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I've found that in many of the threads that people violate the rules of many threads but don't use the exact wording cited by those rules.. these have been referenced as "skirting".
These include but are HARDLY limited to.. blatant and flagrant insults.. attacking people NOT the argument.. going completely off topic..
(in some cases one in particular I'm talking about 2/5 pages were a select few 'dakkanaughts' arguing topics that were covered in other threads or just plain silly)

The part that has really shocked me isn't the part that it's the same old culprits doing it time and again.. it's the fact you can't get them to remove themselves from the thread or get it back on topic... because the MODERATORS will give 'polite warnings'
hell the worst part is the fact that most of these people 'skirting' thread policies insulting people, attacking people rather than arguments, and generally rushing to the defence of people obviously known to them are the moderators themselves..

I'd like to hear from other members especially new members on their take on these forums, but mostly I would like to see moderators moderating the threads.. not the arguments that stand counter to theirs..
I understand things (especially rules debates) getting heated... but as anyone who has worked with group dynamics knows.. if people get away with negative behaviour.. why would they change??

Less moderators, LESS moderating.

These ...erm ..."abuses" happen sometimes, people are people. Personally i cannot think of anything worse than an over moderated forum, then again I'm not particularly big on rules. More rules mean less fun.

Oh yeah, i don't know how you are shocked, maybe tell "today tonight" could be thier big story of the week. "internet forums go troll crazy"

You did hit the yellow triangle of magical harmony and friendship activation right? A couple of them are meh at times, most of them are good.

Dakka is just a little more lenient than most other places sometimes.

*Tries to resist temptation to hit yellow triangle above the first post for using the word "hell"*

Really, I don't see a problem. Things get heated sometimes, but I've rarely seen a situation that got too heated where the mods didn't step in. And if someone ignores the polite warnings, then there's been plenty of times I've seen people temporarily ban-hammered.

Most mods here are doing a great job. Sometimes, you get a warning for no rational reason, but that just happens I guess, they are people too, maybe stressed somtimes and thus more prone to handing out warnings.

In specific cases, I'd just PM an admin. Overall, dakka is good moderation-wise. Bit too lenient sometimes imo.

<3 Mannahin :*

The rules are in place so that people of Dakka can have discussions and argue amongst ourselves without much intervention. When an argument gets heated and you see people starting to attack each other, hit the yellow Triangle on the post, and write in what rule you think this violates. The site then sends a magical, mystical "warning fairy" to a moderator that comes in and checks to see if there are rules being broken.

Remember, the mods on Dakka are people like you, like me, but definitely not like Sigvatr, he's a man unto his own right. They have lives, families, and responsibilities, and want to enjoy Dakka like all of us. But they moderate on their own time, and without compensation or pay. So, yes they can get caught up in arguments, they get heated, and they sometimes find themselves skirting that line just like the rest of us. It's important to remember, if you think a rule is being broken, hit the Triangle of Friendship.

(Also very good if you need a thread locked, deleted because it's duplicated, request a sticky, or to alert them to spammers).

 Spazamataz wrote:

The part that has really shocked me isn't the part that it's the same old culprits doing it time and again.. it's the fact you can't get them to remove themselves from the thread or get it back on topic... because the MODERATORS will give 'polite warnings'

If you see someone behaving inappropriately and you choose to respond in kind rather than just reporting their behaviour for the mods to deal with it appropriately, then yes, there is a chance that you will receive a warning. That's because posters trying to take other posters to task for their behaviour rarely works. All it usually does is escalate things.

Being rude is no less against the rules because someone else was rude first.

Bare in mind though that the mods won't always agree with your assessment of a post. We're all human, and we all read the written word our own way. Something that one person takes as a sardonic jest, someone else takes as an insult. A big part of our (unpaid, done purely because we love the site and this is a way we give back to it) job is to figure out the difference, and to judge when to pull things up, and when to let them roll.

I think the mods here are brilliant. They still appear human and actually understand people are people, unlike other forums where the moment you go off topic it feels like Skynet's little brother just hit you in the face with a cannon.

 n0t_u wrote:
You did hit the yellow triangle of magical harmony and friendship activation right?

THIS! If you don't hit the triangle, they don't come. If they do happen to be cruising through and no one hits the triangle, I imagine they might be a bit more lenient. Either way, if you are bugged by something, hit the triangle.

Do people skirt the rules? Sure. Dakka has always been a bit lenient (thank goodness).

Mods are like icebergs - 9/10ths of what they do is under the surface where you can' see it... and they are completely cold and without humanity, obviously

My only real complaint about the moderation on Dakka is how little of it is done with notice to everybody else. There are no "account suspended" or "user banned" for titles underneath names, so I cannot relish in the knowledge that certain people got punished. How am I supposed to feel better than everybody else with a system like that?

On the few occasions that I've been 'Modhammered' it's been totally justified. The mods here do a fine job in my opinion..And as others have said, if you find yourself finding a thread going haywire, hit that yellow triangle.

 sarpedons-right-hand wrote:
On the few occasions that I've been 'Modhammered' it's been totally justified.

Heh. As much as I might like to be righteously indignant, I support this statement.

 d-usa wrote:
My only real complaint about the moderation on Dakka is how little of it is done with notice to everybody else. There are no "account suspended" or "user banned" for titles underneath names, so I cannot relish in the knowledge that certain people got punished. How am I supposed to feel better than everybody else with a system like that?

I'm Kronk and I approve this message. I crave the positive reinforcement I receive upon witnessing others receive negative reinforcement.

 SilverMK2 wrote:
Mods are like icebergs - 9/10ths of what they do is under the surface where you can' see it..

And we sank the Titanic.

True story.

Seems we're done here now, constructive and thoughtful views are always* welcome.

I'm going to lock this now as this board is primarily the domain of Mr. Legoburner and it's too early in the year to make him fret.




* excluding weekdays, public holidays. And weekends.