Consistency in Locking Threads?

spinnaker

Joined Oct 29, 2009
7,830
It should be fairly straight forward. Region and politics are prohibited so any discussion on religion or politics should not only be locked but deleted. It is pretty obvious what is religion and politics. There are a couple of current on going threads that are obviously politics yet go unlocked.
 

Wendy

Joined Mar 24, 2008
23,415
Again, we try to keep it loose. We have a few members who can not seem to wrap their heads around certain concepts. Eventually they will learn or be banned for trolling.

But there is an active push to improve the quality of this site without changing the character. Personally I am a free speech advocate, so tend to be a bit laxer than most.

However, with the addition of new moderators, the fresh blood will show.
 

tcmtech

Joined Nov 4, 2013
2,867
I have not had much problem getting threads locked but I do find some of my posts tend to disappear depending on who is having what sort of day in the moderators play pen.

(Runny nose, lack of sleep, dirty diaper. that sort of things.) :p
 

ronv

Joined Nov 12, 2008
3,770
I think the site does a great job with locking threads.
There are a multitude of topics that people may consider political, but in fact they just produce a vigorous debate.
They often drift towards politics or religion, but the topics themselves may not be political or religious.
These are debates. And as such are healthy.
Just my 2 cents.
 

JoeJester

Joined Apr 26, 2005
4,390
I thought the latest lock was a little off. First of all, one member was opining on who could qualify as a terrorist based on the full definition. At least that was my read.

The simple definition included a political aspect.

Would some moderator close a thread if we discussed politics by Aristotle?

As far as being loose with the word terrorist ... We have our own units terrorist the frequents the homework area, but of course, I've heard him referred as the units Nazi as well.

Political animals are rabid at times and there is nothing to administer should one get bit.
Mod edit: Language. 'units Nazi?' kind of like that one. Its not me but I'd wear it as a badge of honor.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

WBahn

Joined Mar 31, 2012
29,976
I've called him worse than that.:oops:
In public.:eek:

I'm lucky he wasn't a Moderator at that time.:D
Would not have mattered one bit -- I make a VERY concerted effort not to let my personal feelings affect my mod duties. I will simply defer to the other mods in any matter to which I am a party (and more than once have reported a post that I've written asking if it should be deleted or edited).
 

JohnInTX

Joined Jun 26, 2012
4,787
Do the moderators need to compare notes on when to lock threads due to conflicts with the TOS on such subjects as politics and religion?
Yes, we do. A lot. As a new(ish) mod, I can say that you have no earthly idea how much time and effort gets put into keeping this site focused on its mission. (as I see it at least). As I said during the 'orange transition', I like being here. I like the people here. I've made friends here and I like spending time with smart people.

I have also noted and remain in awe of the selfless contributions of the members of AAC who take the time to jump in for anyone who asks for help - from noobs to knuckleheads - and for the most part it works just fine - thanks to the majority of members who get the mission and suffer through the problems and report when they find things going off the rails. The fact that it works as well as it does is a tribute to those members who do the heavy lifting of helping strangers (and knuckleheads) with their problems AND can disagree with an approach without getting into personal attacks. Kudos to all of them.

Its not been all roses though. Some members, even those who really know better, lose focus and get - not so nice.

But, the mod experience is an eye-opening one, forcing me to view and deal with things with respect to a shared goal. It's different than when I ran a bunch of contract programmers ('my name is on the front of your check - get it? Nice). My personal thanks goes out to the majority of you who have made AAC the awesome place that it is. For some others who have strayed, we have reached out and you have responded to keep the spirit going, and we thank you. For the recalcitrant few - well, its that new blood thing and I do have a hammer with a big 'M' on it.

Thanks to all who are on board, that continue to report the BS and that continue to make AAC the place to be.
 

JohnInTX

Joined Jun 26, 2012
4,787
I have not had much problem getting threads locked but I do find some of my posts tend to disappear depending on who is having what sort of day in the moderators play pen.
(Runny nose, lack of sleep, dirty diaper. that sort of things.) :p
Ha ha. Have you considered that the difference might be the mod's workload on that day that let some of your posts slip by? If you would like more consistency in moderation just let me know and I will add you to my list.
 

WBahn

Joined Mar 31, 2012
29,976
@#12: I split off the posts relating to pressure into a different thread. I moved it to the Physics forum, which seems the best place for it.
 

DerStrom8

Joined Feb 20, 2011
2,390
This is getting ridiculous. Closed threads and deleted posts with no explanation, turning a blind eye to trolls and letting them roam free to trash the forums, pushing away respectable members who have been here for a long time in favor of letting one or two complete idiots take over, crappy articles and software changes, inconsistent moderating techniques. This entire site has just gone down the toilet. Sure, forums change, but that doesn't mean they have to go in the s****er. I am sick of what AAC has been turned into. It used to be a great educational site but now I find myself not wanting to have anything to do with it. Some of the moderators/members that I used to trust have become blind fools enabling and encouraging laziness and illiteracy among some (one in particular) other members. This has gotten way out of hand and some of them seem too stupid to realize it.

I realize you're probably going to delete this post anyway (with no comment, go figure), but in my defense I have not mentioned any names. You already know who you are.
 

joeyd999

Joined Jun 6, 2011
5,234
This is getting ridiculous. Closed threads and deleted posts with no explanation, turning a blind eye to trolls and letting them roam free to trash the forums, pushing away respectable members who have been here for a long time in favor of letting one or two complete idiots take over, crappy articles and software changes, inconsistent moderating techniques. This entire site has just gone down the toilet. Sure, forums change, but that doesn't mean they have to go in the s****er. I am sick of what AAC has been turned into. It used to be a great educational site but now I find myself not wanting to have anything to do with it. Some of the moderators/members that I used to trust have become blind fools enabling and encouraging laziness and illiteracy among some (one in particular) other members. This has gotten way out of hand and some of them seem too stupid to realize it.

I realize you're probably going to delete this post anyway (with no comment, go figure), but in my defense I have not mentioned any names. You already know who you are.

I've got the same sense you have, @DerStrom8. Lately, I've been trying to find better things to do with my time than to hang out here. But, I still come back for the occasional entertaining conversation.
 
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