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- Jun 17, 2000
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So I worked yesterday and by the time I got home, had dinner, etc., I ended up in bed a little early...it's been a long week.
Now that I had some time to sit down and jump back in, I just saw the latest chaos that apparently went on yesterday and wanted to chime in on this because it needs to be said. I've seen this come up a few times recently but want to provide some clarification when it comes to how/why posts are deleted within a thread because at the end of the day, it's not on the mods - it's on me in terms of how things are generally handled.
To start, the first post of a thread is the topic of discussion, which is generally what the subject of the entire thread is supposed to more or less stick to. When disagreements flare-up, or if someone says something nasty (or inappropriate) the exchange by both sides (whether it's the person in the right or the wrong) are each deleted because they're not related to the topic of discussion.
Just understand that the mods are simply doing what I've requested because in a disagreement, both sides will see posts removed. Here's a quick rundown of how this usually works:
1) If you see someone post something offensive, rather than going at them, hit the "report" button and let us deal with it.
Now, the report button isn't something that's instant. It doesn't text my/their phones with an alert and it may take some time before we see it. Flag it, and then put the poster on ignore if necessary.
2) If you report it and we review it and deem your report is valid and warrants action against the post, that post is likely going to be removed from the thread to get the thread back on topic.
3) If you respond to the post in question, just know that if that person's post is offensive, their post and any other related post where their post is quoted, are all deleted. If the offensive post that you flagged for us to delete is quoted in a response by you, it obviously doesn't make sense to let their post appear again in your response to them.
4) If you respond to that post - or anyone else responding to that post - those posts are also removed because, again, if the post that sparked the problem is removed, there's no point in keeping that same disagreement, etc. going. The goal is to get the thread back focused on the original topic of discussion.
5) That being said, let's rewind because if your post is deleted by a mod, it doesn't mean anything negative against you, that's just for the sake of removing posts that have nothing to do with the thread. Again, it's what they've each been asked to do.
6) As for what happens with the posts once they're deleted, they go into a deleted state where they're still available for me to view and if they've been reported, I at least have some additional context to go along with that. But once posts have been deleted, if you've noticed that's happened, don't start posting about the original person who posted something inappropriate because we're already aware and I've already outlined the reasons why. The goal is to get the thread back on topic and there are obviously only two options when it reaches that point. Either delete all of the posts unrelated to the thread or lock it all together.
7) Typically after that happens, especially in a situation like we've had a few times over the weekend, I review them and take additional action if necessary. Sometimes, if it's really inappropriate and is a bannable offense, then that's what happens. If it's something that's inappropriate that wasn't necessarily bannable but borderline, then you end up on my radar and that's when I'd prefer it if you just admit you said something stupid and move on. If you keep defending what you said, despite the fact you know you shouldn't have said it, it's a problem.
8) However, if it's a philosophical difference between two posters, even if I disagree with one of them and agree with the other, it's not my place (or a mod's) to pick a side. That does sometimes leave me where, as much as I'd like to, I can't take any action one way or another. Again, it doesn't mean I disagree with what happened, that's obviously not the case. But I've always tried to be as fair as possible and I think any of you who have been here for a long time, I'd like to think all of you know that.
But the overall story here is that anything unrelated to the topic is what I've asked the mods to remove. As I pointed out, it's not based on any opinion toward any poster and if you're simply part of the exchange, there's no bias, it's strictly what they've been asked to do. That includes whether you're a long-time poster or a new person.
9) However, if there is an exchange like that where posts are deleted, I do typically see it and if it warrants any additional action against the poster who sparked the problem, then that's handled accordingly. I don't enjoy banning/suspending people but I've already removed a couple of people over the last few days who revealed an ugly side ... which is unfortunate.
10) If you've been suspended, when your suspension ends, it's done. I don't hold a grudge and neither do the mods. If you simply move on and avoid whatever happened moving forward, it's forgotten and none of us are going to harass you. However, if you come back with a vengeance, your past actions are obviously taken into account and clearly you're not granted the same leeway as someone who hasn't previously been an issue.
Hopefully, this provides some clarification because I think there are some who believe the mods have a bias one way or the other, which simply isn't true. For the sake of taking out any bias, what I've outlined above has always really been the only fair way to handle it. As I've mentioned before, we're not going to get it right 100% of the time. Obviously, the point of this place is to just talk football and that's the whole point of this forum. But stuff happens, and as you can imagine on our end, it sucks when it does. All I ask is that you guys all follow this protocol and if need be, any of you can PM me if necessary.
So that's the story. I'll be planted here on the couch for most of the day working on some things for here (hoping to have something new done by today once I get it working) so I'll leave this open for anyone who wants to discuss it.
