Moderation

[Paul_D]

Do we need more forum moderators to help keep the place tidy and try to keep threads on track? I know the admin and moderators do a great job, but as the place gets bigger and the post count increases the job can only be getting harder?

I have seen a few threads that I think had run well beyond their sell by date, or gone off on a tangent adn no longer address the original issue. Should they have been closed rather than left to snowball into something unintended by the author?

I would also like to suggest a way we can all help to moderate posts. How about some new smilies in the form or red and yellow cards. These can be posted by anyone who feels that a post or thread has overstepped tha mark or gone off course. Serious offences should always be highlighted to a moderator but this may help to persuade mopre people to post in the open forum. If a card is raidsed in a thread it may help to stem the current progression and help steer it back on course?

We are supposed to be adults, but sometimes that's not easy to tell.

[xTAFFYx]

I agree with the above.

(bring back Ivor)

[Woozy_Banker_]

you talking about my thread bud? if so i know what you mean but its my own fault i should of worded it better ill take it on the chin...

[Paul_D]

I did think that that one had gone way off course, yes. But it's not the only one I have seen, and I understood exactly what you were asking mate.

I don't want ot see the place ruled with a rod of iron, but some folk just need to reread their posts before hitting submit. If they still can't see a problem with what they say maybe a red card will help them understand how it makes othe rusers feel?

[potukxystus]

can see where you are coming from paul.

if you have a look at the actual number of mods on the forum and admins you would probably be very surprised how many there are.

problem seems to be that there arent specific responsibilities for specific areas as the 'main' admins have tended to go in and do the work

as you rightly point out, this needs to change

admins should be running the site, and mods should be watching the threads and keeping it 'clean'

appreciate the great feedback, am gonna make sure all the admins and mods see this thread. constructive feedback from all them them would be fantastic

mark

[ReVoRolla]

As a mod i can say we do moderate and view every post and make any edits where we feel its absolutely necessary as we dont want to come across as power-hungry like on other sites.

if you do have anything that you think we have missed or think needs seeing to, just PM an admin or mod and we'll check up on it.

[megadeth32]

theres a lot to follow, and you cant be there at all times to nip stuff in the bud. surely a little responsibility lies with members here and any pm's or reports will be responded to as quickly as possible.

i keep an eye on the games section and then generally anything in the 'todays posts' quick link and i try to be involved on the forum daily but its still hard work reading everything and even if you spot something its very hard to have a "moderators opinion" with out offending someone.:blink :D

i havent been around much of late but i will be about loads more now so if i can lend a hand then give me a shout

if not then look boobies
<<<<
:gr8

[ReVoRolla]

If you want, i can rule with my Size 14 boots and slap anyone who doesnt get on their knees to me and worship me??

No?? :rofl

[megadeth32]

i can feel a "shoot the admin & mod night" coming on UC2.B-)

[Paul_D]

I expect all my future posts to be highly moderated! Thanks for the forced read Pot!

I understand that there is lots to watch over, that's why I asked if we need a few more moderators. Hagve you guys not read any threads that you felt were off course and could do with a gentle nudge in the right direction?

[figsey]

Good idea, but rather than a card system, which would then mean we are hunting through every post to see if someone has placed a 'card' a simple PM to a mod or one of the admin team would surfice.
Can't be everywhere at once but with a pointer we can jump in and close anything down.

[Ivor_Bigun]

problem seems to be that there arent specific responsibilities for specific areas as the 'main' admins have tended to go in and do the work
mark

http://www.lmzf.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93

this list contradicts the areas assigned on the main forum page a little. someone needs removing too ;)

I wouldn't say more mods were needed tbh, unless as pot says only the mods are responsible for moderating posts.. If it works on a first see first moderate basis then there are plenty. Most of the mods/admin are on the forum alot and see 99% of the posts so things should be noticed fairly quickly. I believe all mods read as much as they can and not just the posts that interest them..

