»
Discussion
»
pipTalk Lounge
»
On Being A Moderator
| pipTalk Lounge |
|
On Being A Moderator |
|
|
Jonas Senior Member
since 2000-03-03
Posts 796Oregon 
|
As some of you may or may not know, I am a moderator of two poetry forums at another site. My complaint is this: Why is it that when you establish a rule or guideline for what is appropriate viewing in a public forum, every poet with an attitude crawls out of the woodwork to try to break, bend, or outright defy that rule? I am sick to death of hearing about freedom of speech, stifling poetic voices, and internet freedom from people who feel that a poem is not heartfelt unless it is full of vulgarity and obscenities, or glorifies the more unsavory of human charachteristics. Is it too much to ask that people abide by the rules which they agree to when they first sign up? I've said it before and I'll say it again...I think there should be a mandatory maturity test for anyone wanting access to a computer. okay, I feel better now. |
||
| © Copyright 2001 Gary - All Rights Reserved | |||
Dopey Dope
Moderator
Member Patricius
since 2000-08-30
Posts 11132San Juan, Puerto Rico |
I'll back you up on that one pal.  I was born myself, raised myself, and will continue to be myself. The world will just have to adjust. I'm in love with my shadow I admire it daily |
||
|
Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354Listening to every heart |
As one Moderator to Another....know....you are not alone out there in cyberspace.... glad you found another place in which to vent! |
||
|
fractal007 Senior Member
since 2000-06-01
Posts 1958 |
I've noticed this "Freedom of Speech" defence in just about every instance in which some less than desirable political group has done something. THe problem is that the concept of freedom of speech is rather misleading at times. The first amendment to your constitution[I assume you are an American]: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. We need to remember the right of the people to peaceably assemble. Swearing and promoting violence against racial groups or anything else, is not, in my opinion at least, a peaceable way of petitioning a state or government. From past experience on the internet, I've found that swearing and the such are more likely related to people just wanting to get attention.[At least as far as people expressing their opinions on issues are concerned] So, you might want to try posting something to the effect of "you don't have to swear in order to get a point across". I mean, I've had some pretty nasty things to say about things like genetics.[see my poem Perversion of Science - Genetics] But I certainly do NOT swear. In my opinion,[and please correct me if I'm wrong]swearing is a sign that one is rather immature and unable to find very good wording for his/her poetry. You could also remind people that less than desirable traits of humanity can easilly be expressed through metaphor. THis is just my humble opinion. Hope it helps. |
||
|
mark woolard Member
since 2001-01-02
Posts 143 |
i think it has something to do with maturity, limp bizkit, fast food, and the inability to notice #!*& because *&^+*! is everywhere. |
||
LoveBug
Moderator
Member Elite
since 2000-01-08
Posts 4697 |
*Stands up and cheers* I agree with you %100, my moderator comrade!  "Where there is great love there are always miracles" -Cather "Love heals everything, and love is all there is"- Zukav |
||
|
Lady Ollyne Member
since 2001-01-08
Posts 337East Coast |
I sometimes think too, that the newer younger poets of today are led to believe poetry can not have form, or be of love, those who enjoy form and content other than that which the "average" can not understand are often criticized for writing "fluff" and also told that they must write something in a way it has never been written before...I am sure it has all been done before...the only thing left is style, and that is one of personal taste. Oh my ... I had to put my two cents worth(*s) in here...hope I am not stepping on any toes, for I enjoy all styles forms and voices in poetry and prose. Lady Ollyne "O, learn to read what silent love hath writ: To hear with eyes belongs to love's fine wit"...Shakespeare |
||
|
Elizabeth
Moderator
Member Ascendant
since 1999-06-07
Posts 6871Minnesota |
Jonas, Fractal, and everyone~ THANK YOU!!!!!  I couldn't agree more. |
||
|
Alwye
Moderator
Member Elite
since 1999-06-16
Posts 3850In the space between moments |
It can get awfully frustrating, can't it? I do agree that people who throw the freedom of speech thing at you are really looking for an excuse to use vulgar, uncreative words and ideas...there are so many ways to express what you want to say without offending anyone. I just wish more people would understand that... *Krista Knutson* I'm a slow dying flower In a frost-killing hour The sweet turning sour and untouchable... -Natalie Merchant |
||
|
Severn Member Rara Avis
since 1999-07-17
Posts 7704 |
