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Engaging with Moderators

It does help. :)

It sure does...mods can make or break a forum...I've seen it happen more than once...the ones I've seen broken are still in existence...barely...but they're as boring as watching paint dry...:yawn:
 
A little more gently said: I'm new here too, my last forum left because of exactly what you're talking about, and I've seen how that kind of behavior ruins forums. I've been nothing but impressed with this mod team, in their ability to separate debating from their jobs...and that's from both chatting with them, and getting in trouble a couple times...hehe... I say have at 'em, so long as your MO isn't being a d-bag...in which case, definitely talk to them, we don't need d-bags here!! (lol, not making any assumptions around your d-bag-ness...or whatever). :) DP's been around a while, certainly long enough to be driven into the ground by a garbage mod team...these guys ain't that.

I have to agree. The mods here are exemplary in their judicious even handed treatment of people.
It's refreshing and much welcomed. Hat off to the DP moderators!

As pointed out, they are volunteers, and we, denizens of DP, owe them much, as they embody that which IS the best of DP.

Hat off to the mods! And thank you for your dedicated and always fair efforts!
 
Before I came to DP I too visited several forums. At the time I joined DP I was a consistent poster at 7 other forums. Once I came to know DP I gradually stopped posting at those other forums. This site is by far the best moderated forum I have ever been to.

Then I received a PM asking if I wanted to join the Mod Team. I was quite frankly shocked as I never once expressed interest in joining the Mod Team. I'd also never been a Mod before at any other forum. Obviously I accepted this position. As I learned more about what it took to be a Mod I came to respect the Mod Team here even more. I see what goes on behind the scenes. I know what its like when Mod Members have disagreements. How they handle them. And how they resolve the disagreements. And those disagreements are ALWAYS resolved before any action is taken as per policy and we do it by policy. Always.

I can guarantee you that no Mod here will retaliate against you simply for disagreeing with them. If that were to be done, and the situation not corrected, then that would be the time that I step down as a mod. There have been times in the past year and a half that I have wanted to step down simply due to the toxic atmosphere that political discourse has taken on recently. The only thing that has kept me going though was the respect that I have for this Mod Team and due to that respect wanting to keep this place as good as it possibly can be.

The place wouldn't be the same without you Kal'Stang. Hang in there! Be strong!
 
I was also active at other political forums/boards Angel. The moderation on those boards left much to be desired. They were either too strict and confining (cliquish / a political circle jerk), or employed too little moderation (flame fests). I could have generalized and arrived at the conclusion that the moderation at all political boards was far less than stellar. However, generalizations are oftentimes erroneous assumptions. DP is by far the best political board I've come across in many years of trial and error. It's straightforward ... follow the board rules and you'll do just fine here. I've received some warnings and some points, but those shortcomings are squarely on me ... not from any bias of the moderation team. If this board was crap and badly managed, I would never consider donating to its operating fund. But I do donate because I appreciate what they owner and staff have accomplished here. I think if you give DP a fair shot, you'll never look back.

And you wonder that when DP needs a bit of coin to keep the lights on, they typically overshoot by double what they need?

Actually, I don't wonder. I know. This place is worth contributing to. I've learned so much from others, and I thank the mods for the place to do so.
 
And you wonder that when DP needs a bit of coin to keep the lights on, they typically overshoot by double what they need?
Muah? I don't wonder at all. I donate as do you and I always encourage other members to be generous also.
 
Is there any special protocol for engaging the 'green' labeled moderators in these threads other than those that apply to the rank and file members of the board? If a moderator posts, are they to be treated in a different way than general members?

You must send a case of the favorite adult beverage to the desired official. The beverage can be purchased at exorbitant rates from the Tavern. :mrgreen: :beer:
 
Relating to the Moderator Actions page

what's a 'Vegas violation" ?
 
There is an area of the forum known as "The Basement" that becomes visible to members after a certain amount of posts or time on the forum. The basement is an area with extremely limited amounts of moderation, that is made for posts and discussion that would typically run afoul of the flaming/trolling/baiting rules upstairs. It serves as a release valve for the forum as well as a somewhat light hearted section for posters to interact in a non-political, quasi-adversarial fashion.

