Is Fluther's moderation perhaps a little too zealous?
Asked by
Zuma (
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)
January 24th, 2010
Ever wonder about why you don’t see certain people around here anymore?
Apparently there is a new site that seems to have attracted a lot of people who don’t fit in here because they continually run afoul of the Fluther moderators. Personally, I like the moderation here just fine, and as for the people there I recognize from here, most of them seem like snarky, immature, uncivil (often right-wing) cranks who seldom have anything constructive to say. I certainly don’t miss them.
On one hand, it will be interesting to see what kind of Snarkville heaven or hell they create for themselves. On the other hand, I wonder if there is something we can learn from this.
Have we become a bit too overzealous in enforcing civility and become too homogeneous as a community as a result? Personally, I think a bit of like-mindedness is necessary to build a community in which people are nurturing and supportive. The problem, I think, is finding a balance so that the community comes to have a distinctive character and a moral center without becoming monolithic and oppressive.
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71 Answers
Are you saying we have something to learn from the likes of those who have left?
I love how the site runs, mods and all. Best moderation I have ever seen. I wish more sites were modded like this one.
I personally think that Fluther’s moderation is balanced and fair and not overzealous. Of course, I’ve never really run afoul of the moderators and I don’t ask that many questions. It’s just what I’ve seen from my experiences here. I like our moderators. They’re all good Jellies in my humble opinion.
I think it depends whose ox is being gored. If I call someone an asshole and get modded, it was too severe and interventionist. If you misspell a word, you should have your post removed.
I do not think the moderation here is too draconian.
First, everyone who is moderated (and I have been) it is done very civilly. The user is given guidance on how to alter their question to make it acceptable.
Answer moderation is always clearly explained.
I will go and look at that link you put up.
Yay! I moved this to Meta!
I am a very happy mod :)
I was just going to say what @dpworkin said, but I’m not allowed to.
From that one thread on that link I hardly see a threat. But to each his own. I like the format here and I bust the mod’s balls all the time.
Oooh, I see I got a special mention on that thread! Isn’t there a badge, or an award for that?
Response moderated
@dpworkin
What am I missing? Are you saying that personal attacks should be encouraged but not typos?
I’m really glad there is a new site attracting a lot of people who don’t fit in here. I’m sure they’ll enjoy themselves more over there, bitching about us, than they would (or did) over here chafing under all these arbitrary and cruel individuality-stifling rules enforcing a minimal standard of relevance, civility, and intelligibility.
As for homogeneity, we are all so much alike now that I can barely tell us apart. In fact, I don’t even know whether I just said that or you did. Thank goodness we never have to disagree.
@Jeruba I like what I(you?) just said. We have a way with words, don’t we?
It is pretty funny that people would go to a new site, and then spend all their time talking about the site they left.
Wow. My entire quip was not just moderated. . .it disappeared completely. I WIN!
@SeventhSense What you are missing is generally called “irony” or sometimes “sarcasm”. For some people it is a form of humor. For others it is disturbing, because it causes them to experience cognitive dissonance.
I love the mod’s standards on Fluther I think it promotes intelligent well for the most part discussions. It keeps the right people here and eventually eliminates users that are here for the wrong reasons again for the most part no system is perfect.
@Marina, that’s what everybody does, whether they come here from AV and AB or go from here to someplace else or immigrate to the U.S. from another country. It’s what they have in common, and it’s also hospitable to the noise of their grievances. As long as they do it there and not here, I don’t care, and I have no interest in going there to look.
You should be able to GA a “Removed by Fluther moderators” quip.
@Jeruba I do still miss Evelyn’s Pet Zebra, though. I was astonished to see that Zack was on there!
EPZ’s entertaining presence came at a cost.
@Jeruba . . . Precisely why I don’t charge.
What happened to EPZ? Why was he banned?
I read a few threads over there. My sense is that people tend to be young and rather jejune in their analysis and attitude. It’s like some kind of playground for “special” children. It is funny that they spend time talking about what they don’t want (and insulting it) and justifying at great length the advantages of no moderation.
Who cares? If that’s what you like, fine! Enjoy it! Why chew on it ad nauseum?
Anyway, @Zuma, thanks for pointing it out. How ever did you find it?
No offense, J0E, but I have visited that site a few times and it’s freaking ridiculous. When they say that the internet brings out the worst in people… Poster child right there.
I’m no fluther fanboy, but it’s just plain painful to read some of that stuff. It’s one thing to dislike something, but it’s another to go to such lengths as that, and to put out such gems as “it is fun to watch them jump through all the hoops for us.” and “Fluther is hole where light cannot even escape” insert obligatory caveman reference or “Fluther can kiss my balls”.
It’s just awful and @wundayatta pretty much summed it up. I just wonder what else they could be doing with the time spent writing up that drivel.
I am confused was that site made especially for people that hate Fluther or did they just happen to migrate over there??
@dpdpworkin
Missed the tilde dude. But by the tone of your response I’d say there was more truth than you care to recognize in your jest.
