Moderation levels.

[Cruella]

After hearing a few complaints from various forumites during conversations, I thought I'd ask the question. Are you happy with the level of moderation on this forum? I don't use any other forums myself, so I have no comparison other than how it was when I first joined this one. It seems to me that the fun and lightheartedness has diminished somewhat since more moderators were recruited. I have had numerous posts deleted or moved and am far more careful about what I dare to write (I know, you can't tell! )
I want to go back to the old days, where it was more like having conversations in the pub. (No one moves you to a different table if your conversation veers off in another direction!)
So what is your opinion, less or more moderation, or is it fine as it is?

[Twirly]

I think it's fine on the dance-related threads (see splitting of little piggy from Utopia thread), but that chit chat threads are over-moderated.

If someone feels they have been personally slighted and complains to the mods, then obviously that should be dealt with. And sometimes things will have to be moved upstairs or outside.

But we are all capable of starting new threads by quoting the post which interests us.

Good thread Cruella!

[David Bailey]

I won't vote (amazingly ) for obvious reasons.

But it's also worth bearing in mind that there's a lot more "openness" in moderation operations than there was even a month ago - lots of PMs from "the moderating team" and so on.

So the perception of change is likely to be because of the greater visibility of changes.

Generally, I don't think there's more moderation than there was, say, over Christmas. In fact, if anything, actual moderation actions have been fairly low recently, compared to some of the, shall we say, more "interesting" times. But members normally never saw this stuff happening before.

Personally, I've done much less moderating recently, as a wind-down, although I've talked about it a lot - again, perceptions may be skewed a lot by that too.

EDIT: can I just say how totally shocked and saddened I am, by the way that Dreadful Scathe has now skewed the results with his sabotage spray voting?

[Twirly]

I won't vote (amazingly ) for obvious reasons.

But it's also worth bearing in mind that there's a lot more "openness" in moderation operations than there was even a month ago - lots of PMs from "the moderating team" and so on.

So the perception of change is likely to be because of the greater visibility of changes.

Generally, I don't think there's more moderation than there was, say, over Christmas. In fact, if anything, actual moderation actions have been fairly low recently, compared to some of the, shall we say, more "interesting" times. But members normally never saw this stuff happening before.

Personally, I've done much less moderating recently, as a wind-down, although I've talked about it a lot - again, perceptions may be skewed a lot by that too.

Since so far I've not complained about anybody and am not aware of having been complained about, the only moderating activity I tend to see is the splitting/moving of threads. And although I haven't been on here as long as some, it feels as if there is more of this activity going on than there was end of last year.

However, by "moderating" you, DJ, might mean something a bit different?

[SilverFox]

I think a lot of the current problems are not down to the whole moderating team, rather just the postings/actions of a couple of over-zealous individuals.

Far be it for me to name names but......

There's.....

...one moderator who should visit fetish shops more often.

...one moderator who takes everything far too personally.

...one moderator who is far too iCool for their own iGood.

...one moderator who should be allowed near alcohol more often, as the results are very entertaining.

...one moderator who needs to get out more and find a sense of humour.

...one moderator whose love of fast cars appears to have driven them away........

[ducasi]

A year ago people were complaining about too many off-topic posts in threads. Now we have complaints that we delete posts and split threads too much.

Just can't win...

[TurboTomato]

A year ago people were complaining about too many off-topic posts in threads. Now we have complaints that we delete posts and split threads too much.

Just can't win...

Moderating is always a no win situation from my experience. You'll get **** whatever you do unfortunately

[Lory]

Moderating is always a no win situation from my experience. You'll get **** whatever you do unfortunately

Very true!

[Dance Demon]

A year ago people were complaining about too many off-topic posts in threads. Now we have complaints that we delete posts and split threads too much.

Just can't win...

Sounds a bit like being a DJ........

[David Bailey]

the only moderating activity I tend to see is the splitting/moving of threads. And although I haven't been on here as long as some, it feels as if there is more of this activity going on than there was end of last year.

Seriously, there really isn't, if anything there's less going on now than there was then - but it's all much more visible than it was; you get PMs telling you what's happening, and you get notes at both ends of split threads.

(Note: all this action is done with the laudable aim of informing members more, but like Lory, I personally am sometimes unsure whether it's worth the grief...)

So I think it's largely a matter of perception.

However, by "moderating" you, DJ, might mean something a bit different?

By "moderation" I mean "using moderator-specific functions to perform actions on areas of the forum" - so that includes editing posts, deleting them, moving threads, splitting them, merging them, plotting world domination and so on.

But I don't include "talking about moderation stuff" in that list.

A year ago people were complaining about too many off-topic posts in threads. Now we have complaints that we delete posts and split threads too much.

Just can't win...

Ah, but it's different people complaining, you see - our secret motto of "can't annoy all the people all the time, but you can annoy a lot of them a lot of the time" is working...

[LMC]

I have belonged to a *lot* of forums (fora?) in the last 10 years or so.

I prolly post regularly now on four or five, including this one.

And all credit to Franck and the team - I think the moderation on this forum is just about the most even-handed and appropriate that I've ever experienced.

I don't always agree with admin and moderator action. But then it's not my forum.

Whoever pays the bills gets to make the rules.

[Cruella]

Whoever pays the bills gets to make the rules.

Absolutely agree, it's Francks decision to make the rules and if we don't like the way the forum is, then we can leave. Unfortunately a few people have done just this. I'm sure though, Franck still appreciates feedback, so he can make his 'informed' decisions.

[Lynn]

I don't use any other forums myself, so I have no comparison other than how it was when I first joined this one.

I'm on several other dance forums (about 6 or so) - some have almost no moderation - but almost no discussion either! Some would probably have if anything, more moderation than this one. So in my experience this is about average.

I think with any change in moderation policy - as has been recently with more moderators - there is a settling down period - after which time forumites hopefully start to moderate themselves.

I also think there is an element of deliberately going off topic (possibly even just to annoy mods?) - which effectively pushes the forum towards requiring even more moderation. So don't just blame the mods if there is a lot of moved posts and thread splitting.

[Minnie M]

There used to be a list of the moderators - can't find it now, I have worked out the moderators to be as follows as the have the word 'moderator' under their avatar

• Kev F
• Lory
• DavidJames
• ducasi
• tiggerbabe
• Franck (of course)

Is that it - or are there any hidden ones I/we don't know about ?

[Dreadful Scathe]

There used to be a list of the moderators - can't find it now, I have worked out the moderators to be as follows as the have the word 'moderator' under their avatar

• Kev F
• Lory
• DavidJames
• ducasi
• tiggerbabe
• Franck (of course)

Is that it - or are there any hidden ones I/we don't know about ?

has someone premoted Emma to non-moderator? surely not ?