In general, I appreciate the YouthNOISE Mods; however, I have become very tired with Mods patrolling boards to critisize people who post more than once in a row, even when the edit post feature has expired.

I have also noticed that NOISEmakers will make apologies for actions and the Mods will spam the boards by critisizing that NOISEmaker for something he has already apologized for.

I find GreenMod to be abusive of power and unwilling to compromise.

He targets people who he disagrees with.
He offers little explanation to his decisions.
He is unwilling to discuss his decision when asked about them.
He believes he is right and anyone who disagrees with him is wrong.

I'm interested in what others think about Mods. Thoughts?

quote:

I can see though, that the mods don't care because nothing is EVER done.

First of all, when you use the "alert" feature, the peer mods never see it. We basically have regular YN accounts, just with the added abilities to edit, delete and move.

Second, there are currently four mods on the regular schedule, five mods total. I hate to break it to you, but we have other things going on in our lives that tend to take priority over over this site. We do our best, but there is a good chance we will miss something once in awhile.

Furthermore, there is also the difficulty of knowing when to remove something...if we don't remove something, we get yelled at for leaving it up...if we take it down, we get yelled at for "abuse of power" as this thread was initially designed to address.

By all means, if there is a certain post you have an issue with, and you feel has been overlooked by the mods, feel free to noisemail me. I will do my best to take care of it to the best of my ability, as I did when you noted it here.

Gotta say, I agree with clpo on this one.

They're just words. If they offend you, you could just, I don't know, ignore them.

I would be offended if YN brought back the censorship. So, the question becomes: whose sensibilities are honored?

I have been an activist for the filter for years now. They took it away and youthNOISE went straight into the gutter. I have been lobbying for it to come back for a long time, with my concerns completely unaddressed.

You mention that "if someone just posted for the sake of swearing and disrupted the flow of the thread," it should be removed. Why then was the post that contained this:
"FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK"

not removed? I know that I personally reported it daily. Nothing ever happened. I have brought up the need to censor severe profanity on several occaisons. No one cares. This site is called "youth"NOISE. You have to be 13 to become a member, but anyone can read the discussion. I would not want my 13 year old brother to come on and read this kind of language, mostly because he would think that because older kids used it he could to. They may just be words but they make you sound like you are straight out of a Missouri trailer park, and I am against that on youthNOISE. I can see though, that the mods don't care because nothing is EVER done.

quote:

But I have found people swearing on some of the forums, and i can't stand sewaring, and the Mods have said nothing. So I end up telling who ever was swearing to stop, but I can only hope that they stop.
Mods, this is a note to you. Could it be possible to be more strict on swears? Please? I don't them to be rubbing off on me, and I am considering to stop debating because I am so affended (sp.?)by them.

Horseartistgrl27, while I personally agree that swearing constantly can be annoying, one of the few reasons mods edit a post because of this is if they are directly insulting someone. However, the Rules of Play also prohibit "Disrupting the flow of bulletin board areas with vulgar language." For example, if someone just posted for the sake of swearing and disrupted the flow of the thread. Also, please keep in mind that YouthNoise is a website that embraces tolerance, and so we hope that members can embrace it too. Mods are doing everything they can in order to keep the boards clean and running smoothly. I truly hope that this doesn't result in you leaving the site.

I understand that some people might get offended just by reading, even if it isn't directed towards them. This is why I'd suggest that if this is a serious problem for you, you should post about it on the Feedback board. Perhaps start a thread about why you think that there should be a filter for certain words or if it should be a rule specifically banning them. Just keep in mind that not everyone can or will agree.

quote:

If you are going to patrol and write as spam, please do so evenly.

I assure you that mods do their best.

quote:

Some people have done repeated posts, and they have not been tagged as spam. notsojoey and i once got in an off topic arguement, and I apologized, but I still got yelled at. Other people have gotten off topic, and they were not yelled at, and still others who never got off topic were told by the mods that they were. If you are going to patrol and write as spam, please do so evenly

If you feel there has been any wrong doing please feel free to email YN or post it in the feedback board. Also, if you are referring to a specific thread that hasn't been addressed, don't hesitate to link me and I'll be sure and take a look. Mods are human and there is a possibility something might escape our eyes.

Last, but not least, if you have any questions about the Rules of Play, please visit this link:

http://www.youthnoise.com/boards/rulesofplay.php

Thank you.

Horseartist:
The mods have busy lives and though I and others try to help them out by flagging spam or off-topic posts, they do not always have the time to get to them, or it is not their day to mod (some mods don't like others modding when its not their day).

