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July 11th, 2011 at 12:08 pm
Messages for the mods?
We're happy to welcome back AB-Eric to our small stable of moderators! These are the folks who review and investigate your reports of inappropriate content on Answerbag, and work mostly behind the scenes, unlike our stalwart community leaders.
When you submit reports through the Contact Us link, I compile and communicate them to the mods as necessary, but I think it's important to give you folks the chance to ask questions or voice concerns directly to the moderators, so I invite you to do so as a reply to this post. I'd ask only that you keep your comments general, to avoid this becoming a list of specific grievances. Remember, moderators can't fix bugs or add features, and to anticipate the most common moderation complaint (Why was X removed but not Y?):
--Probably no one reported Y
--Maybe Y is in an appropriate category for the content, X wasn't
--X may have been posted by an account that was later nuked, removing all its content, even if some was valid
--X may have become a venue for personal attacks or spam, and removed on that basis
--We may have simply made a mistake. Submit a request via Contact Us, and I'll review it. I restore content that people claim was wrongly-removed, though I'm not able to confirm every action with an individual reply.
So if you'd like to suggest ways for us to make better decisions about which content to remove and which to keep, here's your chance....
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AB-Rich
Comments
I might suggest that moderators do more of a job of "policing" flags rather than simply just removing content that is flagged and then asking users to flag less if problems arise or flags are challenged. Most users are only flagging what they feel is unacceptable .. but they aren't always as well-versed on what is and isn't acceptable as mods are.
by Mrs. Cleaver on July 11th, 2011
Yes, I agree. Sometimes the most innocuous questions are removed, and I know that many users are so tired of contacting moderators to get the decision changed that they are no longer bothering. Surely it's not difficult for a moderator to decide what is and what is not acceptable. In cases where there is a real difficulty in deciding, perhaps they could forward the postings to a higher authority.
I also agree that the users have a responsibility to flag wisely, and not because they don't like a particular person or subject. The moderators could help in reinforcing that lesson.
by Prunesquallor on July 11th, 2011
Don't Penalty Box people who don't deserve it. It has to be said.
by Isaac on July 11th, 2011
Where do I begin. I spend a lot of time on ABAdult and I moderate as much as I possibly can. But not matter How much time I spend moderating, it is like the wild west out there. The Adult section has basically turned into the new craigslist. Several times a day there are people posting questions such as:
-"who ants to naked skype?"
-"Who wants to trade nude pics?"
-"I'm looking to hook up with a slutty chick in Cleavland tonight. Who's game?"
Also, many of these posters claim to be underage. I just saw a 12 year old asking for someone to meet him for sex!
Now there are big problems with this. I can flag these questions, but even if I do, they are ALWAYS listed on that persons page. So if they post an email or msn chat name, it doesn't matter if they are flagged. Their message is still getting out. Also, the vast majority of people abusing AB in this way are first time users. They ask one inappropriate question and never come back. This can be easily fixed by making it so only contributors can post questions. For example:
-users must have at least 5pts to post a question
-users may answer questions immediately but must wait at least 5 days to post a question
-users must answer 5 questions before they can ask questions.
These are very simple requirements that would help to ensure that AB does not get a sleazy reputation as an online hookup site. If you are afraid of the site being less accessible then just do it to the Adult section. It is not really advertised would not be as noticed. Besides that is where all these problem users are trolling anyway.
Another problem I see is duplicate questions. Now I realize that I can flag them myself, but I don't always know if something is duplicated or not. However when you go to flag a duplicate it will conveniently bring up a list of questions close to the one you selected. Sometimes with exact duplicates listed. My problem is, if the system knows that there are exact duplicates of questions, why is it allowing them to be posted. That seems like something the mods could be deleting behind the scenes.
Oh well I guess that is enough for now, but I will post more when I think of them.
by buster on July 11th, 2011
The best thing for mods to do on this site, I think, is simply to be more careful. I realize that there is a lot for them to go through, but they really shouldn't just be removing things that are flagged without any real investigation, no matter how tedious it is.
And that is what is happening. I've had many answers deleted for no discernible reason, and I've been wrongfully banned on more than one occasion. I can appeal the bans and they get sorted out quickly, but I often don't notice that my answers are gone until months later, and by then there isn't much point. One way that can be improved is if we could get some kind of notification when our content is removed. I don't even get an email notification when I get banned anymore, I just have to find it out by trying to post a five paragraph answer. So, maybe if we could get some notice when our posts are removed, we could keep better track of it and hopefully that would instill some caution in the mods who otherwise remove content with impunity.
by Talimze on July 11th, 2011
Hello everyone,
Thanks for your suggestions on how to improve the moderation process.
