Moderation in moderation.

[on:]

Lots of discussion about problems infiltrating peel.... as well as the discussion of new moderating powers.

I think the conversation is reasonable, and is justifiable enough to warrant its own specific thread.

A few quotes that precede this thread:

Here's a friendly suggestion please don't bite my internet balls off: new moderator?
For recent chatroom-like spam and ancient thread bumping.

I think Nix is busy or something, haven't seen VF post in a while, Tweek is around but pretty quiet! Probably boozing, I don't know!

Yeah, I do agree we need new mods. May I suggest:

Gopher
Winna
I would say TNUK too, but...he can get a little emotional, so I will say BirthdayClown to even things out.

but nurdy, how would that annoy anyone?

Seriously, does anyone actually still believe any of that little mob have any other purpose?

Also, if the mods are just too busy with real life, that's fine, I understand, but if that is the case, isn't it about time to appoint some new mods, who aren't?

Ditto.

And I think Gopher would be a great mod, if he wants the headache and aggravation.

I doubt it.... Plus on top of all this... there's only one person who can appoint new mods, and he's busy with a life of his own too.

Other than Gopher... who would honestly make a good mod though?

If it was a few years ago... I'd say Teral... without a doubt.  He's awesome.... but now, I don't know.

I think I got voted for most likely to be a moderator once.... and although I'm sure I wouldn't abuse the power... I also wouldn't want the responsibility, because I wouldn't want to use it.  I prefer fixing most of these sorts of conflicts by talking to the person in question; on top of that, I'm in a very grey abstract region where I don't necessarily see certain things as being counter-constructive (such as what has a lot of people in dismay these days).  And lastly... although I am addicted to this here PEEL.... I don't want to scroll through threads, closing them, and banning evil-doers.  But whatevs....

Gudbjorg, get irfanview.  Then when you save images as .gif or .png you can choose a transparency color.  The example Books gave would be a neat avatar, I do say.... but it's a .jpg.  Needs to be .gif or .png.

Ralph: Well, given the current situation I wouldn't refuse if asked, as the need is dire presently, but it would shift my PEELing experience a bit from pleasure to chore.  I'm compulsively browsing peel most waking hours anyway, though, and the BS might be slightly less frustrating were I able to do something about it besides ignore it. I'd hate not being able to just walk away from peel for a few months like I tend to do at least once a year, though.

winna: I dunno... it needs to be someone compulsive enough to catch spam before it has time to accumulate and annoy people. That is a problem, as most of the compulsive posters are on the "problem" side of the line. We've discussed this before on irc, having moderators in different time zones isn't a bad idea either, one each from the  US, EU, and AU I think would work well. I tried to do this on unpeel during it's brief existance, though the activity was so low it was hardly worth the bother then.

I recall this discussion once before a few years back. Mostly about having a mod from each major timezone, and I think it would be a good idea too. Dont' know who could be bothered enough and/or responsible enough from the AU region though - mostly because there's not many to choose from.
And then there's the one or two mods listed currently that rarely even get on PEEL anymore anyway, so what's the deal with that?

Overkill? Nah. It's just common sense. As soon as you pick one, they either get bored or get a life. Meaning they do less than they promised.

Also, if you have one from each timezone, then that's fine. As long as that one is logged in. I think that it's generally accepted here that people do take the wires out of their heads  dn do things like grocery shopping, and visiting the toilet from time to time. Which means that having two around gives a better chance that you're covered by one of them.

I like the idea of Chay, Gopher and Tweek as mods. But also there are others that I think would do a good job. What about augmenting them with Ninaka, Slackit02 and Hookerbot5000? That'd be one male and one female from each time zone area thingy, for a blanced and even perspective.

Actually, those three would probably not want the job, but 'm sure that each area does contain at least one girl who would be willing to sacrifice her social life in order to save us from spam.

Realistically, I think that the only active moderator at the moment is Tweek, and it's a lot for him to police our entire playground. So we need more. Why not six in total? Why not? Huh? I'm sure Tweek would be glad of the extra help.

Without regard to gender equality or timezones, my picks (based on number of subforums they cover, amount of time online, and lack of assholish tendancies) would be:

* Gopher
* Chay's Head
* winna
* Melllvar
* Tweek
* Coldangel 1

This covers all the zones purely by chance. However, I do feel guilty about not picking any girls. That said, most of the girls here probably wouldn't want to do it. 

I'd like to see what current moderators have to say if they end up seeing this.

So... formally start discussing.

[Reply #1 on:]

I think its an interesting idea to add new mods. Making people who are on more frequently would be of more use to PEEL, but that's just my opinion.

[Reply #2 on:]

Having just posted this:

Yeah, I do agree we need new mods. May I suggest:

Gopher
Winna
I would say TNUK too, but...he can get a little emotional, so I will say BirthdayClown to even things out.

