Choose Your Own Org Adventure!

You are the moderator. Play now!



Imagine...

You moderate the forums on a large Prince-related website known only as "The Org". Thousands of people access the site each week, and many of them use the forums to communicate, chat, and have a few laughs. Your primary role is to enforce the site rules, remove racist posts, and abusive messages. There are many different personalities on the site, creating a very eclectic online community.

Now, one day you encounter the mysterious Orger X. Like many of the Org's big personalities, this person enjoys a good argument. Enjoys provoking those that are easily provoked. He has flamed people at times, and caused several flame wars. He's made some friends, but also some enemies too, all of whom are now howling for his blood, demanding you take action.

Do you:

• (a) Completely banish Orger X from the website for ever?
  
  
• (b) Deactivate the Orger X's account as punishment?
  
  
• (c) Treat Orger X the same as everyone else - temporarily deactivate the user's account whilst you discuss the issues with the user, explain the rules, before reactivating the account in the hope that Orger X will behave?
  
  
• (d) Do nothing, trusting that things will sort themselves out in time?
  

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If you chose (a):

Bzzt! There is no way to banish a user from the website permanently. Orger X creates new email addresses, new accounts, uses new IP addresses, and comes back with lots of new accounts to repeat the pattern. Lesson learned: if someone really wants to access your website, there is nothing you can do to stop them. Lose 10,000 points.

If you chose (b):

Your feeble attempts at disciplining the user are doomed to failure. It merely inflames matters, makes Orger X angry, and he'll come back with his other accounts and behave even worse than before, when he realises he can get away with it. Lose 10,000 points.

If you chose (c):

After a while, the user will start to adhere to the site rules, if only to avoid being bugged by the moderators again. So, Orger X now tries to follow the "letter of the law" - still fucks up occasionally, like everyone else on the site, but not irredeemably so. However Orger X's enemies are outraged by your inability to make the person they despise simply disappear from the face of the earth forever, and so you are accused of being "biased". Lose 10,000 points.

If you chose (d):

Threads escalate in their abusive tone, arguments grow out of control and dominate the forum. A petty disagreement between a handful of people has entirely ruined the forum for everyone else on the site. Lose 10,000 points.



How did you score?

I got -10,000 points

ian said:

so did i, ian...so did i

How's the digital cable coming along sir?

i got -10,000 points. and just for a point, i chose C, which was mistakenly labeled D

pejman said:

Quite well! I'm working at home today, so I'm sitting in front of the TV, watching cartoon channels, with my laptop and wireless internet access for my "work". Ah, this is the life. Time for another cup o tea, methinks!

cborgman said:

How dare you imply that moderator's make mistakes
Erm, I've fixed it now.

BTW I chose (c) too.

What about (e) Close the site and fuck 'em all!

I got -40,000 points... WTF is that..

sag10 said:

How did you do that! Wow, I better check the scoring on this game...

Well ian, it sounds like U lose no matter what U do? But look on the bright side "Whatever U choose to do, U can't of done worse!"

Haystack said:

Hmmm I must write that down...

Haystack said:

folks'll still have your e-mail addy and will hound you to no end...lose another 10,000 points.

for ian. it's a tough job, and we appreciate you, even if we don't always say it

ian said:

you vicious bastid

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

now you get it! Ever thought of being a moderator

In looking for a fifth option I'm reminded of my hero Martin Luther King. He too was faced with an imposible task, but he changed the rules of a nation and did it with non-violent action.

Maybe the people involved should be monitered an whoever steps out of line first gets booted.

ian said:

ummm...

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

i think you would make a FANTASTIC moderator!

cborgman said:

Thanks mate! Don't be too sympathetic though, I knew what I was signing up for haha... which makes me a sucker!

Here's a new idea. Leave it to another mod to figure out. No blood on your hands then!

CAMILLE4U said:

that first person can always come back and dog you and the rest of the org to no end...it's like roaches: for every one you kill there's probably tons more.

lose 10,000 points...but nice thought, tho'

CAMILLE4U said:

Ah but you forget point (a)... there's no real way to "boot" someone off the site - if they really wanna visit the Org, they will

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

I'll keep thinking

CAMILLE4U said:

Haha, you've been reading Teller's de-motivator thread...

ian said:

Oh Yes. This is a problem!

cborgman said:

everybody keeps tellin me that! my only problem with it tho' is that i'd have to wear one of those 'p' avatars and give up all my cute avatars...

i can't do it!!!

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

small price to pay, neo.

I´d choose D for as long as the posts didn´t degenerate to nothing but name-calling. And if they did that I would simply delete the posts in question. That would speak for itself.

I don´t think it´s any use deleting accounts or trying to talk to the person in question (as you pointed out yourself).

Generally I believe in letting things be what they are as much as possible. Censorship just stirs up bad feelings.