New Moderators on LDSFF (2018)

[EmmaLee]

Silver is in outer darkness.

He was put in 'Outer Darkness' for awhile, but Silver has now, according to Brian, been banned from LDSFF entirely.

[brlenox]

Give Silver a chance.

Just stake me to an ant hill and pour honey all over me. Silver is in outer darkness. You are new, you will see why I would be opposed to this.

I'm really kidding, but I do like Silver. I was just wanting to see what anyone would say, my devious nature.

Oh the yin and the yang in all of us....

[gardener4life]

Silver is in outer darkness.

He was put in 'Outer Darkness' for awhile, but Silver has now, according to Brian, been banned from LDSFF entirely.

Does banning mean they can still see what's going on if they aren't logged in? And what happens if someone banned just goes to create another log in ID. We could just see another ID show up that says Silver2.0 lol. I guess I shouldn't joke about that.

Was Silver the only one banned? it seems like there were at least 5 or 6 people that I can think of that are/were problems. And does banned mean you can only post in the 'Outer Darkness' section or that you are like totally deleted from the system etc.?

[inho]

Does banning mean they can still see what's going on if they aren't logged in?

Most of the forums are visible for anyone and require no registration for reading. Private forum and Outer darkness are exceptions, only registered users who have logged in can read those.

And what happens if someone banned just goes to create another log in ID.

Some people have done that. When they got caught, they are banned again. I guess BrianM could in principle monitor that the same IP addresses are not coming back with different names.

Was Silver the only one banned?

Silver was banned together with Freedomforall, who had been in the Outer darkness a bit longer time:

"Silver" and "freedomforall" have now both been permanently banned.

And does banned mean you can only post in the 'Outer Darkness' section or that you are like totally deleted from the system etc.?

First one is send to Outer darkness (well, I guess, before that one receives warning(s)). That means that one can only comment there. If one keeps misbehaving, one is banned completely from the forum.

[EmmaLee]

Silver is in outer darkness.

He was put in 'Outer Darkness' for awhile, but Silver has now, according to Brian, been banned from LDSFF entirely.

Does banning mean they can still see what's going on if they aren't logged in?
Yes, anyone (member or not) can read the public parts of LDSFF, but if you are not a member (such as someone who has been banned), you cannot post.

And what happens if someone banned just goes to create another log in ID. We could just see another ID show up that says Silver2.0 lol. I guess I shouldn't joke about that.
This has happened many times - where someone who has been banned just signs up as a new user, etc. There are several people I am aware of who have been banned, and usually within a few days or weeks, they are back using a different name.

Was Silver the only one banned? it seems like there were at least 5 or 6 people that I can think of that are/were problems. And does banned mean you can only post in the 'Outer Darkness' section or that you are like totally deleted from the system etc.?
The only ones I know of who were banned from the forum recently were Silver and FFA. Brian normally sends people to the OD section of the forum first, before banning them entirely - to give them a chance, etc. If they still break the rules there, in Brian's view, then he bans them from the forum entirely - which is what happened with Silver and Freedomforall. This is my understanding according to what Brian posted about this whole unfortunate episode. Once a person is banned from the forum, they are not able to post anywhere on LDSFF.

[EmmaLee]

Sorry, I didn't see that inho had already replied to your questions to me, gardener4life.

[iWriteStuff]

First one is send to Outer darkness (well, I guess, before that one receives warning(s)). That means that one can only comment there. If one keeps misbehaving, one is banned completely from the forum.

I was about to answer and saw that you did a better job than I could have! Well said, inho.

One thing to add: only BrianM can ban. Moderators can warn and admonish (if they think it necessary), but otherwise this is very much Brian's world.

I'd also add that there's no way anybody has enough time to monitor every post on every thread. Mods rely on you guys hitting the "Report this post" button to become aware of issues and what not. Other than that, it's a "self-government" approach to moderating - the forum is built for people to discuss their opinions and beliefs without becoming caustic and inflammatory. Hopefully that is the norm.

Final thought: please don't kill the moderators!

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[inho]

Sorry, I didn't see that inho had already replied to your questions to me, gardener4life.

At the mouth of two witnesses...

gardener4life quoted you, but the questions were so general, so I thought to answer.

[inho]

One thing to add: only BrianM can ban. Moderators can warn and admonish (if they think it necessary), but otherwise this is very much Brian's world.

Can the moderators send people to OD?

[brlenox]

Hmmm. That way I found out Durzan is a moderator was this warning in my box:

Sent: Fri Feb 09, 2018 10:44 am
From: Durzan
Recipient: AI2.0
Hey AI 2.0,

You certainly do seem to have a lot of zeal and heart towards the gospel, and I do appreciate your enthusiasm. While it does have its place, such zeal can go to far, causing more problems than they would solve.