Problem with closing threads is some see it differently. Last week we had a thread started by woozy which went off on all sorts of tangents and the subject matter was quite sensitive. Couldn't be closed straight away because the forum is for debate and discussion but once it turned silly I closed it. Unfortunately i then recieved loads of pm's saying surely the mods aren't big brother and should we be censoring discussions like that?? It's tricky to know what to do and some see it differently so i guess the mod staff room should be used more if someones not sure rather than leaving it? Woozy's thread yesterday was another. I'd imagine a few mods saw it and though it was harmless and didn't bother going back but the fact it was recieving so many hits it should have been knocked on the head before an argument ensued. Again though, some will see it as a silly debate and some will see it as an oportunity simply to offer an opinion. Maybe woozy should've been pm'd to tone down his first post because of the harm it could cause.

Maybe just more communication between mods rather than assigning more?

I don't think the red card is neccesary tbh as it makes your displeasure at a post public. I'm all for speaking your mind but will it create negativity and make people think too much before posting...if they do then we become far too sensible and we'll never have any gossip to read. The report system is a better tool and we should use it more often. Mods welcome having a post reported because it highlights something they either missed or viewed as harmless. This also gives us members a way to help out the mods/admin and help to police without causing offense. Obviously if something seen in a post causes offence to us we should post in there saying so as well, just feel the red card system could be abused.

A slighty controversial thread is good for the forum every now and again. We're old enough to discuss sensitive subjects aren't we? and it makes a change from game related discussion. The mods just need to make sure that when they see one they keep an eye on it and moderate where neccessary rather than leave it alone or leave it for an admin to interject.

[eightleggedfreak]

I would also like to suggest a way we can all help to moderate posts. How about some new smilies in the form or red and yellow cards. These can be posted by anyone who feels that a post or thread has overstepped tha mark or gone off course.

There's already that option for every post with the 'report post' icon at the bottom left of the post - red triangle with exclamation mark :gr8

I agree maybe the mods could do with being a bit more heavy handed at times - closing threads / editing posts etc but maybe it already hapens and we don't notice it? Most thread closures/post edits I tend to notice are from admin rather than mods. Maybe this is to do with access etc and it has to be elevated to admin but it gives the impression that there are only a couple of people doing it out of the long list of admin/mods.

On the other hand occasionally when a thread does get out of hand it not only gets locked but dissapears completely. Personally I think they should stay for all to see so everything is out in the open. Maybe even have a read only 'trashcan' section that they could be moved to along with redundant or off topic threads so as to not clutter up the main forum. I think were all old enough to take responsibilities for our actions/thoughts so if something has been said and got out of hand keep it don't delete it. Might make people think twice before posting something that at the moment they know will just get deleted and most people will never even see.

[Ivor_Bigun]

sorry to post again, just wanted to answer something from "8"

alot of posts do get edited by mods that go unnoticed. many double posts removed and swearing (or similar) toned down (apart from jackels ;))

don't remember entire threads being deleted though :blink only moved to the archives

[eightleggedfreak]

Cheers Ivor :D

Archives you say? Never even noticed them - my bad :rofl

[Reborn__Hybrid__]

I have never had a problem with anyone on here overstepping the mark.Now if thats down to good modding or a good community i dont know but compared to a non ps3 tech forumn( where two glasgow members tried to arrange a knife fight lol) this is like kindergarten

[Pilksflyer]

Nicely put ivor,but I've heard that insomniacp had a thread deleted? Is this not admin proving who is in charge and maybe one of the main reasons why people post more in the squad rooms.

[Nobleck]

I always read posts even if they don't interest me, i've never really clamped down on anyone, as i feel this place runs better with the freedom of speech etc except for flaming and trolling.
I look in all different areas editing here and there along the way (probably never gets noticed, but i can assure you i'm always policing the Forum.

[figsey]

I am same as nobleck, always sticking my nose in threads, its not like the Offical PS3 boards though when it needs to be policed and regular closing/deleting of threads.
Like you said pretty much runs itself.
There are measures in place for reporting threads and they do sometimes get used, but notifications only go to mods or admin so no one knows when these are used. Its like a duck on water really.

[megadeth32]

we have been attacked by several individuals about closing threads and its caused big discussions in admin/mod protocol on the forum.

i think that some of you guys have missed these debates and it goes to show how easy its is to miss something. in thoses debates we were accused of being power hungry and far too over the top! so its a fine line moderating thread and posts and at the moment it seems best to let the forum take its course and react to problems as they happen.

there also seems to be a pattern on the forum - no new games out means cranky people on the forum. i bet once pro evo and uc2 come out tomorrow every one will be happy and only positive threads will appear on here! lol

pot, rascal, doody, ivor, pete, stargate and the others dont get paid to do this and they have mountains of work at times. its really hard to have an eye on everything and be active on the forum. so the moderators try and help out with looking over threads (and more) but its still hard looking over everything

im pretty sure we have enough mods

p.s. i think there used to be a yellow and red card system on the forum but no-one used it.#

p.p.s @ figsey - you only nose through the pro evo threads! lol :D

[potukxystus]

We tried a card system on the old board and tbh it wasn't good.

