Subject: On the view held by some about the NA
Author:
Posted on: 2016-11-21 06:37:00 UTC
And by some I mean at least two, though I doubt we're the only ones. I'll just copy paste an excerpt from our messages.
"we have no mods, we just have a 'nameless' admin everyone knows the identity of who has the power to delete and change posts as they please and noone questions this.
How is this preferable to actual moderation?"
For putting in the double time on moderation in these trying times. What a trooper.
And by some I mean at least two, though I doubt we're the only ones. I'll just copy paste an excerpt from our messages.
"we have no mods, we just have a 'nameless' admin everyone knows the identity of who has the power to delete and change posts as they please and noone questions this.
How is this preferable to actual moderation?"
"Admins make excellent janitors and terrible dictators" - Wandering Critic
That's eight years ago, at this point ( Juliette plays the oldbie card!), but the sentiment still holds true, imo. When we recovered the admin account, we realized the terrible powers it contained, and had a long discussion about how to preserve the creative-anarchist community we'd built without it.
I can recall exactly one post which the Nameless Admin edited- someone, appearing under a new name and questioning the community and its structure (not unlike yourself!) used a fairly nasty slur in the process, and the Nameless Admin removed said slur and signed the change. That was it. The discussion continued.
And, to pose a question in return, how would this be different in a more conventionally moderated board? There would still be someone with the authority to do whatever they willed to posts and users, they would just display that authority on their sleeve rather than it being something that is only picked up when needed. Even if we built a forum without such a role, someone would still have the database login- and then you've traded an adminity that can be given to anyone to one that can only be used by the technologically adept.
For years and years, we had a community that was both incredibly vibrant and also resistant to trolls by its very nature. And you know what? I think we still do. All we need the Nameless Admin for is janitorial work.
It deletes posts by users who have been banned and refuse to stick to the ban voluntarily. That includes the Tor-using troll, among others. The Nameless Admin doesn't moderate based on opinion, or violations of the Constitution, or anything else: just as a technical measure when trolls or spambots get around the IP block.
I am granting you the assumption of good faith here and not assuming you're just the same troll again. But I can't imagine a single good reason for you to post anonymously.
hS
I am genuine. And if you do not delete at will, why did you delete my first post? I am neither a troll nor a tor user, nor for that matter am I previously banned user.
... have deleted two posts under the name Toroll, and nothing more.
You are posting under a name quite obviously chosen for this discussion, while implying that you have previously been part of the PPC community under another name (you've discussed things with one other person, started posting 'recently', and say 'everybody knows' about something that, actually, isn't often stated aloud). That is not 'the furthest thing' from anonymous: it's deliberate anonymity.
hS
Orwell is my name. Pleasure to make your acquaintance. I may be friends with amother member, and communicate with them privately, but this is the first time I have deigned to post on the board.
Of course, I forget, there are multiple "nameless" admins. It must have been your partner then, my appologies.
I was wondering why the whole thread Ix started is gone. That's not usually done. Nuking troll posts, sure, but the whole thread? How come?
~Neshomeh
Instead of a discussion about Data Junkie acting against the Constitution, it was basically
>Trolololol
>>Do not feed the trolls
>>>Trolololololololol
>>>>Do not feed the trolls
>>>>>Trolololololololol
And nothing good was going to come from it, especially since it seems Data has left the Board anyway.
My inner archivist is twitching about the loss of history, that's all.
~Neshomeh
I'm glad it's not just me. I definitely agree that it should have been thread-nuked, and I agree with the decision to wipe Toroll's posts as soon as they appear, but at the same time my first reaction is always a little voice of "But the information!" Even when the thread is become pointless.