Questions:

Can a moderator both hold power yet chat as if they had neither power, persuasion or responsibility?

Could a simple member chat and hold the power to stop or alter a thread?

Can a moderator moderate if they are involved in a thread, argument or position?

Can we as members step outside ourselves and assume the role of moderator whenever we wanted?



Can a moderator actually be an average member or will they always be partisan?

All very good questions cRunchy. Typically, the moderators are not supposed to get involved in any flame wars, arguing, or the such, as they are supposed to be role models and represent SETI, since it was their admin who put them in the place of moderator. Some of the mods here do try to just be your "average member", I'll leave it at that.

As for the rest of your questions, out of my league. Will be interesting to read though when more respond. :-)

Jeremy

Questions:

Can a moderator both hold power yet chat as if they had neither power, persuasion or responsibility?

Could a simple member chat and hold the power to stop or alter a thread?

Can a moderator moderate if they are involved in a thread, argument or position?

Can we as members step outside ourselves and assume the role of moderator whenever we wanted?

Can a moderator actually be an average member or will they always be partisan?

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Its possible but not easy.

I allways try.

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With each crime and every kindness we birth our future.

SNip...
Moderator or Member. Can We Be Both?
Snip...

Do you have a suggestion? Project developers as the only moderators didn't work. They have more important things to do and not enough time to babysit.

Berkeley certainly can't afford to put someone on a salary just to moderate a forum.

For a person to moderate effectively, they have to be a regular member. Someone that knows everyone and knows what's going on around here.

I asked a question. Simple.

No one ever had to babysit because you and I were not babies when we joined SETI!

Berkeley uses volunteers.. like 70% of all other social institutions around the world.

It has always been far easier to raise funds to train and support volunteering than most people think...

Berkeley I am sure on the support level can offer both accredited training, a media for volunteers to communicate as well as a clear chain of support without too much extra cost...

"Volunteer" does not mean low quality.. "Unpaid" does not mean lacking in skills..

The moderators here over the years have proven they can stand with and even surpass the best paid.

I simply asked some questions about what we expect from those who have a position of control, influence or power here on the SETI boards.

I just asked if we can be both 'Moderator and Member' at the same time.. Is it asking too much of them?? Is it fair?? What do they get for their efforts??

It is a valid question I think simply because if we approach the quest correctly both sides can win...

You tell me... Can a mod be both a member and a moderator at the same time without conflict or being partizan???

The best Moderators are the ones who post.

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Join Calm Chaos

The best Moderators are the ones who post.

Absolutely but the quality of the mod' depends upon what they post...

I hope!

The best Moderators are the ones who post.

Absolutely but the quality of the mod' depends upon what they post...

I hope!

Same as for all others.

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With each crime and every kindness we birth our future.

The best Moderators are the ones who post.

Absolutely but the quality of the mod' depends upon what they post...

I hope!

Same as for all others.

Mike as a mod how the hell do you seperate yourself from the general throng (folk) when we are chating about things you do not like?

In other words how do you do your chosen job without getting too involved?

(Yes I am being very pointed :()


And for my last question - What benefits do the SETI (Cafe) moderators get? <If any? Training? Support? Phone bills paid?...>???

(Yes I am being very pointed - again - and no I am not embarrassed to talk about pennies :()

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Maybe it is because we are involved.
Its only my point of view.

We only should be tollerant.

We are members also and following the rules.

Some can do so others not.

That simple.

You are saying your point and for i do mine.

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With each crime and every kindness we birth our future.

For a person to moderate effectively, they have to be a regular member. Someone that knows everyone and knows what's going on around here.

I don't agree with that at all. Appointment of a moderator should be on the basis that they spend *some* **voluntary** time here depending on what they are able to contribute. They don't need to know everybody, in the same way that a policeman does not need to know everyone on his patch to enforce law and order.

Appointment of a moderator should also be based on the ability to do the job, to enforce the rules here, not on the basis of going easy on friends and hard on someone they don't like or doesn't belong to their team. In fact any moderator making moderation decisions based on their personal preferences, or based on which side they got out of bed that morning, is patently not suitable to moderate. Any such person should be withdrawn by the administrators since theirs is the responsibility of bad moderation and its unchecked continuation.

Most importantly, moderators should also have a signature.

