criticize moderators of IF?Modnote Posted Pg26/27-Close - Page 8

Originally posted by: serialjunkie

Ahaana is one of the best mods i've come across in this forum.0„2

Hats off.0„2

Originally posted by: -varun-

This is so true. Meli is THE best. Sorry for my language but i came across majority of mods here as very immature. The worst ever is pavitra rishta ones!

Note: Verbose post ahead.

I've been on both sides of table – as a moderator and as a regular member not just on IF but some other forums as well. The prohibition/censorship on criticism of moderators is not unique to IF. Majority of online forums have this rule. In fact in some forums they will immediately raise WL or even outright ban you for publicly criticizing moderators. The intent is not to be dictatorial or stifle members. There are several good reasons for this.

- To maintain decorum moderators must have a respectable authority

- There tends to be a bandwagon effect where people jump in on the criticism for the heck of it rather than for concrete reason

- Many people use criticism to grind axes or extract revenge rather than be constructive

- There are always trolls, anarchists, immature kids, drama queens who will take the opportunity to raise a huge chaotic hue and cry over even the gentlest reprimand on the wrist even if they justifiably deserved a good spanking. You all know who these are

- It creates a negative atmosphere when there is a lot of out front criticism

Now this does not mean the moderators are exempt for criticism completely. Moderators actually have a higher expectation of responsibility, accountability, fair play and ethics than ordinary members. Since public criticism is not allowed, there needs to be a very strong grievance addressing system. All legitimate comments/concerns must be thoroughly investigated and resolved in a fair prompt manner. It is kind of like sports. On the field you cannot argue with, yell at or show dissent to the referees. However, if you were unfairly treated or you suspect foul play you can lodge a formal complaint and expect that the matter will be taken care of. Everyone knows that the decisions will not always go in their favor, some appeals are overturned, but as long as the system is fair and functional people don't mind it – even if sometimes it works against them.

The problem I feel with IF is that the system is not functioning properly. Every day I see more and more people complain about moderators, suppression of free speech, unfair treatment or general chaotic nature of forums. So something needs to be fixed. Here are some (not all) of the problems I see with the IF system of addressing grievances.

- Unwillingness to acknowledge mistakes: It is a very desi mentality that those in authority always have to be right or that chaos will ensue if authority is wrong. Everyone is human and bound to make mistakes. Someone who is new may misinterpret the rules or make a poor judgment call. Even a very experienced moderator may misunderstand the situations in a new forum. There has to be a willingness to acknowledge and rectify mistakes. It does not have to be a public announcement "Mod makes mistakes". You can do it discreetly via PMs. The important thing is to make sure to address the issue. When you try to cover up mistakes or explain away mistakes it all starts appearing wishy washy and hypocritical.

- Lack of transparent accountability rules: I think the Dev team should get together and put together a "Moderator Code of Conduct". A commonly agreed expectation on how moderators are expected to behave and how they will resolve problems. Implement a three strikes rule where moderators also face consequences for severe misbehavior. This gives people a sense of security that the moderators are always acting fairly.

- Immature moderators: A huge number of DT members are teens or young adults who have absolutely no professional experience. They are nave, young, immature and easily swayed by emotions or fan mentality. Many of them do try hard and are sincere, but it is too much to expect someone who is mentally still a kid to open up to different viewpoints and make objective decisions. No offense to some of them, but we need more mature moderators. Some of them are really good human beings, but just not cut out for authority or responsibility.

- Passing the buck: A lot of times I see moderators say "contact the section's DT". That is fine. No one wants to overstep a line. I won't want people telling me what to do. I think what moderators fail to realize is that sometimes the reason members contact others or make topics in other forums is because they might have lost trust in a forum's DT. When this happens, rather than pass the buck right away, they should at least try and see if they can mediate and help resolve the situation.

