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General Discussion => Moderation Discussion => Topic started by: Lyn Farel on 13 Feb 2013, 14:33

Title: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Lyn Farel on 13 Feb 2013, 14:33
Here (http://backstage.eve-inspiracy.com/index.php?topic=4121.0) we go again.

What the hell ? How is that saying you are doing it wrong ? Can't you understand that as a personnal feedback from someone seeing a culture he knows well being emulated by strangers ?

I have said the exact same thing here and there when it comes to Eve RPers trying to emulate french based RP for gallente stuff. It makes me often smile since it is clumsy from times to times. There is a gap before telling them they are doing it wrong...

Also, 'with amusement' does not equal to 'with condescension'.

I think you are reading imaginary things in what people actually post.
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Laerise [PIE] on 13 Feb 2013, 14:38
Do you see a pattern?

I see a pattern.  ;)
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Jekaterine on 13 Feb 2013, 15:13
I did not mod this but let me again point to the  The FAQ (http://backstage.eve-inspiracy.com/index.php?topic=16.0).
I see this as rather condescending and "Urdoinitrong" myself.
Either way it's not really positive nor a post that would be a continuation or a starting point for fruitful discussion. It's barely on topic when it comes to a topic on a language.

On top of this I don't think that the defense of "A is X therefore A is an authority on X and should be able to pass judgement on it when it's done by Y. A should also be deferred to in all matters X" holds any water.
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Lyn Farel on 13 Feb 2013, 15:39
Well, allow me to disagree.

Aside from the fact that you might find it condescending or "Urdoingitrong", it can actually contribute to the discussion. To me it warns people on the actual dangers of copying too much of a RL influence for RP purposes. Especially when you are not an authority on the matter, since it can make it a little amusing/ludicrous.

That is exactly why I am in the same kind of situation when I see lolfrench gallente. I have nothing against it, mind, you, and as I said above it mostly makes me smile from times to times, and as long as it contributes to enrich RP, I am all for it. But in any case I respectfully disagree on the fact that it can not be a starting point for a fruitful discussion.

Also, being in the same case than him, I can not help but feel directly targeted by that kind of discriminating moderation when mods start to consider that your feedback from your own experience, and not authority on the matter, starts to be considered as condescending or whatever else.  :eek:
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Pieter Tuulinen on 13 Feb 2013, 16:53
Napaani isn't asian. Most of it is sourced from Finnish, if anything.

And if you didn't read Davlos' post as condescending then maybe I need to borrow your eyes, because it came off as smug and patronising to me. Like  me saying that, as an Englishman, when I see someone who isn't an Englishman using English I see it as a bunch of foreigners trying to be English and not quite succeding at it.
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Desiderya on 13 Feb 2013, 17:05
Mh,
I think we need to analyze that a bit. The underlying point he's trying to make is not invalid. In a discussion about 'caldari culture is played as fake japanese.' the statement would be on topic, valid and maybe even okay from the wording - although it still has that urdoingitwrong vibe.

The thread where it was posted concerned the language and was revived to discuss a question on the language, which is very much within the scope of the thread. The statement in there was neither on topic nor phrased neutral nor constructive. That aside, personally I fail to see how using some bits and bobs of a language ( especially since it is essentially a mixup of finnish and japanese or asian elements ) counts as "trying to play asians" and, furthermore, "failing at it.".
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: BloodBird on 13 Feb 2013, 19:02
Isis ' post was modded because said player felt the need to work in a generalized insult towards a lot of people in it. Was it subtle? Yeah, but it was there.

Davlos was also modded because he essentially said that anyone not asian making up an even remotely asian-sounding name amuses him because of their apparent weeaboo status, "trying to be asian but failing at it."

It may have been a simple and innocent opinion regarding the work of others, but it was also essentially "Your doing it wrong" by different wording, and the forum rules here frown on that, hence, the modding.


Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: orange on 13 Feb 2013, 19:23
Ok, question for the mods.

I start a thread that essentially posses the question:

Quote
I think am doing this wrong, can someone with background/expertise in the area help me improve?

And a person who claiming to have expertise in the area says:

Quote
You are doing it wrong, based on my background/expertise. I think it would be more appropriate for the you to follow this path vs that path, etc.

Is the crucial part of the respondents post then that they provided feedback beyond "urdoinitwrong!" and provided a more constructive response?  Or is the entirely on-topic, useful post breaking the rules of the board?
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Ciarente on 13 Feb 2013, 20:27
Ok, question for the mods.

I start a thread that essentially posses the question:

Quote
I think am doing this wrong, can someone with background/expertise in the area help me improve?

And a person who claiming to have expertise in the area says:

Quote
You are doing it wrong, based on my background/expertise. I think it would be more appropriate for the you to follow this path vs that path, etc.

Is the crucial part of the respondents post then that they provided feedback beyond "urdoinitwrong!" and provided a more constructive response?  Or is the entirely on-topic, useful post breaking the rules of the board?

It's not possible, and I won't attempt, to provide predictions of future moderation of any and all posts in a hypothetical thread.  In general, posts which respect other players, do not abuse or insult them, and engage constructively in the debate would not be modded, especially if solicited.

