Give site staff some training in “moderating” Thread poster: Chris Says Bye
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I’m trying here to circumvent the Catch 22 situation on ProZ where it’s against the rules to discuss the rules...
This week has brought another bout of heavy-handed “moderation” from site staff. Two examples:
1. A thread is deleted because it’s about a cat that lives in a church, making it “religious”.
2. A post calls out another post as sexist. The first is considered “offensive” and deleted, but the latter, the sexist post, is not.
... See more I’m trying here to circumvent the Catch 22 situation on ProZ where it’s against the rules to discuss the rules...
This week has brought another bout of heavy-handed “moderation” from site staff. Two examples:
1. A thread is deleted because it’s about a cat that lives in a church, making it “religious”.
2. A post calls out another post as sexist. The first is considered “offensive” and deleted, but the latter, the sexist post, is not.
Bizarre decisions but we’re not allowed to question them.
When challenged, the site staff tend to be robotic in their response. They don’t explain what the problem is. Just that it’s against rule x#x.
Some of the volunteer moderators are very good, just giving people a gentle warning from time to time rather than removing posts and threads without notice or discussion or accountability.
Doesn’t that make more sense? After all, we’re all adults here. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Samuel Murray 
Netherlands
Local time: 17:24
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
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| Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:24
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Chris S wrote:
Some of the volunteer moderators are very good
...but a few can't stop their personal convictions from getting in the way. I've recently seen a whole thread being locked for no reason I could discern that made it any different from other threads that could have been locked.
[Edited at 2020-11-05 16:19 GMT]
| | | | P.L.F. Persio
Netherlands
Local time: 17:24
English to Italian
+ ...
| Thomas Pynchon? | Nov 5, 2020 |
Tom in London wrote:
Chris S wrote:
Some of the volunteer moderators are very good
...but a few can't stop their personal convictions from getting in the way. I've recently seen a whole thread being locked for no reason I could discern that made it any different from other threads that could have been locked. [Edited at 2020-11-05 16:19 GMT]
Was it the totally innocent, very interesting thread about Thomas Pynchon and other novelists? I was enjoying it, but it just disappeared.
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Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:24
Member (2008)
Italian to English
| No- it was the one about | Nov 5, 2020 |
"Diversity" in the translation industry
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It does not seem to be the same thread. No cat is mentioned there.
| | | | | Moderating, enforcing rules | Nov 5, 2020 |
Seems to be at discretion of the moderator...
| | | | | Trying not to be specific | Nov 5, 2020 |
No, it's not that thread, but one removed today.
I've deliberately avoided saying which specific posts/threads in the hope that this thread will survive long enough to get an idea of whether other users agree or disagree that the forums could be moderated more discriminately.
I understand that ProZ can have whatever rules they want on the site, but I imagine they'd want to take some account of users' opinions.
I believe the community is more capable of self-regulation than some of the site staff seem to think.
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Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 16:24
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
| Maybe they react to every complaint | Nov 5, 2020 |
Chris S wrote:
I believe the community is more capable of self-regulation than some of the site staff seem to think.
I wonder if they aren't reacting to every single complaint, the way the police do locally here when one single resident complains about the live music in the tourist part of town, as though it didn't have any right to be within earshot  .
The problem with that is that everyone has different levels of patience and tolerance. I, for example, when faced with scenes of nudity, porn (between consenting adults) or swearing, couldn't give a s**t. But start spouting about God in some secular discussion and I'll be hitting the "complain" button very fast. I shouldn't be allowed to expect that the post I object will be taken down just because I'm over-sensitive.
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Angie Garbarino wrote:
Seems to be at discretion of the moderator...
And make sure they know the rules. Not long ago, someone posted that he had done a translation and the agency came back some time later and said that the client had complained about the quality but never provided any examples to pinpoint what these issues were despite several requests by the translator. The moderator joined the forum discussion and at one point, suggested that the translator should post a BB entry! Well, you just can't post a BB entry if there have been quality issues, even if not justified or not proven. Surely a moderator should have known this basic fact!
| | | | | Forum on another platform? | Nov 5, 2020 |
Those of us who don't belong to the category that some would call 'snowflakes' could also perhaps set up a 'water cooler' forum on another platform where we wouldn't have to tread on eggshells all the time.
Of course there would need to be some basic rules and moderation to avoid trolling, abuse, etc., and group members would have to be accepted.
