When moderation goes mad...

Fardap · February 02, 2017, 09:27:32 AM

I wouldn't normally worry about this but I am pretty annoyed at the heavy handed deletion of posts in the forum - specifically those that were under the "Double Junction with ElectroFrog" topic.

There was a question posed and there were some comments and also some confusion about what was being attempted, myself and others tried to clarify this not only for our benefit but also the benefit of anyone reading the thread, a moderator then took the decision to delete all these posts as not being relevant to the OP question.

Well they were relevant as they were gaining an understanding of what was trying to be achieved that might reflect on the way to implement the answer to the question

All this is pretty moot though when it would seem that the moderator is not following the basic rules laid out in the sticky at the top of the main page...

Quoteb) Post as regularly as possible; sharing member's projects and encouraging and helping other members, by answering queries and/or offering advice. We are here to support each other and not be competitive!

Personally I feel that all the additional posts were relevant and were offering advice and or alternative solutions (not alternative facts as seems popular at present) so each and every post that was deleted was relevant in terms of a DISCUSSION which is what a forum is about - or so I thought.

Am disappointed in the fact that it seems such a slash and delete policy is allowed and it even means that getting an email to say a topic has been updated with 5 replies and then finding on looking that in fact those 5 replies are deleted is a little bit petty, in my opinion.

Steve

Bob G · February 02, 2017, 09:50:24 AM

I have not seen the thread in question.

And this is not a comment on our moderators here, but regarding moderation on another website that hosts rail photos in a sort of archive (as a searchable database).

I thought it would be generous to share my photos from the 1970s with the world. I signed up.
First I was told I had not tagged my photos with enough tags to make them searchable. This was following the first upload of photographs I tried to upload.
Then a scan of an old photo I had was too blotchy and had not been photoshopped to make it better(there are some really poor photos on that site, as well as good ones, and the photo in question was of the HST prototype in Old Oak Common shed - a great photo).
Then I got into a disagreement with a moderator on that site because their rules were you posted photos of your locos aligned in the vertical plane. Now the photo which caused all the disagreement was on superelevated track and while the camera and I were vertical, the loco was not.

They deleted all the photos I had uploaded to their archive over those two weeks, and barred me from posting any more. They even had a go at me for not sponsoring their site (it was still my first week of posting to the site). Of course the moderator is always right. Even when you think they are wrong.

Sometimes I think the moderation on here is light. Sometimes heavy. And everyone can have a bad day.

And consequently I don't share my 1970s photos with the world any more.

Bob

njee20 · February 02, 2017, 09:52:45 AM

There was a lot of off topic discussion on that thread certainly, but I'm inclined to agree that simply deleting all the stuff deemed off topic was a little heavy handed, and a shame to lose that information. Whilst it wasn't necessarily relevant to the question posed it was relevant information.

I don't envy anyone who moderates a forum, you're never going to get it right for everyone. I personally dislike the propensity for moving and consolidating threads on here, although that in part is because of the absurd structure with so many sub-forums. Quite why we need A-Z sub forums I don't know!

Chris Morris · February 02, 2017, 11:03:32 AM

The mods do a difficult job and a job for which we are all grateful. When I had a topic locked, wrongly in my opinion, I dropped a respectful pm stating my thoughts to one of the mods. The mod took action which resolved the issue I had even though it caused them some extra work for that mod. This was much appreciated.
I would have thought it is only polite to contact the mods calmly and logically stating your issue. I don't see starting topics criticising the mods is respectful behaviour. The mods are real people giving up their time for free to keep this forum a happy place and we should never forget that. Even if they occasionally get it wrong they are doing a great job overall and provide us with a very good forum.

njee20 · February 02, 2017, 11:11:01 AM

I completely agree with Chris's final sentiment, they do act in the way they see fit, even if you disagree, and a message to the mod concerned may well have been a better way to air your grievances.

Tank · February 02, 2017, 11:16:23 AM

I'll look into this. It sounds like if the posts were to be removed then they could have gone in to a separate thread, not necessarily deleted.

It's a difficult task being a moderator, boring in fact as it's quite repetitive! What you guys see is virtually nothing to what we have to do. We might have just dealt with someone insulting us as we didn't deal with their reported post within 10 minutes......so the next person or task gets a harsher treatment than they should have done. Or something is seen in the wrong light. Human error!

Quote from: njee20 on February 02, 2017, 09:52:45 AM
I don't envy anyone who moderates a forum, you're never going to get it right for everyone. I personally dislike the propensity for moving and consolidating threads on here, although that in part is because of the absurd structure with so many sub-forums. Quite why we need A-Z sub forums I don't know!

I quite agree with the A-Z. I was outvoted and I then created it. I know that some people love it though, as it's good for a quick reference (although I prefer the Search bar).