We'll keep trying to get better.
AB-Eric
Moderator
by AB-Eric on July 11th, 2011
I would like to second Talimze's comment on notifications. There are several areas that I would really like to have notifications for
-if a person is placed in the penalty box, they should at least be to for what purpose, it would be nice to be able to make an appeal, but at the very least you should know why you are there.
-I would like a notification if any content I have added has been removed. I work hard on everything I put up here. I should know when it is taken down.
-as an aside I would like a notification if my answer is chosen as a 'best answer' I know that technically we are supposed to receive an email, but that rarely happens. I don't see why we can't receive them along with alerts on other likes and comments.
-also when I post in the forum it would be nice to receive notifications like any other question (sorry for the asides.)
by buster on July 11th, 2011
Welcome to AB - AB-Eric glad your here
by Patti jo on July 11th, 2011
@buster: I understand your concerns as you expressed in you first suggestions above. Regarding your one suggestion restricting brand new Members posting a Question, however, if that had been the case back when I joined the Site in 2008, I likely wouldn't have joined at all. You see, I had heard about AB on FoxNews, and I had a question in my mind that I was interested in for answers. I thought I'd give AB a shot. Then, when I asked the question --my first action on the Site-- and received answers, I decided to explore the Site further...and, BOOM, I was hooked. :-)
What I'm trying to say, aside from the scoundrels that are lurking out there, there are likely far more who come to AB for an answer to a particular question and then decide to hang in here. I don't think the good folks, potential members, should be discouraged from posting their question by virtue of a hard-nosed restriction. The Site needs a flow of good members in order to grow. We just need to look for, spot report and hopefully zap the scoundrels when they show up. I do, however, respect what you're suggesting in an effort to protect our Site, particularly from the predators.
by ChuckExAnon on July 12th, 2011
Hi there Eric! Welcome back! Mahalo for returning. We missed ya! Happy Tuesday to you! :)
by RosieGHM Jetpacker on July 12th, 2011
I agree with Chuck. If Answerbag didn't let me post a question right away, I'd be turned off from this site (probably forever). Anyway, this is great news. Welcome back, Eric!
by AnonymousGirl on July 12th, 2011
I do hear what you are saying. I know it is not a perfect solution, but maybe it can be at least a jumping off point. As I had mentioned earlier, maybe this could by implemented only on AB4Adults. Many sites have stronger security on adult sections, and hopefully the only people it would drive away are those looking to abuse the system.
by buster on July 13th, 2011
@ Moderators:
The only recommendation I have is to carefully review all flaged material. Inappropriately rejected material is frustrating.
That said, I realize the sheer amount of flagged material to be reviewed must be phenominal and you have my respect for the amount of work that alone must take.
@ AB Members:
As a reminder, please don't forget that the Community Leaders are also here to help. We are not Moderators, which means (among other things) that we are not in the "flow path" for reviewing flagged material, nor do we get any messages from the "Contact us" link.
But, unlike the Moderators, CL's are easier to access on a one-to-one basis via Personal Message to us. Do not forget that we are part of the resources available to you.
@ Eric:
Welcome back!
by The Chief on July 14th, 2011
Welcome back Eric. I've been a very good boy since you've been gone.:)
by trouble ... on July 15th, 2011
Welcome Home, Eric!
Can you help me with a teensy problem? I am logged in and can view the home page and my profile and open and view questions, but no answers display. When i answer a question it vanishes. When I click on my question to comment on answers, I get a blank white page. No answers display. Has something happened? Thanks for any guidance you may have.
by Chicago Lady on July 20th, 2011
by Chicago Lady on July 20th, 2011
Thanks all for the comments, and once again The Chief provides a much better summary and explanation of what we do than I did!
Chicago Lady, sorry to hear you're having problems with the site. Our role as moderators and community leaders is to collect reports and evidence of site glitches and forward them to the tech folks. One of the first things they ask is how many users are affected, and when it's just one person, their usual response it that it's probably something wrong on your end, like a browser setting. If this persists, feel free to email admin@answerbag.com with more details and we'll do what we can to help diagnose it.
by AB-Rich on July 22nd, 2011
Thanks so much, Rich! I am not the only one as I found other questions about it. However, it has resolved itself!! Hurray!!!!
We appreciate all you do!!! :-)
by Chicago Lady on July 24th, 2011
Notifications on content removal is a super idea. We had it 2 years ago, but then it stopped. Maybe it can be reinstated by just reconnecting that software.
by JakobA I^_^I on August 26th, 2011