@Butrflynet,
Some people prefer more structure and authority in their online communities, Butrflynet.
Butrflynet wrote:After you've spoken up and it persists, make use of the thumbs down on individual posts and whole threads that you do not wish to view. If there is a specific poster you don't wish to read, use the Ignore User button. Heck, if you're shy, make use of those tools even without speaking up first. There is no top down moderation system in the world that can be customized to each individual's exacting tastes the way the thumbs up/down and ignore buttons do.
The thumbs up and ignore buttons can certainly promote a better forum experience; they were even present on the old forum. But I don't know how much power they have over digressed threads, or the ridding of abusive users. With a forum that has a niche subject matter and a more stringent code of conduct, it is almost necessary there be someone who has the power to step in and be authoritative. A thread can lose focus and get out of hand incredibly fast, and relying on people to self-mediate a discussion simply will not work most of the time.
Quote:Why do people who object to digressions, certain tones or attitudes, or certain types of posters insist on inflicting their individual sense of moderation on the rest of us?
There should be little
individual sense of moderation, at least in our case. The sense of moderation, detailed by the code of conduct for the site, is upheld by a
team, and if there is to be any respect for that team, there needs to be understanding and consensus among the moderators.
Quote:Why do they ask that some moderator in the sky do the dirty work for them? Take responsibility for your own sense of decorum. Speak up, take a few split seconds to make use of the thumbs and ignore button and you'll have a moderated forum for your individual needs and tastes and we'll all be happy.
People can speak up all they want and press the ignore button indefininitely, but at the end of the day a vile, unconstructive thread may have spawned. We're in existence to beat those beasts back into oblivion from whence they came.
Again, I'm not trying to say that one moderation system is better than another, as I understand the goals of forums differ. I just want to articulate that there is value in top-down moderation systems, especially with the subject matter that our group will be based on.
