Them good ol' moderation blues...

I have been mulling over this for some time now, you always present a great argument... First, Hey Nev, it's been a while.

With specific reference to this line "...and I too believe only a registered person should be allowed to post. Under their real name. In full public glory. We are after all presumably all adults here and of at least basic intelligence."

Two things here. 1. Enforced Registration does not equate to Full Disclosure, or even honesty. We have previously had a hard time with users who create false accounts to falsely vote up threads just so they appear on the home page. Now if someone can do that, then how can you trust that the ID of a Registered user is an honest representation of the Carbon Based form using it? Truth is, even when you have a site which requires a sign-up process, it will not stop the TROLLs, SPAMMERS and deceptive tacticians. It may make it a little harder for them, but if they are determined, then it is a very small barrier to overcome. It also creates additional work from an administrative point of view as, which is not a complaint, just a factual statement.

2. We are not all adults here. Many users are under the age of 18 as has been witnessed in recent months with some unfortunate events where the age of a certain young user was assumed to be older.

On the next part of your post, "If you disagree with someone, WHY?! Spend 30 seconds thinking..."

I completely agree with you, consider what you are reacting to. This is where the Trolling, Spite, Slander and so forth really takes hold, when the intended target (or targets) "react" and feed the offender with more ammunition. Then the situation escalates.

Some people enjoy baiting Trolls and that is great for them. For others, such as myself, an awareness that certain posts are made simply to intentionally upset, or provoke a reaction, would help to curb any offence or injury. Having been a target many times myself, I do understand the hurt and offence that these types of comments can cause. However, responding to them in any way may just simply be giving the provoker another shot. Being able to restrain yourself and evaluate (as you say) using logic and reason will help to curb the cycle of Trolling.

You may or may not be aware of a recent incident where an EBook Author was reviewed in a not completely positive light, yet in a constructive and respectful way. The author took offence and clearly reacted posting a rather nasty comment, which was then immediately set upon by other users, to which she then reacted further and slowly resorted to more offencive terminology. A classic example of the cycle of which I refer to above.

Having comments and threads disappear if voted poorly may not meet to everyone's approval, yet having such posts disappear from public view can protect against litigation and defamation.

As stated in the disclaimer (in the FAQ)

Comments posted in the various forums are wholly the responsibility of the person posting the information.

• If you post libellous comments you may be sued.
• If you cause to be published material you are not authorised to publish (e.g. infringement of copyright) you may be subject to court action.
• If you cause to be published material that is illegal (e.g. child pornography), you may be prosecuted.

Anonymity is no protection as everyone leaves a trace that can be tracked back to its source by the appropriate authorities, and if a court order is presented to us or to any associated Service Provider for that matter, we are obliged to provide those details. Having born witness to several instances of this, I can vouch for its truth. 

So I say again, having these items disappear can be of legal benefit. The examples of items being removed at the request of someone (such as some of the threads on specific Talent Agencies) is a low brow example of that.

To Moderate or Not To Moderate. Registered or Free Use. It really makes for little difference in the end because either system is dependant on the manner in which it is used. If it used to its full and fair capacity, then it will work. If it is not used correctly, then it will be open to abuse by those that seek to sow disruption. If more people used the Moderation and Voting Services correctly, them Admin could tweek the settings so that it would take a higher level of votes before something 'disappears' or is promoted to the front page.

My personal thoughts on this matter is that registered users that have demonstrated a high level of participation through the current points system could be granted a higher influence in Voting. In other words, once you have proved yourself a reliable and trustworthy user, you get to have a greater say in what happens. However, for that idea to work, the needs to be more users regularly voting and moderating.

These are my personal opinions and in no way reflect that of the policies of this site or adminstrative team.

Absit invidia (and DFT :nono:)

Jeff Watkins

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