Now that I had some time to sit down and jump back in, I just saw the latest chaos that apparently went on yesterday and wanted to chime in on this because it needs to be said. I've seen this come up a few times recently but want to provide some clarification when it comes to how/why posts are deleted within a thread because at the end of the day, it's not on the mods - it's on me in terms of how things are generally handled.
To start, the first post of a thread is the topic of discussion, which is generally what the subject of the entire thread is supposed to more or less stick to. When disagreements flare-up, or if someone says something nasty (or inappropriate) the exchange by both sides (whether it's the person in the right or the wrong) are each deleted because they're not related to the topic of discussion.
Just understand that the mods are simply doing what I've requested because in a disagreement, both sides will see posts removed. Here's a quick rundown of how this usually works:
1) If you see someone post something offensive, rather than going at them, hit the "report" button and let us deal with it.
Now, the report button isn't something that's instant. It doesn't text my/their phones with an alert and it may take some time before we see it. Flag it, and then put the poster on ignore if necessary.
2) If you report it and we review it and deem your report is valid and warrants action against the post, that post is likely going to be removed from the thread to get the thread back on topic.
3) If you respond to the post in question, just know that if that person's post is offensive, their post and any other related post where their post is quoted, are all deleted. If the offensive post that you flagged for us to delete is quoted in a response by you, it obviously doesn't make sense to let their post appear again in your response to them.
4) If you respond to that post - or anyone else responding to that post - those posts are also removed because, again, if the post that sparked the problem is removed, there's no point in keeping that same disagreement, etc. going. The goal is to get the thread back focused on the original topic of discussion.
5) That being said, let's rewind because if your post is deleted by a mod, it doesn't mean anything negative against you, that's just for the sake of removing posts that have nothing to do with the thread. Again, it's what they've each been asked to do.
6) As for what happens with the posts once they're deleted, they go into a deleted state where they're still available for me to view and if they've been reported, I at least have some additional context to go along with that. But once posts have been deleted, if you've noticed that's happened, don't start posting about the original person who posted something inappropriate because we're already aware and I've already outlined the reasons why. The goal is to get the thread back on topic and there are obviously only two options when it reaches that point. Either delete all of the posts unrelated to the thread or lock it all together.
7) Typically after that happens, especially in a situation like we've had a few times over the weekend, I review them and take additional action if necessary. Sometimes, if it's really inappropriate and is a bannable offense, then that's what happens. If it's something that's inappropriate that wasn't necessarily bannable but borderline, then you end up on my radar and that's when I'd prefer it if you just admit you said something stupid and move on. If you keep defending what you said, despite the fact you know you shouldn't have said it, it's a problem.
8) However, if it's a philosophical difference between two posters, even if I disagree with one of them and agree with the other, it's not my place (or a mod's) to pick a side. That does sometimes leave me where, as much as I'd like to, I can't take any action one way or another. Again, it doesn't mean I disagree with what happened, that's obviously not the case. But I've always tried to be as fair as possible and I think any of you who have been here for a long time, I'd like to think all of you know that.
But the overall story here is that anything unrelated to the topic is what I've asked the mods to remove. As I pointed out, it's not based on any opinion toward any poster and if you're simply part of the exchange, there's no bias, it's strictly what they've been asked to do. That includes whether you're a long-time poster or a new person.
9) However, if there is an exchange like that where posts are deleted, I do typically see it and if it warrants any additional action against the poster who sparked the problem, then that's handled accordingly. I don't enjoy banning/suspending people but I've already removed a couple of people over the last few days who revealed an ugly side ... which is unfortunate.
10) If you've been suspended, when your suspension ends, it's done. I don't hold a grudge and neither do the mods. If you simply move on and avoid whatever happened moving forward, it's forgotten and none of us are going to harass you. However, if you come back with a vengeance, your past actions are obviously taken into account and clearly you're not granted the same leeway as someone who hasn't previously been an issue.
Hopefully, this provides some clarification because I think there are some who believe the mods have a bias one way or the other, which simply isn't true. For the sake of taking out any bias, what I've outlined above has always really been the only fair way to handle it. As I've mentioned before, we're not going to get it right 100% of the time. Obviously, the point of this place is to just talk football and that's the whole point of this forum. But stuff happens, and as you can imagine on our end, it sucks when it does. All I ask is that you guys all follow this protocol and if need be, any of you can PM me if necessary.
So that's the story. I'll be planted here on the couch for most of the day working on some things for here (hoping to have something new done by today once I get it working) so I'll leave this open for anyone who wants to discuss it.
