Moderation

[iansjack]

I understand that forums are not democracies.

I understand that moderators have the final say.

But when one moderator acts like a dictator, with no support from other moderators, and is allowed to get away with it, things go too far.

Moderators should not use their position to pursue personal vendettas.

Valuable, and knowledgeable, contributors should not be banned to satisfy the ego of an individual.

And discussion of such abuse should not be forbidden.

So it goes.

[StudlyCaps]

I'm nobody, but I think the incident referred to was not conduct befitting a moderator and it reflects badly on us as a community, making us seem elitist and rude. I think his moderation is actually very good in general, but perhaps he should limit his use his moderation powers to discussions he doesn't have personal stake in.

In the incident in question he made a number of personal insults, which in itself wouldn't be a huge problem, but to ban a user over it, not on.

[DavidCooper]

It is often said that power corrupts, but more commonly, it blinds. People can easily lose perspective and make bad decisions, particularly when they are directly tied up in a dispute themselves. Here we have two of the most valuable members of this community engaged in nuclear war against each other, and that's clearly something that needs to be avoided. The following is a very bad idea:-

Actually, I have a better (more entertaining and more decisive) idea - let's play chicken!

@Chase: Permanently ban Brendan or Solar. It doesn't matter who. Flip a coin if you like.

Don't ban either of them. Just set a rule that no bans of long-established members are allowed unless the majority of moderators agree to it, and a moderator who is a major part of a specific dispute should not be voting on such a case because they cannot guarantee that they're in a position to see things as clearly as they think they do. Ideally, all moderators should agree to this now without it even needing to be demanded from above. Judges need to be impartial if they are to make just decisions.

I've had blazing rows here with both the people involved and know very well how explosive this site can be, but I recognise their value and don't want either of them to be lost. No one should be blamed here - there is simply a dangerous bug in the way this place is run, and it needs to be fixed now before it does any more harm.

[AJ]

And discussion of such abuse should not be forbidden.

+∞