Moderation Work

[ericgibbs]

My point is that moderating IS full time--and you probably wouldn't have the extra time to change titles, like you think you would.

Then again, I've never been a moderator. Perhaps Eric could shine some light on this....?

Hi,

Moderating in the Forums is almost a full time job, I knew this when I took the job on, so I am not complaining about the work load. Being retired I am able to put in the time required.

Speaking on behalf of my fellow Moderator , he has a full time day job and I consider the hours and effort he has put into the Forums over the years is commendable.

Regarding editing Thread titles, as I have already said, I edit/expand meaningless titles in order to get the OP the help he asking.

The Forums are constantly under 'attack' from spammers of all types, ranging from products to pornographic.

We also receive occasional 'bad language' threads/posts on the Forums and the Chat line which have to be deleted.

I am sure the vast majority of members want a 'clean' , spam free site where they can freely discuss technical topics.

The Site Rules and Guidelines have been written to achieve this result and its the job of Administration and Moderation to ensure these rules are adhered too.

The only way IMHO to apply the rules, is by being impartial and working by the Rule Book, in that way we cannot be accused of a loose interpretation of the rules.

There is a recently introduced procedure called a 'Disputes Thread', a member who has broken the rules is contacted privately and advised why an action has been taken against him/her and the member is invited to respond using the disputes thread so the problem can be discussed by Administration and ALL the Moderators.

Its unfortunate that a very small minority of members are unable to follow these simple rules and when they are disciplined blame the Moderators. In reality they are not having a problem with Moderation they are having a problem in not following the site rules.


Eric

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Thanks Eric - I originally recommended you as a moderator, as I was sure you would be an excellent one - and so you have proved to be

You have taken over the majority of moderation duties, and (possibly due to your greater available time) are somewhat more lenient than I am

 

[DerStrom8]

Thank you very much for this post, and thanks for all you guys do. I know you work very hard to keep this site clean and appropriate for all ages, and a lot of people don't realize it because they don't see all the stuff you've deleted.

Thanks Eric for the outline of your job description. I think it'll help others realize why you guys are here and that if they receive discipline, it's for good reason.

 

[MrAl]

Hi,


Hey a disputes thread is an interesting addition to the forum. That provides a place for people with gripes to inquire about their issues.

 

[tvtech]

Hi,


Hey a disputes thread is an interesting addition to the forum. That provides a place for people with gripes to inquire about their issues.

I was there a while back when I got out of hand Maybe the first offender ?

Well resolved by EM and Mods. Hats off to you guys. I respect you all because you handle stuff the right way.

Regards,
tvtech

 

[3v0]

Most of the time moderation is just removing spam and approving posts. But there are things about moderation that the job description does not explain.

Moderators in effect have fewer rights then the general membership. Some members expect mods to be perfect. They are looking for a mod to break a rule in order to justify their own bad behavior.

Members with problems at home, work, etc come here to release their frustration. It is better the beating the wife and kids but it is problematic. For the most part any depute resolution or personal contact is useless because a few hours later their problem still exists and they are back on ETO breaking the rules.

Some members think the rules are silly and that they personally not bound by them. Some of these get the idea after a ban or two, others do not.

You need to have a thick skin. Some members will think of you as the enemy when all you are doing is enforcing the rules. The will spread the word that you are some sort of tyrant. A gang of non rule breakers will agree and form a lynch mob.

 

[ericgibbs]

hi.
To put the actual level of Moderation of 'ETO members' on the Forums/Chat room into perspective, here is a summary to date, of the Disputes threads created for members, since the idea was introduced 5 months ago.

Created:
3 for using bad language on the chat room

2 for racist remarks in Forum posts

1 for repeated spam linking in posts

1 for an offensive remark about a fellow member

3 for repeated criticism of Moderation on the Forums

Results:
As a result of the Disputes threads, most of the members involved have modified their behaviour without a short term ban being required.

One member who continued to break the rules for bad language on the chat line has been permanently banned.

One member who has repeated the abusive criticism of Moderation has been given another short term ban.


Eric

 

[gabeNC]

Nice job guys, unfortunately you have to pass out yellow cards on occasion. Your work is appreciated.

View attachment 66430

 

[ericgibbs]

hi,
I thought you would all like to know that Ian Rogers has been appointed as a Moderator.

Welcome Ian.

Eric

 

[davenn]

hi,
I thought you would all like to know that Ian Rogers has been appointed as a Moderator.

Welcome Ian.

Eric

woo hoo....
Congratulations Ian, well earned
I have always appreciated your input

Dave

 

[Ian Rogers]

I just read my new rules and reg's.... Lot more buttons...... "Frying pan into fire" or what....

 

[tvtech]

Congrats Ian

Regards,
tvtech

 

[DerStrom8]

Congrats Ian! You've earned it! I don't think they could have chosen a better moderator

 

[3v0]

Ditto on all that has been said. This is a happy day

 

[alec_t]

Welcome to your new role, Ian. The mods on this site do a great job. My thanks to them.

 

[audioguru]

There is a recently introduced procedure called a 'Disputes Thread', a member who has broken the rules is contacted privately and advised why an action has been taken against him/her and the member is invited to respond using the disputes thread so the problem can be discussed by Administration and ALL the Moderators.

An excellent idea.
A while ago I received a temporary ban for breaking a rule.
I was never told which rule I broke and never given a copy of whatever I said. Who knows, so it will probably happen again.

 

[tvtech]

An excellent idea.
A while ago I received a temporary ban for breaking a rule.
I was never told which rule I broke and never given a copy of whatever I said. Who knows, so it will probably happen again.

It works like a bomb. My session there stopped my swearing and all here. No matter how bad my day is. What most of us don't understand is that Mods have to deal with stuff that we as members never see....

Mods never complain...we do.

Ever heard a Mod complain about a member on a Post etc..

So AG..if you need the magic clinic...break some rules and get admitted....jokes

Regards,
tvtech

 

[ElectroMaster]

'magic clinic' haha I love it tvtech!

The disputes threads seem to be working really well. It's all about communicating with members as best we can to prevent things getting out of hand. Most members simply don't know the issue until we bring it up.

tvtech also mentions another major fact with moderation work - 90 percent of it is done privately so the public forums are kept as clean as possible and family friendly, however this makes some members feel like we're picking on them and only targetting them which we don't. So it is a very tough job.