HeyYou Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Seems that there is quite a bit of behind the scenes discussion going on about whether the debate forum stays open or not. Here is an opportunity for folks to discuss it in the open. Sure, there are some issues here, name calling and such, but, the debates forum is certainly not for the thin-skinned in any event. Some self-moderation could go a long way here.... but given the diverse age range, and backgrounds we are dealing with here, expecting everyone to act like an "adult", when a fair few of them are NOT adults..... makes we wonder if we aren't expecting a bit much. So, for my part, I would suggest just leaving it unmoderated. Sure, it's going to annoy some folks... but, that's the nature of the beast. We DON'T all agree on everything. We don't all act like adults. (not even some of the adults...) The mods here are concerned that this section is becoming difficult to moderate. So, just don't. The folks that can't debate rationally, will piss and moan about it, but, that's all that will happen. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisnpuppy Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I had a similar thread long ago on this matter and nothing much came of it despite lots of posting. :tongue: I am not sure that this is at all helpful as it may cause a stir..a stir that some don't want. This is my opinion. I will not be stating my opinion on what should happen to this place or how it should be or not be moderated as it has been a recent moderator discussion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeyYou Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 Could always add a couple forum specific mods? Not like you have to worry about the budget. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tetradite Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 (edited) So, for my part, I would suggest just leaving it unmoderated. Sure, it's going to annoy some folks... but, that's the nature of the beast. We DON'T all agree on everything. We don't all act like adults. (not even some of the adults...) The mods here are concerned that this section is becoming difficult to moderate. So, just don't. The folks that can't debate rationally, will piss and moan about it, but, that's all that will happen. Thoughts? From bitter personal experience: the folks that CAN debate rationally will leave the place alone once it is unmoderated. Unmoderated debate/politics etc forums remove the possibility of reasoned and constructive debate because you end up with 99% of posts being made by those who cannot or will not engage rationally. I was surprised to find a debate section here at all, it's not like a gaming forum really needs one and they are an absolute b**** to moderate because of their very nature. I like having one, and dip in occasionally, but trust me on this, if you remove moderation, you will kill reasoned debate. Edited July 10, 2012 by tetradite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeyYou Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 Kinda like congress. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kvnchrist Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I understand the reason behind closing threads, but I don't think that this will effect those hot heads that bring threads down.. Anger is a form of insanity and you don't lock up a persons dwealing because they go off the deep end. All that it does is silence yet another thread and those who might just have the ability to turn around a thread gone bad. I would suggest, If the staff doesn't care to have violent threads in the main debate, you guys could make up a new area, which only established members could access, and place these threads in there for the rest of us to continue. Established members could be designated by their post count. Those above a sertain number, only can post there. That and those that are thrown in there for disciplinary reasons, will automatically be able to post In that area. It would also take care of trolls and their sock pupets. If a person starts up a reputation of being snotty and belligerent, you could fix his permissions so he can only post in this area. It would give these people, who might just be excellant person, who just get aggravated too quickly, to stop and smell the roses. This would also give those looking at a ban, another chance to straighten themselves out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harbringe Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Actually you may not realize it but this place is far better than most , for the most part people attempt to debate their points using reason and when something gets a little out of line , someone generally will rebut the offending point and usually without denigrating into a mudslinging contest and when more is needed the moderators tend to do a good job in setting things aright. Strangely enough when I compare this forum to other forums (where things can be downright vicious) the fact that a site like this with the amount of people that come through here is able to maintain a debate section is an indicator of success not a problem , despite the occasional issues that may arise. If forums have a real problem its the nature of the medium itself , in this medium all you have is yourself and the text you type and an awful lot of what normally would occur in a person to person exchange never happens , just as a simple example say you were about to unload on someone in this forum and you do , yet you meet that person in real life and find out it was a 14 year old kid , would you say the same things in the same way. Probably not . So really when it comes to moderated or closed its really a non issue and what people need to be cognizant of is this disconnect betwixt people in the medium itself and how do you do that by minding your P's and Q's and the occasional "ahem' from a moderator when reminding is needed . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marxist ßastard Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Could always add a couple forum specific mods? Not like you have to worry about the budget. :DI nominate myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginnyfizz Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Un-moderated?Absolutely not. It would just become a troll forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bben46 Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 We do moderate the debate forum with a light touch. :ermm: And I do expect anyone who wants to debate to have a thicker skin there than in the general forums. Some time ago I formulated a set of basic unofficial debate rules - more of a debaters handbook than actual rules. And surprisingly, most of our debaters have followed them fairly well. :thumbsup: I tend to shut down a debate when it degenerates into name calling and insults instead of banning - after all, it is a debate. But if someone tries to carry on their name calling or insults outside of the debate arena, they get shut down To keep it simple I didn't include logical fallacies - they are easy enough to look up. :tongue: For those that somehow missed Bben's Debate Rules - http://forums.nexusm...es-for-debates/ If you can't stand the heat, get out of the Kitchen.Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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