- Joined
- Jan 29, 2018
- Messages
- 1,348
I wanted to take a moment to address the goal and overall direction of comment and forum moderation on MD. For the most part, users are pleasant to each other and able to have conversations without the need for moderation. However, there are still times where moderation is needed in order to make sure everyone has a good time posting.
Now that there is a proper report system for comments, I am able to begin properly enforcing the forums and comment rules. Before, I only moderated what I came across or what someone reported to me via PM. You will see me posting more often, especially on older reports that come to my attention. I might be a bit more lenient on these older comments/posts depending on their content since people may not have been aware that yes, there actually were rules to posting and that there was a mod in charge of enforcing them.
The overall goal is to foster an environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing an opinion via forum post or just talking about their favorite manga in the comments. Trolling, /b/-like behavior, and generally posting with the intent to insult or harass is not tolerated here. This does not mean that I'm seeking to make comments or forums a care bear environment or an echo chamber of similar beliefs or opinions. Rather, I'm attempting to bolster intelligent and meaningful discussion. Basically, if your post attacks a poster and not the poster's argument, it's not welcome on MD.
Let's examine 5.1: Be Civil, more closely as it is the main reason why users are subject to moderator intervention. It reads:
"Be Civil
Disagreeing with an opinion is totally fine. All we ask is that you keep to the topic at hand and refrain from resorting to personal attacks on other involved parties. To that end, please avoid racist, sexist, and religious discrimination or other terminology where the intended outcome is to be offensive."
Racial slurs, sexual slurs, and religious discrimination absolutely won't be tolerated, full stop. That's non-negotiable and it always will be. I don't think it's at all unreasonable to expect people to treat one another with respect and basic courtesy.
Here are some examples of how I examine reported posts:
Some of you may be shaking your head and saying, "Really Zeph? You'd ding someone over cuss words?"
I'm going to answer that question as best I can because the situation is complex. There has been very vigorous discussion at times on what should and should not be moderated on MD. Because staff depends on teamwork in order to be successful, I have compromised at times on how content should be moderated.
Let me clarify further. I believe that words can be harmful. They can drag the collective IQ of a thread down into the gutters. I believe that every person has the right to a pleasant experience when posting on MD without having to worry about being cussed at or harassed for having an opinion. What's problematic is where to draw the line, which is the meat of most of the disagreements among staff concerning moderation. In an ideal world, there would be no cussing at all and everyone could enjoy whatever manga they want and talk about it without any issues. The reality is quite different.
To balance giving users the freedom to debate in a...let's call it...spirited way and keeping it civil, let's take a look at some examples of how I've been asked to moderate a post with an insult in it.
I hope that this has made clearer to people what's acceptable to post and what is not acceptable to post on MD. Remember, the easiest way to determine if your post violates 5.1 is to ask yourself if your post attacks someone and not the content of their post instead.
I'd like to encourage everyone to review our rules and ask any questions they may have.
Now that there is a proper report system for comments, I am able to begin properly enforcing the forums and comment rules. Before, I only moderated what I came across or what someone reported to me via PM. You will see me posting more often, especially on older reports that come to my attention. I might be a bit more lenient on these older comments/posts depending on their content since people may not have been aware that yes, there actually were rules to posting and that there was a mod in charge of enforcing them.
The overall goal is to foster an environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing an opinion via forum post or just talking about their favorite manga in the comments. Trolling, /b/-like behavior, and generally posting with the intent to insult or harass is not tolerated here. This does not mean that I'm seeking to make comments or forums a care bear environment or an echo chamber of similar beliefs or opinions. Rather, I'm attempting to bolster intelligent and meaningful discussion. Basically, if your post attacks a poster and not the poster's argument, it's not welcome on MD.
Let's examine 5.1: Be Civil, more closely as it is the main reason why users are subject to moderator intervention. It reads:
"Be Civil
Disagreeing with an opinion is totally fine. All we ask is that you keep to the topic at hand and refrain from resorting to personal attacks on other involved parties. To that end, please avoid racist, sexist, and religious discrimination or other terminology where the intended outcome is to be offensive."
Racial slurs, sexual slurs, and religious discrimination absolutely won't be tolerated, full stop. That's non-negotiable and it always will be. I don't think it's at all unreasonable to expect people to treat one another with respect and basic courtesy.
Here are some examples of how I examine reported posts:
Some of you may be shaking your head and saying, "Really Zeph? You'd ding someone over cuss words?"
I'm going to answer that question as best I can because the situation is complex. There has been very vigorous discussion at times on what should and should not be moderated on MD. Because staff depends on teamwork in order to be successful, I have compromised at times on how content should be moderated.
Let me clarify further. I believe that words can be harmful. They can drag the collective IQ of a thread down into the gutters. I believe that every person has the right to a pleasant experience when posting on MD without having to worry about being cussed at or harassed for having an opinion. What's problematic is where to draw the line, which is the meat of most of the disagreements among staff concerning moderation. In an ideal world, there would be no cussing at all and everyone could enjoy whatever manga they want and talk about it without any issues. The reality is quite different.
To balance giving users the freedom to debate in a...let's call it...spirited way and keeping it civil, let's take a look at some examples of how I've been asked to moderate a post with an insult in it.
I hope that this has made clearer to people what's acceptable to post and what is not acceptable to post on MD. Remember, the easiest way to determine if your post violates 5.1 is to ask yourself if your post attacks someone and not the content of their post instead.
I'd like to encourage everyone to review our rules and ask any questions they may have.
