All Wannabe Moderators ....

[Enir]

thanks Richard for your reply

it would be very interesting i think from an historical perspective l if other past mods could weigh in here on the editing/moving/locking issue

Best Regards
Steve

OK...

1. Should moderators edit posts?

No

2. Should threads be locked?

No

3. Do you believe in banning those ( permanently or short term) for those who break the rules?

After warning(s), yes. Length of ban depending on prior bans.

4. Do you beleive a moderator should work quietly behind the scenes or be more visible?

The more invisible (as a moderator) the better.

5. If somebody ( say repeated repeat offender) makes a post that has some value - but then slips in a few comment that clearly break the rules (foul. obscene language) - how would you handle?

Delete post. Let poster know he can repost without offending parts.

Enrique

[Peter Skinner]

1. Should moderators edit posts?

Absolutely not.

2. Should threads be locked?

Normally... No. There is usually _some_ decent content in a thread to keep it going.

The only way I can see a reason for a thread to be locked is if is really out of control and the mods want to remove it, lock it to prevent further posting while deleting the thread.

3. Do you believe in banning those ( permanently or short term) for those who break the rules?

Of course. This is not a daycare and users should be able to follow the charter.

I would go as far as removing a user for the rest of a moderation term if he/she were to be banned 3 times previously. They have shown that there is no respect for the rules put forth, and why should moderators have to put up with it?

4. Do you beleive a moderator should work quietly behind the scenes or be more visible?

You're damned if you do, and you're damned if you don't. That is what moderation comes down to.

Whether visible or not, moderators should do whatever is best for the bulletin board. There are times that you have to state something in public, and there are times that you don't. A good moderator will know when those times are, and try not to be intrusive when he/she is not needed.

5. If somebody ( say repeated repeat offender) makes a post that has some value - but then slips in a few comment that clearly break the rules (foul. obscene language) - how would you handle?

I would remove the post and ask them to repost it without the material that was offending.

One could allow him time to edit their own post, but there is no guarantee it could be done with in the 15 minute edit window.

So removing it and asking for a repost, would be the best solution in my estimation.

Peter

[Dan Honeycutt]

Hi Mike,

My apology for being off-topic but I had a curiosity question. Moderator terms typically run over the nominal 6 months but the most recent term seems one of the longest - what has it been, about a year? Did not one of the terms when you were moderator also run for a very long time or is my aging memory (again) failing me?

Best
Dan H.

[bob]

thanks Richard for your reply

it would be very interesting i think from an historical perspective l if other past mods could weigh in here on the editing/moving/locking issue

Best Regards
Steve

I have probably been a moderator more than anyone else here. My thoughts based on past and present (I have moderated on both systems)...

(1) locking threads is useful. But it is only useful if it is used for one reason: this thread has outlived its usefulness and nothing new is being added. When one degrades to a flame-war, this is a good solution. But once locked it ought to be locked permanently. Not an on-again-off-again deal.

(2) deleting posts. I've used this in the past. Most of my deletions are from the obscene spam-type things that crop up from bogus members, such as you see on most message boards from time to time.

(3) Editing posts. never done it. Did not have that option for the first 6-7 years of our operation, and we (the active moderators) never bemoaned the fact that we could not edit posts. Moderating on boards with editing facilities has not changed my thoughts at all. I have, once or twice, added something at the bottom of a post to explain something that appeared to not be clear, but I have always done it in a different font, and clearly indicated that _I_ did the insertion. I have never, and would never, insert or delete individual words, sentences or paragraphs, with one possible exception. It might be advisable (at times) that rather than deleting an entire post, which leaves orphaned follow-ups that can be confusing, it might be worthwhile to edit a post and delete _all_ text, but leaving the blank post as a place-holder so that one at least knows that something bad happened at that point. Something like

{all text deleted by moderator}

makes it clear what happened, with less confusion, and no partial changes allowed. But we lived without that ability for years with no problems...

[swami]

Okay- I decide proposing short bans for those who keep violating charter or those keep offending others.Initially I had stated that I would wait for other moderators to propose whatever ban time they plan to.

I have got a few pm from some of the members politely asking me to reconsider this point.

Regards.

[swami]

Thanks to some of the members who sent me the pm, I have just updated my moderation philosophy and thanks to Michael B for creating this thread that led to some members sending me pm and politely asking me to reconsider my point.

Regards.

[MikeB]

Hi Mike,

My apology for being off-topic but I had a curiosity question. Moderator terms typically run over the nominal 6 months but the most recent term seems one of the longest - what has it been, about a year? Did not one of the terms when you were moderator also run for a very long time or is my aging memory (again) failing me?

Best
Dan H.

I remember one term lasted almost a year, as a moderator I was not too happy about that. I do know, after my last term as moderator, I felt drained. I do think it's good to bring in new moderators and maybe keep one or possibly two from the old regime. That's not saying anything negative about the current moderators. I just think it's good to change them them up. As club , it seems to work best constantly bringing in new blood at the leadership level. I think we have good slate of candidates for the job and I will support whoever wins.

The job itself is thankless and can be time consuming. One or two moderators go on vacation and sometimes there is only one around left to handle all the chores. Usually that's when all hell breaks loose. I have a feeling who I will vote for, but I think everyone should make their own decison on who they feel would best represent their own interests.

Somebody asked about my agenda for asking therse questions - no hidden agenda, I asked because I wanted to know and I felt we all should know that's why I didn't PM the candidate . I asked that no non running members to voice their opinion because I didn't want this thread to get hijack. It looks like my request was honored and I appreciate that from all the members. If someone wants to voice their opinions on my questions, you may do so , I only ask that you start new thread with a new subject heading.

I started rambling and responded to comments or questions posted in other posts - not trying to be confusing - just a little too lazy to respond to all the posts indvidually.

Also I appreciate all the kind words about my tenure as a moderator - but I have to be honest , I think it's over blown. I was just trying to my job that you folks elected me to do. Sometimes, I made good decisons, sometimes I made bad decisions. I think part of doing a good job as a moderator is staying very humble in how you do it and treating everyone with respect. Fortunately, we have been blessed wiith many moderators who have followed those guidelines and I think we will continue to be blessed with our next group of moderators.

Good luck to everyone regards,

Michael