If you were writing policy, what should be the policy of this forum?

I have been reading Philip's recent posts & I became inspired to volunteer as a

forum moderator on the feedback site forum. One of the questions Philip asks of

a volunteer moderator is to submit "your draft policy for that forum". I found

this an intriguing requirement for applying for this volunteer job. Very

thought provoking, I like that :)

 

I got to wondering what others who participate in this forum really want as a

policy.

 

As an active participant of PN since late 2003, I have been through some of the

bumps in the road.

 

I respectfully ask, exactly 'what' do we want from the feedback forum & what

should it's policies be?

 

I'm not a fan of lots of rules & regulations, I feel it inhibits the free flow

of communication. I am however in favor of treating others as I would want them

to treat me. This being respectful & on occasion breaking the tension with a

little humor & creating an environment of inclusion rather than exclusion.

 

Please help me out here. I need a draft policy. Thanks

I suggest including most of what you see in the current policy (on the right side of forum index) and adding a recommendation for a pre-moderation capability to be applied to all but a select group (probably those using Real Names).

 

http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/philg/2005/08/03/all-user-contributed-web-content-needs-pre-moderation/

Look at this http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?topic_id=1481&msg_id=00I5d2&photo_id=4953948&photo_sel_index=0

I agree with John, respect for Members (especially long standing) is paramount. Don't just treat all members like fodder. If you plan to delete a post, email the poster first and say hey "whomever" sorry but I think we my have to delete your post for these (valid) reasons, not "post deleted" because I don't think you are constructive enough.

 

And let the person have some input on the matter. We might just say "fair enough" or we may put up a case for the post to stay.

 

Mike Brown

I'm not sure there can be a forum if the moderator does not understand what the word 'forum' means (the current moderator certainly seems to have a problem with this. He does understand what the word 'delete' means however.) so I would suggest that a draft policy needs first and foremost to define what constitutes a free exchange of ideas. cb

Ray, could you expand upon "a pre-moderation capability to be applied to all but a select group (probably those using Real Names)" please. I don't understand what that means. Good on you Jayme! Nice to see a constructive contribution to this great fraternity of ours.

"respect for all postings"? photo.net is a learning tool, not a self-esteem system. Postings, including my own, have to live and die by whether or not they are useful to other readers in the sole judgement of the moderator. If I send an article to New Yorker magazine and they don't publish it, it doesn't mean they don't respect me or the article, only that it doesn't fit their editorial needs at the time.

 

Michael: There is already a tool in the admin pages to "delete thread and email explanation". I try to use it with on-topic stuff that is an FAQ.

 

Rick: pre-moderation means that, especially for forums where the postings tend to be off-topic or spam, it would be better to hold publication on anything that comes from an unknown or unproven user. Someone who has a track record of posting helpful responses, their postings should perhaps go live immediately. A guy who registered yesterday and we don't even know if he is a guy or what his real name is... maybe not.

Thanks John- respect is foremost in my mind. I think the addition of an explanation such as "** Text above and below removed by moderator due to policy violation ** is an excellent one. Maybe adding the name of the person submitting the deleted comment would also be a good idea. Why? Because it would interest me to know who is being moderated. I, as a member, might even email them to find out what the heck they said to get it deleted. I'm just curious I guess.

 

Charles- "to define what constitutes a free exchange of ideas" is also very important. Free flow exchange is paramount in solving problems. Sometimes, I find myself reading a forum & in the middle of the discussion someone brainstorms a solution for something other than exactly what the forum topic content is about. Then, I see the entire discussion head off in another direction. Even if it's a good direction, it's off topic. To solve this & help posters stay on topic, I would suggest at this point that the moderator suggest to the poster (who drifted off topic) they start a new topic & place a link to the new topic discussion. This might help keep things on topic. This way those who want to comment on both could, staying on topic on both.

 

Ray- I don't think I'm in favor of pre-moderation. I think that leans a little too far towards selective censorship. I don't think we have a lot of problems in this forum with spammers, nor do I feel most of the posts are way off topic, inappropriate or irrelevant. Maybe I'm wrong, I probably don't see everything you do. We do have those that ramble (myself included)but, occasionally the ramblings make sense.

