(...and I had hoped to avoid getting into this particular fray...)
The way we operate now, these two desires are in conflict with one another. The more moderators there are, the more that are required to constitute a majority. As it is, it can be sometimes a full day before we get just four moderators to agree on an issue. Raising that number slows us down.
Consider these two extreme cases: In which scenario are decisions made more quickly: a family meeting, or a session of the U.S. House of Representatives? Personally, I'd rather see us more able to intervene early before things get out of hand.
This one got out of hand anyway. Stomping trolls as early as possible is important because if you don't, then the regular members will take it into their hands to do so and we get results like this one where DC_DEEP was banned. I completely recognize that he left before the ban was put into effect and that the ban was temporary and that the ban itself was rescinded when it was realized DC_DEEP had been warned and that he was abiding by that warning. It still represents a deficiency in the process that needs to be corrected.
The trolls won this round. 1BIGG1 managed to stir the pot and get people to respond in the way he wanted. He had been doing this for far too long and when some members saw nothing was going to be apparently done about it, they tried to bash the troll on their own. As a result, LPSG has lost several valuable members who chose to leave because they felt the incident, along with some previous incidents, had been improperly handled.
I think the banning of DC_DEEP, whether temporary or even mistaken, was completely unfair. LPSG has rules and because it has rules it has to act to maintain them. This situation reminds me of a parent who watches one child picks a fight with another and then does nothing as the fighting escalates until it gets into a physical brawl that violates the rules and then both are punished. As the rules are made by LPSG, they have to be enforced by LPSG. You cannot, on one hand, state that they're adults and so you can't control them only to have a set of rules which are designed to do precisely that. What disturbs me the most is that DC_DEEP was banned for defending himself against a troll because the moderators did not act soon enough. I am also disturbed that banning DC_DEEP appears to have been discussed and approved without evidence of a warning arriving until too late. Clearly one had did not know what the other was doing. A warning should have been the first thing issued before a ban was even considered. Why? Because you know DC_DEEP and know he's not a troll. You go back over 1BIGG1's posts and you know he's a bully looking only to inflame threads and incense others. I do not understand why it took so long to realize just what 1BIGG1 is.
No moderation system is perfect and, as I've said before, it's a thankless job. It is more difficult still when many of the moderation team are not regular and involved posters. It is much like the situation with cops on the beat today. The neighborhood cop who used to walk the beat was known by everyone. The cops driving slowly passed your house are unknown quantities and appear distant and threatening because there is no interaction beyond when you've done something wrong. It creates a tense us vs. them situation where many people are eager to jump to conclusions.
As to changes, yes I think there need to be more mods if the reason it took so long for 1BIGG1 and ItalAndy to be caught was because the moderators were busy with other things. Ineffective and inequitable policing is worse than no policing at all.
I think closed threads and temp bans should be accompanied by an immediate message was to why action was taken so as to prevent the endless speculation that not only encourages various theories but makes the site look bad to both old and new members.
I think trolls should be judged on the simple duck test. If it looks like a troll, acts like a troll, and quacks like a troll, then it's a troll.
If there's a point system, as there currently appears to be, then members should be aware of it.
The board should operate on the principle that openness fosters trust and dialog. The more members understand about how things operate, the more they will understand when unpleasant things happen.
What's done is done and I can't turn back the clock. DC_DEEP will not be returning and I can't blame him. He was treated very poorly despite the apology. What I fervently hope for is that wiser and cooler heads will prevail in the future to prevent this situation from happening again. There is some anger here and it stems right back to BD's banning. This incident just gave it an excuse to resurface. It's useless to ignore the 800 lb. gorilla in the room. The secrecy, guessing, inconsistent use of bans, warnings, and suspensions, and the moderating errors that led to DC_DEEP being warned, banned, then unbanned even after he stated he was leaving makes people wonder just where the consistency is. Couple that with uninvolved moderators, lots of site changes, and all the regular issues that come from running a BBS, and it makes for a lot of confusion that many members are more than willing to invent their own theories for. You know as well as I do there's an entire forum elsewhere devoted to problems over here. There should not have to be.
Think before you alienate because the criticism will just get shifted somewhere else when members, former and current, feel they can't speak openly here. The
other place is filled with bright and intelligent people who are whom they appear to be. I know because I've met many of them. :smile: They're people who have largely fled or banned from LPSG because of trolls and inconsistent moderating policies that have left them feeling disenfranchised from a place they believe they've helped to make as successful as it is. If you want to keep those ranks from growing, then act and make some drastic changes. I would even go so far as to make an account and go over there with the sincerest apology I can muster and invite every one of them back once LPSG has in place a clear policy on trolling, banning, warning, and then actively works to keep those trolls at bay. That may mean changes in moderator staffing and qualifications but I don't really see any other way. They may not all take you up on the offer, but it's a gesture that will ultimately help LPSG.
Until you drain the boil, clean the wound, and allow it to heal, it will fester.
The usernames may change with time, but the pattern will continue.