@Seek_Kolinahr – You know that is not the case. There are many times that a member takes offense at something someone said and flags it, but we do not see the comment as a “personal attack” but only a strong opposing statement that may be borderline rude. This is why there were people on both sides of the recent religious posts debacle that have left. We did not choose sides, and we will NOT choose sides – our job is simply to maintain order and civility. Again, “disagree without being disagreeable”. It CAN be done!
@hominid – Yes, we know what your previous username was, as you made no effort to hide it with your avatar and your profile statement. Ideas can be discussed and challenged without calling the ideas “moronic” or “idiotic” – which clearly can be extrapolated to imply that anyone who believes those ideas is a moron or an idiot. Fluther has neither an IQ nor an EQ membership requirement. Certainly some have a “thicker skin” than others. Some are more intelligent than others. Some are more compassionate than others. Some are more impatient than others. Some are more blunt than others. That is humanity.
As noted in my comment to Seek immediately preceding this one, which I typed as you were creating your comment to me, there were people on BOTH sides of the religion debate that left in the religious post mess, and I also used the word debacle. That incident was coming to a head just as I was becoming a Moderator, and it had me gravely questioning my decision. I did not have much input then since I was new, and I certainly agree it could have been handled differently. I was not “behind the scenes” as things were beginning to brew, but it seems clear that the factors that led to the recent restructuring of the Moderation on Fluther were probably part of why those issues were not “nipped in the bud” and managed to come to a head as they did.
The request for two members to avoid one another that led to this conversation we’re having was made several months ago before the religious post brouhaha and before the Community Manager stepped down. We are still in transition with the system of team moderation, which is going well. One thing that impressed me about the team members, and why I decided to stick with it, is that they each have a strong sense of fairness; and if anyone is conflicted on an issue, they will promptly say so and defer to the others who may be able to approach a situation more objectively.
As new circumstances arise, we do have to discuss how to handle them as a team, rather than having one individual who has final say. This is a good thing, in my opinion – not because I have any problems with how Auggie managed the place all those years, but rather because anyone but Auggie may not be able to handle the stress, or to be as unbiased, polite and diplomatic. As this progresses and we gain experience with the team approach, we will be able to handle situations more efficiently.
This is why we are having these discussions, because we respect that this is a community and we all want it to keep going and even to thrive. Anything that happened in terms of Moderation prior to the change to the new system was handled differently, and we ask that you not judge us by those circumstances. We have learned from them and continue to learn from our experiences. The Guidelines are not clear, distinct rules; thus, interpretations vary. When those interpretations are allowed to swing too loosely, there may be a reaction to tighten up that feels awkward or even too rigid. This occurs within individual self-discipline as well as in communities and institutions. It is all a part of growth and evolution.
We do appreciate everyone’s input and patience, and especially their commitment to the site by being respectful and following the Guidelines, and flagging those instances that appear to be violations (and preferably, NOT reacting to them in the comments). The Moderation team can be reached by Private Messages via our profile pages, or one can reach us all by using the Contact button to the left of the Search bar at the top of the page.
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