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I'd like to see three improvements to the software that may help the amount of angst and thrashing that goes on from time to time.
1- When a user reports a post from another user for whatever reason, the software should automatically add the reported user to the reporting users ignore list. So, if person A reports a post from person B, the software would automatically add person B to person A's ignore list. They'd be free to go remove it, but at least the immediate fuel for taking offense would be removed. The moderators can then judge whether the post is offensive to the community, or if someone is just being over sensitive.
2- When a user has another user on ignore, PMs from the ignored user should be blocked as well.
3- I'd like the ability to ignore/block a thread in addition to the ability to ignore a user. When ignore thread is on, ideally it would get sorted off the page, or not shown at all, or have another view which shows ignored threads.
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I'd like to see three improvements to the software that may help the amount of angst and thrashing that goes on from time to time.
1- When a user reports a post from another user for whatever reason, the software should automatically add the reported user to the reporting users ignore list. So, if person A reports a post from person B, the software would automatically add person B to person A's ignore list. They'd be free to go remove it, but at least the immediate fuel for taking offense would be removed. The moderators can then judge whether the post is offensive to the community, or if someone is just being over sensitive.
2- When a user has another user on ignore, PMs from the ignored user should be blocked as well.
3- I'd like the ability to ignore/block a thread in addition to the ability to ignore a user. When ignore thread is on, ideally it would get sorted off the page, or not shown at all, or have another view which shows ignored threads.
Just because I may find part of a post to be objectionable doesn't mean I may find all of it to be offensive, so why would I want to have that person be added to my ignore list?
PMs from someone you have on ignore can just be deleted, correct?
East Hill
Just because I may find part of a post to be objectionable doesn't mean I may find all of it to be offensive, so why would I want to have that person be added to my ignore list?
PMs from someone you have on ignore can just be deleted, correct?
East Hill
Well, you shouldn't be reporting objectionable posts, just offensive ones. If one is so offended as to request moderator intervention, I think you'd want to just ignore anything that person has to say. At least until the situation is resolved. I just think it might cut down on some of the thrashing that happens from time to time.
I can delete any PM, but if I have someone on ignore, it means I really want to ignore that user. The auto ignore function above is a little radical I know, but receiving PMs from people who are ignored is a pretty bad oversight in the software in my opinion. At least there should be an option to have them blocked. I'm not ignoring someone if I have to go and delete PMs from them.
Objectionable adj. Arousing disapproval
Offensive: objectionable behavior.
I agree that the PM structure doesn't allow for much variation (it's either yes, I will receive PMs, or no, I will not receive PMs), but that sounds like a job for the software experts.
I'm just the Official Greeter :) .
East Hill
Objectionable adj. Arousing disapproval
Offensive: objectionable behavior.
LOL. I'll give you that.
Here are the distinctions I was thinking of:
Offensive - A picture is posted that directly goes against forum rules and guidelines. (Porn etc.)
vs
Objectionable - Person posts a distasteful picture which is somehow close to the topic at hand which offends some people, but not others. (Like that Piss Christ thing)
I'll work on my lexicon.
Anyway, the last thing I want to do is dictate how people post or behave, I just think some improvements to the software could help prevent things from getting out of hand. I'll leave it at that.
Good points!
There's a lot of leeway in there, and some people have thinner skins than others. So that's a subjective thing. I know that I have seen a few posts from one person who I really enjoy reading, but took me aback when I saw one post. So, I wouldn't want to block everything from that person, but that one post did wind up getting removed (not by me).
But your ideas for the software are interesting. Perhaps Tom or Brian will stop by and comment.
East Hill
Ok, a new person posts in Introductions, and asks for assistance with an older bike. Someone else reports the post, asking it to be moved to C&V so the OP can get proper assistance. Happens all the time. Should they be put on someone's ignore list for that?
We will leave it up to individuals to exercise their right to ignore other members.
Ok, a new person posts in Introductions, and asks for assistance with an older bike. Someone else reports the post, asking it to be moved to C&V so the OP can get proper assistance. Happens all the time. Should they be put on someone's ignore list for that?
We will leave it up to individuals to exercise their right to ignore other members.
And as Brian pointed out, 'report a post' is not just for reporting 'objectionable' material. There are several reasons why someone may report a post.
His is one example. I've reported duplicate posts, as well. So, I don't want to ignore the poster, just tidy up the forum.
East Hill
What did East Hill just post? She's on my ignore list. ;)
What did East Hill just post? She's on my ignore list. ;)
I said you are a mean boss, and make me work too hard = no macadamia nut shortbread for you :p .