In this hypothetical 'am I doing it wrong' thread, the example you give would be unlikely to be moderated. However, a response such as "Yes, you're failing hard." would attract the moderator's attention, as would something like "You're doing it wrong, but so are all Caldari RPers."

If, hypothetically, your question was, say, about RPing a female character ("Is my female alt X realistic? Or am I playing her wrong") and I felt that she was not, in fact, a realistic character, I could choose between responding "In my experience, women who head large corporations tend to be more assertive and self-confident than your alt X seems to be on the occasions I've interacted with her.  You might want to watch some clips of IRL women in positions of power being interviewed or giving speeches or before Parliamentary or congressional committees" or I could respond "As a woman, I tend to look at men RPing women with amusement, because I see it as boys trying to be girls and not quite succeeding at it".

I guarantee you, the second response would get the modhammer.

I hope this helps clarify the difference between un-modworthy, respectful discussion and modworthy, insulting, 'urdoingitwrong'.
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: orange on 13 Feb 2013, 21:06
The reason I asked the question is that part of having a discussion on RP is that we want feedback.  We want to hear the views of others, which in order to be useful needs to contain criticism.  Criticism can be interpreted as "urdoingitwrong."

I think it is clear that constructive criticism is encouraged, which Davlos's post was not.
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Ciarente on 13 Feb 2013, 21:44
Let me add that an insulting post does not become exempt from mod action because part of the post is constructive. Our usual action in such cases is to suggest the poster reposts without the offending content.
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: lallara zhuul on 14 Feb 2013, 02:16
There is the fine line of turning this into a forum-fu thing as well.

If you learn how to play the rules, by being clever enough you can go insulting people left and right without mod intervention.

I'd rather do it without being clever and being modded than turning this into a place where you have to spend two hours formulating a post that would not get modded that would have the exact same content and purpose as one that does.

Earlier in these forums some things did not get modded if you emphasized the fact that you were expressing your personal opinion, now if your personal opinion is not constructive or going with the 'let all flowers bloom' mindset of the current RP community you will get modded.

Which in itself has been a choice by the moderators to shape the mindset of the RP community.

Which kind of shows the power that the moderation of this forum has on this part of the RP community that think of this place as an authority on Things.
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Ciarente on 14 Feb 2013, 02:33
I encourage those confused about the difference between expressing one's personal opinion and insulting other players re-read the FAQ, which has not changed since the forum's inception, most particularly these parts:

Quote from: http://backstage.eve-inspiracy.com/index.php?topic=16.0
 
This forum is an OOC place for EVE roleplayers to discuss the game and roleplaying. It is a place to exchange ideas and share information. It is a place for positive, polite debate. It is a place for discussion, not arguments.

It is a place for civil and courteous conversation. It is not a place for flamewars, bullying, point-scoring or other asshattery. (The Mods reserve the right to define 'asshattery' as behaviour not in line with the forum's purpose). It is not a place for people to show how 'wrong' others are.

Quote from: http://backstage.eve-inspiracy.com/index.php?topic=16.0
 
FAQ:
Q: What's the difference between debate and argument?
A: Debate or discussion involves people putting forward their ideas and opinions. Argument is when people start fighting over whose ideas or opinions are 'right'. For example, if you find yourself responding to a post with anything along the lines of 'You're wrong, because...', stop and think. Don't sit there working out what's wrong with someone else's idea. Propose your own, and tell us all the ways in which it's awesome. Everybody wins a discussion: nobody wins an argument.

Quote from: http://backstage.eve-inspiracy.com/index.php?topic=16.0
 

Q: So you want us to act all lovey-dovey?
A: Yes. Deal with it.

Q: Doesn't being polite to people I disagree with make me a hypocrite?
A: No. It makes you a grown-up.

Quote from: http://backstage.eve-inspiracy.com/index.php?topic=16.0
 

Q: What about free and frank debate?
A: Strange as it may seem, given some of the forums on the internet, but it is possible to have an honest exchange of views without being rude, hostile, offensive, aggressive or bullying. That kind of behaviour destroys communities, virtual and otherwise, and Will Not Be Tolerated.

Q: But I totally know more about EVE and RP than that idiot who just posted!
A: Good for you. Now demonstrate that you also know more about being a grown-up. Your personal experience in EVE and outside it can inform your opinion and provide you with examples for your position, but it doesn't magically make your opinion worth more than someone else's. There are veteran EVE players, life-long table-top gamers, expert LARPers, published authors and many others in the EVE RP community. We all bring something different to the table: so share what you bring rather than trying to use it to knock everyone else's plate to the floor.

Q: How can I tell if my post is out of line or not?
A: It's a safe bet that if you finish typing and think to yourself: "Hah! I showed HIM!" you should probably not post. Other danger signs: personal attacks on the player, including the player's style of RP (i.e. "of course you think that, you RP an Amarr"), insinuations that anyone who disagrees with you is a moron.