As for the swearing: There is no longer a filter and while too much swearing is really really annoying, there are some words like 'pissed' that have evolved to have meanings that other words can't quite embody. If someone swears a lot, you can ask them to stop, but as there is technically NOT a rule against swearing on YN for various reasons, the mods really can't do anything about it.

The mods are seriously trying to do the best they can, but they are human and half of them are college students (though the non-college students are equally busy). They catch what they can, but, like all people, sometimes get in a hurry and overlook some things or deem things not as bad as other things. If you have issues with a post, tag it with the button in the upper-right hand corner and explain why, and if it is deemed a reasonable request, there is a high probability that something will be done about it.

I don't know what to think about the mods. I mean, it's nice to have someone patroling the posts, making sure that they are appropriate, and relevant.
But I have found people swearing on some of the forums, and i can't stand sewaring, and the Mods have said nothing. So I end up telling who ever was swearing to stop, but I can only hope that they stop.
Mods, this is a note to you. Could it be possible to be more strict on swears? Please? I don't them to be rubbing off on me, and I am considering to stop debating because I am so affended (sp.?)by them.

No, I agree notsojoey. Some people have done repeated posts, and they have not been tagged as spam. notsojoey and i once got in an off topic arguement, and I apologized, but I still got yelled at. Other people have gotten off topic, and they were not yelled at, and still others who never got off topic were told by the mods that they were. If you are going to patrol and write as spam, please do so evenly. Thanks.

Now we have three job descriptions for mods.

Does anyone else have a jobs description for Mods.

Why don't you find a dictionary and look up the word "moderator"? That should provide an accurate definition.

Wait, I'll do it for you. The Oxford English dictionary says that one of the definitions of moderator is: "a person who or device which monitors or regulates a newsgroup or other electronic forum."

It follows that the YN peer mods fit this definition. They monitor and regulate the forums.

Now, if you really want to get into the nitty-gritty, ask what the definitions of "monitor" and "regulate" are.

Now we have 2 descriptions of what the job of a Mod is. Interesting. If you don't see the problem with that you there is something wrong with you. I'm sorry, but tis the truth.

I'm still concerned that not everyone debating here is familiar with the rules of play.

Thanks Finas, for you OPINION, on the status of Mods; however, since you are not a mod I don't know how truthful what you are saying really is.

I agree with everything FG4 has said, and I urge you to take it in to consideration. Those are very good suggestions, FG4. I applaud you.

Let me first preface this by saying that I am not a mod, nor have I ever been a mod, and if you disbelieve me, you can ask Lissa.

I would also like to add that I do not think the mods are doing a bad job, which is why I gave you suggestions as to how to alleviate the situation.

From what I have heard from around the web-- via YN, AIM, and Facebook-- YN is currently understaffed and, in my college-aged opinion, attempting to do too much. Because of this backlog, they rely on volunteer mods to keep the general board area flowing. therefore, if you have an issue, and you tell Lissa, it takes her awhile to respond. As she has stated previous times on the site, her mailbox gets flooded with things concerning YN, which can lead to her accidentally overlooking things like posts that have been reported. Also, I have a suspicion that in YN, Lissa has other duties other than the boards (as well as familial duties. She's a busy person), and there are times when these duties will take precedence over anything that happens on the boards that is not a major server crash.

I would also like you to know, Notsojoey, that you are not the only one whose reports and questions have gone unnoticed in YN. You need to first have patience, then question more, and sometimes, just let things go, even if it does aggravate you. YN may be an amazing place, but the people who run it are not superheros. They do the best they can.

That being said, I am saddened that you seemed to dismiss my post as just telling you to stop complaining. I thought my suggestions were valid ideas for how to alleviate your frustration with the current situation. Even though they are a busy organization, if you ask and state your case enough, YN will oblige a meeting with you in order to review it and take any necessary actions they seem as fit. Also, from what I have seen in my silent lurkings in the past few months, YN does seem to be short on mods. If you applied and were accepted, you would be able to go through training, to see exactly what they are told to do that is not given out on the boards. Finally, I urge you to write up a proposal for an addendum to the Rules of Play that go into more depth about what a peer mod is and what their obligations are. If there were a set group of guidelines, while questions of authoritarian decisions would take place still, they would not be as frequent or confusing as the current situation is at hand.

I will say that as an outside perspective, I do not know what the offending posts are or what they said. Therefore, I can not judge the situation completely at hand as it truly is. However, I hope you take my suggestions into consideration and try and work with the staff, the boards, and the mods to come to an agreement that is satisfactory for everyone.

Thank you.

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Also, I point out that no one has given me an official job description of a mod. Mods have given me their opinion on what their job is - but not an official job description.