I'm not sure if you're being complimentary or not. But I'd rather not have the job. I had enough of people questioning my every move when I was adding content to and dealing with the occasional moron on wikiPEELia. I'm not sure I'd want to have that on PEEL as well.


Back on PEEL 1, I'd have loved to have been a moderator. Shiny html privelages = worthy renumeration. But PEEL 2 doesn't offer those kind of perks, so I'll just put this out there right now: I do not want it.

Let's face it, I'd be incapable of making a single popular decision. Whether it was right or wrong, it would be universally reviled, and people would be clamouring for my head on a spike within a week.

in response to one of the above quotes, I am struck by a thought. We could do with one of our current crop of moderators dropping in to explain exactly how they feel about doing the job, whether they want to give it up, and who they feel could be their worthy successor.

Anybody know how to get hold of one of the vanished tribe? I mean, Nix and VF are easy enough. But the others, they might be more difficult to hunt down. Some of them may even have forgotten their passwords by now.

[Reply #3 on:]

I would vote Tweek for promotion to ubermod in a heartbeat myself. He is quite reasonable and by far the most active of the current moderators; I think most of PEEL is completely oblivious to the volume of worthless posts Tweek deletes in a typical day, as most PEELers do not compulsively refresh peel all day like I do. Tweek also needs help too, though.

Frankly I don't think anyone currently on peel deserves a perma-ban, but there's no shortage of people in desperate need of a "time out." Tweek's constant PM warnings and corrections are ultimately meaningless when the clear message being sent is "tweek will delete as many worthless posts and threads as he can, otherwise there are zero concequences, ever."

[Reply #4 on:]

Yah, Tweek should be able to give people a time-out. That'd give the PM warnings weight, and might make people think twice (or even once would be nice) about being spam-happy asshats.

Of course, people being what they are, Tweek would almost certainly still need assitance. There are a lot of worthless posts and posters that make it through.

In part, I think we are all slightly responsible for this. If we all took the time to contribute something intelligent or insightful to On-Topic once a day, we might be able to have an impact without resorting to giving all the trolls and idiots a week off.

[Reply #5 on:]

I wasn't aware you guys ran the board

[Reply #6 on:]

I agree with gopher about Tweek becoming an ubermod.  I will say for him also that even though he may not be closing threads he is deleting many of the "chat" posts.  There are just so many to take care of.  

TNUK, as far as having mods come in and talk about if they want the job or whatever, I could understand that with the mods that have been relatively active in the past year.  Specifically Nix and VF.  Personally I think Drippy Taco and Kryten (actually, I dont know about Kryten, but I don't see him around often at all, and I know he was MIA for awhile too) don't need to be asked as they are just not around at all.  

If new mods should be the case, I think it should be those who can possibly access peel during work hours.  Gopher (and correct me if Im wrong) often posts from work, so he would be an example of someone who could be around at most hours of the day.  I can also access from work.  I am specifically talking about people who wouldn't get into trouble for being on the site during work if they are seen on it.  I don't mean that people should be "on call" while at work, but it would be nice to have someone who can visit during a slow moment at work to just check up on things.

I know it seems like a huge commitment, but I don't think it really is in the long run.  Generally it seems peel runs smoothly, its just every so often that people need a reminder of the fact that this isn't a board for 12 year olds chatting.

Edit: I think the fact that there are two "angry" threads open right now shows that Tweek needs some new mod help.

[Reply #7 on:]

Frankly I don't think anyone currently on peel deserves a perma-ban, but there's no shortage of people in desperate need of a "time out."

I wasn't aware you guys ran the board

Ah, there's no better way to prove a point than have somebody else accidentally make it for you.

Smartassery aside, Bear... that was neither productive nor constructive. The point is that the people who run the board are almost never here. The lunatics are running the asylum, and you are one of the lunatics.

If new mods should be the case, I think it should be those who can possibly access peel during work hours.    Gopher (and correct me if Im wrong) often posts from work, so he would be an example of someone who could be around at most hours of the day.  I can also access from work.  I am specifically talking about people who wouldn't get into trouble for being on the site during work if they are seen on it.  I don't mean that people should be "on call" while at work, but it would be nice to have someone who can visit during a slow moment at work to just check up on things.

That was the idea behind my suggestion of two from each time zone, one who keeps "regular" hours and one who does not. That way, there's always one on whilst another is at work.

Of course, people who can access from work would be even better.

[Reply #8 on:]

Although I think having a moderator net that can encompass a wider portion of an entire day is a good thing...

I don't think that having 24h surveillance is a necessity.  The current problems are not so blaring that they deserve immediate attention.  Even the people who are problematic still have reservations about posting things that are outright offensive and dangerous to people reading the messageboard (tubgirl... NEDM cat... two guys gaying it up in a sprinkler would fall into immediate attention category). 

Giving people who are ruining the experience for others by acting like 12 year olds a real warning (one that holds a ban as the ultimatum) would almost certainly curb the behavior in my opinion.

