There are a few of us unwashed heathens who have snuck in here.WatchOle said:
It's no secret that this board leans conservative. That's not by design, but it's also not surprising given the demographics of TexAgs--primarily Texas A&M alumni, mostly male, many over 40.
A Refresher on What We're Doing Here
24,756 Views |
120 Replies |
Last: 4 mo ago by Moderator
Yep. Some Raiders not here to raid.
The moderation on this board has dramatically improved in the last 18 months. It is much better now than it was.
Said it in a conversation we had a year or more ago, but moderation will continue to be a valid complaint until there is some transparency in it.
Mods can still be anonymous to posters here, but I contend every mod should have some unique identifier seen by all. This would remove all doubt as to whether there are mods just out to get certain posters.
As an example, instead of seeing the generic staff edit, you would see post edited by Moderator 1876 or however you code it.
That way posters can see who is moderating their posts.
Mods can still be anonymous to posters here, but I contend every mod should have some unique identifier seen by all. This would remove all doubt as to whether there are mods just out to get certain posters.
As an example, instead of seeing the generic staff edit, you would see post edited by Moderator 1876 or however you code it.
That way posters can see who is moderating their posts.
Too many threads are locked for dumb reasons like there isn't enough context. Why don't you let the forum participants decide if a thread is worthwhile instead of preemptively making that decision for them? Its one thing if somebody is breaking rules of decorum, being vulgar or just trolling, but its another to lock a thread because the OP didn't craft their post as carefully as you might like.
NICU Dad said:
Said it in a conversation we had a year or more ago, but moderation will continue to be a valid complaint until there is some transparency in it.
Mods can still be anonymous to posters here, but I contend every mod should have some unique identifier seen by all. This would remove all doubt as to whether there are mods just out to get certain posters.
As an example, instead of seeing the generic staff edit, you would see post edited by Moderator 1876 or however you code it.
That way posters can see who is moderating their posts.
This is the biggest complaint I continually see and doesn't appear that Brandon's message addresses this, even though it's been asked for over and over again. So, not sure what the point of the message is. Although, I didn't bother reading it, TLDR.
WatchOle,
Two minor suggestions, the first do not even know if it is feasible, but worth mentioning.
1) Any chance of a `preview' post feature being added? On boards where can do this it acts as a bit of a damper on some more hot-headed posts, because you can see in front of you and have a second chance to think "Nah, lets hold back." At least that is what have been told. More importantly, "edits" can look like you said something bad, when all you doing is re-writing LJB error as LBJ if referring to Johnson. A preview function would allow more self-correction in the first post.
2) Does the power to confirm if a poster is indeed a troll with multiple handles exist? Or is that a feature of no way to track different logins. Definite saboteurs might be helpful to know, haha.
Two centers, worth just that.
For purposes of TRANSPARENCY, when someone post a topic, article, meme, link, etc without adding their own opinion/statement/etc, would the Admins PLEASE not delete the original topic/article/meme/etc (provided it doesn't violate the forum's rules on copyright, vulgarity, etc.)?
IMHO, it seems like an attempt to stifle conversation about a subject based upon a technicality; perhaps what someone posted is actually worthy of further discussion, & those of us who regularly post here & are aware of the rules can repost the topic with our own commentary so as to justify its inclusion on this particular forum.
For example, we see a hypothetical thread title that says "You won't believe what (insert politician's name) said about Trump's plans for Russia"; we see the topic is locked, but curiosity compels us to click on it nonetheless. When we do, there's a scrubbed image with an admin's note that indicates the same reasoning for locking the thread, which is the OP didn't offer their own thoughts or commentary about the subject. However, some of us are still intrigued by the OP's original interest, but when y'all scrub the image or link, we have no way of knowing the original source to start our own topic in compliance with the forum's rules.
Just my two cents...
IMHO, it seems like an attempt to stifle conversation about a subject based upon a technicality; perhaps what someone posted is actually worthy of further discussion, & those of us who regularly post here & are aware of the rules can repost the topic with our own commentary so as to justify its inclusion on this particular forum.
For example, we see a hypothetical thread title that says "You won't believe what (insert politician's name) said about Trump's plans for Russia"; we see the topic is locked, but curiosity compels us to click on it nonetheless. When we do, there's a scrubbed image with an admin's note that indicates the same reasoning for locking the thread, which is the OP didn't offer their own thoughts or commentary about the subject. However, some of us are still intrigued by the OP's original interest, but when y'all scrub the image or link, we have no way of knowing the original source to start our own topic in compliance with the forum's rules.