On thread deletions and being heavy handed, that's what I do, sometimes I get it slightly ermm wrong but the rest of the time because I have all the information on the subject its right.

I deleted a thread on paul because it was not in the interest of any one and contained nothing for future reading.
That matter was closed and resolved by all involved parties and has no need to be discussed further.

The course of action in my mind is for the forums as they are to have a clearer structure as to who does what.

Posting this from the inside of a speeding car btw so sorry if is a bit disjointed lol

[heavenandearth]

I think that some sites can go over the top in mods deleting or changing posts, and this is something you dont want to do because it can make it go stale!

Something as simple as a report icon or offended icon on each post could easily be identified easily and monitored easily. That way, if someone is offended, swift quick action can be taken because its already been flagged in a admin section.

Hope that helps.

[megadeth32]

dont forget peeps that there is a 'rate thread' option at the top of the page

[figsey]

And a report post option, it's all there to be used.

[heavenandearth]

Maybe it should be on each post, instead of the thread?

That way any mod isnt taking too much time in reading a 50 page thread to find one post.

[Loopy_1980]

http://www.lmzfclanforum.co.uk/forums/images/testTheme/buttons/report.gif (http://www.lmzf.com/forums/report.php?p=183783) It's this thing at the bottom left hand side of every post

[figsey]

Maybe it should be on each post, instead of the thread?

That way any mod isnt taking too much time in reading a 50 page thread to find one post.

As above the button takes the mods to the offending post. All reports i have seen have come with details anyway. its never hard to find whats been reported.

[xxSTARGATExx]

OK,after first reading this I decided to wait a while before responding,to see:
1) How many members/Admin-Mods replied and
2) Think of what/how I was going to respond

Anyway here goes:
Since time of opening thread to now 16:05 6 members have replied to Paul's opening post (inc. Wayne,who's only just gone back to being a member) and 6 Admin/Mods have replied.

So 7 out of the 11 Admin have responded take away the fact that Pete and James are away at the moment and that's 7/9 - 6 out of 140 members online today have responded,sort of tells it's own story really


maybe a red card will help them understand how it makes other users feel?
Ever one of you has the option to report any post that you think - offends/is out of order/flaming/racist - etc etc the report comes straight through to us,even via an email,and we act accordingly,now whilst there have been a few reported posts in the last 18 months there hasn't actually been too many,about 3 this year I think,so either threads/posts are being written sensibly - we are doing our Job correctly or you lot aren't bothering to use the option,at the end of the day,if its not reported,what do you want us to do?


Have you guys not read any threads that you felt were off course and could do with a gentle nudge in the right direction
Do you think we look at posts through rose tinted glasses?????
Of course we have,and nudges have been given,by way of pm/email,msn or skype everybody here doesn't see it because we don't post up " look everyone,we've just given a bit of a bollocking to ?????



I agree maybe the mods could do with being a bit more heavy handed at times - closing threads / editing posts etc but maybe it already happens and we don't notice it? Most thread closures/post edits I tend to notice are from admin rather than mods. Maybe this is to do with access etc and it has to be elevated to admin but it gives the impression that there are only a couple of people doing it out of the long list of admin/mods.

On the other hand occasionally when a thread does get out of hand it not only gets locked but disappears completely. Personally I think they should stay for all to see so everything is out in the open. Maybe even have a read only 'trashcan' section that they could be moved to along with redundant or off topic threads so as to not clutter up the main forum. I think were all old enough to take responsibilities for our actions/thoughts so if something has been said and got out of hand keep it don't delete it. Might make people think twice before posting something that at the moment they know will just get deleted and most people will never even see.



