by volunteer » August 12, 2021, 8:50 pm
Please bear with us as the new site undergoes further development. It is turning out to be difficult for the developers to fine tune the new forums in the Word Press format. When initially rolled out, the new forums required a password, which was deemed by many to be undesirable. So it was switched to require moderation, but showed every post waiting for approval, including the majority of submissions that are spam (FYI, the percentage of spam is far worse on these old forums than the new ones). Posts awaiting approval are now hidden from public view, but are currently not listed in one central spot for moderators to view, at least that I am aware of. So each and every topic has to be manually opened to look for hidden replies, which are then opened, reviewed and/or approved. Perhaps the other moderators were aware of this, but it is something I just found out today. So there are probably a large number of replies to topics on the new forums that are still waiting for review.
In regards to the perception that we are heavy handed in our moderation efforts, please keep the following in mind: 1) this is a G rated site, so posts with any foul, inappropriate, or suggestive language will get edited or deleted. (I personally include the slang word scab in that category so just use "non-unionized temporary replacement workers" or something similar if you want to discuss them.) And as a volunteer, it is honestly tempting to just hit delete than to take the time to try and edit inappropriate language out. 2) As a moderated site with gets reviewed only a few times each day by volunteer moderators, we often get multiple replies saying the same thing. So often a reply will get deleted if it is similar to or identical to something already posted and also in the moderation queue. 3) there are a lot of personal attacks and passive aggressive responses that are not appropriate for a young audience to view. 4) There have been a lot of posts that wander way off topic. While trying not to stifle input, it is something that is annoying and that we try to reign in. 5) Some topics are like politics and religion and no matter what you do, it's going to start an argument. I personally cringe every time I see a new post about the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, about poor paint jobs, or about foreign built Canadian ships. All of these have been argued to death over the years on these forums, Yet whenever they re-appear they elicit strong reactions. I cringe, but I approve them (provided they are civil) knowing the next few days will need closer moderation. A good argument is one thing, but attacking or belittling others is something else. And finally 6) At least with this old forum's software, approval and deletion are just one click away. So sometimes we just hit the wrong button, with no way to undo that action.
Please don't take any deletion or editing personally. We do what we can to keep this a G rated site appropriate for everyone, while still trying to avoid spending so much time on this site that the balance of the rest of our lives is impacted.
Please bear with us as the new site undergoes further development. It is turning out to be difficult for the developers to fine tune the new forums in the Word Press format. When initially rolled out, the new forums required a password, which was deemed by many to be undesirable. So it was switched to require moderation, but showed every post waiting for approval, including the majority of submissions that are spam (FYI, the percentage of spam is far worse on these old forums than the new ones). Posts awaiting approval are now hidden from public view, but are currently not listed in one central spot for moderators to view, at least that I am aware of. So each and every topic has to be manually opened to look for hidden replies, which are then opened, reviewed and/or approved. Perhaps the other moderators were aware of this, but it is something I just found out today. So there are probably a large number of replies to topics on the new forums that are still waiting for review.
In regards to the perception that we are heavy handed in our moderation efforts, please keep the following in mind: 1) this is a G rated site, so posts with any foul, inappropriate, or suggestive language will get edited or deleted. (I personally include the slang word scab in that category so just use "non-unionized temporary replacement workers" or something similar if you want to discuss them.) And as a volunteer, it is honestly tempting to just hit delete than to take the time to try and edit inappropriate language out. 2) As a moderated site with gets reviewed only a few times each day by volunteer moderators, we often get multiple replies saying the same thing. So often a reply will get deleted if it is similar to or identical to something already posted and also in the moderation queue. 3) there are a lot of personal attacks and passive aggressive responses that are not appropriate for a young audience to view. 4) There have been a lot of posts that wander way off topic. While trying not to stifle input, it is something that is annoying and that we try to reign in. 5) Some topics are like politics and religion and no matter what you do, it's going to start an argument. I personally cringe every time I see a new post about the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, about poor paint jobs, or about foreign built Canadian ships. All of these have been argued to death over the years on these forums, Yet whenever they re-appear they elicit strong reactions. I cringe, but I approve them (provided they are civil) knowing the next few days will need closer moderation. A good argument is one thing, but attacking or belittling others is something else. And finally 6) At least with this old forum's software, approval and deletion are just one click away. So sometimes we just hit the wrong button, with no way to undo that action.
Please don't take any deletion or editing personally. We do what we can to keep this a G rated site appropriate for everyone, while still trying to avoid spending so much time on this site that the balance of the rest of our lives is impacted.