Just my two cents...
Translation: Echo Chamber = $$$$$
F16 ModLife
Interesting. You never seemed a troll, but the real thing. Just coming from the left side of the fence. There are some others. As to that kind of thread--- NOT always --- now and then see that as a thread genuinely asking "can you speak for your side, would like to know. MNSBC and CNN are shills. They are not really representing anything than their own gain. What do real liberals think." Say this because some of those threads become the most interesting until they degrade.Ryan the Temp said:Can you please tell your mods this?Quote:
-Not everyone that has an opposing view is a troll.
I've had more threads than I can count deleted for "trolling" that were good faith efforts to discuss subjects where I was most certainly not within the majority opinion, when other threads that are flagrant trolling/pile-on/blue star farming get left up just because the mods agree with them.
Here's a tip: Any thread that starts with "Question for the liberals on here ..." is (most likely) a troll designed to invite others to **** all over people they don't agree with.
Thank you for the politics board. I truly value the discussion here because I learn things I otherwise wouldn't be exposed to. I also get to see points of view that would never occur to me. Thank you for providing us with this space.
RDV-1992 said:
Thank you for the politics board. I truly value the discussion here because I learn things I otherwise wouldn't be exposed to. I also get to see points of view that would never occur to me. Thank you for providing us with this space.
Agreed. The other sides opinion, although aggravating provides insight. The urge to crush that opinion always causes me problems.
Honestly it's not even worth posting on this forum anymore. Thanks for the post though Brandon.
rgvag11 said:
Ad hominems are the biggest problem.
If you really want to make this board a productive place for these important conversations, then you need to moderate ad hominem arguments heavily.
Not saying I have not used them, but if I'm being honest, I know the conversation is going to go downhill when I do.
They add no value to productive discourse, but people do love them.
I disagree. You're the problem!
JohnClark929 said:
Translation: Echo Chamber = $$$$$
Who are you?
The ban notice email should include the post and policy broken.
rgvag11 said:
Ad hominems are the biggest problem.
If you really want to make this board a productive place for these important conversations, then you need to moderate ad hominem arguments heavily.
Not saying I have not used them, but if I'm being honest, I know the conversation is going to go downhill when I do.
They add no value to productive discourse, but people do love them.
Usually, someone's character, personal experiences, or upbringing is the most basic way to reconcile their point of view.
That's a good idea. It would alert to what are really third rails and aid board self-moderating.FobTies said:
The ban notice email should include the post and policy broken.
If this board is admittedly mostly men over 40, why the absolute crackdown on things like Twitter posts that have a curse word in them. I understand not allowing expletive laced tirades, but a curse word in a tweet posted here or there is not going to offend anyone's sensibilities...except the moderation teams.
I've seen quite a few threads that began with just a link and no context. Often it was to videos.Buck Turgidson said:
Too many threads are locked for dumb reasons like there isn't enough context. Why don't you let the forum participants decide if a thread is worthwhile instead of preemptively making that decision for them? Its one thing if somebody is breaking rules of decorum, being vulgar or just trolling, but its another to lock a thread because the OP didn't craft their post as carefully as you might like.
For a long time, I didn't have speakers on my workstation and the videos were completely useless. As it is, I usually won't watch videos anyway. I usually don't have the time to listen to a full video on some subject. I can read much faster than they can talk.
It's hard to take an OP seriously if he doesn't think enough about the issue to actually write something about it. Or, at the very least, if it is a news article, to post quotes of the most important points of the article, but not the whole article.
Or just post the ban on the offending post.titan said:That's a good idea. It would alert to what are really third rails and aid board self-moderating.FobTies said:
The ban notice email should include the post and policy broken.
I am shadow banned often and the posts that I made six to ten hours earlier are still there, with no moderation on the post to let other posters know I was banned.
There was a whole thread about my disappearance for week, fearing for my health but I could not reply to tell you I was okay. (Well not okay but alive and not in the hospital on life support.)
We need a gaslighting flag option.
I don't think that's the definition of a shadow ban.
Pinochet said:
I don't think that's the definition of a shadow ban.
It's not
Take,these rules to premium. It's a ****hole with trolls and useless thread after thread
That's actually a better idea. You are right. If the ban is on the post that caused it, it explains it.