Q: So I can't disagree with anyone's RP?
A: Sure you can disagree. Just do it politely, I'll even venture to say nicely, and remember that they have as much right to their opinion as you have to yours. For example: Player A writes: "I see the Intaki as space hippies." Player B answers: "Of course they aren't space hippies, there are no hippies in Eve." That would be the WRONG way to answer. The RIGHT way would be something like "Really? I see the Intaki as more techno-buddhists. That's how I play my character, but hey, it's a big Cluster, right?"
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: lallara zhuul on 14 Feb 2013, 02:54
I guess people should use more smiley faces.

They defuse any derogatory comment on the internet, right? :D

EDIT: Actually the last bit of the last quote of the rules would get the one posting and the one responding to the 'hippies' post both modded in these forums.

'Hippie' is a derogatory term that can be used to negatively paint a lot of people, including those that do not play EVE or use these forums, basically anybody who does not prescribe to the 'HTFU' mentality of mainstream EVE.

Also responding to a post that can be found offensive would automatically get modded.
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Ciarente on 14 Feb 2013, 02:57
I would advise posters seeking to avoid moderation to rely on manners rather than smiley faces.
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: lallara zhuul on 14 Feb 2013, 03:02
To me, it seems that there is a moderator approved way of telling people that they are wrong.

You just have to be polite about it.

Which to me, seems like all you have to do is learn the forum-fu of spitting snakes while being polite to be a total asshat on these forums without getting modded.
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Lyn Farel on 14 Feb 2013, 07:12
I know these cases are borderline though.

Sometimes I wonder if that part of the forum is not more of just a way to ask why people get moderated and get an answer than a way to contest in a constructive and contributive fashion a moderation decision that you disagree with (in the hope to learn from it for the future, whatever the final decision is). That way, it sometimes just looks like a way for the moderation to legitimize themselves more than an actual way to have a constructive discussion.

I was the first one to ask for a stricter moderation again and again, but that is not that kind of things that I had in mind.

I am not really sure why I was mostly fine with the moderation before and why it has started to change over time. We start to see people being moderated more on a "this is offensive" basis than more objective judgement based on more universal values. Cf Pieter answer to me asking if I could lend him my own eyes since he obviously sees something offensive where I can't. So it becomes more a matter of "hoping that the mods will find it offensive too" than anything else to me. Then you just cross your fingers hoping for your report to get taken in account by a mod sharing the same feelings.

I would really like to see a stricter moderation on the obvious cases of breaking the rules where people get too much leeway, and less witch hunt based on highly subjective feelings such as hidden offensive messages often coming from the inability of the medium to carry tone, voice, and expressions (so people naturally replace them by their own imagination and percieve things differently depending on the individual).

I would also really like to see a less aggressive moderation when they are criticized or when they have to explain themselves. The smallest criticism we do almost always causes drama and outrage from the mod team itself. Reading Morwen inflammatory posts telling people to go do what you know if they are not happy, comforts me in saying that the mod team systematically feels aggressed or persecuted (and sometimes they probably are).

Eventually people on both sides seem to take it more personnally than it should.


That aside, personally I fail to see how using some bits and bobs of a language ( especially since it is essentially a mixup of finnish and japanese or asian elements ) counts as "trying to play asians" and, furthermore, "failing at it.".

That's another matter.
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Ciarente on 14 Feb 2013, 07:26
I know these cases are borderline though.

....  We start to see people being moderated more on a "this is offensive" basis than more objective judgement based on more universal values.




Quote from: http://backstage.eve-inspiracy.com/index.php?topic=16.0
Q: Isn't all this subjective?
A: Yes. The Mods do their best to be fair, but inevitably, this is a subjective standard. Another thing for you to Deal With.
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Lyn Farel on 14 Feb 2013, 07:32
Obviously you didn't get my point.

Which is as much as anything will eventually be subjectively judged, some are always going to be extremely subjective compared to others, and thus, providing to be a can of worms.
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Ciarente on 14 Feb 2013, 07:42
No, I don't get your point. Is it that all judgments are inevitably subjective, and, as clearly stated in the FAQ written when this forum was set up, this includes moderation decisions on this forum?  I'm afraid I don't understand your distinction between 'subjective' and 'extremely subjective', perhaps you could clarify?  Also, what does 'objective judgment based on more universal values' mean in the contexts of decisions which, by their nature, are subjective? And could you define 'universal values' in this context?
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Morwen Lagann on 14 Feb 2013, 09:20
Sometimes I wonder if that part of the forum is not more of just a way to ask why people get moderated and get an answer than a way to contest in a constructive and contributive fashion a moderation decision that you disagree with (in the hope to learn from it for the future, whatever the final decision is). That way, it sometimes just looks like a way for the moderation to legitimize themselves more than an actual way to have a constructive discussion.

When people try to accuse us of having certain motivations behind our moderation decisions, you're not stepping up to the plate in good faith, and you're forcing us into a catch-22. Either we ignore the bait and get yelled at for not answering, or we explain that no, in fact, we didn't just mod someone because they're a goon, we modded them because they broke a rule (if you want to get technical, using Katrina's provided definition of scrublord, we actually modded a goon for bashing goons among others), and get yelled at because you don't like our answer.