 

As an analogy, I taught high school students one year in Health Services. The first few weeks were difficult, until I understood more accurately, what style of teaching I needed to use with my students to ensure they learned what I was teaching. Some I could say "Read this". Others I could say "Watch this". Others I had to say "Do this". But the majority needed all three to retain information. Their input to me was invaluable & I think they all learned something that year. Those that understood quickly were asked to assist those that didn't understand. I encouraged them to work as a team or family. When someone failed, those that passed volunteered to assist those that failed. We all stopped thinking about just "me" and learned how to work together as a team, at least for the short time we were together each day.

 

I am a firm believer that the free flow of information & discussion is the solution for just about every problem. The only exception I can think of right now (remember I'm a nurse)is a life threatening emergency situation. (Getting off topic here) There is very little time for discussion & the most qualified to handle this situation must take charge & made decisions. Talk/discussion happens later.

 

I am convinced that the majority of us that post in this forum are rational individuals who don't need a lot of moderation, guidance maybe, but censorship, I don't believe it.

Philip- I agree with your analogy to the New York Times article, it makes sense. But to delete a posting without explanation can create bad feelings, even if was not intended. Leading to more problems with this member in the future.

 

Derogatory comments made toward another member is unacceptable & should not be tolerated. No explanation should be required for this type of deletion.

 

Spammers, obviously should not receive any explanation.

 

All others should receive an brief explanation, so as to identify the problem with their post. This could help avoid similar problems in the future. I feel that if everyone knows & understands the guidelines, then they may follow them. Maybe my "Pollyanna" view is too naive?

Jayme,

 

Kudos to you for offering your services and asking for feedback!

 

First and foremost I think this forum needs to be a place where we feel that we can "tell the emperor that he's not wearing any clothes." While this forum should by no means be reduced to a soapbox for the permanently disgruntled, stifling dissent has never worked! It might give the appearance of a happy and content membership, but we all know from China and Cuba that limiting dissention creates an air of insecurity and fear that lingers over the leaders. Likewise, limiting this forum to simply reporting broken links, upload failures, etc. would in the long run hurt Pnet in my opinion. We already make Pnet what is it by offering our images and words as content--we also have some darn good ideas on how to improve the site as well.

 

Lastly, in another thread I had mentioned an easy way to manage/delete threads without the bad feelings. Simply make the default lifespan for post to this forum say 24-48 hours--after which all posts will be auto-deleted. Exceptionally useful/informative posts could be designated as such my the moderator and make in into the archives, all other would be purged. Of course abusive posts would be immediately deleted.

 

I think this arrangement would make the moderator's job much easier, and also not leave that bad taste in our mouths when one of our posts is deleted without warning/notice.

Being a moderator in the feedback forum is a thankless job due to the following recurring cycle. A question gets posted by a newbie that has been discussed a hundred times before. What are the options?

 

1) The moderator can answer the question to the best of his or her ability. In this period of transition, that's quite difficult.

 

2) A member can provide an answer. The answer may be based on facts, or it could actually be based on wishful thinking. So the debate becomes what aught to be, rather than a clarification of what is.

 

2) The moderator can tell the person to search the archives or FAQ, except that the latter doesn't currently contain the answers to most feedback questions, and the archives are virtually unsearchable. I've tested several phrases - like "halo effect" - which was a term used to describe all the pile on high rates from wannabees who like to right whatever shows up on the first few pages of the TRP. If you could search each forum separately, it might return some useful results, but I wonder if the people who send newbies to the PN archives have actually tried it.

 

3) The moderator can delete the thread, assuming that because the question was asked recently, the member should have read it. . . . except that there will always be people who discover this forum only when they have a burning question.

 

Perhaps the best solution is to change site features that are counterintuitive.

A living breathing FAQ, would be a very welcome addition.

 

Phil, have you entertained the thought of 'locking' topics?

 

This way, if a newcomer asks an oft repeated question, a link to the FAQ can be provided, and the topic locked (probably with a 24hr expiry) - nobody gets their nose out of joint and high relevance content is preserved.

