Moderating the forums

[JimC]

Our Squeezebox community is growing rapidly, bringing new challenges and opportunities. As you may have noticed, we've recently started to moderate postings to the forums in response to the increasing number of threads that have violated one or more of the following guidelines:

* Profanity: This post contains expletives or vulgar language. Please post in more friendly manner.
* Personal attack: Insults or rude ad hominem arguments directed at another member are not permitted.
* Troll / Flamebait: This post is worded in such a way as to evoke an emotional response, rather than to start a constructive dialogue.
* Inappropriate subject: Please choose a non-inflammatory subject line which actually describes the subject matter of the thread.
* Illegal content: This thread contains legally prohibited or copyrighted material.

While we all adjust to having a moderated forum, there may be times when a thread is closed that you believe shouldn't have been. We will gladly listen to constructive feedback and will reopen the thread if warranted. We will also be "fine tuning" our moderation style, as we find the balance that allows us to have useful forums while doing the smallest amount of editing and/or closing of threads as possible. Please bear with us as we get better at this task. We hope that this will keep the overall dialog healthy and productive.

Please note that we will not close or edit threads that criticize our products, as long as they do not violate the guidelines spelled out above.

[matthijskoopmans]

While it may be viewed as unfortunate that it is required, unfortunately it is required..

There is a saying that says: "if you treat people like children, they will behave like children". The reverse is also true: "if you behave childish, you should not complain being treated accordingly"

I welcome the move for moderation.. for the majority of posters, this will have no significant impact. For those whose posts seem to change the open, friendly, and supported nature of the forum, I expect there to be a massive impact, and I guess they just will have to find their own way to deal with that

Cheers

Matt

[y360]

I'm not against censorship in principal.

However the threads in question dealt with legitimate complaints such as the pricing in Australia and a problem with the software.
The language may have shown exasperation but nothing really seriously bad.

Blocking those specific threads seems high-handed and vain.
It does not serve the interest of the company nor of its customers.

IMHO Mr Adams made an error in judgment, and could have been be a bit more patient and secure in his success, and a bit less sensitive to criticism.

[Mitch Harding]

Moderating the forums

I, for one, did not mind the fact that these threads had criticisms, I
just thought the way they were expressed was very rude and, in some
cases, came across as trolling. In all cases the criticisms could
have been expressed in a civil manner, IMO.

On Feb 13, 2008 11:46 PM, y360
<y360.34ralb1202968201 (AT) no-mx (DOT) forums.slimdevices.com> wrote:
>
> I'm not against censorship in principal.
>
> However the threads in question dealt with legitimate complaints such
> as the pricing in Australia and a problem with the software.
> The language may have shown exasperation but nothing really seriously
> bad.
>
> Blocking those specific threads seems high-handed and vain.
> It does not serve the interest of the company nor of its customers.
>
> IMHO Mr Adams made an error in judgment, and could have been be a bit
> more patient and secure in his success, and a bit less sensitive to
> criticism.
>
>
> --
> y360
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> y360's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=10150
>
> View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=43454
>
>

[seanadams]

I think you are confused about why these threads were closed. It is because we are no longer allowing profanity and personal insults. It has absolutely nothing to do with whether we agree with anyone's viewpoint.

[smc2911]

In my own defence (as perpetrator of the Australian thread), I would concede that the choice of one particuar word in the title was ill-advised for a broad audience, but at least the title was clearer than some as to the content of the thread and I would contend that the post itself was civil if frustrated. Still, that thread eventually petered out of its own accord and did not need to be closed.

While posts can be edited (too late for those on mailing lists of course), is there any way that thread initiators could edit thread titles?

[erland]

Moderation is a good thing, at least as long as it doesn't result in closing every thread that criticize Logitech products. Sean has already stated that thread with criticism will not be closed if they follow the other rules. Moderation will make this forum feel like a better place to spend time on which also results in that more people get help and Logitech get more constructive feedback on their products (both positive and negative).

If your thread gets closed, just go back and read the initial post in this thread, figure out why your thread was closed and start a new one where you try to express yourself in a more civil manner and provide a non-inflammatory subject on the new thread.

[ModelCitizen]

This is going to seriously reduce the amount of conversation in the Audiophile forum, is is that forum exempt?
:-)

MC

[MuckleEck]

This is going to seriously reduce the amount of conversation in the Audiophile forum, is is that forum exempt?
:-)

MC

Not unless you have a doctor's certificate.....

[peter]

Moderating the forums

JimC wrote:
> Our Squeezebox community is growing rapidly, bringing new challenges and
> opportunities. As you may have noticed, we've recently started to
> moderate postings to the forums in response to the increasing number of
> threads that have violated one or more of the following guidelines:
>

Sadly necessary. I wonder how this change will impact the people who
follow this forum as a mailing list (I've been subscribed since when
there wasn't even a forum). How can I tell that a thread is closed? What
happens if I reply to a message anyway? I already suffer the
'CheapNokia's' spam that I suppose is deleted on the forums.

Regards,
Peter

[gbruzzo]

I completely agree about the rejection of profanity.
My only hope is that you will not delete posts that contain criticisms of Logitech kit - I have seen it happen on Microsoft, Apple and Logitech forums - once this starts to happen people usually leave.

Regards,

Giacomo

[James_B]

I completely agree about the rejection of profanity.
My only hope is that you will not delete posts that contain criticisms of Logitech kit - I have seen it happen on Microsoft, Apple and Logitech forums - once this starts to happen people usually leave.

Regards,

Giacomo

Totally agree.

But why can´t offensive posts be deleted/moderated, rather than whole threads removed or locked? Sometimes it is uclear why action is being taken against a thread other than it being plain stupid and the boiler plate proposed is vague.

In the case of the Australia thread, if the thread was profane or insulting why not delete it? Why lock it?

[gbruzzo]

Totally agree.

In the case of the Australia thread, if the thread was profane or insulting why not delete it? Why lock it?

I guess that locking it is a way to make a point whilst retaining some of the good information that might have nevertheless been posted.

[slimkid]

I...
While posts can be edited (too late for those on mailing lists of course), is there any way that thread initiators could edit thread titles?

From Edit page, there's a button 'Go Advance'. That takes you to the extended edit screen where the subject line is exposed.

BTW, I agree that the 'Australian' thread thread should have been split into two legitimate threads and kept alive.

K

[Mark Lanctot]

From Edit page, there's a button 'Go Advance'. That takes you to the extended edit screen where the subject line is exposed.

But note that this will change it on the thread view, it won't change the subject line on the forum view (the one which shows all the threads).

At least on the vBulletin forums I've seen!