When a constructive response is given to a question in this forum, the response is almost NEVER "oh, okay, I won't do that again, thanks". It's almost always "RAWR RAWR RAWR HISS SPIT RAGE MODS SUCK". If you think we're going to tolerate that in response to every single moderation action taken, you are sorely mistaken.

The smallest criticism we do almost always causes drama and outrage from the mod team itself.

This works exactly the same in the opposite direction: The smallest amount of moderation, however valid and in line with the policies stated in the FAQ and Rules, always results in drama and outrage from a certain subset of posters. Funny enough, it also works that way ingame; apparently threatening to ban - or actually banning - someone who's effectively dodging a ban is bad moderation, who knew? :roll:

For the record: dodging a ban or mute by using an alt is an instant permaban from both channels, according to Graelyn. I suggest not testing the ingame mods on that.

Likewise, in case it needs to be made clear: multiple accounts on Backstage will not allow you to avoid moderation by posting with another account. While we understand people might want to have a couple different posting identities for various reasons, which is perfectly acceptable, when it comes to moderation, we're going to ignore your account names and go by the user behind those accounts.

That aside, personally I fail to see how using some bits and bobs of a language ( especially since it is essentially a mixup of finnish and japanese or asian elements ) counts as "trying to play asians" and, furthermore, "failing at it.".

That's another matter.

No, it's not. It's exactly why his post was moderated, as Desi and orange have both noted. I understand and sympathize with Dav's sentiment, but it is still not an appropriate way to express that sentiment, and it was moderated as a result.

Furthermore, your insinuations that reports don't make it to the moderation team are utterly ridiculous. There are only two reasons your report wouldn't make it to us: You didn't hit the submit button, or you didn't report the post at all.

I will repeat: just because reporting a post does not result in moderator action being taken does not mean that the report didn't make it to us, or that we ignored the report. The report made it to our forum, and we saw it, and subsequently decided not to take action.

We are not going to act on every report.

We do perform some level of report triage, and decide which ones need to wait for more input (which can consist of additional reports, input from moderators or both), and which ones can or need to be dealt with immediately. In some cases, if we're getting a bunch of reports for different posts in one thread, we may wait for a while to deal with them all at once.

People who demonstrate a history and habit of rule-breaking that merits moderation get more attention than others. They may get moderated for smaller infractions compared to others because they have already had it made clear to them multiple times where the line is.

People who are given a formal warning, and told to review the rules and FAQ, who then almost immediately go and post something else that merits moderation, are more likely to get moderated for smaller infractions than others because they were just warned, and clearly did not follow the instructions given to them in their warning. (If you're warned, you are not only told to re-read the rules and FAQ, you are also clearly instructed to contact a moderator if you have questions, and not necessarily the one that sent the warning. Warnings are never sent without checking with other moderators first. If you get warned, every moderator will know about it.)

In short, the number and severity of infractions determine how long your rope will be. YDIW is low on the 'severity' scale, but doing it repeatedly will put you in the mods' crosshairs. Reposting after a post was moderated, without changing what got it moderated in the first place, or posting links to porn, or things of that nature, will put you in the mods' crosshairs on the very first incident, and will typically result in a warning straight away.

And yes, moderation is subjective. We're not going to agree with you on everything you report. We're not going to agree with you on everything you don't report, either. Doesn't mean you're doing it wrong: it means we disagree. Nothing more, nothing less. (If you're using the report tool wrong, and it's bothering us, you will find out because we will tell you, or make a post reminding people to use it properly.)

Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Lyn Farel on 14 Feb 2013, 13:43
No, I don't get your point. Is it that all judgments are inevitably subjective, and, as clearly stated in the FAQ written when this forum was set up, this includes moderation decisions on this forum?  I'm afraid I don't understand your distinction between 'subjective' and 'extremely subjective', perhaps you could clarify?  Also, what does 'objective judgment based on more universal values' mean in the contexts of decisions which, by their nature, are subjective? And could you define 'universal values' in this context?

I think I should rephrase it with an example.

1) Someone writes "You are doing it wrong but that's not surprising coming from someone like you". Nobody is ever going to contest the moderation here. The mod will be subjective since we all are subjective. This is maybe why people like Ghost will do it with images when others will do it with a formal warning, or whatever.

2) Someone writes something like Davlos here, which can be interpretated in a fuckload of different ways. Some are negative, others are totally harmless. Some people will subjectively see it as negative while others will not, and that becomes extremely subjective when the latter actually think there is an injustice.

Of course though, case 2) can be rephrased by the OP to prevent that, but what we basically are asking is that people, who are in the second category and will not see anything harmful in their post, to actually be aware of it nevertheless, unless they want to get catacombed.

Well then, it makes me nervous thinking that any of my posts could be subject to the same random pattern that I can't even always discern - due to that high degree of subjectivity. It makes the atmosphere oppressive.

