Engaging with Moderators

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?

Rexedgar said:

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?

Click to expand...

As opposed to any other color of moderator - no. I would not recommend making blatant personal attacks or violating any other forum rules no matter who you are responding to.

Rexedgar said:

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?

Click to expand...

Moderators are members of the community just like everybody else. The only difference is, they have excepted the responsibility to enforce the rules of the board which they are beholden to as well.

Rexedgar said:

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?

Click to expand...

You can actually send personal insults to Green Moderators. They have that color to show that they're there to absorb user frustrations. That's why their color is so similar to other usernames. If they're any other color then you can't.

reinoe said:

You can actually send personal insults to Green Moderators. They have that color to show that they're there to absorb user frustrations. That's why their color is so similar to other usernames. If they're any other color then you can't.

Click to expand...

What are the other colors and what are the significations?

Rexedgar said:

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?

Click to expand...

Post to them just as you would any other poster. Do not post about any actions they or other mods have taken as a mod. If you do post about mod actions, you will be infracted, and it will be your own fault.

reinoe said:

You can actually send personal insults to Green Moderators. They have that color to show that they're there to absorb user frustrations. That's why their color is so similar to other usernames. If they're any other color then you can't.

Click to expand...

I was under the impression that the moderator color (mostly) indicated political lean.

Rexedgar said:

What are the other colors and what are the significations?

Click to expand...

If you look at the bottom of the main page it will tell you what the colors stand for.

"Engaging with Moderators:

Im engaged to at least 3 moderator and its a fine game.

Rexedgar said:

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?

Click to expand...

Moderators, when functioning in a thread outside of this fashion:

Moderator's Warning:

EXAMPLE

are functioning in no different fashion than a poster. The protocol for engaging them is no different than engaging anyone else. You're able to disagree, argue, and debate the topic with them in the exact same fashion you can with anyone else.

The only thing as it relates to "interaction" with a moderator is in regards to rule 6 and specifically 6a, the crux of which is:

Publicly disrespectful and/or negative behavior from a member regarding a Moderator's capacity as a Mod, the Moderator Team in general, or Moderator actions may not occur on any open open areas of the website. Violations of any of the above guidelines is termed Insubordination and may result in a summary suspension or termination of that member's posting privileges.

Click to expand...

This goes from complaining about moderator action to suggestions/implications of bias / favoritism / prejudice / etc. Additionally, baiting/flaming a moderator based on their moderator status ("God, as a mod you should totally know better than to troll like that!") is likely to result in a similar type of thing.

So, tl;dr

Treat a mod who's posting as you would any other poster. If you start referencing moderation / them as a mod, additional punishment could occur.

Zyphlin said:

Moderators, when functioning in a thread outside of this fashion:

Moderator's Warning:

EXAMPLE

are functioning in no different fashion than a poster. The protocol for engaging them is no different than engaging anyone else. You're able to disagree, argue, and debate the topic with them in the exact same fashion you can with anyone else.

The only thing as it relates to "interaction" with a moderator is in regards to rule 6 and specifically 6a, the crux of which is:



This goes from complaining about moderator action to suggestions/implications of bias / favoritism / prejudice / etc. Additionally, baiting/flaming a moderator based on their moderator status ("God, as a mod you should totally know better than to troll like that!") is likely to result in a similar type of thing.

So, tl;dr

Treat a mod who's posting as you would any other poster. If you start referencing moderation / them as a mod, additional punishment could occur.

Click to expand...

What if he just wants to get engaged to you?

Rexedgar said:

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?

Click to expand...

Never, ever engage with moderators. If one approaches you just touch your forelock while nodding and backing out of the room.
No, wait, did you say moderators? How to engage with moderators? Bastards, all of them. Summon up every vile epithet you can think of, pile them on and then get creative about their mothers.
That's my advice.

reinoe said:

You can actually send personal insults to Green Moderators. They have that color to show that they're there to absorb user frustrations. That's why their color is so similar to other usernames. If they're any other color then you can't.

Click to expand...

Moderator's Warning:

Pay ABSOLUTELY no attention to this trolling dishonesty. Do not send personal insults to any Mod or poster.

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.

Angel said:

Mixing Moderators in with Members in impassioned political discussions is a foolish policy. It ignores human nature and invites abuse of power.

Click to expand...

How in hell can you know anything about the Mods here at DP with < 450 posts?

Angel said:

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.

Click to expand...

Rogue Valley said:

How in hell can you know anything about the Mods here at DP with < 450 posts?

Click to expand...

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.

Rogue Valley said:

How in hell can you know anything about the Mods here at DP with < 450 posts?

Click to expand...