Sorry Philip I should have clarified, I was actually refering to the delete and email scenario. I did receive the email stating why a post was deleted, I just disagree with that method of handling the forum.

 

I took personal offence to the reason that I was given as to why the post was deleted and to top it off, it was unsigned by the moderator. The wording basically indicated that my post was un-constructive. I have never been accused of being unconstructive in anything that I

have done, especially when I was responding to a question (yours BTW) with a completely ON topic response. You had asked a question and for an opinion, which due to the respect that I have always had for you, and the great site you have created, I felt obliged to answer and have input in.

 

I do know that it is extremely difficult running an international website (community), where different cultures may create issues with interpretation, however seeing quite a few posts mentioning the word "respect" I think it's something that needs to be looked at.

 

Well thats my annual ramble.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

Lisa- I hear what your are saying. "limiting dissension creates an air of insecurity" & might I add, leads to some member confusion. I think it also leads to the same questions being asked over & over again as Carl states below you. Making "the default lifespan for post to this forum say 24-48 hours--" unless is is extremely informative, makes sense to me.

 

Bob- I hear you :) No need to yell. As you stated, "TAKING THE FORUM TITLE SERIOUSLY" is important. I'm sure you realize there are a lot of "subcategories" listed under this specific forum title. For example "announcements", "neighbor to neighbor", "photo critique & rating", "technical problems/bugs", etc. Your suggestion to limit all responses to: "Allow any posts which discuss what users do & don't like about Photo.net and what they would change if given a chance. Don't allow anything else." would seem to eliminate these sub-categories. Sometimes it's not what we say but how we say it, that makes the difference as to whether others understand what we are trying to say. So take a deep breath, walk around the block & clear your head. I think I understand what you are saying :)

 

Simply stating your problem & why you think it's a problem & then asking for a clarification &/or offering a suggestion for a fix sounds fine to me, but remaining calm & showing patience for others "is" the key.

 

Carl- I disagree that being a forum moderator would be a thankless job, otherwise I wouldn't apply. (I've heard others say the same thing about nursing, it's not true.) A moderator may not receive high praises, but I think I would find it satisfying to know I helped someone understand & made them feel welcome. I think it may be difficult at times & time consuming, but thankless, I think not.

 

I think patience is one of the keys. I suppose because I've been a mother, answering the same questions over & over again, doesn't irritate or intimidate me :) I'm time worn :) "Are we there yet?" :)

 

Ben- You may be right about the "frequently asked questions". Keeping them updated could be a job in itself. Possibly time to ask for some more volunteers :)

 

Yann- yes :)

Thus far, here is what I'm hearing:

This applies to both Moderator & Member:

1-Respectfulness

2-Patience

3-A well developed sense of humor

4-A way to notify those that have had their posts deleted that teaches but does not offend.

5-The ability to remain unbiased. The ability to separate "personal" from "professional". For example, I may not be your best friend, but professionally you do a good job :)

 

Anything I missed?

I forgot:

6-Tactful honesty

7-Good listening skills

You left out what I think is the most important - the willingness and ability to provide hard information, either directly or through a link. Deal with content, and style will mostly take care of itself.

I think the statement, as it is, covers many topics that people are concerned with, but leaves a lot of issues 'off topic' and thus prone to automatic deletion without being addressed. I think that this forum should be a little more broad than bugs and broken links, and I think that content should be addressed in a helpful manner. This is my suggestion:

 

FAQ

 

for those persistent, frequently asked questions

 

perhaps a big shiny banner, too, directing peole to the FAQ who wish to ask questions about, say, ratings, nudes, how forums are moderated, the TRP, ads, and how to get a free helicopter ride.

 

you'll still get questions through, which could be simply redirected to the FAQ, and I don't beleive these should be automatically quashed, unless the FAQ specifically addresses the question being posed. Locking forum postings and automatic expirations, too, as stated above, would enhance this feature... you could even send a link to the FAQ with those 'your post has been deleted... here's the FAQ' emails. Just a thought.

Thanks Carl & E- Aall excellent additions :)