What I call "more universal" is something that very few people will actually contest. If a mod has a problem with something highly subjective, I would suggest to first contact the user to sort things out before, or discuss it between the mod team (though that last solution does not always seem to be enough apparently).
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Lyn Farel on 14 Feb 2013, 14:09
Sometimes I wonder if that part of the forum is not more of just a way to ask why people get moderated and get an answer than a way to contest in a constructive and contributive fashion a moderation decision that you disagree with (in the hope to learn from it for the future, whatever the final decision is). That way, it sometimes just looks like a way for the moderation to legitimize themselves more than an actual way to have a constructive discussion.

When people try to accuse us of having certain motivations behind our moderation decisions, you're not stepping up to the plate in good faith, and you're forcing us into a catch-22. Either we ignore the bait and get yelled at for not answering, or we explain that no, in fact, we didn't just mod someone because they're a goon, we modded them because they broke a rule (if you want to get technical, using Katrina's provided definition of scrublord, we actually modded a goon for bashing goons among others), and get yelled at because you don't like our answer.

When a constructive response is given to a question in this forum, the response is almost NEVER "oh, okay, I won't do that again, thanks". It's almost always "RAWR RAWR RAWR HISS SPIT RAGE MODS SUCK". If you think we're going to tolerate that in response to every single moderation action taken, you are sorely mistaken.

I think you may be talking to the wrong person here.

I do not think I ever accused someone of the mod team to have an agenda behind. There is a lot of users that are regularily moderated complaining about mod bias and so on, but I am not sure what I did to be put in the same basket. And if you refer to my "it almost looks like it is a way to legitimize themselves", you will note the "it is almost like". What something might look like is not necessarily by definition.

The issue I have Morwen, is that half of the time I make criticism, the answer you give me is about someone else.

The smallest criticism we do almost always causes drama and outrage from the mod team itself.

This works exactly the same in the opposite direction: The smallest amount of moderation, however valid and in line with the policies stated in the FAQ and Rules, always results in drama and outrage from a certain subset of posters. Funny enough, it also works that way ingame; apparently threatening to ban - or actually banning - someone who's effectively dodging a ban is bad moderation, who knew? :roll:

For the record: dodging a ban or mute by using an alt is an instant permaban from both channels, according to Graelyn. I suggest not testing the ingame mods on that.

Likewise, in case it needs to be made clear: multiple accounts on Backstage will not allow you to avoid moderation by posting with another account. While we understand people might want to have a couple different posting identities for various reasons, which is perfectly acceptable, when it comes to moderation, we're going to ignore your account names and go by the user behind those accounts.

Same here ? Why are you bringing up what happens ingame on the Summit or OOC ? Why are you telling me all this about people creating alts to bypass bans or whatever ? I do not feel especially concerned...

Are you actually answering to me ? I am a little confused. :/


No, it's not. It's exactly why his post was moderated, as Desi and orange have both noted.

I understand and sympathize with Dav's sentiment, but it is still not an appropriate way to express that sentiment, and it was moderated as a result.

Ah so now there was something to be noted ? The people who didnt notice that subjective bit are utter idiots or something for missing it ?

That's what I find annoying. You state it like if it was a fact.

It is not to me, period.


Furthermore, your insinuations that reports don't make it to the moderation team are utterly ridiculous. There are only two reasons your report wouldn't make it to us: You didn't hit the submit button, or you didn't report the post at all.

I will repeat: just because reporting a post does not result in moderator action being taken does not mean that the report didn't make it to us, or that we ignored the report. The report made it to our forum, and we saw it, and subsequently decided not to take action.

We are not going to act on every report.

That post has been reported by myself at least once after Silver and I talked about it. I was not sure to have reported you the first time, but you can be sure that I did the second time. Your post has yet to go in the catacombs, and that's my main issue atm which made me lose a good chunk of faith in the mod team in the process.

Not that you care anyway, but I am not going to let it go until something is done about it since apparently other people like Jekat acknowledged it too just here (or the other post about Isis).

I am not putting in question the fact that some reports are not going to be followed. That's quite obvious, no ?
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Morwen Lagann on 14 Feb 2013, 15:03
I think you may be talking to the wrong person here.

I do not think I ever accused someone of the mod team to have an agenda behind. There is a lot of users that are regularily moderated complaining about mod bias and so on, but I am not sure what I did to be put in the same basket. And if you refer to my "it almost looks like it is a way to legitimize themselves", you will note the "it is almost like". What something might look like is not necessarily by definition.

The issue I have Morwen, is that half of the time I make criticism, the answer you give me is about someone else.

Just because the post is written in response to yours does not mean that the points address you specifically. In this case, the 'you' is directed at posters in general, and Vikarion is the un-named specific example. You still brought up the point that was being addressed by the example.

Same here ? Why are you bringing up what happens ingame on the Summit or OOC ? Why are you telling me all this about people creating alts to bypass bans or whatever ? I do not feel especially concerned...

Are you actually answering to me ? I am a little confused. :/

Because it is provided as an example in response to your statement. It is an issue that has cropped up in the past multiple times.

Ah so now there was something to be noted ? The people who didnt notice that subjective bit are utter idiots or something for missing it ?

That's what I find annoying. You state it like if it was a fact.

It is not to me, period.

