Posted by gardenergirl on April 4, 2006, at 14:44:55
In reply to Re: blocked for 2 weeks, posted by yxibow on April 4, 2006, at 4:23:49
I can't really address the reason for the original block because I never saw the unedited version of the post or what it linked to, and I frankly know very little about how one might obtain substances via the internet. Whether that was a good or bad decision by Dr. Bob, one cannot post while blocked. That's all I had to go on in regards to this action.
> And I do voice again that there are conflicts of interest and some rather undemocratic hierarchy here, as I've posted once in the past.
Well, first, this isn't a democracy and has not been portrayed as such to my knowledge. Having a moderator and deputies IS a hierarchy as far as enforcing civility guidelines.
I suppose that deputies who are also posters and who have made friends via this site does represent some level of conflict of interest. I'm not sure how to avoid that, though. I think it would be quite difficult to recruit deputies who didn't have some interest in Babble. At the minimum, I think they would have to be paid. And I also think it takes some time and experience in posting to develop an understanding of the rules, at least to Dr. Bob's satisfaction. I suppose it could be learned without participating as a poster, but it's hard for me to imagine that.
As far as having friends on the site, well, I'd like to say that's unavoidable, but I suppose it might have been possible not to come to care about people. I can tell you I've given PBC's and blocked people I like very much, and I don't like doing it. And since there are more than one deputy and a moderator, if a post gets overlooked or not addressed by one, the others likely will catch it.
I appreciate your feedback, by the way. As far as appearing "quick-triggered", well, I admit there are probably certain types of "infractions" for which I have less patience than other types. I suspect that's the nature of this job, but I can only speak for myself. In addition, when I am reading posts and have the time and focus, and I see something that I am confident about that needs addressing, I see no reason not to address it then. Perhaps the others have a different process. I'm not always in "deputy mode", either. There are times I am reading for my own needs and not to monitor the site.
>But again, this warm fuzzy place that I see in one post isn't always a democracy in another...
I'm not sure what you mean by this.
>I know, there are few deputies, but these explosive arguments always seem to centre here.
I don't mean to be dense, but arguments center on what exactly, or where?
What might you do differently if you were a deputy? Or any thoughts on how to avoid inconsistency or problems when there is an unavoidable conflict of interest?
Thanks again for your feedback.
gg
poster:gardenergirl
thread:628522
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20060317/msgs/628739.html