East Hill
Who banned me?
uh oh....I should put that down in the 'Banned' thread, shouldn't I?
I'll go do that now :p .
East Hill
I'd like to see three improvements to the software that may help the amount of angst and thrashing that goes on from time to time.
1- When a user reports a post from another user for whatever reason, the software should automatically add the reported user to the reporting users ignore list. So, if person A reports a post from person B, the software would automatically add person B to person A's ignore list. They'd be free to go remove it, but at least the immediate fuel for taking offense would be removed. The moderators can then judge whether the post is offensive to the community, or if someone is just being over sensitive.As has already been mentioned, the Report Post link is used for more than just reporting offensive posts.
2- When a user has another user on ignore, PMs from the ignored user should be blocked as well. I agree with you here. Not sure if the software can support it, though.
3- I'd like the ability to ignore/block a thread in addition to the ability to ignore a user. When ignore thread is on, ideally it would get sorted off the page, or not shown at all, or have another view which shows ignored threads.Don't click on it. There's nothing that requires you to click on a thread that you don't want to read. If you accidentally click on one, hit the Back button.
I actually don't use the ignore feature on any of the many forums to which I belong. If there's a member that I don't care to hear from, I simply disregard their posts. If one of them starts a thread, I don't click it. If they post in a thread, I skip over their post. The one time I did have someone on ignore on a forum, I ended up clicking the Show Post link to see what they'd posted every time I saw it. I then decided that my mind is more powerful than any forum software when it comes to ignoring a user, and stopped reading their posts. More importantly, I stopped letting their posts bother me.
Actually, if you can stand back a bit, the people whom you would otherwise have on Ignore can be quite entertaining. It's the old drive-by-a-car-crash thing -- you know you shouldn't look, but you do anyway. There's one poster here that's like that for me -- he has a ridiculously confrontationist attitude, but he and the reactions he evokes from others always entertain me.
And you know if a poster starts to get nasty with you, you have hit a nerve. Time for a final post from you to egg them on, then you can walk away from the thread never to visit again. :D
As to objectionable or offensive material, you can just report it and get on with other posts or threads. There's no guarantee that your standard of objectionable or offensive equates with that of the on-duty mods, so if any action is taken, think yourself lucky.
I haven't put anyone on Ignore since I became a member. You never know... the one you want to Ignore might have something useful to state sometime into the future. Oh, and there is always the quote-in-reply which inevitably shows you what that person is posting, anyway*.
*Having never used Ignore, does it also wipe out the quotes-in-reply content in subsequent posts by other users?
As has already been mentioned, the Report Post link is used for more than just reporting offensive posts.
Agreed. Didn't think about that so much, no worries on this one, I knew it was a stretch anyway.
I agree with you here. Not sure if the software can support it, though.
Yeah, they should change the software, this really is an oversight in the PM functionality in the software.
Don't click on it. There's nothing that requires you to click on a thread that you don't want to read. If you accidentally click on one, hit the Back button.
I actually don't use the ignore feature on any of the many forums to which I belong. If there's a member that I don't care to hear from, I simply disregard their posts. If one of them starts a thread, I don't click it. If they post in a thread, I skip over their post. The one time I did have someone on ignore on a forum, I ended up clicking the Show Post link to see what they'd posted every time I saw it. I then decided that my mind is more powerful than any forum software when it comes to ignoring a user, and stopped reading their posts. More importantly, I stopped letting their posts bother me.
Oh I know this, I've only put person on ignore, I'm not even sure they're on ignore anymore. I really have no problem ignoring things, many people can't resist troll bait or resist causing a ruckus when a -potentially- offensive post is made. I think there's a software solution that can keep the problematic trolling/offending out of sight, out of mind til the situation til it can be resolved. This may not be the answer, just an idea.
As for the ignore thread. I actually think this would be more useful to me than the favorite thread function. My favorite threads are getting active posts, so they bounce up to the top anyway. Once they stop getting posts, I don't want to see them and they just clutter up my favorites which then requires more administration on my part to take them out of my favorites.
There are numerous threads that I just don't care about, so they just get in the way. I'll never want to see those posts, even if they are active. If I could ignore them, it would be a one time ignore, and never have to think about it again. Of course I can just skip over them as I do. But for my habits, the ignore thread would just be useful. For others, maybe not so much.
These are all ideas that would just make the software more useful to this site and as a commercial product (IMO). Use or ignore as you will.
*Having never used Ignore, does it also wipe out the quotes-in-reply content in subsequent posts by other users?
