How to improve moderation.....

[#1]

Last year I thanked a staff member of PlusNet and made a jokey remark re their profile photo. Via email I got a slap on the wrist from a moderator and the message removed but it didn't stop there I was publicly accused of attacking the member of staff by the moderator.
So in one fell swoop an innocent comment which a moderator mis-understood had been stepped up to an public accusation of an attack on a staff member of PlusNet.
Having observed the moderation over the past month, I get the impression of a clique operating.
Possibly PlusNet should look at the advice they give moderators and discuss how the system is being implemented.
With possibly 100,000 new customers from Big Brother joining PlusNet, the system of moderation may need an overhaul to bring it in line with the 21st Century.

[#2]

Having observed moderation over several years my impression is that the moderators do a difficult job well. I see no reason why an influx of new customers would require major changes to moderation policies and the rules, but if changes are needed forum history demonstrates they will be made.
Regarding Plusnet guidance I assume you are aware of the Community FAQ, in particular the following paragraph:
[quote=http://community.plus.net/blog/2007/07/30/frequently-asked-questions-faq/]
What is the Moderation Policy on the community site?
Our existing moderators have kindly agreed to continue moderating the forums, using the same policies as applied on the Portal Forums. You can find these rules posted in the forums. The moderation policies may change over time, but as with any decisions like this it will be left to the moderators to decide how the forums are moderated. PlusNet goes to great pains not to interfere with the day to day of the forums and it’s important to us that the community site is run by the community even though it is provided by PlusNet.
David

[#3]

There is a bit of a clique here which I bore the brunt of some years ago but I suppose you get that in many forums. Unacceptable though and some people need to lighten up.

[#4]

Having been on the receiving end of the moderators "slap on the wrist" on a number of occasions, I have never been treated unfairly.
In most cases I had stepped slightly over the line of some forum rule, and with retrospect the moderators view of where that line should be was more to be on the safe side than where I had pushed it.
I think there is an element of interpretation that the moderators apply based on individual forum members general attitude and the way their previous posts have gone, as there is sometimes a fine line between mischievous and malicious postings.  Therefore to a newcomer it may appear that there are different rules for different people, but it is more the case that when you post things here that you need to consider your audience - and I am very aware that some of my close to the limit remarks or 'photoshop'ed pictures may only work with particular people and not others - and I am always ready to tone down whatever I have done, IF I have gone too far, either by observation of subsequent post replies, or from a moderators prompting.
Remember, moderation is for the benefit of everyone, and not just for 'christmas' 

[#5]

Quote from: christmas

I get the impression of a clique operating.

Really? I think you need to give the mods a bit of credit. I can safely say that they are very fair and will be able to manage these forums quite easily IF a thousand new members because of Big Brother turn up, Cos lets face It, a thousand Is all It would be. BTW i am being very generous with the thousand figure.
The best way to improve moderation is if everyone just plays nice. In the real world though that will never happen, That is where our mods come in ( In their free time ) Do try and remember that. ( free time )

[#6]

I think one of the main problems is new subscribers coming onto the forums with a rant, without first getting the PN staff, by phone or ticket, the chance to sort out any problems they seem to have.
They are new to these forums, have nothing to contribute, don't understand the general feeling of the forums, don't listen to any advice given by more experienced members, and don't read the forums for a while before ranting, so it's not surprising they get moderated, after what usually has descended into personal attacks.

[#7]

.......Also lack of general PC/networking/ADSL education - the posters frequently have absolutely no understanding of how flaky ADSL over phone lines can be, and how difficult wireless networking is to set up sometimes; I find when talking to friends and family,that there is a very real lack of knowledge in these fields. They are all sold on this glossy vision from TV adverts, of the enabled home ,with 3 or 4 family members all watching HD video at the same time!!!!Needs someone to do for  adsl/networking what Martin Lewis is doing for financial education.
adie:quote

[#8]

Ranters .... In general , Just as bad is their lack of language skills, spelling, grammar, apostrophes, lack of capitalisation, and a perceived lack of intellect and understanding, not just Technical.
Leads to instant lack of sympathy.
"I am fed up after a few days, and I demand all my money back, I'm going elsewhere "
You would have thought they would have done a bit more research before joining up, this impulsive voice of the minority.
They like to give it out, yet won't take it !
Their defence is to blame others, and get personal and abusive, bordering on trolling at times, and wonder why posts are removed.
I personally would ban quite a few that PN give the benefit of the doubt to.
But then again, they don't seem to stay long, before off they go and annoy another forum, it's never their fault is it ?
How to improve moderation ....

Warn offenders why their posts have been removed ( if this doesn't already happen)
Remove posting privileges for a period of a week or more, forcing them to contact PN direct to sort out their problems, and to keep the forums a nice place to visit.

[#9]

As a few others have said in this thread, I think the mods do a first rate job and I can't thank them enough for the time they put in out of their free-time to ensure these boards run as smoothly as possible.
We do discuss the rules with the mods, most of the time they instigate the discussions but the communication is definitely there.

[#10]

On the "hobby" forum I am involved with any aggressive ranters, especially those who vent their anger across several existing threads to make absolutely sure no-one is in doubt about their feelings, would be warned twice, possibly have the offending posts edited, and on the third strike would be suspended or banned.
Because they are paying for a service some people on here seem to believe they are entitled to be as unpleasant and unreasonable as they want, and to whoever they want. If nothing else this is hardly the best way to "win friends and influence people" - they should remember that most respondents on here are trying to help, whether paid to or not.

[#11]

I think the mods do a very good job on the forums especially remembering they do it for nothing and devote a lot of their own time to it. I have had my wrist slapped occasionally by the mods but always in a fair way.  They do a lot of work behind the scenes that we don't see nor know about.
There are things that can be improved but that is the case with any forum organisation.
A thank you from me to our mods for what they do.

[#12]

Considering that forum moderation is totally voluntary and that the moderators get no benefits whatsoever I think they do an amazing job.

[#13]

My only comment is that the rule which says you shouldn't quote someone who has posted immediately above your reply. It is a very daft and very stupid rule.
Nobody can tell if someone else is going to reply to a comment made before you can reply to it.  Without quoting the text it can get very confusing and things misinterpreted.
I would repectfully suggest this rule is scrapped.

[#14]

If you attempt to post and someone else has posted in the meantime you will get a message in red type informing you that another post has been made.  You can then adjust your post accordingly.

[#15]

You then have to go back and grab the quoted text again.....where's the sense is this all?