Oh sigh...oh SIGH SIGH SIGH GRRRR GRRRRRRR... and then when you are forced to do your 'job' and amend the er....situation - well...sometimes it isn't appreciated. You just wrote out my thoughts. Heh...thanks Jonas...  K |
||
|
Jonas Senior Member
since 2000-03-03
Posts 796Oregon |
Thanks for letting me vent everyone. I have to admit, most times it is not so bad, but this past week has been a nightmare in the moderating business; members banned, poems deleted, and constant accusations of fostering a Hitleresque environment, and incredibly overblown egos. Oh well, I guess if we didn't feel strongly about our work, we wouldn't be poets.  |
||
|
Alicat Member Elite
since 1999-05-23
Posts 4094Coastal Texas |
I hear ya Jonas. Unfortuned, many people want all the freedom of speech sans responsibility. And they reason, that since the internet is a 'virtual' place, actions, thoughts, and words have no actual ramifications, unlike in the 'real' world. It is very refreshing to know there is someone else out there who very much understands. BTW, I noticed you lived in Texas for a spell, then went to Oregon. Did the same thing Nov, 99, but am now in Arizona. Alicat, the Persnikitty “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” Charles Darwin |
||
|
Marilyn Member Elite
since 1999-09-26
Posts 2621Ontario, Canada |
I have to agree with you as well Jonas. Honestly though.....take a good look at our culture these days. Look at some of the music groups that are very popular with the younger generation. The urbanonics and profanity make some lyrics difficult to understand. It is not just in writing and poetry that we face this delema. Youth are encouraged by our society to cuss at the top of their lungs to be heard. I remember being very young and wanting to be heard. I remember the struggle of teenage years and even during the young adulthood (20's). It is difficult to be taken seriously when you are young. The thing the young don't understand is.......If you use profanity and urbanonics, you will be listened to even less. The way people will see you is not as intellegent but as uneducated and not worth consideration. I believe everyone is worth listening to but it is hard to take someone seriously when they speak using profanity and don't have a good grasp on the english language (or which ever language is used in their home country). Hmmmm....more then 2 cents worth there...lol |
||
|
Isis Member Ascendant
since 1999-09-06
Posts 6296Sunny Queensland |
I too agree Brother Jonas!! And to top it off if they don't like the moral policing, and they emotionally abuse you a bit that is the pits!!!!Isis *The heart of education is the education of the heart...* ~Isis~~Sovereign of the Spirit. |
||
|
Poet deVine
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-26
Posts 22612Hurricane Alley |
I guess it's a good think we aren't throwing tea into the Boston harbor huh? |
||
|
Gene Senior Member
since 2000-01-23
Posts 935Colorado, USA |
I've been a moderator and I'm the administrator of my own UBB, so I know where you're com'n from. Hey, you can always hit the delete key. ~Gene |
||
|
WhtDove Member Rara Avis
since 1999-07-22
Posts 9245Illinois |
You said it! It is frustrating, and I think we should tell them to open their own board, and moderate it themselves. Then they can moderate their own profanity. |
||
|
KimW Member
since 2000-03-04
Posts 268Medford, Oregon, USA |
I too can relate to Jonas's thread (as he well knows!) We both are moderators at another site and have felt this frustration time and time again. I am not sure how much freedom the moderators have within this site in comparison to the rules/guidelines that we and the members of the site Jonas refers to, have to follow. (That was a mouthful - LOL!) Someone mentioned a lil higher up in this thread that the delete key works. Well, in the forum we moderate the delete key is discouraged, except as a last resort - And only when the member has completely violated the site guidelines. The hate mail and assaults usually follow shortly behind and are taken up with the site owner. All in all it can be quite frustrating at times to be a moderator. Many (I think) feel that a moderator has lots of power and input into the site and the rules (that's not always so!) And regardless, we are human and just as sensitive as the member that flames us. Good topic to rant on Jonas!! |
||
|
Morouxshi San Member
since 2000-10-11
Posts 207San Juan, Puerto Rico |
i think people just dont get why rules are there for, to prevent others of being offended, or to just maintain balance and what not making it necessary for the people to take a "Common Sense 101" course before taking the maturity test (wich is a very good idea by the way). San, the wise San, the dumb San, the guy... |
||
|
fractal007 Senior Member
since 2000-06-01
Posts 1958 |