@sjmc1989 I believe it was originally created as a replacement for wis.dm and somehow turned into that. Joe would be the one to ask…
If you look over on the left side it attributes to him. Shouldn’t change perceptions, however. He’s not the one making the remarks.
@dverhey It doesn’t, I was just confused! Also, who is Zack, I feel like I should know who he is..
@casheroo
I remember Zack being a chimp avatar?
The site and the mods run according to the founders wishes. That’s the only way it should be- however the creators want it. There’s no obligation to bend to anyone else. The site will be visited frequently by the ones it fits most. That’s just the nature of the beast.
@SeventhSense That was Mtl_zack, I don’t know if it is the same person, but who knows.
If you need a tilde, pehaps you have an irony deficiency.
Bitterness is so ugly.
If all they said on that thread was true I and jonsblond, dpworkin and a few others would have been axed a long time ago.
I don’t think it’s the same Zack. The one here hasn’t deleted his profile, visited January 19th (right about when classes started again), and always seemed very levelheaded. The Zack there has a girl as his avatar, and the one here has a chimp. I wouldn’t be so sure that’s the same one.
Also, the fluther zack spells his name with an H in his last.fm profile and is still a member of the Fluther group there.
I thought it was Zack the troll who used to create new identities and constantly come on the site to attack and cause havoc.
”@dpworkin?” ”@marinelife?”
Did I miss something?
@dverhey, I know you were just illustrating a point, but I wish those remarks could have been left over there and not brought here, especially right after your saying they were painful to read. I didn’t find them painful, just repugnant, and once was enough.
Ah, thanks. It all makes sense now.
@wundayatta I usually look up what someone is about before I get into a debate with them and I found a bit of back-channel chatter about the Answer Bag migration, some of whom, apparently, have migrated on to this other site. There I noticed denidowi who recently bounced from here and reincarnated himself as dekterideadekchair there.
This caught my interest because I thought that the moderators were a little heavy handed with him. For those who didn’t see the exchange denidowi is a senile old coot who was making socially inappropriate and offensive remarks about gays which, of course, immediately set everyone against him. In a sense, he is a kind of reverse troll who says stupid stuff, causing other people “gang up” on him for it; then he complains loudly about being victimized and martyred.
In his second to the last post, he was kind of rhetorically shaking his fist at his “nemesis” and in his addled, senile way was saying, in effect, “God will get you for this.” His remark was so wonderfully crazy and addled that it was eloquent testimony as to what a pathetic paper tiger he actually was. But the moderators shut him down. This, of course, set off an even more addled tirade about how unjust this all was, which was also promptly removed. He either cancelled his account or was bounced after that.
This is probably for the best, since he seemed too senile and out of touch to defend himself intellectually; but still, his comments as furiously addled as they were, were not really all that damning. I personally wouldn’t have removed them unless he requested it out of his own embarrassment. Hence, I felt a bit ambivalent (although not really sad) to see him go.
Anyway, it is good to see that this is turning out to be a vote of confidence on our site and its moderators.
@sjmc1989 took the words absolutely out of my mouth. +GA!
@Jeruba Agreed. It was more to illustrate a point but it’s not justified in any sense.
I’m so totally amused by that link. I find it ironic and hilarious that they hate Fluther so much, yet can’t stop bitching about how awful it is. It also makes me all the more glad they were given the boot, in that the vitriol and bitterness were an unpleasant daily experience here.
Yes, I made that site. It was for wis.dm people, I did not mean for it to take members from Fluther. It’s pretty crazy over there because I am the only moderator and I’m always on Fluther.
@dpworkin
The only deficiency is in your capacity to go head to head with me. For that you will have to grow more than a few inches.
Please think before you set at me like an overzealous lap dog.
@J0E . . . your house. your rules. i still lurve you.
Now we are comparing our dicks? You are quite a competitive fellow.
Napoleon complex? Defensiveness is not a sign of intelligence but rather insecurity. Extending others the benefit of the doubt is a sign of intelligence and graciousness.
Ahh, so you teach by example?
Let’s calm down everybody. Take a breath…
@sjmc1989 . . . shhh. . .let ‘em go. i’m kinda gettin’ turned on. . .
Mine is really big.
In other news, moderators zealous? Naaahh..
[mod says:] Honestly I can’t tell if you two are joking or not. Either way, please stop. Further such quips will be removed. Thank you.
I love being able to moderate on the moderation is too zealous thread. Win.
@Blondesjon Okay, but only for you… it is getting a little hot in here
well at least we have a new site we can point all the assholes to. it seems they tend to congregate.
No. And I assume we are all from free countries here so anyone who isn’t happy here can hopefully be happy elsewhere.
I love that @J0E made and moderates that site, but spends so much time here. :)
After browsing that other site, I have to say, THANK HEAVEN FOR MODERATION!
I think @J0E just needs a few fair and intelligent people to help him out with the moderation. and @augustlan I agree :)
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