Moderators/ and topics getting locked?

[brewcrewreview]

I am curious.

What makes someone a moderator on this site (No, I don't want to apply)? How many are there?

Also, what is the policy on locking topics? If one moderator doesn't like a topic then does it get banned for everyone to participate with it?

An example is the topic about the guy that died drowning in a foot of water looking for his cell phone. I thought it was interesting and then it got locked. Was it locked because one moderator didn't like it? Does a topic have to be discussed by a committee of moderators before it gets locked? To me, if one moderator doesn't like a topic but five others think it's acceptable, then it shouldn't get locked.

Not complaining, just interested and curious in the policies surrounding these issues.

[RyDogg66]

I know Brian has enlisted some more deputies, but it seems like half the people on these forums have moderator powers...and are just dying to use them. What I mean is, I dont know what the criteria is for locking a thread outside of no politics or religion.

[pogokat]

nothing is locked arbitrarily....we discuss whatever before stuff gets locked generally...

[davebobn]

As much as it seems lame to see so many threads being locked I understand why it's done. If any of you visit any other message boards on the internet you'll find total anarchy. I think the mods here do a good job. Maybe they're a little quick to lock a thread every now and again, but it keeps the board clean. Keep up the good work.

[Brian the Automator]

There are 15 moderators on the site. I've hand-picked them based on attributes I feel match my own vision for the site. We've scaled up the moderator staff proportionately to the recent spike in users. I've based the number based roughly on the availability of each person.

 

Moderators have the ability to discuss particular threads, and more often than not, threads that are locked for reasons that may not seem crystal-clear to the end user get discussed.

 

Generally, threads in which people aren't responding with insightful commentary and where people are taking shots at each other get locked. This is what happened with the thread in question.

 

It is a judgement call, you're right. However, I feel this makes the human aspect to moderating makes Brewerfan.net unique from other message boards.

[1992casey]

I'm assuming this has to do with the Off Topic thread that was locked for content this morning. Brian addressed that.

 

As far as other locks?

 

Duplicates are something that have to be resolved as quickly as possible. Otherwise, discussion becomes unwieldy. It's tough to decide which thread to lock if each one has a dozen posts in it.

 

Also, note that we're trying to funnel as much duplicative discussion as possible into single threads. This would involve threads that don't start out as duplicates but end up that way. An example would be when a lineup thread was designated for general lineup discussion.

 

A factor which may contribute to the number of locks is simply the number of threads. There was a time when 'current' discussion would extend only a page or two back on the forums. At this point, you've got to go to page 3 of the Major League forum to find posts from 3 days ago.

[mothershipconnection]

I don't think I've ever been mad with a thread being locked here, other than a few select times when it was one idiot ruining a good discussion, in which case I feel they should have been banned instead of locking an otherwise useful thread.

 

As much as this board is policed compared to other boards, you see it's necessary when you compare the disciplinary styles. Other boards are garbage because there's zero control over flaming, trolling, and other forms of wasting one's life alone in an apartment full of Lord of the Rings figurines.

[logan82]

I don't like threads getting locked when the thread we are directed to is over a month old. I understand why it is done, but I doubt somebody is going to go much past the first page looking for a thread before starting a new one.

[1992casey]

Locking a duplicate isn't a punishment or anything like that.

 

I don't think anyone here expects members to find thread that old. But if someone manages to locate the duplicate, we should funnel the discussion. In this case, the old thread popped up at the very top of a Google search.

 

People certainly should look past the first page of the discussion list, though. I'd suggest looking back 3 or 4 days. And if a member absolutely knows a usable thread is hiding back there someplace, s/he should dig it out and use it.

[Team Canada]

Locking a duplicate isn't a punishment or anything like that.

 

Exactly. Please don't take it personally if it happens. Sometimes I just know that a thread is out there, and if one exists, it's good to keep the convo going there rather than starting fresh and possibly restating things.

[PeaveyFury]

I don't like threads getting locked when the thread we are directed to is over a month old.

 

I agree completely, actually. Going through the first 1-4 pages is reasonable. Linking back a month seems unreasonable.

[1992casey]

After further review, I think this is a case where I should have linked to the old thread for reference, then locked the old thread. I'll go back and make those modifications.

 

I've locked old threads in favor of new ones a couple times lately; I don't know why that didn't occur to me this time.

 

Boy, though. I still think there's a more recent Fielder MVP thread in there somewhere. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

[PeaveyFury]

Boy, though. I still think there's a more recent Fielder MVP thread in there somewhere.

 

I think you're correct, actually. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[Team Canada]

Linking back a month seems unreasonable.

 

But that only happens if one of us happens to know that there's another thread out there, goes and finds it, and links to it. Then it's right there available to use.

 

Heck, for the Koskie thread that I locked and linked to, all I had to do was use the google search and found it immediately.

 

Whenever the new forum is written, searching will actually be huge, as it will truly work then and it should be much simpler to find related threads.

 

The reason I favor locking new and bumping old is so you don't lose all the previous material that contributed to the conversation.

[nullbyte]

Speaking of locked topics, wouldn't it be appropriate to unlock the "Three Strikes and You're Out" thread here in the Issues & Events forum? It would be the natural place to allow discussion of a new policy.