U know what you could also do, Moderators[BTW, I don't know how much weight my suggestions may carry, as I've not been a moderator before]: You could try posting a "Top Ten Hate E-mails of the week", and make arguments against them. I think there's a rule here, where if you post objectionable content twice here, you are kicked. I'm pretty sure that's what it is. If not, correct me please. ANyhow, you could try a similar system at your own board. |
||
|
White Wolf Member
since 1999-09-18
Posts 371Somewhere in the vast wasteland |
"Freedom of Speach" Let me ask you a question. Could you cuss a police officer out and not get in trouble with the law. Or that you could just walk up to someone and either cuss them out or beat the up or to death without having the police arrest and convict you? After all isn't it only an expression of speach or just an expression. Isn't freedom of speach and expression part of the constitution as a civil liberty? I think I have made my point but if I haven't let give you another. If I walk into a nonsmoking estabishment and get kicked out for smoking, have my civil rights been violated? After all can't smoking be considered an expression? Simply put there are rules that we agree to when entering certain estabishments. We are then warned and even punished for breaking them. I know that with most message boards there are certain rules that are required reading and ageement to follow when you enter them. If you don't then you have also agreed to the consequences. For those who scream "Freedom of Speach", there is freedom of speach on the internet just as in real life. You only need to create a web server of your own and post whatever you want. Just remember that you need to abide by real life rules and regulations that pertain to the internet within your own country, state, county, and city. One last thing I would like to say is that your civil rights or constitutional rights are based on the rule or regulation that you violate no one else's civil rights unless they agree to give up those rights. This is how I view this topic and I think it is a sound one. I have agreed to this estabishments rules and regulations and have a lot of respect to the moderators of this establishment and those of any other establishment. Maybe I should go into law. The White Wolf PS This post was produced through the knowledge of other posts on this subject by Ron and many others that I happen to agree with. |
||
|
Jonas Senior Member
since 2000-03-03
Posts 796Oregon |
Wow! I never expected to see this many replies. Thank you for the support everyone. And I wish we could all have trouble free lives on the internet, but it's comforting to know that I'm not the only one out there. I guess that as long as their are rules, someone will try to break them. |
||
|
orange()alligator Junior Member
since 2001-02-06
Posts 21 |
can you guys not see the point of the poets views though just cause your a moderator? i know there's rules n stuff but you have to admit that life isn't always happy. sometimes you need to write a poem about death, suicide, or just plain depression to vent. i understand your points though too... i can understand the feelings of the poets too...they work really hard to write something then it gets deleted because some person with the word "Moderator" associated with them says so. had to put my sense in :-) bye bye |
||
|
Paula Finn Member Ascendant
since 2000-06-17
Posts 5546missouri |
Its not simply a question of having ONE moderator pull a poem for questionable content...the way I understand how it works here is that the forum moderator may pull a poem...then OTHER moderators look at the poem and give their opinion...and then it is a joint decision...and not all poems on death and suicide are pulled...it just depends on how they are presented...although I cant remember writing here about suicide I have written about death...and my work wasnt pulled...its the words and content...personally I like that we have moderators...because I would hate to be the reason an unhappy person took what I wrote and used it as an excuse to do something stupid...so if I wrote something someone found objectionable, although I'd like the chance to defend what I had written...I wouldnt raise hell that it had been pulled...after all it could be your son or daughter or wife or husband reading that poem...so to all our moderators I say...JOB WELL DONE!!!!!!! |
||
|
Alicat Member Elite
since 1999-05-23
Posts 4094Coastal Texas |
Orange, this has been discussed I don't know how many times. There seems to be, at times, a disturbing tendency towards exhibitionism in the forums, where someone writes something deeply personal and feels compelled to post it on a public board. And though this may be a public board, it is a private site, owned and operated by Ron. I hope you don't misunderstand me. I understand perfectly the need to vent, to write intense and heavy emotions and thoughts. But I also understand discretion, and the knowledge that just since I wrote it means I have to post it. The Moderators do have another function aside from moderating, making judgement calls, deleting poetry and upsetting people. It's called screening. If I write something that might be too harsh or borderline, I run it by another Moderator, usually one from the forum I want to post my work in. They are more than happy to assist, and will also critique and proofread, if you want, or can offer suggestions for improvement. It's also very easy to contact them, either through email or ICQ (the little purple flower icon). So check out the guidelines (little question mark to the right of the forum name, or the link at the top of your posting window), and if you feel your post might bend, break, or ignore the rules, run it by a Mod. It's rather painless, and sure beats the alternative. Alicat, Alley Moderator “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” Charles Darwin |
