Are the moderators here over-moderating?

[Happy Lemming]

43 minutes ago, NuevoYorko said:

The terms "toxic masculinity" and "radical feminism" are not comparable at all...

I disagree with you, but that is fine.

We can agree to disagree.

[Prudence V]

On 12/2/2020 at 4:19 PM, Paul said:

I hope it's okay to share publicly, yet @Taramere clearly had their account restricted and posts deleted inappropriately, without any justification by a moderator who has long ago stopped being a volunteer here. Taramere saw this thread and was kind enough to reach out, and we restored access and restored their posts immediately once it was brought to our attention.

Thank you for doing this @Paul  and WB @Taramere. I think this “new direction” looks very positive, and I’m loving the changes since Paul’s been more hands-on. There is much less nastiness, and much more consistency in application of the guidelines, and a more chilled vibe generally.
 

I was also banned by a previous moderator under the old dispensation, during the dark days when a gang of LS members used to hang out on a blog to organise the stalking of other members to doxx them, trying to break up their relationships, cause them to lose their jobs, etc. (That moderator, when approached, admitted that my account was banned purely in response to numerous reports from members of the gang, rather than for any substantive reasons - but rather than unbanning, I was told to create a new account so as not to inflame the gang.) Thankfully, those days seem long gone, and most of those people have moved on and found meaning in something other than being hateful to people they’ve never met. Those who are still here (under new guises, but still recognisable) have chilled and given up their crusade, and it’s a far less hostile environment to post in these days. 
 

 

[Taramere]

1 hour ago, Prudence V said:

Thank you for doing this @Paul  and WB @Taramere. I think this “new direction” looks very positive, and I’m loving the changes since Paul’s been more hands-on. There is much less nastiness, and much more consistency in application of the guidelines, and a more chilled vibe generally.

 

I agree.  I know that the issue of free speech is always a hot one - and I certainly agree with the importance of people being free to express thoughts, opinions and ideas in the spirit of promoting discussion. .  However sometimes free speech is exercised in ways that just shut discussion down..  If you say something that annoys somebody and they know they can't just respond with a put down or a jab, it increases the likelihood that they'll respond with a request for clarity or in some other way that results in misunderstandings being cleared up,  disagreements being put to bed in a relatively low fuss way and some decent discussion.  It's been a difficult year for so many people.  Some of us are coming here fresh from having lost close relatives or friends to Covid .  The last thing anybody needs at a time like that is to find themselves fielding unnecessary jabs, swipes, displaced anger or whatever else.

[QuietRiot]

On 11/28/2020 at 1:35 PM, major_merrick said:

@Paul I have asked questions in the last couple of months regarding moderation on this forum.  I have yet to receive a response, from you or the mods regarding my messages, so I’ll put it here. 

1.  Moderation seems excessively active and picky this year.  Why not back off a bit?

2.  Mods are now anonymous.  I don't know if this is a result of the site update, or what's going on.  Knowing who's who would be helpful.

3.  Can't even see what post triggered an infraction.  Just a comment from an anonymous mod.  Not helpful.

4.  Seems like every issue now triggers moderation of all posts for 24 hrs, 48 hrs, or longer.  Is that intentional?  If so, seems like you're spending a lot of your time on that.  And some posts just "disappear" into the gaps in the site.  Like the last TWO I wrote into this thread.

5.  As others have mentioned, with auto moderation the discussion stalls. 

 

I was going to start a new post in regards to my recent post with "Florida being in the red zone",  and it was just completely shut down. The post is still there, but, responses are no longer aloud.

Now typically, a mod will offer an explanation at the far bottom...but...nothing. Just close to further replies.

So, I have to agree, over moderation, some with no reason given.

[Fletch Lives]

The moderators are tough and they have to be......there are too many crazies on the net trying to post on boards like this. 

I tried having my own forum and the crazies you have to deal with make it almost impossible. I would not have my own forum or public Spacebook page for any amount of money.

Edited December 16, 2020 by Fletch Lives

[Wiseman2]

18 hours ago, Taramere said:

  .  The last thing anybody needs at a time like that is to find themselves fielding unnecessary jabs, swipes, displaced anger or whatever else.

Agree. The moderation has done a great job shutting down threads that became out of control with angry nasty posts piling up and so on. Threads that go on and on talking About the original poster even speaking for the original poster.

They've also done a great job keeping political posts dressed up as covid or other topics off the main topics, something to circumvent the system and forum's policies .

[Wiseman2]

On 12/15/2020 at 12:47 PM, Taramere said:

 The last thing anybody needs at a time like that is to find themselves fielding unnecessary jabs, swipes, displaced anger or whatever else.

Absolutely 😕

[Commongoal123]

At least we don't have Q-anon stuff flying around here.

