Moderator Feedback

[CA_Scouter]

Thumbs up.

 

I comment only occasionally but read a lot. The 'Gay Question' thread was way out of line and should have been shut down a few pages back. 'Creepy' summed it up adequately....

 

Not qualified to comment on the 'Global Warming' ( and many other things, yes I know ;-) ) but I saw that getting out of hand as well.

 

OGE gets a double gold star for the day!

 

 

[Trevorum]

I also support OGE's decision to close the threads. Both threads had pages of good exchanges of substance, but then both deteriorated into nastiness and became rather uninteresting to read. While I am keenly interested in both topics, I was not motivated to try to frame any worthwhile responses because I knew the threads were already derailed.

 

In general I agree with Beavah in that a light handed Moderator is best, but perhaps Blanstens Law might be a good rule of thumb after all (the gay thread, especially, seemed on the verge of invoking Godwins Law, anyways).

trevorum

[Basementdweller]

I briefly participated in the Global warming thread two posts worth. I stopped when the argument went economic/political. The gay thread was completely ridiculous and should have been closed a couple of months ago.

 

The GAHB thread was a bit heavy handed in my opinion.

[acco40]

To answer Lisabob - I'll monitor this forum quite frequently for a few days, weeks and then not at all for a month. My view is that if you feel a thread should be closed (like traffic accidents, it usually is well visited by both gawkers and posters) see which participants are moderators (look for the asterisk near their name) and send a private message. Unless you are a moderator, I don't believe you can access the moderators thread.

 

The moderators are all just like you folks. No real collaboration exists between them. We all are independent. I don't want to speak for Terry, but I think we were somewhat chosen, quite some time ago, because we had different perspectives on things.

 

I'll state for myself that I'm better versed in Socuting knowledge than in internet forum knowledge.

[Oak Tree]

I wasn't following the global warming thread.

 

I'm fine with the decision to close the gay thread. It had certainly strayed a bit beyond what I had requested when I started it, and I too am not a big fan of any threatening behavior in a forum. Sometimes I wonder if it might be better to censor individuals, rather than closing threads, but I know that can quickly seem heavy-handed as well.

 

I'm not as sure about the 'typical troop' thread. It seemed to me that GaHB was asking for commentary on his own personal perception of troops. As such, it didn't seem out of hand just yet. Now, it does seem like it could very easily have gotten out of hand, based on some of the statements therein. Also, it included way too many topics for an initial post. Still, I think I could have responded civilly to that one.

[HiLo]

Closing threads after a predetermined number of pages can be a good way to keep a forum under control. Closing threads because one or more posters has gone out of line is less useful. It doesn't identify those posters the mod thinks have misbehaved. It doesn't tell them THEY were the problem. It won't lead to improved behaviour from the miscreants in future.

 

If certain posters are seen to be a problem, the need to be censured, not necessarily publicly, but in a way that ensures they try to change their ways, or move on. For all I know, I may have been seen by OGE as one of the guilty parties, but I don't know that, do I? I'll just carry on, doing what I do, just like everybody else.

[SSScout]

Let's not say "Kill the Thread",

Let's say "Time, gentlemen"

And remind each other that, as in the bar you met your buddies in in younger days, "you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here". Action appropriate and approved.

 

And there's always another distending discussion around the corner.