Yeah - they were definitely doing the dance in the Radiant Citadel threads they were in before I checked myself out of those threads.
Asking clarification regarding moderation
- Thread starter Crimson Longinus
- Start date
LongTimeLurker
Explorer
It becomes a problem when I get red texted for saying things that no one else does.
Nikosandros
Golden Procrastinator
There are clearly people who like to be moderated and banned. Maybe they can then complain about censorship or something?
Snarf Zagyg
Notorious Liquefactionist
If you have an issue with a particular moderation, I suggest pm'ing the moderator.
I wouldn't do it in an angry way, and it would have to be a good-faith question or issue, but in my brief experience, I don't think that they are unreasonable.
Finally, I would note that the signal-to-noise ratio here is excellent, and I think that the main reason for that is the excellent work of the moderators. I would rather they moderate a little too quickly in order to keep the peace, than let it go and have it devolve. YMMV, but that's a feature, not a bug.
FrogReaver
As long as i get to be the frog
I think it’s worth noting that their mod philosophy doesn’t seem to revolve around fairness as much as other sites. Their priority is in keeping the discussion from getting too personal and nasty. Fairness is then secondary to that.
I think that’s one of the harder things to learn here.
Fifth Element
Legend
Presumably as long as you don't joke about a medical condition of one of his loved ones, you'll be okay.
Snarf Zagyg
Notorious Liquefactionist
I think that's accurate, but some people might not fully understand what you mean. It's not that they don't care about fairness, IMO, it's more that they aren't particularly interested in parsing out the finer details of "Who started it," or "Who said the worse insult about someone's else's mom."
But yeah, it's about keeping the peace, not about judging who is right and wrong (or righter and wronger). IMO.
beancounter
(I/Me/Mine)
I think one thing people forget is that forums like this are privately owned. The owner (and by extension, the moderators) have the right to allow or disallow any content the choose.
And since owners and moderators are human (and thus bias), some people are going to view their decisions as unfair.
And since owners and moderators are human (and thus bias), some people are going to view their decisions as unfair.
Not to mention that the people in whatever argument are themselves not likely to be neutral and fair observers.
IvyDragons
Explorer
The moderators here are pretty chill compared to dndbeyonds, where some often tell people to go play another game lol.
That's the playbook, yeah. It has been for the 20 years I've been doing this.
This. We aren't a court of justice and have no power to punish people.
CleverNickName
Limit Break Dancing
They have to know how silly they look, right?
I mean, imagine you are hosting a street party and everyone in your neighborhood is invited. A guy shows up and quickly starts making a nuisance of himself, insulting the other guests, blabbering about how everyone is too sensitive these days, and generally just making everyone else angry and uncomfortable. So, as the host, you tell him to tone it down or you'll ask him to leave. Of course he decides to call your bluff, maybe to save face, or maybe he's hoping that others at the party will take his side. So he ignores your warnings, and you show him the door. He bellows "Help help, I'm being repressed! Censorship!!! I didn't say "Cancel Culture," I said "Mothballed Society" and that's technically not against the rules so you can't make me leave!!! What's the matter can't you 'ice crystals' take a joke?!?!" and so forth, as you drag him to his car.
I'm sure they see themselves differently, but the lasting impression they've made to everyone at the party isn't a good one. Everyone at the party is going to go home and tell everyone else about That Guy who made a fool of himself, and That Guy won't be invited to the next block party. Somehow, That Guy is always shocked and hurt by this. How does he not know how foolish he looks?
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beancounter
(I/Me/Mine)
deleted
Hussar
Legend
I believe it’s covered in Trolling 101.
Never apologize.
Never answer questions.
Insist on specific definitions regardless of context.
Create multiple sock puppet accounts to stir both sides.
Did I miss anything?
One of the difficulties, though, is that they're not all trolls*. Some people just aren't socially skilled, whether it be on the internet or IRL. Discerning a bad actor from a bad socializer can be tough.
*Well, the ones creating sock puppet accounts are trolls. The other things are problems even the best of us can fall victim to occasionally.
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Maggan
Writer of The Bitter Reach
As a longtime admin for another RPG forum (in Swedish) I have also noticed that some people are simply offended by rules and moderation on a very personal level. Something about having someone else tell you how to behave boils their minds and they start pushing the limits just to break the rules or get obsessive over how the rules are applied in regards to the other members, always finding inconsistencies in moderation ... because moderation is by its own nature inconsistent to a degree. At least in my experience.
Blue
Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal
The question is if it is even in the moderator's duties to try. If someone is disruptive, argumentative and rude on the forums, the moderator should give them a warning. If the poster was unaware of their actions but acting in good faith they now have concrete feedback how to improve their interaction with the community. And if they are trolls, well that's a warning towards seeing who the repeat offenders are. In both cases the moderators are defending the community, and where someone has slipped across the line but otherwise wants to be a good forum poster, they have it in front of them.
I've been moderated, and when it happens it's because I've gotten emotional and a debate has escalated to an argument. At that point mods should step in and keep our community welcoming to all.
beancounter
(I/Me/Mine)
This thread wouldn't be complete without a list of troll types. Its's easy to find a bunch of list. None of which are complete.
Ultimately it's up to them, but I genuinely hope they do. I'd rather be part of a forum filled with well intentioned folks with poor social skills than a bunch of mean people who learned to play by the rules. In the long term, it's about building a community.
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