Many thanks to Kozlodoev for helping me see the flaws in the system.
This is the first of a series of logs I will be posting in order to discuss about possible reforms
in the way the log page is moderated. If you are not interested in the subject, please ignore this
log. If you are, feel free to discuss the proposed changes and/or propose new ones in the comments
section.
Why is there a need for reform?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
During the years I have been moderating for, I have identified three major problems with the structure
of the site:
1- There are rules that exist and are enforced for the sake of existing. They limit the users (who
have a hard time following them as they do not understand their reasoning) and create extra workload
for the moderators (who might have to enforce rules that they don't believe in and can't defend in an
argument)
2- There are several rules that require the Moderators to make very subjective decisions, inevitably
leading to unfairness and sometimes selective enforcement as we are all human and different Moderators
might have different perceptions.
3- Due to the amount of subjective decisions they have to make, there is too much power in the hands
of Moderators and as Lord Acton once said: "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
This leads to a situation where everyone loses - Moderators are inevitably faced with the dilemma of
either doing a half-assed job, or enforcing rules that they don't necessarily believe in and being
hated for doing their job, which makes an already demanding job even worse. Many of these rules also
lead to bureaucratic paradoxes where they cause more harm than benefit. The rules should exist to serve
the users, not the other way around.
A Solution?
~~~~~~~~~~~
To summarize the problem, the log page requires too much intervention, and the solution lies in
deregulation and creation of a system where Moderators only have to intervene to activate accounts or
in dire situations, making as little subjective decisions as possible.
Before proceeding further, you might wish to refer to the rules section (http://logs.dyndns.dk/rules.php)
in order to see our current policies.
I propose changes in the following policies:
1- Ratings:
Ideally and in order to have a non-biased rating system, you should all vote based on the log itself,
and rate with only one account. This is practically impossible to enforce as the majority of the log
page community lacks the maturity. This also forces the Moderators to make very subjective decisions
on 'bogus ratings', definition of which changes from person to person. The result is that people can
get blocked over virtually nothing.
My proposal is that the ratings system is completely deregulated - You can rate whatever you want and
with as many characters as you want. Yes, this will lead to a completely biased system and people
engaging in rating wars - In my opinion, if people are immature enough to do that, it is what they
deserve.
2- Flaming and going Off-Topic:
These are two areas where Moderators often have to make very subjective decisions on and where the
strictness of enforcement varies over time and depending on the Moderator. What is flaming and when
does complaining and arguing become flaming? How far off-topic can one go before action has to be
taken?
I believe these rules do not have enough benefits to make the above shortcoming worthwhile - If two
people wish to express their hatred towards each other on an online forum, why not let them? If they
want to discuss about something other than the log, why prevent them?
This might possibly lead to a situation where the comment sections are filled with lots of bitching,
but again it is a case of 'you get what you deserve'.
I propose that Moderators only intervene in cases of flaming when one is being harassed badly, and/or
when serious real-life threats or information is involved.
3- Posting for Others:
This has been strictly forbidden for as long as I can remember in order to encourage people to get
accounts for themselves and to prevent revelation of MP info. To be frank, I believe that a friendly
note saying "Please ask your friend to get an account for himself so that you do not need to post for
him" would be much more effective in encouraging people to get accounts than the removal of the log
and a block, simply because it does not piss them off. Regarding revelation of alt info, we already
have clear rules regarding our multiplaying policy, and the logs that reveal alt info would still be
removed without harming the innocent.
I propose that posting for others be allowed, on the condition that the name of the logger is made
clear in the log description to prevent confusion. Logs that contain alt or quest info and those that
were posted to circumvent blocks will still be removed.
5- Mudsex logs:
I'm quite iffy about this - On the one hand I have had to remove very humorous logs because they had
sexual content, on the other hand we do have underage users. What do you think?
4- Other Rules:
I don't believe there is any need to change our stance regarding MP info and Quest Info, or any rules
that were not mentioned above. If you disagree, you are encouraged to post the proposed change and
your reasoning for it in the comments so that it can be discussed and perhaps included in the refined
proposal.
This is all, please help me improve the proposal by discussing it in the comments section of this
log (and keep it in mind that any unconstructive comments will be removed so that we have focus).
VERY IMPORTANT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The changes mentioned above are so far only personal views of mine. They have not been submitted for
implementation yet, and certainly are NOT IN EFFECT. The old rules still apply and will continue to
be enforced until (and if) the proposal is debated and implemented.