That's because you, I, and everyone here knows there isn't one. Okay? Is that what you were going for, getting someone to say that there isn't an "official job description" for mods? Are you satisfied?

So now that we have that established, you're going to complain that since there's no official job description for mods, they can do whatever they want, right? ...Right. So since they can "do whatever they want" they can't be doing anything wrong, so your threads about them doing things that are wrong are kind of pointless, aren't they?

Now this may not be written down on the site anywhere, but the job of a mod is to enforce the rules of play AS THEY SEE FIT. So if they think you're in the wrong, they'll do something about. You can complain and complain and complain all you want, but unfortunately for you, nobody really gives a damn (this is because we all know you're only here to cause trouble). Welcome to the real world.

So um. What exactly do you hope to accomplish by all this? How is it really going to affect your life, a couple posts on a website getting deleted? It's not that important.

You Mods are clearly offended that someone is questing your authority

Once again, this is not place where I submitting complaints - it is a forum for people to discuss how they feel about Mods. If you Mods, or people using your own character so it doesn't look like you are aruging as a Mod, would actually read the thread you would see that this is place for people to vent about Mods. If you Mods would stay current on the feedback forum you would see I have lodged several complaints against various Mods - which is the appropriate forum.

Also, I point out that no one has given me an official job description of a mod. Mods have given me their opinion on what their job is - but not an official job description.

As for my complaints about the word FUCK fifty times, perhaps you mods should read rule of play 5...

quote:

Disrupting the flow of bulletin board areas with vulgar language, abusiveness, repeatedly submitting the same content, explicitly sexual content, off-topic content or other conduct that may disrupt normal activities. It's not shocking, it's boring.

I find it shocking YouthVoice is so anxious to quote the rules of play as a mod but is actually unfamiliar with them.

Instead of complaining about the system, why don't you do something like:

A: Submit what you feel to be appropriate guidelines for how mods should act;

B: Ask for a meeting with the mods/Lissa to discuss your issues with the mods and get information that you may or may not be aware of;

C: Apply to be a mod;

D: Find another way to appease yourself.

You are on a site about youth activism and bettering the world around you. So why don't you put that goal into action and do something instead of crying wolf every time something occurs that you dislike? If you don't like something and nothing has been done, then try to do something productive to find out why and potentially fix it. It's that simple.

It's actually pretty simple, notsojoey.

You break a rule from the Rules of Play, and your post gets edited or deleted depending on the content. And I do believe it's been explained to you on multiple occasions that that word will be edited only if it's directed at someone, which would be insulting them. So it all goes back to the Rules of Play, where it states that you can't insult other members on the boards. See how simple that is? It's pretty much common sense. If you can't grasp that idea, then I really don't know what to tell you.

If you feel a moderator is abusing their power, than email Lissa about it. She wont discuss this with the mod publicly, as she's previously stated. So you wont see her get in to a discussion about it on the boards. But believe, it will get done. How do I know this? Because if there is one person on the boards and on YouthNoise who we can't say isn't doing there job, it's her. And I think everyone on YouthNoise can agree to that. If you don't, then you really haven't been here long enough or know the system.

So you see, mods can't get away with everything they want as you claim. They are being watched by everyone on the boards. If they do something they're not suppose to do, they'll be reported by people like you and me, who visit the boards regularly. Then Lissa will take care of it.

If you report something you think was wrongfully done, and nothing gets done about it, then(and bear with me on this) you...might...just...be...wrong. Yes, it's possible. It's possible that you and I could misjudge a situation. You can report it, but if it's not justified, then nothing will get done. And you may pout and sulk that you didn't get the response you were expecting, but much like the world out there, that is life.

quote:

a post that says FUCK fifty times and nothing was ever done.

Shut up.


Mod Edit:

Please try to stay on topic and not disrupt the flow of the thread. Thank you.

If you have any questions, please visit the Rules of Play. Thank you.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: NightSkyMod,

Meagan87 claims there is no job description for Mods.

If that is true the problem is...

Mods are able to do whatever they want and there is no way to determine if they are doing something wrong because there is no document that says what they can and can not do. In short, there is no accountability for Mods - they can do whatever they want and there is no method to counteract them.

If the Mods are supposed to "keep the boards clean" I would say they aren't doing a good job since I have reported, multiple time, a post that says FUCK fifty times and nothing was ever done.

We don't have the job descriptions of any of the staff members. Other sites with boards do not have descriptions of the responsibilities for their peer mods. They are unpaid volunteers who help keep the boards clean.

I don't understand what the big deal is.