# Do Moderators close threads just to justify their role?



## Kai Lord (Nov 12, 2002)

Xarlen started a funny thread about whether or not he was a wuss because The Ring scared him and a few people went back and forth and even made references to how the movie would make for a cool D&D or CoC adventure.

Dinkeldog closed it because it was an "off-topic" poll.  Meanwhile, no less than five other off-topic threads are carrying on right here on this front page.

I asked for advice on which video game console to buy and it lasted for a good number of posts, and right before me there was advice given on another thread where a guy was planning on buying a new computer.  Neither thread had anything to do with D&D, and neither one was closed.

So if Xarlen had said, "Am I a wuss?  Please discuss," and left the thread at that it would have been just peachy to the Moderators.  If I had posted, "Poll:  Which game console is the best, PS2, X-Box, or Gamecube?" then it would have been closed.  Never mind that the nature of the discussions *is the same either way.*

I can understand Moderators closing threads where personal attacks are exchanged and don't let up.  I can understand Moderators closing Off-Topic Polls if there are more OT threads than On-Topic ones.

Ever see a junior high basketball game where the refs call every single ridiculous infraction and someone stands up and yells, "come on ref, let 'em play!"  I think some Moderators just look for an excuse to "moderate", its the only explanation I can see for the arbitrary silliness of some of their actions.


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## drothgery (Nov 12, 2002)

Off-topic discussion is allowed. Off-topic polls are not. That's been standing policy since shortly after users gained the ability to post polls.


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## Crothian (Nov 12, 2002)

The policy is pretty simple.  No OT polls.  That is where the line is drawn.  Also, things like this are best done through e-mail with the moderators.


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## DM_Matt (Nov 12, 2002)

Well, whether or not it has any impact on their justification for existing, I have a feeling that the moderators are going to close THIS thread pretty soon....


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## Leopold (Nov 12, 2002)

theres a meta thread or a sci-fi forum to move them too..


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## Sir Osis of Liver (Nov 12, 2002)

When the poll option first became avialable there were tons of off topic polls in the General Forum and it became a problem, since then ot polls have not been allowed, period. I can see why you ask, but if you had seen the mess that was in here you'd probably understand the policy better.

On a side note, Crothian and Leopold are right, Stuff like this should either be taken care through e-mail with one of the mods, or be put in Meta( meat deals with questions about the boards themselves).


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## Kibo (Nov 12, 2002)

*metamoderation for the masses*

Well this should probably be discussed in the meta forum, as it's a discussions about discussions.  It's a pretty sad state when the people being moderated can't discuss being moderated.  It would certainly be ammusing if the moderators closed it, at least to me.  Almost as ammusing as the moderators bringing up Columbine et al.  Or better yet by admonishing people to refrain from personal insults while liberally spouting their own epithets (that was classic).

But, elementally, the job of a censor is to censor.  If you're not censoring things or finding things to censor, what's the point of being a censor.  Naturally, the truth is a much finer shade of grey than that, but ultimately I don't think it's that far off the mark.

All in all censors really only seem to work well on small communities.  It's a difficult balance to strike, and while a high signal to noise ratio is a noble goal, it takes rare individuals to strike that balance.  Consistancy, the mercurial nature of the human condition, and just plain old differences between people conspire to make it a more or less intractable problem.  Any reduction of noise will throw out some of the signal, and any adjustment that allows more signal will admit more noise.

For my part I think the world would be a better place if all censors were converted to censers.  It might be a little dirtier, but it'd be more honest and smell better.

But I, thankfully, am not burdened with such responsabilities.  But anyone who doesn't agree with me is in fact a cannibal and a hippie joo.


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## ColonelHardisson (Nov 12, 2002)

It's not about censorship. It's about off-topic polls, which played hell with the site back when polls were first introduced. The site was down everyday for hours until the problem was figured out - too many polls. So off-topic ones were banned. I don't see why that's such a hardship.


