" policy was put in place because a frat-house mentality had taken over. New pledges would come in here seeking information, and they find themselves going through an initiation process. Many of those people left and never came back. Driving away newbies is a certain death to social networks, so this had to stop.
Personally, I find Newport Skipper irritating at times, but that is why the software has an ignore button.
<blockquote>
What are you thinking is going to be accomplished by calling me out?</blockquote>
I am calling out the fact that you were a part of the problem we used to have with frat-house initiation. We are not bringing that back. Zovall and I agree on this. You are welcome, but some of your antics are not.
To be honest, I miss you, and I wish you were around more often. Your keen intellect and insight has been missed. When I look back on some of the more interesting debates I have had in the forums, many of them have been with you.
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When I look at this whole situation, I see the place the frat-house mob has in social networks. When people aggressively skirt the lines of propriety, the bullying effect can be very disruptive to the social order. When there is a local mob to keep order, new individuals with aggressive tendencies are pushed back by the mob. The collective sets powerful rules for individual behavior.
The question becomes, what do you do when the mob is unruly? You guys were driving people away. If there isn't someone in charge who can restore order, chaos can ensue with the mob. Moderators are the ones who restore order -- or at least we are supposed to be.
(I just realized that Zovall is the Emperor, I am Darth Vader, and Graphrix and Nude are the Jedi. Hmmm....)
<img src="http://www.freewebs.com/jedimaster96/Star_Wars_Jedi_Sith_poster-600x454.jpg" alt="" />
I am too permissive. I can simply ignore information that is not important to me, so as long as I don't see people name calling or making strongly negative characterizations, I don't say much. Zovall wants a more orderly level of civil discourse. Both Zovall and I agree on the need to prevent the mob from driving away newbies -- good newbies that is.
The real problem here is that there are some newbies that <em>should </em>be driven away. I am not the judge of who those people should be, but there needs to be a mechanism where a group of people can drive away newcomers who do not fit into the community.
Perhaps people can email me or any moderator, and as moderators we can open a poll in the forum on what should we do about a certain newbie's behavior. The post awgee did where he clilpped together dozens of comments by Newport Skipper is a great example of the type of new entry a moderator could do. As moderators we can do this without being perceived as being aggressive because maintaining order is part of the job.
I am not a good moderator. I am the first to admit that. I will be more diligent in my duties and try to find better solutions to problems like the blow-up this thread has become. (BTW, the thread has been the most interesting in ages on the forums.) I don't have all the answers when it comes to being a forum moderator. If someone has a constructive criticism or advice to offer, I will be happy to hear what you have to say.