My post doesn't make any knowledge claims as concerns the DP Mods.
My post draws upon long and intimate knowledge of three other forums Mods there. I generalize from those experiences.
Even so, your reply makes an indefensible assumption, namely, that there exists a certain number of posts, x, after which knowledge claims are justified, and before which not.
But again, just to remind you, I made no such knowledge claim.

Angel said:

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.

Click to expand...

All moderators at DP are volunteers chosen from the community of posters. They are not paid. If you do not want moderators posting about politics, then the site would be unmoderated. The mods started posting here, and continue to post here, because of their interest in talking about and debating politics. Tell them they cannot talk about politics and they are not going to show up.

Now, there are safeguards in place to ensure that mods do not use their power to "win" debates. The mod team represents a broad spectrum of political ideology and beliefs. All moderator actions are reviewed by the team as a whole. There is a very successful process in place to dispute infractions. Less formally, a simple PM to an infracting mod explaining your point can and does lead to reversals of infractions. DP has been a large success, with over 10 million unique posts and frequently over 100 registered users at a time on. This is because the mod system works as it is. You can engage a mod in political discussion and be ensured that as long as you do not break a rule, you will not be infracted.

I was a mod here for several years. I stepped down when I kinda burnt out on the job, real life was taking too much of my time to really do the job, and just generally felt it was time to stop being a mod, I had done it long enough. There are, among the current mods, a couple I do not much care for personally nor politically. However, I would not hesitate to engage in a heated debate over politics with any of them. I trust them to try and do the job right, and to get it right the vast majority of the time. The key to not getting infracted is not to avoid the mods(some of whom are a pleasure to debate), but to read the rules.

Redress said:

You can engage a mod in political discussion and be ensured that as long as you do not break a rule, you will not be infracted.

The key to not getting infracted is not to avoid the mods(some of whom are a pleasure to debate), but to read the rules.

Click to expand...

I'm much obliged to you for your considered post, Redress, and it is encouraging to hear that the situation at DP is so fair-minded, and I would just reiterate that I made no claim that DP was in fact otherwise than you describe. I was merely reporting on my experiences elsewhere, generalizing from those experiences for the sake of argument -- in short voicing my opinion on the policy in general, and stating how that opinion affects my posting behavior nowadays.

I've read the rules many times over, and practically know them by heart as they are not significantly different as between forums.
The rub, as I've observed it elsewhere, lies not in breaking the rules but in breaking someone's interpretation of the rules -- the latter cannot be guarded against. Especially as regards rules covering flaming and baiting, for example. A Mod who has a personal animus toward you as a result of post exchanges in threads can interpret those particular rules through the filter of the animus, a subjective interpretation that cannot be countered on appeal. The subjective nature of these infractions places the member in jeopardy of rule-bound persecution. For example, I once got slapped with an infraction in another forum for posting: "Partisan politics is no place for a lady."

But once again let me state that I am not talking about DP or members of DP. I'm talking about my experiences in three other forums over the past five years.

Angel said:

My post doesn't make any knowledge claims as concerns the DP Mods.
My post draws upon long and intimate knowledge of three other forums Mods there. I generalize from those experiences.
Even so, your reply makes an indefensible assumption, namely, that there exists a certain number of posts, x, after which knowledge claims are justified, and before which not.
But again, just to remind you, I made no such knowledge claim.

Click to expand...

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.

Angel said:

My post draws upon long and intimate knowledge of three other forums Mods there. I generalize from those experiences.

Click to expand...

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.

My understanding is that you may insult them freely as long as a substantial check is transferred to their personal accounts beforehand. We're talking in the mid-four figure range here for blatant insults. Your banning may be delayed somewhat in that instance depending on the nature of the car or boat they have their eye on. If you're smart, pick on the ones that have a Bentley (car) or a Hinckley (sailboat) in mind. You'll be around for a long time then.

DP is by far the best board I've come across for discussing anything without feeling like you're walking on eggshells...been there, done that, got the t-shirt for it...I recently was banned from private board which claimed freedom of speech and you're your own moderator...obviously that wasn't true...I think there are maybe a dozen regular posters who post there now because the moderator has run everyone off from a board that started out with over 200 members...the mocking and prejudice was beyond the pale...politically and personally...

Kal'Stang said:

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.

Click to expand...

One would hope that seeing the community come together as we just did for the immediate funding issue adds to your desire to be here. We have a lot more going for us than the MOD Team, GOOD/GREAT AS THEY ARE.

Hawkeye10 said:

One would hope that seeing the community come together as we just did for the immediate funding issue adds to your desire to be here. We have a lot more going for us than the MOD Team, GOOD/GREAT AS THEY ARE.

Click to expand...

It does help.