Unsolicited Suggestion

[Dead Man]

I was going to write this a month or so ago right after my account was activated, but decided I probably didn't have a broad enough picture of the culture here to be offering any kind of advice or suggestions. But the anomaly has persisted (though it does seem to come in tides); many members seem to use this board as their personal emotional ventilator. Given the board's professed devotion to professionalism, it's an awkward clash. Ugly, when it happens.

My suggestion is this: Delete all overtly hostile posts. No explanation, no infraction, no "ban hammer," no fanfare. No recourse either- moderator has ultimate discretion. Write something that seems hostile, even if the post contains otherwise good information, expect it to be deleted. If you want a voice, and if your intent is truly to be helpful and to contribute to the cause of the board (rather than self-indulgent condescension), you will do so in a professional way or your words will vaporize and no one will ever be enlightened by your wisdom.

I understand I am just a new guy, and a Dead Man at that. Perhaps this has even been tried before? I obviously don't know. Whatever the case, this is my offering. Reject it, ignore it, accept it as you will.

Thanks for having me. That is all. :)

[T2C]

You bring up a valid point and offer a reasonable suggestion to deal with the issue.

Welcome to the forum.

[Kokopelli]

It would make it hard to distinguish the good from the bad.. :p

[Army Chief]

A reasonable enough suggestion, albeit one that tends to bring with it a host of new problems of its own, as then folks immediately launch into loud laments about "heavy-handed moderatorship" and their grave indignance at being redacted/edited against their will.

From a staff perspective, we stay on top of this as best we can, but it isn't really what one might call a winnable battle. At best, we can hope to stay engaged, catch most of it, and watch the trends, as this does tend to be cyclical.

Bottom line? People know better, and if they elect to wade into personal attacks and hostility despite their better judgment, then then can, and should, expect to be infracted accordingly -- to include the enforcement of involuntary vacations. Not the way that we want it, but the soft touch and invisible edits do not bring about the desired result in the overwhelming majority of cases.

AC

[T2C]

If a post is removed a PM should be sent to the member who posted it with an explanation detailing why it was removed.

[Dead Man]

If a post is removed a PM should be sent to the member who posted it with an explanation detailing why it was removed.

It doesn't feel like there's any interest in this suggestion.

However, I disagree. I don't think any explanation should be offered. You know your comment was harsh, now it's gone. If you didn't really mean any harm, and your style of writing is simply crisp and pithy; then you'll realize people perceive you as an asshole, and will change your style.

[Airhasz]

It doesn't feel like there's any interest in this suggestion.

However, I disagree. I don't think any explanation should be offered. You know your comment was harsh, now it's gone. If you didn't really mean any harm, and your style of writing is simply crisp and pithy; then you'll realize people perceive you as an asshole, and will change your style.

Very funny, don't be surprised when that post disappears.

[Army Chief]

My sense is that folks are reading a bit much into this. A PM normally will accompany any corrective action on the part of the staff, to include edits or deletions, because we want to make sure that a member clearly understands why an action is being taken. There will inevitably be cases where this does not happen for whatever reason, but this is not the norm, as we recognize that confusion can often breed unintended ill will. Most often, if there is no PM, you should check the edited/deleted post itself for a specific notation by the mod that dealt with it, as there will usually be a summary statement added indicating the reason for whatever action was taken.

By the same token, however, there are those who regularly choose to "play the game" in these matters, knowing full-well when they are pushing the boundaries. They may or may not be contacted prior to action being taken, simply because the dynamics of the situation are different and moderators grow understandably weary of being disrespected or ignored over time. Two-way street.

As always, monitoring and (when necessary) editing site content remains something of a judgment call, though we will always intervene in the interests of maintaining high standards. Where individual members are concerned, the operative staff guidance is to treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself, so our objective is to make sure that corrections are made with clarity and fairness. That will usually mean that a PM will pop up explaining what is/was being done, but keep in mind that if you've clearly stepped-over the line, you probably already know it, and really shouldn't need to be told why your post was altered or removed.

AC