Why do they think locking a thread is moderation? Why are they so bad at moderating?
It's because they still haven't fixed their warning system. Each report is an individual notification and when a thread is controversial it spams the reports inbox, "overwhelming" the mods, so they lock it to stop the reports. That's why Beef said his forum janitor job was "exhausting". Really the reports inbox should
- should collapse by thread
- allow you to ignore all future reports on the same post. As it is, new reports on previously closed reports reopen the report.
- allow you to ignore all reports in a thread. If a thread is controversial, one mod should just, like, read or skim the thread from front to back and do what they think is necessary.
That they haven't fixed it yet is dumb
What they should actually do is have a list of the forum rules, and you select what specific rule a post is breaking if you report it, and if you report something for being something that it isn't, you get a ban for abusing the report system.
That way:
a) you have to have actual fucking forum rules, not "I don't like that post, so I'll coptalk it into a Downplaying Other Users Concerns, Inflammatory Generalisation, Arguing in Bad Faith, Disingeuous" instead
b) if its not against the forum rules and you don't like it, tough shit. Try debating the point instead of trying to get inconvenient arguments removed to make your arguments appear stronger.
c) the actual staff jobs as janitor is a lot easier because they're not being summoned like a fucking stand to win a fight every time an argument breaks out
edit: also, which should go without saying, but you know...
d) enforce all rules equally; if you have a ramping increase in bans, third strike gets a month (or whatever) even for something relatively petty, even if they are a good buddy of yours. Likewise if you have a ramping bans system, first offense should be a slap on the wrist for anything that isn't insta-perma worthy. No, even if it is bad mouthing your pet cause.