I didn't say you had to notice it in Dav's post. I was pointing out that Desi and orange had explicitly stated the same logic the moderation team applied in this case and was drawing attention to that fact.

That post has been reported by myself at least once after Silver and I talked about it. I was not sure to have reported you the first time, but you can be sure that I did the second time. Your post has yet to go in the catacombs, and that's my main issue atm which made me lose a good chunk of faith in the mod team in the process.

Not that you care anyway, but I am not going to let it go until something is done about it since apparently other people like Jekat acknowledged it too just here (or the other post about Isis).

I am not putting in question the fact that some reports are not going to be followed. That's quite obvious, no ?

This was the only section where I was specifically talking to and about you.

Worth noting here, a key word: After you talked about it. At which point you had responded to the post already. Which made your report invalid. Or would have, if not for the fact that you never reported a single post in that entire thread. At all. (In fact, there's only one reported post attributed to that thread in the mod forums, and it was someone reporting themselves to get an accidental double-post removed.)

And yes, I did go back just now and double-check, just as Silver did back then (http://backstage.eve-inspiracy.com/index.php?topic=3910.msg64387#msg64387).
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Lyn Farel on 14 Feb 2013, 15:47
I think you may be talking to the wrong person here.

I do not think I ever accused someone of the mod team to have an agenda behind. There is a lot of users that are regularily moderated complaining about mod bias and so on, but I am not sure what I did to be put in the same basket. And if you refer to my "it almost looks like it is a way to legitimize themselves", you will note the "it is almost like". What something might look like is not necessarily by definition.

The issue I have Morwen, is that half of the time I make criticism, the answer you give me is about someone else.

Just because the post is written in response to yours does not mean that the points address you specifically. In this case, the 'you' is directed at posters in general, and Vikarion is the un-named specific example. You still brought up the point that was being addressed by the example.

Same here ? Why are you bringing up what happens ingame on the Summit or OOC ? Why are you telling me all this about people creating alts to bypass bans or whatever ? I do not feel especially concerned...

Are you actually answering to me ? I am a little confused. :/

Because it is provided as an example in response to your statement. It is an issue that has cropped up in the past multiple times.

Then could you please no quote me like that when adressing the masses ?

It is highly confusing.

Ah so now there was something to be noted ? The people who didnt notice that subjective bit are utter idiots or something for missing it ?

That's what I find annoying. You state it like if it was a fact.

It is not to me, period.

I didn't say you had to notice it in Dav's post. I was pointing out that Desi and orange had explicitly stated the same logic the moderation team applied in this case and was drawing attention to that fact.

What does that prove ?

That post has been reported by myself at least once after Silver and I talked about it. I was not sure to have reported you the first time, but you can be sure that I did the second time. Your post has yet to go in the catacombs, and that's my main issue atm which made me lose a good chunk of faith in the mod team in the process.

Not that you care anyway, but I am not going to let it go until something is done about it since apparently other people like Jekat acknowledged it too just here (or the other post about Isis).

I am not putting in question the fact that some reports are not going to be followed. That's quite obvious, no ?

This was the only section where I was specifically talking to and about you.

Worth noting here, a key word: After you talked about it. At which point you had responded to the post already. Which made your report invalid. Or would have, if not for the fact that you never reported a single post in that entire thread. At all. (In fact, there's only one reported post attributed to that thread in the mod forums, and it was someone reporting themselves to get an accidental double-post removed.)

And yes, I did go back just now and double-check, just as Silver did back then (http://backstage.eve-inspiracy.com/index.php?topic=3910.msg64387#msg64387).

I reported it the second time, after I talked about it. Are you telling me I did not ? I specifically made sure I did, since I was not sure of myself for the first time, and even if I have a hard time believing you on this, I trust Silver that I may have made a mistake.

The first time, not the second time.

Also, may I point out the fact that someone answering to a post he reports nevertheless somehow makes the report invalid is a huge fallacy in itself ?

So, let's say, if someone screws up by reporting someone else and yet, answers to it, the reported post will not get moderated ?

Edit : what I mean is that even if someone answers to a post he has reported does not make the report suddenly lose its meaning. Not that I am encouraging doing so, since you will get moderated if you answer to it anyway.
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Ciarente on 14 Feb 2013, 22:16
If a mod has a problem with something highly subjective, I would suggest to first contact the user to sort things out before, or discuss it between the mod team (though that last solution does not always seem to be enough apparently).

Well, actually, we pretty much always discuss things between the mod team. Which is why I find people singling out one moderator or another fairly hilarious. In both the instances under discussion at the moment, there was a consensus reached between mods before action was taken.

As for the suggestion that the mod team should contact the user, well, for one thing, that leaves a reported post up while reports continue to come in, for another it is an additional impost of time and work on volunteer and uncompensated moderators, for another, the end result would be that the original post would be gone and an acceptable post in its place (if the post could be made acceptable) which is an option to anyone who has a post moved to the catacombs already.

The final argument against it is that in the past, when the forum was new and we did try to talk problem posters through the standards, rules, guidelines and FAQ privately, there were instances where those individuals misquoted (and I don't mean 'out of context' either) and/or paraphrased what mods said in those conversations to misrepresent the moderation team and 'score points' in discussions of moderation.