I personally hate the posts where one is told who they voted for, even when they didn't.
Tanya 93 said:
I personally hate the posts where one is told who they voted for, even when they didn't.
Exactly what I'd expect someone who voted for who you voted for to say!!!
It seems every other thread in F16 breaks these rules but moderation is heavily, heavily politically biased.
Seems like most places online skew left (looking at you Reddit). It's refreshing to have one here that does not.
Pro College Station Convention Center
Far left, far right. Useless.
TLDR: I believe you have a serious bias issue with a couple of your volunteer mods, and it has had a negative effect on F16.
Appreciate your post, Brandon, but would appreciate your consideration of these:
- Despite what some believe, there are board spammers. One them is using two different socks. The posting style is observable to long time F16ers. Another uses this board as his personal Facebook page. Again, pattern matches previously banned user. But, if called out as such, banhammer. The spammers are protected.
- There is a bias amongst some of your moderators, a bias that is anti-conservative. The pattern is also recognizable. Posts stay up all day with little fanfare, but when late afternoon to evening rolls around, suddenly, bans are handed out like candy, but almost entirely to one side. Over time, it has become observable that the hurdle for certain posters to earn a ban is very high, while others have a bar extremely low.
- Bad, and/or ridiculous ideas, and/or outright lies should be allowed to be called out as such with extreme prejudice. Ideas like repealing the 19th, or many innumerable debunked lies regarding Trump, for example. Responses to pedophile arrest notices with whataboutisms and deflectios. Or ideas that have already been tried, and failed, touted as solutions....again. Not all ideas are equal, and some are outright evil. Board self-policing should be allowed in some cases.
I'm well aware that I'm more likely to get an eye roll simply due to my long rap sheet, but as an example, I'd encourage you to look at mine and see which mod pops up time and again as the axe.
Honestly, I'm worried I'll get a ban for this post just trying to air out my serious frustrations.
Appreciate your post, Brandon, but would appreciate your consideration of these:
- Despite what some believe, there are board spammers. One them is using two different socks. The posting style is observable to long time F16ers. Another uses this board as his personal Facebook page. Again, pattern matches previously banned user. But, if called out as such, banhammer. The spammers are protected.
- There is a bias amongst some of your moderators, a bias that is anti-conservative. The pattern is also recognizable. Posts stay up all day with little fanfare, but when late afternoon to evening rolls around, suddenly, bans are handed out like candy, but almost entirely to one side. Over time, it has become observable that the hurdle for certain posters to earn a ban is very high, while others have a bar extremely low.
- Bad, and/or ridiculous ideas, and/or outright lies should be allowed to be called out as such with extreme prejudice. Ideas like repealing the 19th, or many innumerable debunked lies regarding Trump, for example. Responses to pedophile arrest notices with whataboutisms and deflectios. Or ideas that have already been tried, and failed, touted as solutions....again. Not all ideas are equal, and some are outright evil. Board self-policing should be allowed in some cases.
I'm well aware that I'm more likely to get an eye roll simply due to my long rap sheet, but as an example, I'd encourage you to look at mine and see which mod pops up time and again as the axe.
Honestly, I'm worried I'll get a ban for this post just trying to air out my serious frustrations.
Ima just ask Gemini to condense that long ass wall of words OP to 3 bullet points…
We should never cede the moral high ground to people who justify the debasement of society as reparative justice and then lie to us about how, why and even whether it’s
being destroyed from within.
being destroyed from within.
One thing that would be nice would be if people were more descriptive in their thread titles. Tell us what you are posting about instead of some "You won't believe this" nonsense that conveys no meaning at all.
If they do insist on posting meaningless garbage titles, they shouldn't criticize others from starting a post on the same topic because they didn't realize that the earlier thread was about that topic.
If they do insist on posting meaningless garbage titles, they shouldn't criticize others from starting a post on the same topic because they didn't realize that the earlier thread was about that topic.
Featured Stories
See All
Snippets from Day 5 of Texas A&M's fall practices
by Olin Buchanan
20:39
11h ago
4.2k
3:56
5h ago
1.4k
Sights & Sounds: Practice 5 of Texas A&M's 2025 Fall Camp
by Matthew Dawson
Photo Gallery: Practice 5 of Texas A&M's 2025 Fall Camp
by Will Huffman
7:31
16h ago
4.6k
25 Players in 25 Days: #15 Tyreek Chappell
by Billy Liucci