Other than that I have additional suggestions that will help make the IF Dev Team more efficient

- Proxy blocking and MID control: Can't stress how important this is. Literally all members are down on their knees begging and pleading for this. The number of trolls, repeat offenders, serial abusers who simply make a new ID, come back and harass others is seriously a joke and embarrassment to IF. A lot of tension and negativity in sections is due to MID suspicions and accusations. The trolls and MIDs come and go, but we never find out who the actual abuser was. Once we have proxy blocking and some serious MID control this will stop. Abusers won't be able to hide behind MIDs. Period. That's that. End of games. Everyone will feel safe and there will be no unwarranted accusations or drama due to finger pointing.

- Hire paid administrators: IF is a big enough forum that makes enough money to hire paid administrators. Paid administrators are people who get paid to manage the forum every shift. They do stuff like trashing spam, blocking spambots, investigating and deleting MIDs, watching out for trolls, repeat offenders and blocking them as soon as they bypass systems, addressing serious issues if the moderator is not available.

- Stop pandering to fans & haters: (IF may never implement this, but it is a pet peeve of mine. I can have one point to rant about) Moderators are not meant to be kindergarten teachers. They are there to address serious offenses like personal attacks, sexual misconduct, security breaches, violent threats, PM harassment, stalking, privacy violations etc. It is ridiculous the amount of time moderators have to spend nursing fragile bruised egos because some fan is violated. So what if celebrity "x" is called ugly, talentless, arrogant, cheap, vulgar or whatever. That is just an opinion. As long as it is not slander or no one is passing lies as facts. This is real world. It does not matter who loves a star and who hates a star. If people are still obsessed with defending their favorite celebrities or obsessively trashing the ones they hate, they don't need moderators to settle their disputes – they just need to grow up. When I had to moderate DMG forums, I often thought it was the most frivolous waste of time. If the forum decided to ignore immature and childish disputes and focus on actual issues at least 90% of the moderators time waste would disappear and they would be more available to address member concerns.

Originally posted by: Satya_mevjayate

LMAO Dexter.

Your thread here 'Newbies shouldn't be allowed to PM'. Remember. Allow me to refresh your memory.You were upset because Sayali_babes had barged into your thread and she was hurling accusations at you. Those were valid accusations, she was exposing you, but you still whined,complained,you harped on and on. You complained to the mods, you had an issue with Sayali posting in your thread.

Now what are you doing, Missy. You too did similar that you were accusing Sayali of. Double standards much. Missy, you threw a fit when Sayalibabes posted in your thread. Hellooo what were you upto today in the thread by Pentaminous. You barged in, whined, ranted. Your attention seeking drama all over again. 🥱

Cut it out. Miss Hypocrite numero uno.

Originally posted by: Satya_mevjayate

[Quote=Dexterkilaila]

Exactly my point. No one should be targetted on this forum for their race, nationality, religion, sexual preferences and/or ethnicity. No one. Period. There are millions of ways to attack people if you want to bash them. You can do it rationally or you can straight up bash them. But throwing racist remarks around is a cheap shot and only ignorant idiots from low class families and horrid upbringing do it. 🤢

Originally posted by: Satya_mevjayate

Pot calling ketttle black. Miss, did you forget how you hounded the member Sayali and Shad on twitter. Let me refresh your memory. You hacked members facebook, you stole the personal photos mocked the photos and the members and posted all over twitter. You abused them you ridiculed them you wished them death. How low can someone go. Dont you have any conscience. You have the guts to accuse others of stealing pictures and posting pictures.

You opened a thread here to complain on privacy violation, and the reality is missy too is upto the same antics.

Dexter is a great example of pot calling the kettle black.

Originally posted by: Satya_mevjayate

Knock knock. Refresh you memory. Scratch your twisted head. Suraa was your MID. I have the screen shots of your tweets.

G ?@lockedinthelamp

Name it Maishasura or something...hahahahhahaha

G ?@lockedinthelamp

Make me another Suraa ID. I will destroy Bagare today.

G ?@lockedinthelamp

Goddamnit! And I am already banned! LOOOL that was my shortest lived ID ...hahah but it was fun pissing on him.

G ?@lockedinthelamp

Silly...you had to ask? Shuuush! Let me have fun before they sack me for the millionth time. ;)