Now we discuss things within the moderation team, and take action.  As a result, FYI, the moderator who catacombs a post may not, and in fact probably is not, the first moderator to either flag a post for moderator discussion or note on a report thread that they think action should be taken.
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Davlos on 15 Feb 2013, 03:55
I don't mind and I'm not surprised at all, because I'm fully aware that I'm being profiled. ;)
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Nmaro Makari on 15 Feb 2013, 06:47
In this specific case, the moderation was heavy handed.

I acknowledge, Davlos' post had a quip and nothing particularly constructive.

However, if forum posts were modded on the condition that they must be purely constructive, hundreds of posts would be in the catacombs that aren't currently.

Also, this thread risks becoming a lolworthy, and some "critics" of the mod team do disservice to themselves and the community with their protests.
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Ciarente on 15 Feb 2013, 06:54

However, if forum posts were modded on the condition that they must be purely constructive, hundreds of posts would be in the catacombs that aren't currently.



Just to clarify, as it seems to have gotten lost, as Morwen specifically said in the moderation note, and has been repeated here by mods and other forum members, the post was not modded for 'not being purely constructive',  it was modded for 'urdoingitwrong', which is something that is going to attract moderator action when it comes to our attention.
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Davlos on 15 Feb 2013, 07:22
Nobody in this forum takes my opinions seriously and the mods are very fond of relegating almost all of my posts to post hell anyway, so why should I bother substantiating my opinion? :lol:

I generally disapprove of Napanii because a) it is redundant as automatic translators in the NEOCOM automatically parse everything into standard language anyway, and takes all native affectations into account b) while players may think that the use of Napanii gives it flavor, I think it serves to intimidate newer Caldari RPers who are starting out and may think that they're doing it wrong because they don't know anything about Napanii and there is no reliable nor comprehensive reference/source for it c) I readily admit that it smells of weeaboo, and it makes me laugh. Is that a thought crime?

I come from a state where thought crime is a real and tangible crime that can get me incarcerated indefinitely without trial, and if this forum wants to have a cadre of Internal Security Department operatives, I'd rather not have anything to do with it.
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Ciarente on 15 Feb 2013, 07:27

I generally disapprove of Napanii because a) it is redundant as automatic translators in the NEOCOM automatically parse everything into standard language anyway, and takes all native affectations into account b) while players may think that the use of Napanii gives it flavor, I think it serves to intimidate newer Caldari RPers who are starting out and may think that they're doing it wrong because they don't know anything about Napanii and there is no reliable nor comprehensive reference/source for it

Dav, if you'd posted that, mods wouldn't have batted an eye. 

Your post wasn't moderated because of what you think, it was moderated because of what you said

And 'I break the rules because when I break the rules moderators moderate me for breaking the rules, so why not break the rules?' sort of answers itself, don't you think?
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Davlos on 15 Feb 2013, 07:34
I'm willing to bet half of my tax return from IRS that it would get commuted to post hell because of "Urdoinitwrong". I'm being profiled and I have no problem acknowledging that.
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Ciarente on 15 Feb 2013, 07:35
Then why don't you prove me wrong by keeping your posts in line with rules, which include the polite posting culture set out in the FAQ (http://backstage.eve-inspiracy.com/index.php?topic=16.0)?
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Lyn Farel on 15 Feb 2013, 08:09
If a mod has a problem with something highly subjective, I would suggest to first contact the user to sort things out before, or discuss it between the mod team (though that last solution does not always seem to be enough apparently).

Well, actually, we pretty much always discuss things between the mod team. Which is why I find people singling out one moderator or another fairly hilarious. In both the instances under discussion at the moment, there was a consensus reached between mods before action was taken.

As for the suggestion that the mod team should contact the user, well, for one thing, that leaves a reported post up while reports continue to come in, for another it is an additional impost of time and work on volunteer and uncompensated moderators, for another, the end result would be that the original post would be gone and an acceptable post in its place (if the post could be made acceptable) which is an option to anyone who has a post moved to the catacombs already.

The final argument against it is that in the past, when the forum was new and we did try to talk problem posters through the standards, rules, guidelines and FAQ privately, there were instances where those individuals misquoted (and I don't mean 'out of context' either) and/or paraphrased what mods said in those conversations to misrepresent the moderation team and 'score points' in discussions of moderation.

Now we discuss things within the moderation team, and take action.  As a result, FYI, the moderator who catacombs a post may not, and in fact probably is not, the first moderator to either flag a post for moderator discussion or note on a report thread that they think action should be taken.

Fair enough.
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Morwen Lagann on 15 Feb 2013, 08:51
Nobody in this forum takes my opinions seriously and the mods are very fond of relegating almost all of my posts to post hell anyway, so why should I bother substantiating my opinion? :lol:

I generally disapprove of Napanii because a) it is redundant as automatic translators in the NEOCOM automatically parse everything into standard language anyway, and takes all native affectations into account b) while players may think that the use of Napanii gives it flavor, I think it serves to intimidate newer Caldari RPers who are starting out and may think that they're doing it wrong because they don't know anything about Napanii and there is no reliable nor comprehensive reference/source for it c) I readily admit that it smells of weeaboo, and it makes me laugh. Is that a thought crime?

