Me again, breaking my own temporary rule.
I agree with Recombinantsocks that we ought to reflect. My strategy has been to try to take time off, and let others have their say, and maybe let a new dynamics development, in case I've been just too over intrusive. Believe me I've been reflecting.
But there is an underlying problem here, which I was considering addressing via the complaints form.
NAS clearly wants to make changes - the article and the changed moderator tactics came about simultaneously. But I feel they should have tried to make changes with us on board. Not like parents telling off naughty children.
They could, for example, have made a general request for a less critical atmosphere from some of us, without naming names. They could have given us another mechanism through which to address growing concerns.
Instead they suddenly went for public reprimands - not just me - getting two in one day, but others as well. The Rules clearly say that "if these rules are broken the members of the community team will discuss this with the offender and try to resolve it. That in my understanding means write to me personally.
The effect of what they did was very striking. I went quiet, as I've explained. Quite a number of other posters got very agitated, and rightly so. What the Mods did to me, and some others, totally undermined community confidence.
I'm grateful to classic codger for speaking up on my behalf, but I venture that in part this was a reaction to the very real and conspicuous downturn in community activity. Everyone seems to have been stunned by what happened.
The matter was made ten times worse when the Digital Services Manager took up classic codger sharply in public for daring to cast aspersions on the Moderators, and suggesting he use the complaints form. I suggest the Digital services Manager should categorically not have responded publicly in the way he did.
Things might have settled down and resolved themselves but I'm pretty certain the Digital services Manager's posting came over as paternalistic and bullying. And really put a big dampner on things.
This is a community. A community that includes vulnerable people, and people in crisis. It needs to be handled sensitively. Communities like this need tactful handling because these public dressings down hit everybody, not just those they are aimed at.
What is not helping either is the sudden silence - very much lowered presence of the moderators. That just leaves the feeling that the reprimands could start up any minute. It isn't restoring confidence.
The moderators must now give reassurances and restore confidence. I don't personally know how to do that without doing more harm than good.
Me again, breaking my own temporary rule.
I agree with Recombinantsocks that we ought to reflect. My strategy has been to try to take time off, and let others have their say, and maybe let a new dynamics development, in case I've been just too over intrusive. Believe me I've been reflecting.
But there is an underlying problem here, which I was considering addressing via the complaints form.
NAS clearly wants to make changes - the article and the changed moderator tactics came about simultaneously. But I feel they should have tried to make changes with us on board. Not like parents telling off naughty children.
They could, for example, have made a general request for a less critical atmosphere from some of us, without naming names. They could have given us another mechanism through which to address growing concerns.
Instead they suddenly went for public reprimands - not just me - getting two in one day, but others as well. The Rules clearly say that "if these rules are broken the members of the community team will discuss this with the offender and try to resolve it. That in my understanding means write to me personally.
The effect of what they did was very striking. I went quiet, as I've explained. Quite a number of other posters got very agitated, and rightly so. What the Mods did to me, and some others, totally undermined community confidence.
I'm grateful to classic codger for speaking up on my behalf, but I venture that in part this was a reaction to the very real and conspicuous downturn in community activity. Everyone seems to have been stunned by what happened.
The matter was made ten times worse when the Digital Services Manager took up classic codger sharply in public for daring to cast aspersions on the Moderators, and suggesting he use the complaints form. I suggest the Digital services Manager should categorically not have responded publicly in the way he did.
Things might have settled down and resolved themselves but I'm pretty certain the Digital services Manager's posting came over as paternalistic and bullying. And really put a big dampner on things.
This is a community. A community that includes vulnerable people, and people in crisis. It needs to be handled sensitively. Communities like this need tactful handling because these public dressings down hit everybody, not just those they are aimed at.
What is not helping either is the sudden silence - very much lowered presence of the moderators. That just leaves the feeling that the reprimands could start up any minute. It isn't restoring confidence.
The moderators must now give reassurances and restore confidence. I don't personally know how to do that without doing more harm than good.