Although I think having more active moderators would be a good thing... having a keen interesting in studying the face of PEEL... there aren't very many individuals that pop to mind who would want the job, and would also be capable of fulfilling its duties in a way that would be necessarily agreeable with; note that there are people whose views I disagree with, but would allow them to have power as moderator over me, so I'm not being close-minded here.

I do echo the idea that Tweek needs more power.... if he's willing to take it.  It's offensive for people to ignore the fair warnings he's been given out.... And yes, there is a legitimate reason why he deleted your posts, and why he closed your threads.  I also don't think he'd ban people for minor infractions.

Another things I've pondered over now that we have PEEL 2..... is whether or not it has a temp ban function.  I think this would be useful tool, but I don't remember if it's part of the arsenal.

Getting new moderators would also encourage people to press the "Report to moderator" button.  That button actually notifies ALL moderators capable of doing anything within the vicinity that there is a problem.  That's why I don't have a problem if moderators can respond in seconds.... if the problem gets dealt with in reasonable amount of time (within a few days... preferably within 24 hours), then it is better than what we're capable of doing now.

I think PEEL is also pretty self-regulatory when everyone isn't being a jackass... I say this to include the individuals acting like children, and the people who are acting like children by responding immaturely to the child's play.  A large portion of PEEL is made up of intelligent reasonable people.... that's why PEEL is special to begin with; we don't need a beecock rule... because for the most part, we are not collectively made up of asshats.

[Reply #9 on:]

Short post since I have to go to work :P

More moderation is probably due. However, I do not want a complete clamp down on every meaningless post. Sometimes it's best to let PEEL self-organize.

Temp-bans are possible on PEEL2 (by ubermods and admins). Notify only notifies me (since there are floods of alerts sometimes). Mods being on vacation/busy/etc. is OK; they are not required to be here x% of their time. That said, I'm going to remove DrippyTaco for now since he hasn't logged into PEEL2 yet.

Tweek upgrade to ubermod gets my support.

Gopher and  ~FazeShift~  upgrade to mod, too.

If any of you three don't want the upgrade, let me know.

[Reply #10 on:]

Yes, definetely.

I remember one of the forums I used to post on had a heap of mods, and they were really strict. That's probably part of the reason I don't post there anymore. I gave an honest opinion, I wasn't flaming anyone, but I still got temporarily banned.

[Reply #11 on:]

Short post since I have to go to work :P

More moderation is probably due. However, I do not want a complete clamp down on every meaningless post. Sometimes it's best to let PEEL self-organize.

Temp-bans are possible on PEEL2 (by ubermods and admins). Notify only notifies me (since there are floods of alerts sometimes). Mods being on vacation/busy/etc. is OK; they are not required to be here x% of their time. That said, I'm going to remove DrippyTaco for now since he hasn't logged into PEEL2 yet.

Tweek upgrade to ubermod gets my support.

Gopher and  ~FazeShift~  upgrade to mod, too.

If any of you three don't want the upgrade, let me know.

All good decisons on your part.

Thanks for caring about this little piece of heaven called PEEL.

[Reply #12 on:]

Second.

[Reply #13 on:]

Tweek upgrade to ubermod gets my support.

Gopher and  ~FazeShift~  upgrade to mod, too.

Woo!

* totalnerduk applauds

. Thanks mArc. It's really nice to know that we can make suggestions, and that the good ones are acted upon. Kinda makes me remember what the difference is between PEEL and other messageboards....

PEEL has 42% more love than the next leading messageboard.

Hopefully this staffroom change will make a visible difference across the entire board.

[Reply #14 on:]

Here's hoping it scares the spammers into not posting as much "chatroom content" now.

[Reply #15 on:]

I actually planned for it to cycle more activity into the chatroom.

[Reply #16 on:]

Here's hoping it scares the spammers into not posting as much "chatroom content" now.

Bender: "Now that is irony!"

[Reply #17 on:]

Make me a mod. I'll fuck everyone up.

[Reply #18 on:]

Do that, then make me one so I can moderate his moderating. Moderately, of course.

[Reply #19 on:]

Are either of you funky enough to be a globetrotter?

[Reply #20 on:]

I'm so funky I don't even need to prove it.

[Reply #21 on:]

How about you prove it anyway?

I would like to thank mArc, as I'm sure most of the PEEL would, for the recent mod changes. Tweek has deserved the upgrade for far too long, Gopher's contribution pre-mod have always been quite moderatory, and Faze is Irish and awesome.

[Reply #22 on:]

Hey Cool! People suggested me!

and then it didn't happen

Thanks for getting my hopes up guys.

[Reply #23 on:]

One day.... this place will be so efficient.... that all the manual labor will be performed by one australian man*.

I'm talking about you, chay's head, of course.

[Reply #24 on:]

Huzzah!

[Reply #25 on:]

I....agree.

[Reply #26 on:]

I vote for Books should start reading threads more.