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flaming balloons

After a 1.5 yr. absence, I see Crunchy has picked up on what the issue is incredibly well. He doesn't need to look back at threads from six months ago. If anything, many of you should look at the the stuff that went on over Thursday night/Friday morning between Misfit, F/H and D/B in the original Cunning Plan thread. Who's the bully? Who's the flamer? Are they equally responsible or not? Whomever it is (or they are), we want the crap to end. The overwhelming majority on this board have expressed a desire for peace. The true bully (bullies) and flamers need to get revealed. They need to be dealt with in an appropriate way. And if he or she or they are in moderator positions, they must be removed. None of this was germane approximately six months ago, because we had a different set of moderators or had an occasional "hidden" one.
There it is, folks, plain and simple.

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Capitalize on this good fortune, one word can bring you round ... changes.

Maybe it is because we are involved.
Its only my point of view.

We only should be tollerant.

We are members also and following the rules.

Some can do so others not.

That simple.

You are saying your point and for i do mine.

Maybe you are being modest but I suspect you actually do far more than that as a moderator.

I suspect the job means you moderate... which means you either guide away from the extreems or sometimes curtail peoples activity when they go over the edge..

Where the edge exists or what it is is up to Berkeley and the SETI project in the end but in the very first instance it is up to the community and the mod's who walk the front line!.. In reality only the mod's can take a position of power or control over the boards facilities and what members are allowed to do or not...

We are members also and following the rules.

You either mean as a non-mod you follow the rules or as a mod you have rules also..

Maybe it would be good if we had the chance to see the moderator's set of rules!! (Maybe other's would be encouraged to be mod's??)





Cheers Mike for puting up with my crude questions..

Maybe now everyone can get an inkling why Knightmare, Mikey, Es99, and myself resigned.

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Account frozen...

I already made my points about why the e-mailing concerns is not an acceptable solution. I'm not going to re-tread that, for the sake of keeping a little of the peace that so many have asked for. Therefore, I leave it you, moderators, to search your memories or do your homework on what I have already raised.

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Capitalize on this good fortune, one word can bring you round ... changes.

Crunchy has a legit question, that can be explored in a mature way.

If you look closely, I think the mods can learn something with this thread...

However, with that said, please don't let this thread turn into a flame thread where folks start taking pot shots at each other and start going back and forth at each other.

I see no rules broken here, as there has been no specific complaint about moderation.

MY RESPONSE to the questions:

Yes. All it takes is to be a decent person, mature, not self-centered or otherwise. I shouldn't have to explain really...it is common sense.

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Crunchy has a legit question, that can be explored in a mature way.

If you look closely, I think the mods can learn something with this thread...

However, with that said, please don't let this thread turn into a flame thread where folks start taking pot shots at each other and start going back and forth at each other.

I see no rules broken here, as there has been no specific complaint about moderation.

MY RESPONSE to the questions:

Yes. All it takes is to be a decent person, mature, not self-centered or otherwise. I shouldn't have to explain really...it is common sense.

I concur Michael...you've seen the inside.

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Account frozen...

Control freaks make very bad modreators.

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Questions:
SNIP... RE: Moderator or Member. Can We Be Both?... SNIP

You missed a lot of the discussions about this a half year ago, right? A good idea is to look up the threads from back then.

EDIT: And a good idea also when you arrive to a forum is to read the sticky threads. Instructions about moderation on this board can be read there. Thank you.

No Fuzzy. I just wanted to be on this board now. Forgive me for being me but it is not comfortable when all I see is the same stuff that was happening so long ago..

I don't like it when moderators join in as if they were no different to me.

A moderator should "moderate" not try and pretend they have no power or try and teach.

I absolutely find it very bad faith' that any moderator gets involved in a thread as a member-ish and then pulls rank (takes control).. It is very sad indeed.

I don't think looking back 3 months or 30 years will really help as obviously any community moves on and any changing society likes to feel the push of it's boundaries here and now..

I would have thought those that moderate would understand this..

And I won't read notes about the moderation on these boards because that is you moderators job and after a third of a darn century (I know I look so young) using networked computing and quarter of a century working in the arse end of my city I neither need to know what moderation means nor do I need someone else to tell me when something is wrong..

I made this thread and I think "Moderator or Member. Can We Be Both?" is still a valid question for both mod's and the forum folk..

You asked me to look back half a year.. I'll ask you to look back half a night: Can we be both Moderator & Member?

That is the most current question in this thread just but 1 day old..

Fuzzy and ALL other mod's . I want you to moderate.. I just don't want you to forget you are a moderator...

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Can I ask all my fellow team members (TFFE) to vacate this thread.. I do so value your kinship but I chose my path regardless of the team..



Let me stand or fall... and if I fall I hope you will be back home at the TFFE base to do what you always do.. be family... of course..

Now Scoot..

> Off TopiC <

well i bE darnEd - can't gEt thE *grEEn* star ta appEar . . . whaT a buMMEroooo!!!

< back 2 ya's >

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