moderation

[Teddy B 17,252]

Teddy this is not YouTube. Insults are much better when given to someone face to face, not in the protected solitude of your own home. I would feel like i didn't have a backbone if i insulted someone on the computer.

Yet playing a tough guy on the internet is much more effective?

[Penny Lane 8,159]

Who said anything about YouTube being considered face to face?

Like others have said, I wrongly assumed one sentence had to do with the previous one. Which would explain why it didn't make sense.

[Teddy B 17,252]

Teddy this is not YouTube. Insults are much better when given to someone face to face, not in the protected solitude of your own home. I would feel like i didn't have a backbone if i insulted someone on the computer.

I wanted to add, that while I admire your approach and also follow this same philosophy in real life, this is still the internet and one has to play with the cards they are dealt.

[JohnR! 5,495]

I wanted to add, that while I admire your approach and also follow this same philosophy in real life, this is still the internet and one has to play with the cards they are dealt.

One thing that I try to remind myself while writing, and particularly when I read a post, is that the written word conveys no inflection.

As an example, I would say that if we are talking about topic X, and I replied to someone: 'Have you read the paper today?' without inflection, that comment could be taken as a genuine innocuous question meaning, 'There is something in today's paper that deals with the subject at hand' but it could also be taken as a condescending comment questioning the level of information of the interlocutor or even an insult to his/her ability to read, at all.

The same interpretation may vary from person to person, so at times moderators may zap you for what may seem to you, no apparent reason.

[^_^ 5,021]

Like others have said, I wrongly assumed one sentence had to do with the previous one. Which would explain why it didn't make sense.

It's an easy mistake to make. I prefer Aquafina to Dasani.

[Teddy B 17,252]

Other than moving posts that may have been posted in the wrong section or removing spam and spammers, I've never understood the need for moderation on a discussion board period, especially in a politics and religion forum. An open forum is a much better way to go. Let people say what they want and police themselves. If words on a computer screen from an anonymous person bother you that much, then perhaps you shouldn't be on a discussion board to begin with. I have posted on a few boards with this format and it works pretty well, the people that abuse the privelage of an open forum are weeded out fairly quickly simply by ignoring them. It's much better than having people whining to the mods about what somebody from half way around the world said about their cat.

Edited June 27, 2012 by Teddy B

[JohnR! 5,495]

Other than moving posts that may have been posted in the wrong section or removing spam and spammers, I've never understood the need for moderation on a discussion board period, especially in a politics and religion forum. An open forum is a much better way to go. Let people say what they want and police themselves. If words on a computer screen from an anonymous person bother you that much, then perhaps you shouldn't be on a discussion board to begin with. I have posted on a few boards with this format and it works pretty well, the people that abuse the privelage of an open forum are weeded out fairly quickly simply by ignoring them. It's much better than having people whining to the mods about what somebody from half way around the world said about their cat.

That is true but that format also alienates others who might not participate if their every comment may be subjected to insults and ad-hominem attacks...

[^_^ 5,021]

Let people say what they want and police themselves. If words on a computer screen from an anonymous person bother you that much, then perhaps you shouldn't be on a discussion board to begin with.

I'm one of Kathryn's "Habitual Offenders" who take "unacceptable license" with this website so take this with a grain of salt.

Let's say your wife is Filipina and I level a racial slur along those lines at you. Let's say you're a grown man and you hit me right back and we're good. Neither of us goes away offended.

Do you really think the impact is contained to the two of us?

Other people read that exchange.

Some people are not as desensitized as you or I. They may be a new user. Or a prospective user. They may see this exchange, make the (mistaken) presumption that VJ is an anti-Filipina site and decide to go to a competitor site where the standard of discourse is higher and more mature.

And about users policing themselves.... how? Do you expect me to suspend myself every time I tell Danno he's a **********? Fat chance.

[SMOKE 1,426]

another "Habitual Offender" here. \ is right. self moderation does not work...we've tried it.

[^_^ 5,021]

\ is right.

I'm up for a new screen name now!

[Ban Hammer 13,343]

another "Habitual Offender" here.

\ is right. self moderation does not work...we've tried it.

[^_^ 5,021]

another "Habitual Offender" here. \ is right. self moderation does not work...we've tried it.

Charles, I really don't think you want to get into confirming and denying the HB status of posters.

[Teddy B 17,252]

I'm one of Kathryn's "Habitual Offenders" who take "unacceptable license" with this website so take this with a grain of salt.

Let's say your wife is Filipina and I level a racial slur along those lines at you. Let's say you're a grown man and you hit me right back and we're good. Neither of us goes away offended.

Do you really think the impact is contained to the two of us?

Other people read that exchange.

Some people are not as desensitized as you or I. They may be a new user. Or a prospective user. They may see this exchange, make the (mistaken) presumption that VJ is an anti-Filipina site and decide to go to a competitor site where the standard of discourse is higher and more mature.

And about users policing themselves.... how? Do you expect me to suspend myself every time I tell Danno he's a **********? Fat chance.

I hardly believe that anyone in this day and age would be new to the internet or the possibility of reading or seeing something they might not improve of, happens all the time, I don't see many people jumping off of bridges because of it, you simply click your mouse and move on if you don't like it. Kinda like watching tv, if you don't like or don't approve of what's on one station, then you move on to another. You can put a disclaimer on the heading of the forum and there are filters that can be put in place to prevent certain words from being typed, but constantly removing posts because the person on the receiving end get's their undies in a bunch is unneccessary in my opinion. And the posts that I see that are removed here are of a very light level of insult or simply a way of poking fun at another poster, they are far from being offensive. When people get over protected by a nanny state, they tend to take exception to the least little bit of friction pointed their way.

As for someone seeing a post that may be anti-Filipina and making the determination that VJ is anti-Filipina, I do understand that dilemna and that is why for a board like this, I would agree that only the General Discussion area be of an open forum type, that way the actual business end of the board remains protected from that type of posting. Put a "enter at your own risk" disclaimer on the General Discussion forum and let people do their thing.

Posters will police themselves in an open forum. If you continuously have nothing to add to the conversations other than insults, your act will grow old very fast and people will simply ignore your foolishness. Even the nastiest of posters can only call someone a no good ****** ***** so many times without any response before they lose interest and move on.

[Ban Hammer 13,343]

Charles, I really don't think you want to get into confirming and denying the HB status of posters.

true habitual offenders never admit it. that's the first rule to habitual offenders club.

[SMOKE 1,426]

SOB! i still haven't made the list?