OBD Moderator Action Summary

 

What does an OBD Moderator do? You read posts as you normally do, and as you do--you look for any violations and check off a box that the post has been moderated. (Takes seconds is all) If you find one, in just three quick clicks you can hide it from public view. That is it!

 

You can do this on your desktop, pad or cell phone, just save the site on your favorites or bookmarks and sign in the first time.  Don't sign out, just leave by clicking out of the browser and when you come back--you are still signed in. This way you don't have to sign in each time. I am not a tech guy for phones, but you can Google any question and get an answer; if you have an iPhone--you can call 1-800 275-2273 and they will help you.

 

Our 33 rules at the free OBD Forum can be summarized to this: 1) be polite and respectful, 2) keep it clean, and 3) no reference of any kind to politics. Easy-peasy!

 

What is the Objective of the OBD Forum, and How do We Achieve it?

 

You will find that other sites only want the "accepted" opinions expressed that the management or the majority wants. If you try to post an opposing view to this majority, then you are denigrated, shamed and scorned. The put-down posts against you also discourage others from posting opposing viewpoints, thus they inhibit and discourage members from posting a minority view.

 

To moderate at the OBD forum, you must embrace our objective, and that objective is to see all opinions on all topics. We want to encourage everyone to post, and they will if they feel safe from someone mocking or disparaging them for having a different opinion.

 

So how do we make people feel safe to post? We forbid the behaviors that discourage and inhibit others from posting. Anything in the 33 rules that is allowed will discourage others from posting later. So, we when we detect a violating post--we hide it, so it does not inhibit others from posting.

 

--1. When you find an objectionable post---hide it and send a PM with the name of the offender and a few words out of the title of the thread it is in. Send a text also except for between the hours of 10:00 PM to 7:00 AM PST. I will then deal with the offender, not you.  Moderators just "read-and-hide" posts. But if it is urgent, such as a spammer, site down, etc. then do text me anytime in addition to the PM.

 

--2. These questions will catch 95% of the bad behavior posts:
 

"Is this post polite and respectful?"

 

"Will this post discourage someone with an opposing view to post?  Will it inhibit the reluctant members from posting an contrary view in the future?

 

"Is this post telling others what to think, feel or write in the forum? We do not allow that!  

 

Ask those questions above and use them as a filter to detect the majority of disallowed behaviors.

 

How do you post correctly?  You give your opinion in a polite and respectful way…and that is it.  No reference to anyone else, no telling anyone what to think, feel or write.  When everyone just posts their opinions in a polite and respectful way, then we learn from each other and have civilized discourse.  Bottom line is that we do not throw shade on others for giving their opinion, or starting a post.  What we have in the rules works with over 100,000 posts written and the tiny deletion rate of less than half of 1%.

 

--3. Don't know what is in Charles's head for moderating posts?  Pretend it is your forum, and you are Mr. FishDuck. You've been a part of the evolving culture on these two sites for commenting over the last four years--how do you create a civil atmosphere, a harmonious feel in this forum unlike anywhere else? Since Charles works full-time, in many respects we are all in this together on this free site.

 

When you think of yourself as the owner--the thinking process changes, and it helps you make better decisions about posts.

 

--4. If in doubt...take it out! (Hide it and notify Mr. FishDuck) We shoot first and ask questions later, as posts can be unhidden quickly. I want the violating posts hidden immediately so the readers/members do not have to read that nonsense.  If it turned out to be a false alarm?  No harm done.

 

--5. On occasion, people will write a post complaining about a prior one being hidden and these complaint posts are to be hidden as well. (See Rule No. 3) We do not do these violation discussions in public; it is all by email or over the phone by Mr. FishDuck. This way it saves embarrassment, and isn't a buzzkill for everyone else reading it. If someone keeps writing complaint posts---PM (Personal Message) the person and tell them that Mr. FishDuck will be in touch later. And keep hiding all complaint posts!

