FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Question 2: Palatable Moderation
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Old Nov 6, 2007, 7:37 pm
  #49  
Punki
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Join Date: May 1998
Location: Seattle
Programs: Ephesians 4:31-32
Posts: 10,690
I don't know of anyone who despises moderation and certainly no candidate who has voiced any opinion of that nature. Moderators are absolutely necessary and almost all of them do a great job. IIRC I happened to among the very first people on FlyerTalk who ever suggested that we develop moderators, and that was because it was apparent that we needed them. (For those of you who weren't around in those days, there were some clowns who would jump on the boards on the weekend and let loose with some pretty wild stuff, knowing that Randy would not be able to deal with it until Monday.)

In this particular election many candidates have rather emotionally railed against TalkBoard overseeing moderation, but I don't think that there has been one single instance where any candidate has suggested that TalkBoard should oversee moderation. I did suggest that in the future we need to develop some sort of board to review suspensions after Randy is gone, but it was very clear in my suggestion that that body would be totally separate from TalkBoard.

IMHO, people want to know more about moderation because it has been held in secret for far too long. It needs to open up. Obviously, not opening the moderator discussion boards, but opening up information so that the general membership understands the moderation procedures, plans and goals. How hard would it be to have the the moderators report to the general membership when they make a policy decision? People trust what they understand and fear what they don't understand. It would be very much in the best interest of both the moderation team and the general membership for the moderators to communicate as much information as they possibly could to help the members understand their positions.

We need to get past the point where every time that someone makes a suggestion for improving moderation that that suggstion is immediately interpreted as moderator bashing. There is room for all of us to improve. Honestly, nobody's perfect.
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