june gloom on 4/3/2021 at 09:45
And regarding the ignore function...
The ignore function is a band-aid. The only thing it ignores is the real problem.
Thirith on 4/3/2021 at 09:58
Yeah, I think that ignore functions can help with personal antipathy, i.e. if a person keeps rubbing you the wrong way, but that's different from defining actual standards of behaviour for a place. There are a small handful of people here that I ignore, but I don't think they should be given a timed or permanent vacation from TTLG.
Azaran on 4/3/2021 at 16:07
Besides ignoring the person, if what they claim can be easily refuted...then refute it! If I ran a science forum and some person came in claiming the earth was flat, I wouldn't ban them, I'd let everyone counter all their points and let reality speak for itself. Unless it became obvious that they were trolling.
Thirith on 4/3/2021 at 17:10
Yeah, like that's been working...
Pyrian on 4/3/2021 at 17:12
Quote Posted by Azaran
Unless it became obvious that they were trolling.
Our trolls have been obvious for
years. It's not like they don't get refuted.
heywood on 4/3/2021 at 22:48
Quote Posted by Thirith
I agree with Nameless Voice, added to which: if we were to consistently take that approach, then just be honest about it and get rid of the moderators. (Not what I would want to happen, but if it all comes down to "You don't need to listen, regardless of what lies and slander people spout", even having moderators is pointless.)
Moderators are needed to enforce the forum rules, not control the narrative. Which rule is nbohr1more breaking?
I don't think the role of a moderator on any forum is to prevent people from voicing alternative opinions on a subject, even if they are wacky opinions.
Quote:
And the last half-dozen years or so should have provided ample evidence that "You don't have to listen" is a dangerously careless tack to take.
How so?
In the case of nbohr1more, and jkcerda before him, they're not posting crap all over TTLG, they're keeping their political posts in the appropriate threads.
Some people are drawn to their posts like moths to a porch light, and can't stop responding to them. So one wacky post gets amplified 20x because it turns into 2 pages worth of exposition and argument. That's OK if that's what people want to spend their time doing. But don't complain about the noise if you're one of the people creating it. If you want it to stop, then stop. I don't mean you specifically Thirith, but anybody who is asking for moderator action while continuing to engage with nbohr1more.
Pyrian on 4/3/2021 at 23:22
Yeah, I'm not for banning dumb opinions, but I do think moderators should keep a lid on some of the, er, ad hominems thrown back and forth.
heywood on 5/3/2021 at 00:27
Well, accusing people of being shills is something a moderator could reasonably act upon, starting with a warning.
The ad hominems have been flowing the other way too though.
froghawk on 5/3/2021 at 00:32
I'm not even sure why anyone's offended by the whole shill thing. It's so absurd that it's hilarious. TTLG's had much worse.
As for the ignore function - if we're not mature enough to stop ourselves from pointlessly responding, then we're not mature enough to resist reading hidden posts. I don't see the point of it.
Pyrian on 5/3/2021 at 01:40
Quote Posted by froghawk
...if we're not mature enough to stop ourselves from pointlessly responding, then we're not mature enough to resist reading hidden posts.
I dunno, that is pretty much
exactly where my maturity level lies.
Quote Posted by Pyrian
...ad hominems thrown back and forth.
Quote Posted by heywood
The ad hominems have been flowing the other way too though.
Yeah, I said that. Unca' in particular has been way over that line.