I come from a state where thought crime is a real and tangible crime that can get me incarcerated indefinitely without trial, and if this forum wants to have a cadre of Internal Security Department operatives, I'd rather not have anything to do with it.

Actually, we take your opinions seriously, or would at least like to. Pretty sure I've stated a few times that I agree with your sentiment. I just don't agree with the way it was expressed, and neither do the forum's rules.

The reason your post was moderated is that it reeked of what you listed in C (sentiment about 'weeaboos') enough that the rest of the point was overshadowed by the YDIW. If not for that, I can comfortably state that I probably would have left your post alone. If the other mods who saw the report hadn't agreed with my assessment, I would've left it alone. That I knew your posting habits and usual attitude well enough to know with almost complete certainty that you did mean "you're doing it wrong, weeaboos" just meant that it was easier to report the post for other mods to look at it before one of us took action if appropriate.

This isn't a case of "thought crimes". We don't really know or care about what you're thinking in your head. We care about what you post.
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Khloe on 15 Feb 2013, 10:20
I generally disapprove of Napanii because a) it is redundant as automatic translators in the NEOCOM automatically parse everything into standard language anyway, and takes all native affectations into account b) while players may think that the use of Napanii gives it flavor, I think it serves to intimidate newer Caldari RPers who are starting out and may think that they're doing it wrong because they don't know anything about Napanii and there is no reliable nor comprehensive reference/source for it ...
I would have agreed with you if I had the opportunity. :)
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Katrina Oniseki on 15 Feb 2013, 10:47
I'm being profiled and I have no problem acknowledging that.

In what way?
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Pieter Tuulinen on 16 Feb 2013, 03:21
I generally disapprove of Napanii because a) it is redundant as automatic translators in the NEOCOM automatically parse everything into standard language anyway, and takes all native affectations into account b) while players may think that the use of Napanii gives it flavor, I think it serves to intimidate newer Caldari RPers who are starting out and may think that they're doing it wrong because they don't know anything about Napanii and there is no reliable nor comprehensive reference/source for it c) I readily admit that it smells of weeaboo, and it makes me laugh. Is that a thought crime?

a and b are both points that I could go into detail refuting, but they're kind of moot in this case, since you weren't being moderated for having an opinion on Napaani, even if I feel it's illfounded.

c on the other hand sums it up nicely. God knows why someone should be labelled a 'weeaboo' for scattering a few phrases of a mostly Finnish inspired language into their RP, but it's a pejorative term and since the only valid response is 'Fuck you' it's clearly flame bait.

I come from a state where thought crime is a real and tangible crime that can get me incarcerated indefinitely without trial, and if this forum wants to have a cadre of Internal Security Department operatives, I'd rather not have anything to do with it.

Pretty sure you got modded for what you posted, not for what you thought.
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: scagga on 22 Feb 2013, 09:42
Is it worth trying alternative methods prior to binning posts, e.g. mod warnings (privately or in the thread)?
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Ciarente on 22 Feb 2013, 09:43


As for the suggestion that the mod team should contact the user, well, for one thing, that leaves a reported post up while reports continue to come in, for another it is an additional impost of time and work on volunteer and uncompensated moderators, for another, the end result would be that the original post would be gone and an acceptable post in its place (if the post could be made acceptable) which is an option to anyone who has a post moved to the catacombs already.

The final argument against it is that in the past, when the forum was new and we did try to talk problem posters through the standards, rules, guidelines and FAQ privately, there were instances where those individuals misquoted (and I don't mean 'out of context' either) and/or paraphrased what mods said in those conversations to misrepresent the moderation team and 'score points' in discussions of moderation.


Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: scagga on 22 Feb 2013, 09:48


As for the suggestion that the mod team should contact the user, well, for one thing, that leaves a reported post up while reports continue to come in, for another it is an additional impost of time and work on volunteer and uncompensated moderators, for another, the end result would be that the original post would be gone and an acceptable post in its place (if the post could be made acceptable) which is an option to anyone who has a post moved to the catacombs already.

The final argument against it is that in the past, when the forum was new and we did try to talk problem posters through the standards, rules, guidelines and FAQ privately, there were instances where those individuals misquoted (and I don't mean 'out of context' either) and/or paraphrased what mods said in those conversations to misrepresent the moderation team and 'score points' in discussions of moderation.



Missed that in the skim-read, thanks. 

I hope the quoted events are not an absolute contraindication to retrying previous methods.  Surely the 'culture' of the community has changed since the days it was fresh off chatsubo?
Title: Re: Modded Davlos post
Post by: Ciarente on 22 Feb 2013, 09:52
Surely the 'culture' of the community has changed since the days it was fresh off chatsubo?

One hopes. However, the issues of leaving the post up for an indeterminate amount of time and the additional workload on moderators remain. Also, as I should have mention in my earlier post, it is actually less transparent.