Leaving MSE for a bit.........

mrcow

patchwork_cat wrote: »

So that is myself and Tomlad that feel that it is the attitude of the management that is lacking and that there needs to be heavier moderation.

Perhaps you'd have more weight behind you if the OP had actually taken a break like they'd said in their first post?

But as they are still regularly visiting and posting on the site, it perhaps kind of negates the reasons for this thread?

happyhappygal

mrcow wrote: »

Perhaps you'd have more weight behind you if the OP had actually taken a break like they'd said in their first post?

But as they are still regularly visiting and posting on the site, it perhaps kind of negates the reasons for this thread?

Its an addictive place to hang out! Maybe OP was haing a bad day...I know I get disappointed when I read some of the messages on here.

When I've had enough however, I just click the little 'x' in the corner of the screen and its gone.

Its never too long before I'm back though.

patchwork_cat

Just because the OP may have started the thread on a bad day or as an attention seeking exercise does not negate my comments - I have not threatened to leave, but I certainly generally post a lot less than I used to and if I need advice I don't ask it here.

I have seen far too many threads dissolve into an argy bargy recently. On some boards you can barely read a thread without there being unnecessary unpleasantness.

This forum needs better moderation it has become too large to be largely self moderating.

Former_MSE_Forum_Manager

patchwork_cat wrote: »

So that is myself and Tomlad that feel that it is the attitude of the management that is lacking and that there needs to be heavier moderation.

As this is directed at us, perhaps a right of reply is in order. Firstly, when we talk about moderation in relation to this forum, we need to be clear that we do not pro actively moderate. This is clearly stated in many places. We work on a report abuse basis. It's important for us to point out that if anyone is uncomfortable with this policy, we do not force anyone to stay against their will.

To gauge the size of this resource, take a look at the front page stats. As i write this, the stats for today, at 1pm are already this:

The Forum (view the forum)

• Currently has 5,439 people in there.
• 394 new threads started so far today
• 4,127 new posts today; equivalent to 10 books

Imagine how much work there is in that to keep everyone happy. We can only become aware when you report things to us, and i believe my team work extremely hard on your behalf to react and resolve abuse reports as quickly as we can. We are, by our own admission, on limited resources. What doesn't help us is that people act differently on not just this forum, but across many others in ways that they necessarily would not face to face in the "real world". Added to that, the demographic on here is vast; what offends one person, isn't even slightly offensive to another. We have to try and keep all parties happy and it's a very tough job at times.

We accept we can always improve - currently we are working harder to ensure that those at most financial risk (for example the debt, benefits and bankrupcy areas) are given as much support as possible. We are also dealing simultaneously with problems in the general discussion areas, often on completely non moneysaving topics.

We want everyone to get on - above the virtual door it says "please be nice to other moneysavers", but sadly not all people heed that ethos. However, to imply that our attitude and efforts for our forum is lacking, seems unfair. We want everyone to enjoy this resource, but we can only work with your help on reporting issues, and with the knowledge that this is provided for free, and lastly with a little understanding of the immense workload that is created across the vast array of boards we have.

happyhappygal

patchwork_cat wrote: »

This forum needs better moderation it has become too large to be largely self moderating.

Here Here.

patchwork_cat

I am aware of how your moderation works - however our comment and this is the comments and suggestions board is it needs more moderating and a more pro active approach to moderation, we now have another member to add to our happy band.

I am distressed that it has taken this long the forum manager to come along on a thread that has the subject title - I am leaving.

Only when a direct comment about moderation is made does the forum team arrive,they found that within an hour!! if a more proactive attitude was taken the manager should have been along a lot earlier.

Former_MSE_Forum_Manager

patchwork_cat wrote: »

I am aware of how your moderation works - however our comment and this is the comments and suggestions board is it needs more moderating and a more pro active approach to moderation, we now have another member to add to our happy band.

Could i ask which of your recent reports we haven't acted on? If we have overlooked an email i'd be happy to personally resolve it for you. We are more than happy to discuss this, but the implication seems to be that we haven't resolved something? We cannot pro actively guess what people will say - sadly that's the very nature of what a forum is. We can only respond to reports of instances where people believe an abuse has occurred.

Former_MSE_Forum_Manager

patchwork_cat wrote: »

I am distressed that it has taken this long the forum manager to come along on a thread that has the subject title - I am leaving.

But this is one board of a huge amount - and the reason we have a ticketing system is to make us aware of specific problems. Out time is taken resolving all the reports we are receiving. The important part of this board specifically is to allow debate. If we jump in too quickly, we are not allowing people time to discuss and learning from it. However if the OP had a specific problem they needed us to look into, the correct route would be via the report an abuse system.

patchwork_cat

This is my comment though that by reporting abuse we are self moderating. That does not lead from the top and is reactive not proactive. If the tone of the forum is to change then there has to be no tolerance from mods.

Former_MSE_Forum_Manager

patchwork_cat wrote: »

This is my comment though that by reporting abuse we are self moderating. That does not lead from the top and is reactive not proactive. If the tone of the forum is to change then there has to be no tolerance from mods.

How can any forum our size have pro active moderation? We cannot predict what people will say, and across the vast number of posts made every single day (already we've had more than 10 books worth), it would require a member of staff per thread per board continuously refreshing to see if an abusive comment is made. It is simply not feasible.

However, if we can improve our report an abuse system, naturally we are happy to learn how we can improve.