Also it's important to consider how someone could completely ruin another person's life when an OP starts a thread about something very personal and emotionally raw.  There are a lot of trolls online who might do that.

Then on the other hand, perhaps posts which get deleted might actually be beneficial to an OP and might be the feedback they needed.

Somewhere in between is the answer and the balance.  Which requires a fair and balanced moderation team.  Managing and being a part of which is beyond my knowledge or understanding.  However based off of what I've read here, it seems to depend on understanding the reasoning for decisions made by moderators here.  Which from what Paul is saying, there is a way to gain that clarity by asking privately.  But again, I've never personally felt the need to do that even though I have disagreed with some regulatory actions done to one post of mine, yet on another instance I was in agreement with the decision made in a thread I was part of.

Edited December 31, 2020 by Commongoal123
Edited for further clarity.

[lana-banana]

Given the number of anti-science, anti-vaccine and anti-reality (a global cabal of scientists are conspiring to hide the truth and take everyone's freedoms? What??) stuff that's been on the boards lately, more moderation rather than less is probably warranted. 

[QuietRiot]

57 minutes ago, lana-banana said:

Given the number of anti-science, anti-vaccine and anti-reality (a global cabal of scientists are conspiring to hide the truth and take everyone's freedoms? What??) stuff that's been on the boards lately, more moderation rather than less is probably warranted. 

Agreed. To be honest, I think certain people should be banned from the Covid forum, let them have the rest of the board. In fact, It was interesting that this mostly love/dating/friendship/relationship board had a Covid category. 

Edited December 31, 2020 by QuietRiot

[lana-banana]

5 minutes ago, QuietRiot said:

Agreed. To be honest, I think certain people should be banned from the Covid forum, let them have the rest of the board. In fact, It was interesting that this mostly love/dating/friendship/relationship board had a Covid category. 

I think if we eliminated the COVID and political forums, and banned politics talk from the site altogether, 99% of the moderators' work would be done. The site doesn't appear able to handle those discussions without significant moderator involvement, which is reason enough to be done with them in my opinion.

[Ellener]

9 hours ago, Commongoal123 said:

it's important to consider how someone could completely ruin another person's life when an OP starts a thread about something very personal and emotionally raw.  There are a lot of trolls online who might do that.

Insensitive, negative or critically unhelpful comments, which are not necessarily 'trolls' or 'trolling' can really hurt or upset people; sometimes it's best to say nothing, or be encouraging, as someone is working out their situation.

 

 

 

 

[Commongoal123]

Absolutely agreed

[Negotaurus]

I think LoveShack has come a long way. A while ago, my account got permanently banned for telling a moderator to calm down after he got very aggressive and started making threats towards somebody else, publicly, on a thread. Multiple posters agreed with me, in the end all mine and likeminded comments were removed without second thought, and my account banned. Not sure about the others. Explanation I got was "troll". 

A while later I created a new account since I wholeheartedly do not think I deserved that ban. I have not always held my tongue, I do admit, but instead of getting permanently banned for the smallest of things, I get a reminder and a fair explanation of my mishaps, which I gladly hear out and keep in mind in the future. 

I stayed away from this site for a while simply due to the moderation tactics. As of today, personally, I'm very happy with our mods! 

[trident_2020]

^Consider yourself lucky that you don't get banned again for ban evasion by creating another account.

I've received several "zings" and even put under moderation for 24 hours. I find the moderators to be fair and I appreciate the feedback that they provide when my posts are deleted.

 

[Paul]

9 hours ago, Negotaurus said:

I think LoveShack has come a long way. A while ago, my account got permanently banned for telling a moderator to calm down after he got very aggressive and started making threats towards somebody else, publicly, on a thread. Multiple posters agreed with me, in the end all mine and likeminded comments were removed without second thought, and my account banned. Not sure about the others. Explanation I got was "troll". 

What you're describing is unacceptable behavior, and I apologize that you went through that. Our moderators are all volunteers, human, and we know that in the past, mistakes and errors in judgement were made. Please reach out to us privately and we'll make it right, including restoring access to your previous account.

2 hours ago, trident_2020 said:

^Consider yourself lucky that you don't get banned again for ban evasion by creating another account.

If anyone has found themselves with a restricted account and feels that it was done so unfairly, please contact us privately and we'll investigate. We have certainly seen instances where those restrictions were an overstep and have restored access to those who have contacted us in the past.

We are very much aware that some people create a new account after being restricted previously. So long as the behavior that resulted in the account being restricted ceases, we treat the new account as a welcomed second chance, and would be happy to consider restoring access to a previous account (or merging accounts together) to those who have demonstrated they are able and willing to participate within our expectations of civility and respect. We all make mistakes sometimes, and we understand that.

What is not okay is people creating a new account to circumvent protections we put in place and to continue with the inappropriate behaviors that resulted in their account being restricted in the first place under a new name.