Posted by Solstice on November 24, 2010, at 20:09:25
In reply to Re: This place is dying., posted by SLS on November 24, 2010, at 16:30:19
> Hi Solstice.
>
> > > > Because so many are blocked?
>
> > > Sort of.
> > >
> > > I get the feeling that too great a proportion of the activity on Psycho-Babble has become focused on the definition and enforcement of civility rather than on its presumed focus on mental illness. I think we spend too much time and effort being forced to play the role of student to the administrator's roles of teacher and enforcer of the rules he formulated to govern speech.
>
> > I don't want what you say here to be true, but it is. Your observations are always So astute, Scott.
>
> Thank you so much for the affirmation. It comes at a time when I need to here things like that.
:-) Well Scott.. at the risk of overwhelming you with my 'take' on you (formulated over years of observation), I'll tell you what I think: I have found you first and foremost, to be brilliant, which is accentuated by your relatively modest self-perception. I have over and over again, witnessed your enormous capacity for kindness and compassion. You are frequently delightfully candid about your human foibles, so unpretentious.. which is so endearing. You do not intimidate others with your intelligence... you're such a gentleman.. always. Even your passions are tinged with objectivity. You have wisdom, self-restraint.. always measured. And No one can say So much, with so few words... quite like you can.
> > What would you envision as a way to address the genuine need for some kind of forum management, yet avoid the trap you describe above?
>
> I was thinking that it might be informative to take a look at how other Internet forums are moderated.
I don't have much experience with other internet forums, but I think you're right. I'm guessing that you've seen things about how other forums work that you believe could work here as well? The challenge, of course, will be putting something together that will satisfy Bob's bottom-line criteria. On the positive side, I have seen Bob make concessions. That tells me that he is not hanging on to his current method just to be contrary. Right now he's got a system that works for him. If members come up with a system that will work just as well for him, but also work better for us, I believe he will be interested in discussing it. There have been a lot of good ideas suggested over the years.. but the lack of organization.. lack of follow-through.. prevents it from ever getting on the table. There needs to be someone who has the capacity for self-restraint to rationally put something together and present it to Bob.. someone who will lead. Your own self-care should always come first, Scott but might you be someone who could fill that role? I don't think it's about getting membership consensus, as much as it's about getting something together that will work for Bob, but also work better for us.
> I think the control of speech here is rigid and too mechanical. Sanctions are triggered at a threshold of incivility that is too low. The evaluation of speech is compartmentalized and reduced to exercises in the strict application of grammar and diction. The length of blocks escalates too rapidly. Advisories are ubiquitous. The learning curve for the prescribed rules of civility is too steep. Some people are here for a week and then blocked from posting. The verbiage of the FAQ is too burdensome to read for new people to digest in order to post without being blocked. The posting system here is alien to most people who participate in forums elsewhere on the Internet. I believe that some people can feel completely stifled in their efforts to communicate. I have not encountered any other websites for which linguistics are scrutinized so closely that sentence structure takes priority over the intended conveyance of the message.I'm with you on everything you say here.. so very succintly. And I think the block escalation issue is the biggest culprit. I even think the low threshold of incivility would be easier to tolerate if the block escalation wasn't such a problem.
What do you think about putting something together that would still satisfy Bob's objectives, but in a less demeaning (not sure if that's the best word) manner for members?
Solstice
poster:Solstice
thread:971091
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20101014/msgs/971242.html