There is a rule with the basement, the short hand of which is called the "Vegas Rule". In essence, it's the idea that anything in the basement stays in the basement. In broader terms, it means linking to, quoting from, making reference to, or using content created in the basement in the broader "upstairs" forum is not allowed. If someone violates that rule and are infracted, that is a "vegas violation".
 
I've been here for years and years, and I have no concerns about debating with moderators. I don't handle them any differently than any other poster, nor do they necessarily get handled differently by other mods. Moderators can and do get infracted when they break a rule, like everyone else does (usually knowing they will be when they do it -- it's a calculated concession many of us make at least once or twice when we decide someone just really needs telling off ;)).

The mod team here isn't clique-ish, and they aren't out to bait you into infractions in a thread. They're pretty fair, and if you don't feel they're being fair in a particular case, there is a system for dealing with that, and some posters have actually won their dispute and had an infraction overturned. I've even seen some cases where they are willing to work with specific posters who are persistently problematic and about to be banned, but wanted to make an earnest attempt to remain here and were willing to compromise and set conditions.

Part of the reason their leans are color-coded is to drive in that they make an honest attempt to have a diverse team to prevent things like the clique mentality. To wit, Digsbe and Your Star are about as polar opposite as you can get, and I would be truly surprised if they ever talked much before they became mods. The point isn't for them to be buddies. It's to pick people who are known to be respectful posters, who will then hopefully carry those qualitites into being respectful mods.

I have exactly zero concerns about the quality of the moderation team here, even though I'm not necessarily a fan of all of them as posters. As mods, the system works well, and the people within it generally respect their post.
 
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Mixing Moderators in with Members in impassioned political discussions is a foolish policy. It ignores human nature and invites abuse of power.
I personally plan to give participating Mods a wide berth in such threads in which I encounter them.
Let's call this keeping a respectful distance and leave it at that.
My experience in other forum sites has convinced me that mixing power and impotence does not work.
Of course, I would be delighted to be wrong about this, but I'm afraid I'm right. :)

It's not proven to be "foolish" at all. I've gotten into heated discussions with mods and, if anything, I think they give you a little more leeway on borderline posts than when you're debating with someone who's not a mod. I mean, don't go flaming or trolling them to test this, it's just the sense I get. Why wouldn't you wait and give it some time to gauge whether this place is different than what you've experienced before?
 
Mixing Moderators in with Members in impassioned political discussions is a foolish policy. It ignores human nature and invites abuse of power.
I personally plan to give participating Mods a wide berth in such threads in which I encounter them.
Let's call this keeping a respectful distance and leave it at that.
My experience in other forum sites has convinced me that mixing power and impotence does not work.
Of course, I would be delighted to be wrong about this, but I'm afraid I'm right. :)

You are not right. Mods here are the best I've seen, and I've been posting at political forums for nearly two decades. They have created a system of checks and balances beyond anything I've ever seen. There are Mods that I know for a fact don't like my politics and don't like me, because we've had heated discussions in the forums. I have never, and I mean never, had a single warning or infraction that I didn't deserve, and know that I deserved.

Because the entire Mod team is aware of every infraction issued, and can discuss them among themselves, they do their jobs the way we all wish congress would... bipartisan discussion and individual oversight. They are awesome. Even the ones that don't like me, lol.
 
Mixing Moderators in with Members in impassioned political discussions is a foolish policy. It ignores human nature and invites abuse of power.
I personally plan to give participating Mods a wide berth in such threads in which I encounter them.
Let's call this keeping a respectful distance and leave it at that.
My experience in other forum sites has convinced me that mixing power and impotence does not work.
Of course, I would be delighted to be wrong about this, but I'm afraid I'm right. :)

I'll just say that if your premise would be right, at least 10% of the posters would have vanished overnight, and with good reason.

Alas, they do not act in this manner. For better, and...for worse ;)
 
Uh, guys...Angel last posted in this thread in June, and is probably going to be wondering why she is getting all these notifications soon...
 
... Why wouldn't you wait and give it some time to gauge whether this place is different than what you've experienced before?
Six months later...
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"crickets"
 
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