Is The Forum Getting More Antagonistic?

[CapnZapp]

Suggesting that these people can just "not engage" comes across as flippant. You replied to them. But you have the power to sanction them if they tell you something you don't like literally as easy as switching text color.

In theory, yes. But there is a point where fears in theory should be checked against what actually happens. There is only so far we should go to protect people from fears that are not founded in our actual behavior.

Thank you for your reasoned reply. However:

The above can, unless I'm horribly mistaken, be read as a polite way of appearing to agree while actually entrenching your position. Let me humbly ask again.

Are you agreeing with me that your suggestion for people to not engage* can be much harder to accept than you initially made it out to be?

*) Exact quote: "Then don't. You are free to not engage with us as individual posters. We don't take any offense at that."

Or are you perhaps saying that no, the concern is perhaps theoretically valid, but you don't actually consider it a point that merits reconsidering your stance about your suggestion's levity?

When I say folks are free to not engage with us - I mean that in the most basic (and, in my observation, most effective) sense of simply not responding to a post we make. You can search he entire archives of the site, and see exactly zero examples of one of us saying, "Dude, you didn't reply to my last post. I am waiting."

First off. I honestly don't think anyone is discussing this possibility; the "risk" someone could be compelled to answer your non-mod posts. I certainly am not. Please let us drop that argument.

Instead, I am afraid you continue to underestimate how difficult a position you put, or potentially may put, a regular user in.

If anyone replies to me telling me I'm wrong or mistaken or focusing on the wrong thing (etc), my first and easiest course of action isn't to just walk away, to put it mildly Please don't assume your (non-mod) posts are never controversial, can never be questioned, and are always right. I would say it is pretty obvious the people you converse with might feel slightly (or not so slightly) less at ease by the simple inescapable fact you have the power to ban them. Even if you are known as someone that never makes an ill-judged mod call. To bring us full circle to the thread's title, the discussion climate isn't exactly conducive to assuming good faith.

At this time I should probably clarify I realize we are all humans and therefore fallible - even if you have failed, which I am not implying you have, I am not interested in bringing up any examples or hunting any heads. But just as an example of, again not where you have done anything wrong, but where treading lightly is essential: you post very authoritatively in the Covid thread as a not-a-mod. Yet, you also in that same thread assert the right to shut down various tangential discussions using your mod voice, even including ones you participated in yourself. If you never pause to consider how it looks when a not-a-mod-mod takes up a lot of space in a discussion, revisiting that one is a place to start. (Luckily it has over ten thousand posts so hopefully no-one will think I'm trying to settle old personal scores)

Instead allow me to simply express hope you consider treating your non-mod posting habits as slightly less non-controversial and easily-ignored than you appear to given this thread's discussion.

Regards
Zapp

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Just a data point for sosmething that happened to me.

I have, in two different threads in the past, been unfairly jumped by mods-as-posters in ways that were personal. In both of those cases I chose to not flag the comment...because why bother to do that against the mod who is going to review it?

You really should report it.

I have absolutely screwed up since I became a Mod, both in my official capacity on this site and as just another ENWorlder. And my actions got reported and reviewed just like anyone else’s. In at least one case, I removed myself from the discussion after being admonished by the others.

We all have blind spots. We all have hot buttons. We all make mistakes. Having them reported is valuable feedback.

 

[Umbran]

....because why bother to do that against the mod who is going to review it?

Because, among other things, we often review each other.

Danny and I check each other's work, so to speak. Morrus has access to the reports, and the mods answer to him. And, since we don't actually have much on the line, the mods are not scared to give critique to Morrus when we think he did something wrong.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

That's for the feedback, mods! Its great to hear similar situations have been treated fairly.

 

[MichaelSomething]

I suggest that we bring back trial by combat to resolve disputes. Mods may be fallible, but surely God would not allow the wronged to be defeated unjustly??

 

[Lanefan]

I suggest that we bring back trial by combat to resolve disputes. Mods may be fallible, but surely God would not allow the wronged to be defeated unjustly??

Hmmm... (wondering how that would work given as we're all over the world) ...I guess these combats would have to be done remotely?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Hmmm... (wondering how that would work given as we're all over the world) ...I guess these combats would have to be done remotely?

Unreal Tournament or the like, clearly.

 

[Umbran]

Unreal Tournament or the like, clearly.

Formal, scored debate would be a more appropriate challenge.

 

[Reynard]

FWIW I think the moderation on the site has been helping combat the general slide toward incivility the internet at large has seen. And that comes from someone who occasionally gets dinged by the mods because I can be... excitable sometimes.

Anyway, my point is that the occasional reminder that you might be stepping over a line is a good thing, and certainly more productive than certain other sites whose mods come swinging the banhammer indiscriminately. I don't always agree with the moderation here, but it's notably better than most other old school message boards.

 

[Blue Orange]

Hmmm... (wondering how that would work given as we're all over the world) ...I guess these combats would have to be done remotely?

What, nobody's thought of the obvious answer, given the nature of the forum?

Your D&D characters fight!