I've reported posts with blatant personal attacks, such as outright accusations of trolling and sock-puppetry. I've reported threads that had no clear topic in the OP and predictably exploded into edition war rehashes. These threads didn't just turn from something constructive into edition wars- they pretty much were there in post #1.
I'm very sure that the awful stuff I was reporting hasn't even received the cursory, "Please refrain from personal attacks and keep your posts respectful and on-topic," that such things normally do. I report any personal attacks I see, no matter who they are against, and I very often see them edited, deleted, or at least warned in the thread.
Blatant trolls have gotten temp-bans or even lost their favorite account, but it's been clear for a while that they are here until they get a new hobby. OK, got it. That really sucks, but I get the message.
For a little while, it seemed like the "You're a troll, [person] and you've been banned on [screen name] and [screen name] already. I hate you and you should never post here. Grow up or just STFU, GTFO, and DIAF!" posts were properly being deleted. As much as I get the frustration, we simply can't allow that kind of thing to be said to anyone. Now they are receiving the same pass the original troll posts are.
It's not just 4e General either, although that is the worst place IMO. Astrid's, DDI General, CB, and some of the Staff Blogs are home to a good bit of trolling as well (There may be other places that I don't read). After all, not getting banned in one forum encourages people to expand the base of their hobby. And none of those forums require any real game knowledge, so it's easy to be "on topic" at some level and to have at least a tiny shred of legitimacy.
So what's up? Is this the precursor to WotC giving up on having forums? Or is 4e General a lost cause? Is this just a temporary thing until the 4e hate dies down and people get on with their lives? Or are the Wiz-Os all at some team-building exercise doing trust falls and zip lines?
I'm very concerned that things are going to get worse. I like a lot of things about this site and the community here, but if people are allowed to call each other names and talk about bans in general discussion, maybe I should give up.
Well I do know of one post that was deleted with the past couple of hours, so someone is currently here to moderate.
All I can picture is one poor guy sitting in front of a comp, sweating, thread-hopping, getting hit with report after report...
...while the rest of the staff are playing Madden '09 in the next room, laughing about how the "new guy" is having to do all the work while the bosses are chillin' at GenCon.
-I have also noticed a slow-down and stoppage of responses since Friday or so.
Thanks! I'm glad I'm not the only one. This thread is also currently providing us with a good test, so we'll see if/when/how a response comes.
EDIT: Ignore my sig :embarrass
-Indeed. Most of the...editorial, moditorial people (whatever the word would be) are not around, like Webster, for instance and there is a whole lot of boards cleaning stuff that is piling up because of that as well.
That makes sense. Remind me to give Webster and the rest a big hug, because they obviously have a huge impact on this place. Simply reporting posts is apparently not very helpful.
Moderators wouldn't mean more good threads, it would mean fewer bad ones. Just try to avoid, I say.
But I'm back now and I expect the cleanup to take a bit of time, so please be patient. Thanks!
Well as far as editorial moderation goes, yes, I've been at Gen Con.
But I'm back now and I expect the cleanup to take a bit of time, so please be patient. Thanks!
Thanks for coming back. I hope it was fun
Please don't leave us.
Well as far as editorial moderation goes, yes, I've been at Gen Con.
But I'm back now and I expect the cleanup to take a bit of time, so please be patient. Thanks!
Could you please stop coming down with greater wrath on people who have critical opinions of 4e than people who are very pro 4e? Could you also do something about the bullying of 4e critics by 4e avengers?
Could you please stop coming down with greater wrath on people who have critical opinions of 4e than people who are very pro 4e? Could you also do something about the bullying of 4e critics by 4e avengers?
I don't come down hard on ony "side" any more than any other. People that have concerns usually are looking for answers/fixes for their concerns. They want the issues addressed.
Disagreeing with someone isn't baiting. People do have concerns about 4e, and that's fine.
Antis should face the same consequences if the CoC is broken.
Fair modding swings both ways, knights of the true D&D.
Antis should face the same consequences if the CoC is broken.
I assume that no consequences should be suffered if it isn't then.
I don't come down hard on ony "side" any more than any other. People that have concerns usually are looking for answers/fixes for their concerns. They want the issues addressed.
Disagreeing with someone isn't baiting. People do have concerns about 4e, and that's fine.
Ironically, I started this thread because I reported a personal attack against one of the people who frequently complains about biased moderation. This isn't the first time I've reported such things. It wasn't dealt with, and this is unusual, so I wondered if something was wrong.
FWIW, my own policy is to report any CoC violation I see, no matter whom they are directed against. Or at least, I do so unless the thread is nothing but CoC violations and "clean up" would amount to deletion. I usually check a little while later to see if something was done and there pretty much always is some response. I've not seen any sign that the mods are more or less strict based on someone's opinion.
I've noticed that some people here with very old accounts and no love for 4e never complain about biased moderation. They also tend not to have posts that get reported, despite taking part in a lot of heated discussions.
I see a possible bias - against the pros.
Simply because the pro's get upset at what the anti's say which isn't against the CoC when crafted properly and the only recourse that gives them closure are things that do violate the CoC? Much like taunting someone in real life and getting punched in front of video surveillance. You may have started it, but the one who punched you is still at fault for battery. I used to get a lot of kills in TES3: Morrowind this way.