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## Sir Osis of Liver (Nov 12, 2002)

I don't think i'd touch Kibo's reasponce with a ten meter cattle prod.


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## EricNoah (Nov 12, 2002)

*Re: metamoderation for the masses*



			
				Kibo said:
			
		

> *But anyone who doesn't agree with me is in fact a cannibal and a hippie joo. *




Wow, you'd better explain this last bit because where I come from that's just appallingly insulting no matter how you spell it.


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## Crothian (Nov 12, 2002)

I'm pretty sure the mods would love it if they had nothing to do.  That would mean they didn't have to "censor" people or deal with problems.  And as a long time user of these boards I have not seen any evidence of censorship or any of the things being accused here.


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## Mark (Nov 12, 2002)

Crothian said:
			
		

> *I'm pretty sure the mods would love it if they had nothing to do.  That would mean they didn't have to "censor" people or deal with problems.  And as a long time user of these boards I have not seen any evidence of censorship or any of the things being accused here. *




If I am not mistaken, it is only really censorship if you have the right to say what is being censored.  Nevertheless, it appears our careless-spelling friend has given them something to do...


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## Sir Osis of Liver (Nov 12, 2002)

> I'm pretty sure the mods would love it if they had nothing to do. That would mean they didn't have to "censor" people or deal with problems. And as a long time user of these boards I have not seen any evidence of censorship or any of the things being accused here.




Yup, i'd say the mods are down right tolerent when it comes to these things. Following the forum rules, and haveing people to enforce them if nessasary doesn't = censorship were i come from.



> But anyone who doesn't agree with me is in fact a cannibal and a hippie joo.




And that's a step beyond uncalled for, a joke is one thing, but insults like that aren't really funny.


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## Umbran (Nov 12, 2002)

It's also considered polite to discuss your grievances on thread closings with the mods in e-mail before you go soliciting opinions from the unwashed masses.  

Rather than call the integrity of the mods into question publicly, you could have asked and been reminded that the "no OT poll" rule had been instituted shortly after polls became available, because the EN World population apparently could not police itself on the matter.  

The thread was closed for reasons of policy.  And the policy isn't arbitrary.

[Edit - not to make light of another poster, but one might expect a bit of sarcasm from a user with the name "Kibo".  A good rule of thumb on the internet - when in doubt, assume the writer was trying to be amusing, sarcastic or ironic, and failed.]


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## EricNoah (Nov 12, 2002)

And just to repeat what everyone else has said...

OT Polls ... we don't do them, they just got out of control and made much more junk in the General forum, and we got lots of complaints from the community.  OT discussion, on the other hand -- fine!  It's as simple as that.


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## Triumph (Nov 12, 2002)

*Re: Re: metamoderation for the masses*



			
				EricNoah said:
			
		

> *Wow, you'd better explain this last bit because where I come from that's just appallingly insulting no matter how you spell it. *




I assume you come from a place that has never aired a little show called South Park.  Cartman likes to put the words "hippy" and "jew" together when insulting Kyle.  At least Kibo didn't say that anyone who disagrees with him is a cannibal and a donkey biting uncle er.


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## EricNoah (Nov 12, 2002)

*Re: Re: Re: metamoderation for the masses*



			
				Triumph said:
			
		

> *
> 
> I assume you come from a place that has never aired a little show called South Park.  Cartman likes to put the words "hippy" and "jew" together when insulting Kyle.  *




Kibo's about to learn that he shouldn't immitate every idiotic thing he sees on TV.


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## Triumph (Nov 12, 2002)

*Re: Re: Re: Re: metamoderation for the masses*



			
				EricNoah said:
			
		

> *Kibo's about to learn that he shouldn't immitate every idiotic thing he sees on TV. *




Uh oh.  You're not going to go all "Captain Needa" on his ass, are you?


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## EricNoah (Nov 12, 2002)

I have no idea what you're talking about.  In any case, I'm gonna close this one so I can move a copy over into the mod's forum.  This is actually a pretty serious situation.


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