Some of your more posts have come off as a little harsh to some, and to others they seem to be jail-baiting in nature. Thus, I would ask you to keep your rhetoric in check; we do not live in Book of Mormon times, and while what you say may be true (and sometimes things like that do need to be said), such words often only add heat to the fire, and bring additional contention into a thread.

Be careful from now on. Okay?

That kind of warning is of no value. If somebody have reported you (which I doubt), then you should be allowed to know what you have done wrong. Without any specific examples it is impossible to know when "things like that do need to be said" and when "your more posts have come off as a little harsh to some".

I agree entirely. My response to this warning that durzan has rendered, is not to be harshly critical, (oh okay just a little harsh) but the point is that analyzing this warning and how far outside the boundaries it is points to someone who simply does not grasp common rules of engagement for the nature of the job. Durzan is, I'm sure, a fine personage of spirit (he or she is everywhere), but somehow and for reasons unknown felt this was an appropriate action to take. The personal filter that conceives of this as a normal and warranted intervention simply lacks the skills for the nature of the job. It doesn't mean he or she is a bad person, just simply not capable of manifesting the appropriate thought processes that lend themselves to objectivity and appropriate degrees of intervention in order to moderate, without bias, other's conversations and interactions.

IMHO, I do not believe these are things you can learn per se. I believe some people wobble in the realms of subjectivity and others dwell in realms of objectivity ... and objectivity is a near mandatory trait for appropriate moderation.

[iWriteStuff]

One thing to add: only BrianM can ban. Moderators can warn and admonish (if they think it necessary), but otherwise this is very much Brian's world.

Can the moderators send people to OD?

I just looked around for the "Thrust Down to Outer Darkness, Where There Shall Be Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth" button and didn't find one. Pretty sure that's a Brian thing too.

Warning posters, editing threads, deleting threads, locking threads, and posting snarky memes. Those are the allotted powers. (Memes optional)

[Durzan]

Hmmm. That way I found out Durzan is a moderator was this warning in my box:

Sent: Fri Feb 09, 2018 10:44 am
From: Durzan
Recipient: AI2.0
Hey AI 2.0,

You certainly do seem to have a lot of zeal and heart towards the gospel, and I do appreciate your enthusiasm. While it does have its place, such zeal can go to far, causing more problems than they would solve.

Some of your more posts have come off as a little harsh to some, and to others they seem to be jail-baiting in nature. Thus, I would ask you to keep your rhetoric in check; we do not live in Book of Mormon times, and while what you say may be true (and sometimes things like that do need to be said), such words often only add heat to the fire, and bring additional contention into a thread.

Be careful from now on. Okay?

That kind of warning is of no value. If somebody have reported you (which I doubt), then you should be allowed to know what you have done wrong. Without any specific examples it is impossible to know when "things like that do need to be said" and when "your more posts have come off as a little harsh to some".

I agree entirely. My response to this warning that durzan has rendered, is not to be harshly critical, (oh okay just a little harsh) but the point is that analyzing this warning and how far outside the boundaries it is points to someone who simply does not grasp common rules of engagement for the nature of the job. Durzan is, I'm sure, a fine personage of spirit (he or she is everywhere), but somehow and for reasons unknown felt this was an appropriate action to take. The personal filter that conceives of this as a normal and warranted intervention simply lacks the skills for the nature of the job. It doesn't mean he or she is a bad person, just simply not capable of manifesting the appropriate thought processes that lend themselves to objectivity and appropriate degrees of intervention in order to moderate, without bias, other's conversations and interactions.

IMHO, I do not believe these are things you can learn per se. I believe some people wobble in the realms of subjectivity and others dwell in realms of objectivity ... and objectivity is a near mandatory trait for appropriate moderation.

About that. There were three reports on 3 different posts from AI2.0 given earlier this week (specifically, they were reported over the course of Feb. 3 & 4), given by two different people. After consulting with the others, I decided to give an unofficial warning to her this morning, given the circumstances. I have no real grudges against her, and I was merely addressing that issue in the best manner I could think of.

I admit I forgot to cite the posts in said PM (Great Going durzan, that is VERY useful to her /sarcasm), but I then PMed the links to her ASAP.

I'm still trying to settle into being a moderator (first time for everything), so you shouldn't be too surprised if I mess up a time or too. So yeah, no lynching please.

[eddie]

Give Silver a chance.

Just stake me to an ant hill and pour honey all over me. Silver is in outer darkness. You are new, you will see why I would be opposed to this.

I'm really kidding, but I do like Silver. I was just wanting to see what anyone would say, my devious nature.

LOL, I almost choked!

[eddie]

I don't like to be so thin skinned that I need to turn anyone into a moderator. I will say that moderators can take a lesson from Marc, he was so kind that it made me want to do better, he was the best of them all.

[eddie]

One thing to add: only BrianM can ban. Moderators can warn and admonish (if they think it necessary), but otherwise this is very much Brian's world.