 

--6. Sometimes it is just a word or a short phrase that needs to be removed or slightly altered so that the whole post is not removed. In that case, do edit it; first copy the "before" with the phrase, word, or sentence to be altered or removed and paste it in an email to me. Then make the change, "the after" and copy that and place it in the same email to me. This way I can keep track of who has violations, and can notify the offender of the issue.

 

--7. Most people know enough to not to do the obvious violations, so we will be looking primarily for the subtle behavior violations such as sarcasm, snarky posts and "Throwing Group-Shade." Sarcasm and snarky posts are easy to detect when they are directed at you, but harder when directed at someone else. You need to put yourself in the place the post was directed and ask yourself..."would I be OK with that if it was directed at me?"

 

--8. Moderators are all covering each other; there are times I simply missed something, and another moderator caught it, and the reverse happens. If you read any post that has a violation---hide it and notify Charles, even if it was already approved.  (No matter who approved it first, even if it was the Big-Fish!) More moderator eyes looking at the posts will result in a higher quality forum, which we all want.

 

--9. Let me know when you see nonsense or immature posts, and who is writing them. I want to weed those out, so our wonderful community does not even have to read the silly posts.

 

--10. Note the tone of a post; sometimes new people naturally have a "bite" in their post, an aggressiveness that is not needed and should be discontinued. When you see it---let me know. (And those members need to know to be kinder in their writing)

 

--11. Writing about the negative is fine, as that is what we do in forums...is discuss player performance and coaching decisions. However, if someone is writing the same extreme negative posts repeatedly---let me know. Negative is fine, but venting is not. I define venting as posting the same extremely negative view more than three times in a week. (See No. 31b of the rules)

 

This is a big area of confusion for new moderators, that is, mistaking a negative post for a violation, as it is not. Stuff that happens is often negative and we discuss it, as we do not want the forum to evolve into a "sunshine-pumping" site. We will always do "critical analysis," and that includes the negative.

 

The new rule, 31c, deals with extreme negative rehashing concerning the Portal/NIL/Pac-12 Blunders/Commissioner Debacles/Future Revenue/the Alliance, etc.  Please see this article giving more information when the rule was announced, and this forum thread dealing with questions and answers.

 

31c Questions to ask about the post in question: 1) is the post about the topics listed above that have been beat-to-death? 2) Is the post negative? 3) Is this post a rehash of what we've read 100 to 1,000 times already?

 

If the post is about one of the topics above, but is a new Breaking News item--we proceed with usual discussion about it and negative is fine.  If in doubt--take it out.  (Hide it and let me know by text.)

 

--12. Members of the OBD forum can also be negative about other locations, sportswriters, players, fans, and coaches of other teams, etc. The rule, No. 26, pertains to not getting personal with the current Duck coaches and players. If they leave Eugene---they are fair-game again.

 

--13. Opposing fans cannot come to our site and trash-talk about our Ducks or taunt the fans. We can write negative about Oregon's football team, but opposing fans cannot. They can only be here if they follow our rules and are respectful of our team.

 

--14. The words, "liar," "ass" and "pissing contest" are now acceptable as they are so common and because bugging people every time, they write them would be a ton of work. It would also be construed as taking the "keeping it clean" too far.

 

--15. Everyone has to be moderated the same; no favoritism or the culture will begin to erode, and people become jaded and dissatisfied. This includes moderating/hiding posts of Mr. FishDuck, as sometimes even he will get off-track.

 

--16. Do review the rules carefully; spend an hour reading and digesting them as each one represents hours of haggling, emails, phone calls along with reflection. Know what a "Straw-man" argument is, why we don't "win an argument at FishDuck," and the other items listed in the rules. You would be surprised how you can recognize these tactics once you have read and internally embrace the rules.

 

--17. Sign in, and no need to sign out; learn how to use the "Reading Marks" and the "Mark Forum as Read."

 

--18. Don't be fooled by "how trivial" the violation is. It can feel that it is pretty minor, but the question really is..."are we setting a new low-bar?" Whatever we allow--we will see again.  Let's keep the standards on this forum high!