Moderation thoughts.......

[yari]

"But to kill off perfectly good discussions because of a handful of idiots doesn't seem to me to be the way to go. It penalizes the good along with the bad; it rewards trolling and bad behavior; it potentially wipes out valuuable and useful discussions."

Agreed 100%.

Personally I'm skeptical of the need to have a moderator/censor monitor adults talking to adults. In one thread that was locked down today, no one was cussing, no one was posting porno, no one said anything about someone's momma, no one yapped about politics. Evidently the moderator/censor was the only one bothered -- and he certainly does seem to be bothered by a lot -- and locked the thread because people didn't obey his orders. I was actually enjoying the thread. I bet all but one were, too.

I agree with Solemates. I liked it a lot better with no censors. If I didn't like to read someone's stuff, I put them on block. Easy enough.

I am very new here so take my opinion for what it is worth.

While I am tolerant of "bad behavior" I don't think going with no moderation at all is the solution. I post on several boards that are almost completely uncensored (only thing removed is PI of posters that don't want it on the board) and it is a nightmare. Now, they are hacker boards and you have to expect that (which is why I tend to be very tolerant) but, that kind of stuff kills boards. I think Jack's suggestions for some moderation are good, and more importantly, realistic.

[Wise Old Owl]

Wow why did we dig this all up again?

[Ron Haven]

the owner of this site and moderators on this site are all friends of mine I hope and I want to keep it that way. I have respect for their moderation wishes.

I was on here several times daily in the past but things changed. I might look at this site once every 2 or 3 weeks now. I realize it was changed to a total hiker forum now. I hope you folks have the same respect too.

I sometimes like to BS and if you want,use my site. I don't moderate it at all. appalachiantrailservices.com

This way WB can be used for a hiker forum. You want to let off a little steam, go for it.

[Gray Blazer]

I sometimes like to BS and if you want,use my site. I don't moderate it at all. appalachiantrailservices.com

I am your newest member. Waiting for a confirmation.

[berkshirebirder]

A website with over 28,000 members...over 54,000 threads...over a million posts must be doing something right.

Every day, someone says how useful Whiteblaze has been in learning about the Appalachian or other Trails in preparation for a hike; about parks, forests, towns and services along these trails; about hiking gear; about other hikers and life along the trails; about wildlife and plants and a host of other things.

You have to sort out all this good information and the way Whiteblaze furthers interest in hiking from the nitty-gritty of message boards: the weenies who feel empowered by arguing, the lazy who resent anyone who does anything, the disenchanted with axes to grind. An unmoderated message board is taken over by these ne'er-do-wells and soon becomes an unpleasant place of no interest to normal people.

Case in point: Appalachian Trail Clubs seem to be a lightning rod for arguments among certain posters. Raging against the ATC or one of its chapters on a public message board is shooting yourself in the foot. I could be wrong, but I assume the moderators realize this and step in when they feel it's warranted.

A locked thread is still readable and actually provides a lesson in the dynamics of conversation.

Thank you, moderators, for all your efforts to keep Whiteblaze enjoyable as well as useful.

[Blue Jay]

the weenies who feel empowered by arguing, the lazy who resent anyone who does anything, the disenchanted with axes to grind. An unmoderated message board is taken over by these ne'er-do-wells and soon becomes an unpleasant place of no interest to normal people.

From you very first post on WB you make these statements that stur up as much trouble as anyone else on here. If you claim to not like it, why do you do it?

[Ron Haven]

I am your newest member. Waiting for a confirmation.

Blazer,you and a lot more have been accepted and are ready for posting.Go for it.

[10-K]

Wow why did we dig this all up again?

Thru hiking season is winding down?

[mudhead]

it is what it is. you don't like this site, move on. i'm a tamed wolf. 90% of the posts here are BS. start your own site and allow politics and such. no website is needed for walkin a trail. this is for non-hikers

Dang! I knew you were halter broke, but tamed?

[DapperD]

Oh, I don't know...I think the moderators have a pretty good idea when a thread is on the road to hell. And by the 37th post, most of the original and interesting comments have been made. Really.

Then why are you still posting? Obviousely your statements are a lesson in hypocrisy for everyone here I have been interested in threads that continue on into the hundreds of posts, and still glean valuable information into the subject being discussed, as well as finding the discussion enjoyable, right until the last post is madeFor you to state when a thread has "run it's course" and that all the posts proceeding your so called "end point" are useless does a disservice to every single member here on Whiteblaze

From you very first post on WB you make these statements that stur up as much trouble as anyone else on here. If you claim to not like it, why do you do it?

