Query failed: connection to localhost:9312 failed (errno=111, msg=Connection refused). A note on moderation and feedback - Help & Feedback Discussions on The Fretboard
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UNPLANNED DOWNTIME: 12th Oct 23:45

A note on moderation and feedback

digitalscreamdigitalscream Frets: 25239
edited June 2019 in Help & Feedback
Recent events have indicated that some clarification is needed on how we moderate. When I've got some time, I'm planning on revamping the rules and guidelines, but there's quite a bit going on at the moment so I'm hoping this will suffice.

The forum is built on the principle of allowing people the freedom to express themselves. As such, we all have to accept the fact that some people will post opinions that others disagree with, are offended by, or very much dislike. As a modmin team, our job is to ensure that the rules are upheld, whilst allowing the spirit of the forum in allowing people to express themselves to continue. 

It is worth stating a few things though:

- The modmin teams decisions are final. 
- If you don't like what someone posts, there's an ignore function - it's there for a reason - and a flag function
- We have a due process to follow and a set of rules that are implemented after careful thought and consideration

What we will not tolerate, though, is attempts to bully us into a particular decision. This really is an absolute no-no as it undermines the very rules structure that we have in place to ensure fairness. For clarity, in any situation where someone may be accused of posting something illegal, our responsibility is to enable the material and any details that we have to be available to the authorities should they request them. We are not the authorities. We have to apply the rules in an even handed and dispassionate way - whether we agree with the opinions of the comments posted or not. 

A very serious and stern reminder as well - Rule 9 is very clear: "Threatening legal action against the forum puts the whole site at risk; if you do this, you don't get to continue enjoying access to the forum. Ergo...this is a perma-ban-with-no-take-backsies offence (although you'll be given an email address where you can continue the conversation, because we play nice with the law), and we'll probably post in the main forum to that effect." - This includes threatening to involve the authorities. 

If you really think that this approach is wrong, then I would invite you to start your own forum, get it up to 12k+ members, and then adopt a moderation policy of "personal feelings" and see a) how much spare time you have left, and b) how quickly it turns into a ghost town. Or, alternatively, look at any of the forums that used to be popular and are now completely devoid of activity; as well as moderating the threads and comments made here, our responsibility is to ensure that this community continues to exist. That's what this approach is designed to facilitate.
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