We cannot decide how Proz runs its forums, so if we want to do something a little different, it's up to us.
Just... See more Those of us who don't belong to the category that some would call 'snowflakes' could also perhaps set up a 'water cooler' forum on another platform where we wouldn't have to tread on eggshells all the time.
Of course there would need to be some basic rules and moderation to avoid trolling, abuse, etc., and group members would have to be accepted.
We cannot decide how Proz runs its forums, so if we want to do something a little different, it's up to us.
Just not Facebook. I would be banned from the Proz forums if I expressed what I think about their new UI. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Mervyn Henderson (X)
Spain
Local time: 17:24
Spanish to English
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Only just seen this. Basques sent me off to get food. Wouldn't you know.
On the one hand, I've been asked to edit, zapped, warned, greyed-out for the duration, so I've done most things, and am probably qualified to talk. On the other, not too sure what to say, but I think that, site side, all they want to do, rather understandably, is simplify it: there they are moderating their stuff, and everything's getting heated, or people venture into requiems for remarkable cats (loved that ... See more Only just seen this. Basques sent me off to get food. Wouldn't you know.
On the one hand, I've been asked to edit, zapped, warned, greyed-out for the duration, so I've done most things, and am probably qualified to talk. On the other, not too sure what to say, but I think that, site side, all they want to do, rather understandably, is simplify it: there they are moderating their stuff, and everything's getting heated, or people venture into requiems for remarkable cats (loved that one, PLF ...). They don't want to go through it and sort out who's been breaking rule 7 and who's been breaking rule 3, especially because the more heated it gets, the longer and longer the posts get too, plus everyone sticks in quotes and puts comments underneath, and who would want to wade into that nightmare, so they just zap. James in Turkey has quite a good way with him, because - this is my recollection - he gives a warning first. Then he zaps. So I think the warning could be good. Still makes me feel like a child, but at least you know what's coming. ▲ Collapse
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expressisverbis
Portugal
Local time: 16:24
Member (2015)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
| Fair moderating and self-moderating | Nov 5, 2020 |
The most serious for me is when someone insults your profession or yourself and moderators simply close the thread. No warning or ban...
Staff could be fairer in their way of moderating.
I also agree it's up to each one to know how to respect the opinion of others and not to be very touchy or offensive either.
This also applies to me, sometimes I can be overly sensitive (which does not mean I'm overly rude), but days aren't always the same.
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Well, Proz never claimed they wanted to be another Facebook and I can understand if they don't want to spend their time reading through endless chatter to try to figure out who said what and why and why it is that that who who said something should not have said something but should have said something else and who's the bad guy or gal, so it's easier just to zap the whole thing.
By the way, in that other topic, Sandra, you posted a couple of times about what I presume to be ... See more Well, Proz never claimed they wanted to be another Facebook and I can understand if they don't want to spend their time reading through endless chatter to try to figure out who said what and why and why it is that that who who said something should not have said something but should have said something else and who's the bad guy or gal, so it's easier just to zap the whole thing.
By the way, in that other topic, Sandra, you posted a couple of times about what I presume to be bad behaviour by someone, but I never managed to figure out what you were referring to. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Administrative action may only be discussed through the Support Center | Nov 5, 2020 |
Site rules have been created to extend and protect the pleasant, results-oriented atmosphere of the ProZ.com translation workplace.
Within the framework of site rules and the aim of those rules, not everyone is going to be able to say whatever they want at ProZ.com. Keeping a positive, results-oriented translation workplace means that posters will not be able to swear, or to talk politics, or make offensive remarks in the forums, for example. There are other places to do that. Every... See more Site rules have been created to extend and protect the pleasant, results-oriented atmosphere of the ProZ.com translation workplace.
Within the framework of site rules and the aim of those rules, not everyone is going to be able to say whatever they want at ProZ.com. Keeping a positive, results-oriented translation workplace means that posters will not be able to swear, or to talk politics, or make offensive remarks in the forums, for example. There are other places to do that. Everyone has valid opinions, views and statements; but it should not be assumed that ProZ.com can be used to advertise these.
If you feel you have received rules enforcement action which was not rules-based, please report this to site staff through the Support Center, where the issue can be properly reviewed.
The forums are not an appropriate channel for discussing individual rules enforcement issues. I am therefore locking this thread. Further discussion would inevitably violate general site rule #8.
Best regards,
Alejandro ▲ Collapse
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