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Underground > Policy & Help >

Autopromotion of Moderators - A proposal

  
 
cusm
16:33 / 17.10.03
Currently, moderators are appointed From On High, which is rightful cause for some to cry over the Power Of Barbelith *thunder crack* being held by a select conspiracy. Efforts are underway to bring more power to the people to rectify this concern. Now, I'm a big proponent of simplistic and self-correcting soltions, so I offer one here.

After a user's number of posts has reached a certain reasonably high number, autopromote them as moderator status. Basicly, extend the "new user"/"advanced user" status to include the moderator level. This should be a suitably high number to prevent a troll from spamming their way to the top, say 1000 posts. This way, those who use the board the most are put in charge of keeping after it.

Further refinement might include counting the total number of posts within a particular fora to designate which fora the user becomes a moderator for. For example, 1000+ total posts plus 300 posts in a single forum grants moderator status in that forum.

Immediate complications are to change the number of actions needed to approve something from a flat number to a percentage of the total number of moderators active. An "active" moderator in this case indicating one who has processed more than X number of actions in the past Y span of time (exact numbers to be fiddled with later). This minimizes the potential damage of a couple of "bad mods", should such a thing ever be an issue.

In dealing with trolls, burning suits is effective in resetting their post counter, preventing them from ever gaining this status. Someone would actually have to stick around long enough to be furnature before gaining a mod chair, at which point people are normally nominated for one anyway. If they survive that long, they deserve it. Self correcting systems - aren't they lovely?

The numbers, of course, could use some tweaking. Ideally, the qualifying numbers would be based upon an equation taking into account the current number of posts of the top posters, rather than a set number. That way, it can grow and shrink as the board does. Also, a user would have to be active within a certain period of time to be counted in the equations. Anyone good enough with statistics to tackle that lot?

At any rate, such a system defines a self governing meritocracy, which I believe is about what we are striving for here.

What y'all think?
 
 
Less searchable M0rd4nt
17:13 / 17.10.03
After a user's number of posts has reached a certain reasonably high number, autopromote them as moderator status.

It'd better be a big number, that's all I can say. I guess 1000+ would be enough to give some indication of how big a wanker that person's likely to be, and the distributed mod system does help to limit the amount of damage any one wanker in a mod hat can actually do.
 
 
Our Lady of The Two Towers
19:39 / 17.10.03
It's an interesting idea. It would need someone at the top to put them on a forum, though I suppose eventually it would mean that each moderator would only need to manage one forum...
 
 
cusm
21:09 / 17.10.03
Well, that's why I added the bit about checking the number of posts in each forum, so someone who posts a lot in comics and conversation can in theory qualify to mod both. So, the choice of forums they mod is built in, and dependent on where the user actually spends their time.
 
 
Tom Coates
11:00 / 18.10.03
I'm not sure it would solve the perceived problem of high-volume posters being bullies (not that I'm sure that problem really exists), but certainly it's an interesting idea. My assumption has always been that in the end we'd start approaching a system where users could nominate themselves for moderator positions and the rest of the board would vote on it, but that's some way off in the future...

My one major anxiety would be that it would create an impetus for some people to write short quick posts as quickly as possible. Turns board power into a bit of a game.
 
 
Solitaire Rose as Tom Servo
16:30 / 18.10.03
I don't know if I like this idea...simply because the current system works very well.

In the beginning, Tom said he'd like moderators, people applied and for the most part were given the job. Even people who were a bit iffy on the board...

Now, if we make it a number of posts, it can keep out the Very Good Possible Moderator who doesn't post much, and gives preference to people who could just post a lot of "me too" messages. I also don't like the idea because it forment the idea of a "Barbelith elite" which hits the board more often than not and makes things feel wrong.

I would prefer to keep it where if we need moderators, we post the need, people ask and Tom goes through some invisible arcane process that resembles entering the Masons to appoint them.

But, as always, whatever the Stonecutters decide in their secret meetings, I'll go along with.
 
 
Quantum
12:16 / 28.10.03
Nice idea (I love self governing systems too) but any automatic system is more prone to hacking than a person-based system, and I'm not sure numbers of posts is a good enough basis to become a mod.
I reckon it should be kept manual.
 
  
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