Can the moderators send people to OD?

I just looked around for the "Thrust Down to Outer Darkness, Where There Shall Be Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth" button and didn't find one. Pretty sure that's a Brian thing too. HA! Theres that personality, it makes things light hearted, I like that. ( I am brown-nosing iwrite now that he's a moderator)

Warning posters, editing threads, deleting threads, locking threads, and posting snarky memes. Those are the allotted powers. (Memes optional)

[creator]

One thing to add: only BrianM can ban. Moderators can warn and admonish (if they think it necessary), but otherwise this is very much Brian's world.

Can the moderators send people to OD?

I just looked around for the "Thrust Down to Outer Darkness, Where There Shall Be Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth" button and didn't find one. Pretty sure that's a Brian thing too.

Warning posters, editing threads, deleting threads, locking threads, and posting snarky memes. Those are the allotted powers. (Memes optional)

I think you might be able to, actually.. Who do you want to send there?...

[eddie]

One thing to add: only BrianM can ban. Moderators can warn and admonish (if they think it necessary), but otherwise this is very much Brian's world.

Can the moderators send people to OD?

I just looked around for the "Thrust Down to Outer Darkness, Where There Shall Be Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth" button and didn't find one. Pretty sure that's a Brian thing too.

Warning posters, editing threads, deleting threads, locking threads, and posting snarky memes. Those are the allotted powers. (Memes optional)

I think you might be able to, actually.. Who do you want to send there?...

I really like iwrites political opinions! YIPES

[creator]

Please no public lynching of moderators. If you have a complaint about a moderator, or an action they have taken, please address it with me directly in private and not in public. It is reactions like we've seen on this thread that have caused most moderators to eventually quit moderating (because they end up dealing with too much backlash).

[marc]

I don't like to be so thin skinned that I need to turn anyone into a moderator. I will say that moderators can take a lesson from Marc, he was so kind that it made me want to do better, he was the best of them all.

Thank you for your kind words, eddie. I don't recall ever warning anyone unless someone reported a post. I relied on all members of the forum to work out their own conflicts and continually emphasized the use of the report function. It is impossible to keep up with all the conversations so if anyone felt like I wasn't doing my job, I asked them if they reported any posts in question. If their answer was no, then I encouraged them to use it. Moderators immediately see the reports when they log in. I also never went around looking to control conversations. Anyway, that's just how I did it. I invited those that complained excessively to volunteer their time to become a moderator, but nobody ever accepted my invitation to help.

Just my 2 cents.

[EmmaLee]

One thing to add: only BrianM can ban. Moderators can warn and admonish (if they think it necessary), but otherwise this is very much Brian's world.

Can the moderators send people to OD?

I just looked around for the "Thrust Down to Outer Darkness, Where There Shall Be Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth" button and didn't find one. Pretty sure that's a Brian thing too. HA! Theres that personality, it makes things light hearted, I like that. ( I am brown-nosing iwrite now that he's a moderator)

Warning posters, editing threads, deleting threads, locking threads, and posting snarky memes. Those are the allotted powers. (Memes optional)

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[Joel]

Please no public lynching of moderators. If you have a complaint about a moderator, or an action they have taken, please address it with me directly in private and not in public. It is reactions like we've seen on this thread that have caused most moderators to eventually quit moderating (because they end up dealing with too much backlash).

In other words

[brlenox]

Due to the public admonition to not pummel, desecrate, demean, or further heap disparaging comments on those poor souls who moderate I had to send my final post to Brian to punctuate what may not have been very obvious in my earlier posts.

Furthermore, I would like to volunteer to be a moderator. Surely it is evident to all that I am a fair and impartial judge of great depth and wisdom and OBJECTIVITY.

[iWriteStuff]

Due to the public admonition to not pummel, desecrate, demean, or further heap disparaging comments on those poor souls who moderate I had to send my final post to Brian to punctuate what may not have been very obvious in my earlier posts.

Furthermore, I would like to volunteer to be a moderator. Surely it is evident to all that I am a fair and impartial judge of great depth and wisdom and OBJECTIVITY.

Well, ya got my vote!

[marc]

I'll endorse brlenox, too.

[AI2.0]

Please no public lynching of moderators. If you have a complaint about a moderator, or an action they have taken, please address it with me directly in private and not in public. It is reactions like we've seen on this thread that have caused most moderators to eventually quit moderating (because they end up dealing with too much backlash).

I'm sorry for the virtual rope, tied in a noose which I contributed. It was petty and uncharitable.

In Durzan's defense, he followed up with another PM and therein provided the posts which were reported. Yep, I did get reported and so I received a warning. I can accept that.

I also want to say that moderating is a pain in the neck and worse, it's unpaid. I will do my best to support Durzan and Iwritestuff in their quest to moderate the forum. So congrats guys!