||
|
Dream-eagle Junior Member
since 2001-03-07
Posts 34Indiana, USA |
I have been a moderator as well as having my own poetry website. There have been many times I have simply told people that what they are writing is fine and good but not the direction I am going with in my website or forum. I explain that the site is geared to a be usable by young children as well as adults. I suggest that they try elsewhere where the content would be more appreciated. It usually works. Unless the person is there simply to agitate the peace which sometimes happens too. There is no debating the issue it simply is. But it does get really frustrating. In one chat room where it was getting out of hand I wrote a script that replaced swear words with things like "ice cream", "fudge" or "pickles". The cursing eventually stopped and the culprits moved on to where they could disturb other people. |
||
|
Nan
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-20
Posts 21191Cape Cod Massachusetts USA |
I'd like to clarify one point... There is no rule "set in stone" about "booting" a poet who crosses acceptable guidelines more than once. Every member is dealt with on their own individual merit and their attitude - no matter what the situation... This is a superb site - suberb because of the combined efforts of our wonderful members, our moderators, and of course our fantastic host. Our moderating team works very hard to maintain Passions' integrity... I personally am grateful for the efforts of each and every one...  |
||
|
Acies
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 2000-06-07
Posts 7665Twilight Zone |
AMEN!!! "So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this give life to thee." W.S. |
||
|
Dee Member Elite
since 2000-08-19
Posts 2330Queensland, Australia |
I have never been a moderator and have no idea what it is like for them. So maybe my thoughts are off track. I have read posts here where people argue the point, is this acceptable? why? why not? Most people, I believe, don't read the guidelines when they sign up at a site. I know I have been guilty of that before. If I broke the rules I would expect to be told what I had done wrong, preferably in the privacy of an email, and I would accept the moderators descision. As far as I can see, breaking the rules is breaking the rules, no matter why you did it. It's really simple, if you don't like the rules, don't play the game. (This is a general comment, it is not aimed at any one in particular) Dee I wish you every happiness and may you always have the best of the good things in life. a brand |
||
|
gardawg Junior Member
since 2001-02-08
Posts 34W of Seattle |
Jonas, I moderate in a forum where the motto is no rules, no fences; and administer another where freedom is the order of the day... Still we have rules, though we 'suggest,' the standard too many poems, crit poem not person, forbidden subject, et al. We still get those who can't take it, leave a the kindest suggestion of they need to change. And I can point you to a board totally taken over by crazies. Abandoned by the owners and left like NYC in the old Kurt Russell movie to chaos. I agree with you. IMO, those who do not show discipline in their behavior will generally fail as poets and fall by the wayside... Well said... Gary who btw hates suicide and abuse poems, mainly because they are generally so very unimaginative |
||
|
DancinQueen
since 2000-07-29
Posts 1092Kokomo,IN,USA |
well said and everywhere you go you're always going to have that one person(s) that will be that thorn in your you know what..thats just life ¤Sometimes the hardest thing to get over, is something you never really had¤ |
||
|
Ron
Administrator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-05-19
Posts 8669Michigan, US |
Dee, there's absolutely nothing wrong with questioning a Moderator's decision or the wisdom of a particular rule (assuming the disagreement is expressed appropriately). Ain't nobody around here perfect and we know it. Nor are we foolish enough to think our rules are perfect. They're just the best we've come up with so far. We may or may not agree with someone's alternatives, but we'll certainly listen to them. |
||
|
|
⇧ top of page ⇧ |
|
| All times are ET (US). All dates are in Year-Month-Day format. | ||