 

The cross-post in the other forums, naturally, could (and probably should) remain locked.

[brewers19]

I'm not going to unlock it, because I don't want either to end up like the 'Keep Brewerfan Beautiful' thread. They're mainly there for reference.

 

I'm hesitant to start a discussion thread about it as well, because the terms are non-negotiable.

[nullbyte]

Quote:

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I'm not going to unlock it, because I don't want either to end up like the 'Keep Brewerfan Beautiful' thread.

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What did you find to be the issue with that thread? It looked like a lot of members echoed Brian's concerns, and people gained a lot of clarification (e.g. "what is considered a one-liner?").

 

Quote:

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I'm hesitant to start a discussion thread about it as well, because the terms are non-negotiable.

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Hmm. That doesn't really strike me as "the Brewerfan.net Way." The aforementioned thread started out with, "Let me start by saying that I am always open to suggestion, and constructive criticism as to how we run Brewerfan.net are always welcome." Let it be clear, I think the policy is just fine, and I'm not suggesting any changes. I just thought I'd speak up in case anyone has any concerns or, especially, questions.

[brewers19]

What did you find to be the issue with that thread?

 

Basically, I don't want ensuing discussion to take away at all from the initial post and purpose of the thread.

 

I just thought I'd speak up in case anyone has any concerns or, especially, questions.

 

I'm more than willing to answer questions about the new system; but I've been here long enough to know that such a thread wouldn't remain a simple little Q & A session for long.

 

For a little clarification, I said it was non-negotiable mainly because it was formulated from a moderator's point of view. And in allowing everyone to throw out suggestions on how to change it, I feel that it would undermine the very consistency and structure that it is trying to promote.

 

If there really is demand for a discussion thread, I'll allow it. But I'd prefer not to bring any unnecessary trouble upon myself, so I'm not going to be the one to start it.

[1992casey]

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But I'd prefer not to bring any unnecessary trouble upon myself, so I'm not going to be the one to start it.

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If nobody's inclined to start a thread, keep in mind that the 'Beautiful' thread is open for discussion and would seem to be an appropriate place for questions.

[bjkrautk]

Just to put out a suggestion:

 

If there's a commonly-used thread, which will cause the locking of subsequently-started threads (like the lineup thread, venting thread, etc.)....would it make sense to pin the common threads to the top of the discussion board?

 

I see today that a "Where to bat Bill Hall" thread was locked, and referred to the lineup thread....but that thread isn't even on the first page anymore.

 

 

Alternatively, it might at least make sense to pin a single post that links to: the venting thread, the silver lining thread, the lineup thread, Yost's Last Stand, etc. That would still make it easy to find the thread the user should be posting in....without cluttering up the top of the 'Major League' forum.

[Thurston Fluff]

Alternatively, it might at least make sense to pin a single post that links to: the venting thread, the silver lining thread, the lineup thread, Yost's Last Stand, etc

 

That makes sense to me. It could be a link coupling all the common discussions that come up over and over.

[1992casey]

Some have pointed out that locked threads can be too easy to gloss over, but I think the lineup thread is a good one to pin for a while.

 

Yost's Last Stand looks like it's going to stand on its own for the time being, but I think it's a great thread to 'deposit' any general Yost discussion.

 

By the way, I found the Prince thread I should have used Friday night. More on that when I have more time.

[DuWayne Steurer]

I noticed today that the "cappy getting hurt" thread was locked, because a moderator (or moderators, I don't know) said the discussion "had run it's course".

 

It seems to me that that's kind of an arbitrary decision to make. I know that many people found the initial post absurd, outlandish, whatever, but at least the poster presented some points, (and reworded his initial argument) that at least showed his side.

 

If a discussion has run it's course, won't it dissapear of the page eventually? If posters are still posting in a thread, it would seem that the discussion hasn't. As for "the same points being made", that happens in every thread in every forum ever created.

[BillScottCanRake]

I noticed today that the "cappy getting hurt" thread was locked, because a moderator (or moderators, I don't know) said the discussion "had run it's course".

 

It seems to me that that's kind of an arbitrary decision to make. I know that many people found the initial post absurd, outlandish, whatever, but at least the poster presented some points, (and reworded his initial argument) that at least showed his side.

 

It was a decision, and it may not have been the correct decision depending upon your point of view, but it wasn't arbitrary or solitary.

 

The reason for the lock wasn't the outlandish nature of the thread. There were 100 posts in the thread, a third of them were by a single poster, and no one had modified their position significantly. Given the lack of movement and the fact that the poster said it was "good" for the Brewers that a player was injured, I felt the thread was ripe to turn emotional. Maybe it was overly cautious, but I have seen too many threads like that degrade over the years into things that no one likes to see.

 

Again, it might not have been the right decision (I think it was, but I can see where people might not agree), and I am probably guilty of a lesser explanation (which is sometimes hard to do during the day), but it wasn't arbitrary or solitary by any means.

[1992casey]

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Alternatively, it might at least make sense to pin a single post that links to: the venting thread, the silver lining thread, the lineup thread, Yost's Last Stand, etc. That would still make it easy to find the thread the user should be posting in....without cluttering up the top of the 'Major League' forum.

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Designated threads are now listed in the Major League Forum FAQ.