Quote from: Chris Morris on February 02, 2017, 11:03:32 AM
The mods do a difficult job and a job for which we are all grateful.

Thank you Chris.

njee20 · February 02, 2017, 11:19:02 AM

Like you, Tank, I search for things I need (using Google with "site:ngaugeforum.co.uk" in the search. I can't believe that every thread in the A-Z couldn't be rehomed elsewhere.

I'd personally have:

- N gauge modelling
- other modelling
- prototype discussion
- non railway related

But then I'm not a fan of "folders" for organising anything. 12,267 emails in my inbox presently.

Izzy · February 02, 2017, 11:25:48 AM

I am just thankful this website exits. I'll accept whatever decisions are made because it's a hard task trying to get it right and keep everybody happy all of the time. I know from running a digital photography website for a decade in the past.

Izzy

Tank · February 02, 2017, 11:36:54 AM

I've reinstated the posts, but in their own Thread in the Track Board - http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=36269.0

Unclealbo · February 02, 2017, 12:02:27 PM

When I started N gauge modelling 18 months ago, the Forum was a godsend and even though I'm much wiser now I still love to browse through the forums and I learn something new every time that I do.
If I need something specific I use a search engine as mentioned by others in earlier posts and to my knowledge I have never ever used the 'A to Z' facility.
I would like to thank the team who give up their time to make this one of the best forums I have used, I very much appreciate it.
The layout (Barnsley town centre, Era 5) is up and running now from an operational point of view and the final touches should be complete in approx 30 years

I will post some pictures when I get hold of a decent camera.

daffy · February 02, 2017, 12:21:56 PM

I find the moderation here excellent, and the combining or splitting of threads is a good idea IMHO as this forums' content is viewed by many more people than post on it (in it?) and I suspect that like me, before I joined, they are just looking for clear advices. And I found them, for this is one of the great strengths of this Forum, and why so many join it and use it: it is an information resource of very high calibre.

Threads that deviate significantly away from the titled theme, no matter how informative they may be, can mean that advice is harder to find. I know that if was reading a thread, say, on fitting couplings (cos that's what I wanted to know how to do) that became a long discussion in the merits/demerits of different manufacturers accuracy in portraying prototypical couplings, and that then became an even longer discourse upon accuracy, prototypically and the meaning of life..... well, quite understandably I'd give up.
Which might be a shame, for this imaginary

thread returned to its original question and the advice then given on coupling fitment was the best in the entire thread.

In the matter that originated THIS thread, perhaps an error in moderation was made, but a polite PM, as already mentioned, would most probably have resolved the issue earlier and without any bad feeling.

Moderation. In all things.

Snowwolflair · February 02, 2017, 12:26:25 PM

I'm still trying to get over the automatic moderation of the LNER P2 "Male Chicken" of the North.

Newportnobby · February 02, 2017, 12:45:36 PM

James May's favourite word - often heard on the BBC Top Gear.

Fardap · February 02, 2017, 03:32:56 PM

Quote from: Tank on February 02, 2017, 11:36:54 AM
I've reinstated the posts, but in their own Thread in the Track Board - http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=36269.0

Appreciate this Tank and probably what would have been a better option the first time around.

I totally understand the onerous task that moderation is, regarding posting and PM on that basis a PM saying the posts were being deleted would also have been polite and also given the opportunity to suggest splitting off.

Thanks for the work of all the moderators and hopefully this was a minor hiccup and we can move forward learning and helping each other on and off question.

cheers

emjaybee · February 02, 2017, 06:51:27 PM

I was one of the people who passed comment on the deletion of posts.

In that particular thread there was one or two little snippets of information that would be useful to many. They weren't particularly pieces of information that it would even cross your mind to search for, but they were useful. I made a note of what thread they were in for future reference, but I am unlikely to ever be able to find them again.

The problem as I see it is this.

This Forum is TOO good. It holds a vast amount of information about a huge range of topics. When you try to search for an answer you get such a large response it is almost impossible to find the pertinent answer.

A lot of the time I don't even know the terminology to search for.

Which brings me to my point...

...much of the information I have gleaned from this site is stuff I haven't actually been looking for. Much of it I wouldn't haven't even known about the issue it answers. For us inexperienced members on here who are still trying to get to grips with modern railway modelling (after a 20 year break) these unexpected nuggets of info are a godsend. I bookmark the thread to refer back to at a later stage. Only they're gone, and impossible to search for.

For those members with a good knowledge of the hobby it's fine. For the rest of us, not so good.

I applaud the moderators, combining threads is great. I do ask, however, that they try to appreciate what it's like for us that don't know the terminology, don't know what to search for and are bewildered at best, frustrated at worst.

M.