Agree with you 100% Blue Jay Obviousely someone who wants to cause problems by "rocking the boat".

[JAK]

From you very first post on WB you make these statements that stur up as much trouble as anyone else on here. If you claim to not like it, why do you do it?

I'm a birder and wildflower enthusiast and hope to explore some sections of the Trail in New England this spring, starting in western MA--would welcome any advice on easy-to-moderate sections.

A friend and I met a number of friendly folks on short hikes on the Trail last year, including another birder--so that's inspired us to get back out there this year.

Yeah, pretty inflamatory stuff.

[Tinker]

Dang! I knew you were halter broke, but tamed?

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm................Lone Wolf in a HALTER????? - Someone with experience photo shopping has to jump on THAT idea

Btw: Congrats on your "promotion?" to moderator, LW.
I know it's volunteer, but that demands an even greater "congrats".

Question, though - WHY??

Have fun.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Btw: Congrats on your "promotion?" to moderator, LW.
I know it's volunteer, but that demands an even greater "congrats".

Question, though - WHY??

Have fun.

No good deed ever goes unpunished.

For those who criticize mods for their actions, I can only say they should try it for a while. It isn't easy trying to keep the members playing nicely in the room sometimes. Most members don't start trouble, but things can go downhill quickly as sometimes groupthink mentality takes over or threads degrade into personal attacks. There are also sensitive issues that sometimes are better left alone or that WB admin simply doesn't want discussed (their website - end of discussion). Mods do sometimes make mistakes and over-react as well, but remember that they're human too. No need to get upset over what is allowed or not allowed on an internet discussion board.

[Mags]

No need to get upset over what is allowed or not allowed on an internet discussion board.

Bingo. It's not real life.

Go outside. Play. Enjoy Life.


Take a bunch of photos from Grand Teton and not have time to work on them and before you know it, it is Labor Day Weekend (applies to me only... )

[JAK]

I think Lone Wolf has always played a moderating role of sorts.
Now its official.

Moderation in all things. including moderation.

[4eyedbuzzard]

I think Lone Wolf has always played a moderating role of sorts.
Now its official.

Moderation in all things. including moderation.

He should be even better now that he's a tamed lap dog.

[The Old Fhart]

Lone Wolf-"...90% of the posts here are BS...."

So it would logically follow that if a certain poster has over 24,000 posts, over 21,000 of those posts would be BS?

[berkshirebirder]

I don't connect someone who posts IN FAVOR of a moderated board with rabble-rousing. DapperD resurrected this thread to say he doesn't like it when threads are locked. Which poster is stirring up trouble? Both? Neither?

Someone suggested I add a dancing banana to my comment about limiting threads to 35 posts, but at the time the statement seemed so outrageous I didn't think a dancing banana would be necessary.

Should I go back and add the dancing banana? Nah. I hate those things.

[Tinker]

I don't connect someone who posts IN FAVOR of a moderated board with rabble-rousing. DapperD resurrected this thread to say he doesn't like it when threads are locked. Which poster is stirring up trouble? Both? Neither?

Someone suggested I add a dancing banana to my comment about limiting threads to 35 posts, but at the time the statement seemed so outrageous I didn't think a dancing banana would be necessary.

Should I go back and add the dancing banana? Nah. I hate those things.

Last time I checked, this was still the USA, and we still had free speech. One of the problems with our educational system is that it doesn't equip us to communicate clearly, so those goofy icons are necessary so we don't misunderstand each other.

Folks stirring up trouble sometimes bring attention to the subject at hand, sometimes to themselves.
It is up to the rest of ourselves to weed out who is genuinely interested in the subject matter and who is there to make a spectacle of themselves.
Moderators are necessary when two parties become unnecessarily emotional in their attack or defense of the other person's views, and, rather than let it roll off their back, let their thin skin (and, possibly, poor self esteem) get the better of them, resulting in personal attacks.
Mods. are not there to supress the beliefs of others, just their conduct in public - in the world of the internet, and, while they don't (ideally) enforce their own opinions, they do (or should) mirror the tenets of the website that they are moderating.

[DapperD]

Zombie thread!

I did not understand that older threads here at Whiteblaze were not supposed to be brought back to the board. I did a search and found a post by Attroll in which he basically states this, unless the older thread has some type of current need to be brought back, some type of relevance to a new discussion, as an example. I will try to remember this. I guess it would be OK to provide a link to the older thread in a new thread to use as a reference, but not to bring back the entire thread.