No, if someone quotes a post by a user that you have on ignore, the quoted text is fully visible to you.
No, if someone quotes a post by a user that you have on ignore, the quoted text is fully visible to you.
Cheers!
While it might make the "offended" person feel better, the truth is that "Ignore" functions are problematic:
1.) None that I know of do more than suppress the posts/PMs of the individual being "ignored"; a header with the user's name and a message such as "this user is being ignored" remains as long as the "Ignore" feature is active. Not really what is wanted, IMHO: The real desire of the user doing the ignoring is...to see the "offending" user suffer at least a temporary "Death By Usenet" with no traces of them at all anywhere on the site!
2.) The "report post" function in any bulletin board software is intended to act to report troublemakers, and is more "effective" (as well as leaving a record of the (alleged) offense with the "Powers That Be"). Triggering the "Ignore" function on its own fails to do both.
3.) The offensive post is still visible to everyone else! (Until it's edited/deleted, that is.) So how does using the Ignore function to prevent ONE user from being "offended" going to help put out the fires of a potential flame war?
4.) The most crucial point of all: Using an "Ignore" function is likely to be legally dangerously close to making the person using it an editor of a website. If that takes place, the protections accruing to an ISP (the website legally being considered as one) about not being responsible for what's posted by users might well be breached and the individual/site can then be held liable for the contents of items that are posted.
This is one reason why Administration/Moderation of a site can become a legal minefield if it's not done properly. For a mere user to be able to invoke this "editorial" function on their own--automatically--simply because THEY don't like the "flame bait" offered by the offending user is taking a real legal risk, both for themselves and the site Administration that provides the service, especially if it were to turn out that the "troll" were really litigious and decided to sue because their "freedom of speech" were impinged upon that way. Yes, such a charge would be hard to prove and the action would likely end up thrown out of court, but sites have been shut down for a lot less.
Pressing the "Ignore" button probably would not be considered a "correct" way to deal with...eh...someone who likes "raisin' Cain" (more vulgar but even more accurate descriptive terms avoided). It also makes the normal user effectively unsupervised, unofficial staff which could well make for even more Administrative nightmares.
Also see monogodo's post for another BIG shortcoming of the "Ignore" function.
BTW: Such automatic "engage the ignore system" features (for the easy disciplining of trolls) are not unheard of: vB has one; see their website. (It's mentioned as a feature of the software and is described in the vBulletin manual (software manual), which IS public and on-line so I am NOT giving away state secrets!). These features if available, however, are only for staff use and if they choose to use them.
For good reason.
As another who has had long involvement in moderating and adminning boards elsewhere I'm liking what I'm seeing in your comments, Black Bud. Well spoken!
To those comments I'd like to add a couple of 'conceptual' considerations.
The first of those relates to the notion, which seems to underpin the contention of this thread, that people somehow have a "right" to post whatever they want to, with the exceptions of content expressly prohibited in the stated 'rules', and without fear of it being altered or interfered with in any way. That's just not the case, on any forum board really. Forum board owners and supervisors are free to deal with posted content in whatever way they might deem fitting. The best interests of the board's 'character' and smooth operation are consideration #1, and the 'rights' of individual members must necessarily be secondary to that. No individual member can ever be considered as 'more important' than the board overall.
The second of them relates to the nature of post-reporting. If I, as a member, report a post then I'm reporting content, not reporting an individual. I'm not engaging in a personal attack, or objecting to a particular person's presence here. I've simply seen something which comes under the umbrella of 'problemmatic' content, and am trying to bring it to attention. The idea that I must necessarily not want to see anything and everything posted previously or since by the person who made that 'problemmatic' post is quite bizarre!
If a person is on your ignore list, the PM's they send you don't come to you. At least they didn't when I tried it to test it.
...especially if it were to turn out that the "troll" were really litigious and decided to sue because their "freedom of speech" were impinged upon that way..."What happened to the freedom of speech?" is a question Mods have to deal with frequently. I think we're on the same page here, but just to clarify in general: if the owner of any private discussion forum decides to limit my access there in any way, that decision has got nothing to do with my "freedom of speech". Freedom of speech means I'm free to set up a web site, pay for the associated costs and express my views there. But I cannot expect anyone else to provide such platform for me.
--J
And goodness knows, "freedom of speech" can vary widely from country to country. I am certain my (American) idea of "freedom of speech" isn't quite the same as Juha's (Finnish) or even Rowan or Catweazle's (Australian). What a potential minefield of misunderstanding! :eek:
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