Sometimes as Admin you just can't win,close threads - get accused of being heavy handed,let them run but keep an eye on em,get told they should have been closed

You all tell us it's an adult forum,with adults as members,who want to discuss adult stuff in an adult way and as such don't need us telling you how you should do this and do that/police every thread/post, - so the option of reporting posts to us replaced the yellow/red card system.

We do watch things,monitor certain situations we feel may go pear shaped,often pming one another if we see something that looks as if it's turning a bit off topic,what we will more than likely do is post in there what I call a " be careful " post,which 99% of the time calms things down,if that fails a pm may be sent,it all depends.

@ heavenandearth -
Maybe it should be on each post, instead of the thread?


the report option is on every post,its the red triangle.

There is a shed load of stuff going on sometimes,so we rely on every member to conduct themselves in in an adult way,much as you would if you were at home with your wife and children for instance,the forum is for open debate and discussion and so we do tend to leave things a little while to see if they are going to turn nasty,a lot of the time they straighten themselves out and soon get back on track.

It is difficult sometimes to know when to close a thread and when to just let it run but to keep popping back now and again to see how its behaving,and we will get it wrong sometimes,close it when we should have left it open and vise verse,but so would anybody else on here.

Do we need more forum moderators to help keep the place tidy and try to keep threads on track? no we don't,do we need people who think a thread/post is wrong needs to report it rather than let it stew inside them,yes

[Mrgags]

im always about if u need any think?

[Nobleck]

Ultimately we just want everyone to be happy and use enough common sense as not to upset/offend other individuals.:thanks

[potukxystus]

Gosh that's a heavy handed post garrey :rofl

What has come out of this is that activity on the forum is done in a non fuss manner, that we don't need more mods and that a wee bit of education is needed on what's available as far as mod tools is concerned.
Will post more on that when I get home

[Woozy_Banker_]

Problem with closing threads is some see it differently. Last week we had a thread started by woozy which went off on all sorts of tangents and the subject matter was quite sensitive. Couldn't be closed straight away because the forum is for debate and discussion but once it turned silly I closed it. Unfortunately i then recieved loads of pm's saying surely the mods aren't big brother and should we be censoring discussions like that?? It's tricky to know what to do and some see it differently so i guess the mod staff room should be used more if someones not sure rather than leaving it? Woozy's thread yesterday was another. I'd imagine a few mods saw it and though it was harmless and didn't bother going back but the fact it was recieving so many hits it should have been knocked on the head before an argument ensued. Again though, some will see it as a silly debate and some will see it as an oportunity simply to offer an opinion. Maybe woozy should`ve been pm`d to tone down his first post because of the harm it could cause.

seems to happen alot with my threads recently lol.. i dont mean to offend folks really but im not the best at wording things correctly and in a certain manner.

the bold is spot on i should of been pmed by those i offended instead of them posting in the thread taking it further and further off topic..

but rest assured i wont be posting threads anymore unless i think they might be of use to someone..

on topic i think paul has a good idia in theory but whether it will work or not i dont know. but as many have said there is a report post option and its there to be used,

if i ever offend anyone in future i would much rather be pmd or reported rather than the treads going of topic.

[heavenandearth]

Appologies about my ignorance to the icon on the left. Didnt know what it was for, so didnt press it!!

Without making any offence, why does things like this get discussed out in the open, shouldnt this be discussed in a staff section? Or do you want the 300+ members varied input.

[Nobleck]

Ian you have as much right as the next member to post a thread, you explained your reasons, people responded,you apologised, it went off track simple.

[Nobleck]

Without making any offence, why does things like this get discussed out in the open, shouldnt this be discussed in a staff section? Or do you want the 300+ members varied input.

Well this was posted up this morning out in the open, and as such we are responding openly to a reasonable question set by the OP.
After gathering up useful suggestions we will know doubt be summoned to the chambers to discuss how we can maybe implement some of them :)

[heavenandearth]

Well this was posted up this morning out in the open, and as such we are responding openly to a reasonable question set by the OP.
After gathering up useful suggestions we will know doubt be summoned to the chambers to discuss how we can maybe implement some of them :)

LOL, let court be in session:D

[Nobleck]

^:rofl, it's not that bad, but obviously a question about more mods etc seriously makes my ears prick up - are we doing a good job, where do we go wrong? If we don't know we can't change, so this sort of thing is good for everyone really :gr8

[xxSTARGATExx]

Appologies about my ignorance to the icon on the left. Didnt know what it was for, so didnt press it!!

Without making any offence, why does things like this get discussed out in the open, shouldnt this be discussed in a staff section? Or do you want the 300+ members varied input.
Firstly - No need to apologise mate,if you don't know then you don't know ;)

Secondly - most anything (apart from Admin stuff and private Sqd room stuff Obviously) discussed on the open forum here,we value everybody's Input/suggestions/comments etc,whether you've been a member here from day one or only joined today :gr8

[xxSTARGATExx]

Gosh that's a heavy handed post garrey :rofl


after reading for a third time I still don't see it as heavy handed tbh,besides,everybody here knows I'm the softest admin going :love

[Gorillachops]

. . . whether you've been a member here from day one or only joined today :gr8


That'll be me then :hello

Ps what am I meant to be giving my opinion on - this post seems to have snowballed out of control:rofl

[CumbrianSausage]

That'll be me then :hello

Ps what am I meant to be giving my opinion on - this post seems to have snowballed out of control:rofl

Quality mate, you'll fit in well here!:rofl

I've read all this and just don't reckon there's an issue. Mods mod enough, Admins admin enough and people are adult enough. Job's a good 'un.

[xxSTARGATExx]

That'll be me then :hello

Ps what am I meant to be giving my opinion on - this post seems to have snowballed out of control:rofl
lmao GC,that's why i love you so much (not in a gay way though0,your humour will slot nicely into this place like a hand in a glove :rockon

@ Loopy_1980
http://www.lmzfclanforum.co.uk/forums/images/testTheme/buttons/report.gif (http://www.lmzf.com/forums/report.php?p=183783) It's this thing at the bottom left hand side of every post
Yes it is,and no you can't report my post just to see if it works :P

[Loopy_1980]

@ Loopy_1980
Yes it is,and no you can't report my post just to see if it works :P
Are you sure ... it might not be working you know!!

[FLOGIT]

all these discussions seem to have run there course and turned into stargate on the pull threads by the time i read them!!!

[xxSTARGATExx]

Are you sure ... it might not be working you know!!
Yes,I'm quite sure :D although someone has already decided to see if it works,you know who you are ya bugger :rofl

[Pedds1]

Title of the thread is moderation...thats how things should be done......

[xxSTARGATExx]

Can't argue with that

Oh and by the way

YO PEDDS,how ya been me ol mucka? :rockon

[xxSTARGATExx]

one last thing from me before I go

you can always use skype to contact us,its free.quick,and were usually on it: http://www.lmzf.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9852 (http://www.lmzf.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9852)

[Pedds1]

Can't argue with that

Oh and by the way

YO PEDDS,how ya been me ol mucka? :rockon

Not too bad mate...long time no see!!!!

[madpsych0killer]

hey, I think this forum is well run and most of the members occasionally act like adults:D

i was part of the infinity ward forum until it got a bit silly with the septics after awhile and it used to get proper nasty in there (I may have taken part in a slight bit of septic baiting!!) but nothing really was done about it, where being here everybody respects each other and I don't think I have read anything thats offended me (but im very open minded), keep on doing what your doing, those that are doing it:gr8

[Paul_D]

Thanks to all the admin fro commenting.

I realise that it's a fine line you tread when it comes to moderating threads, and am glad to hear that you are confident that there are enough of you to monitor most posts. I was in no way trying to have a pop at the admin for slacking or anything, merely merely looking for ways that we can all help to keep threads going as they were intended. It's good to know that you do a lot of moderating that we just do not notice.

The report post button it seems most users don't know about! It's ok but still requires an admin to answer the report and step in in one way or another. I envisaged a card in a thread with an explanation as to why it had been raised would help to get threads back on track quicker. Most people seem to believe wee are a mature lot so surely it would not be abused as suggested?

This thread will at least have highlighted some of the behind scenes work that mods do. Thanks for all your hard work.:gr8

Could someone close this now??:rofl


p.s. A two day ban was a bit harsh though:'(:rofl:rofl:rofl:rofl:rofl

[BeeCee77]

Done and done pal.

Feedback and input is always appreciated. In terms of moderation, we'd rather have you guys keeping an eye on things and flagging up when you think something isn't in the interests of the community because it's the input from everyone that makes this place.

Cheers