Also, can I ask why posts keep being moved to a separate subsidiary? Itās happening so much over the recent discussions and I find it quite confusing.
Disclaimer: Not a criticism! Just wondered if there was a reason thatās unclear to me.
Thanks!
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Itās very easy to click on the like symbol but not clear what element of a very long post, with links to numerous links that may be being quoted out of context, is being liked. Without the alternative choice of a thumbs down symbol, you really canāt tell much about the consensus of opinion.
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Thatās completely fair. I should have been more specific, I was talking about the single-paragraph posts that can be seen as individual outbursts, but garner a lot of supporting clicks.
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Sometimes it is pretty obvious. Other times, not so much. In this topic there was a lengthy, though well considered post which has been consigned to Moderator Action. I cannot understand how that post broke any guidelines but I also recognise that perhaps my unconscious bias may be at play.
Moving forward I expect we will see what many might consider over moderation and I can accept that. After all many have asked for more moderation, not less. But in the spirit of a new dawn it would be helpful to understand why a post might have been removed when perhaps to the casual observer it may not be so obvious.
I also appreciate that explanations may not be immediate. The moderators have jobs, kids and other things to do. Thoughtful moderation can be better than hasty moderation.
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Yep - weāre lucky that some homeschooling hasnāt been posted here yet as @oakrās sharing a laptop with one of his children!
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Here is my second attempt! Wish me luck 
To reiterate for some, Iāve explained in my first post, why I am getting involved. I think SE23.Life has the potential to be a fantastic noticeboard, discussion forum, and local virtual meeting place. It can also be a very useful tool for councillors to interact with our residents and hear about issues in the area. However, the refusal of moderators to effectively tackle the very small minority, who regularly make attacks on others, needlessly politicize debates, and respond in a harassing manner to those they donāt agree with - has, for a lot of people, made this forum an unwelcoming place. It has meant the ward councillors, other than me and Sophie, have chosen not to get involved. I think this is a legitimate problem for me to involve myself in, both as a councillor and forum member.
However, having said this, I am very grateful to see @oakr considered and lengthy post here which suggests to me that the moderator team have taken our concerns seriously. I look forward to working with them to improve this forum along with others.
My two pence on things that can be done to improve things:
Moderates take a bit more of a hands-on approach to when posters are clearly riled or enter the site looking for a fight and to attack others. Moderates need to step in early by momentarily blocking the poster and offering them some feedback on why theyāve taken this action to protect other posters. (Take this as a yellow card). After a brief cooling-off period, if the person returns in the same manner, then the posters get a longer sin-bin. If this becomes a persistent pattern of behaviour, and a poster is regularly attacking others, then permanent blocks are in order.
Sometimes, someone account might not warrant a momentary block, but moderators might have a word and give them a little warning for the way theyāve entered or added to a debate and make a note of this behaviour (like a referee does). I know there are certainly times when I have responded in the [wrong manner](Thorpewood Avenue Half One Way and School Street Poll, and not helped further discussions in an appropriate manner.
Then, once in a while, moderators should meet together and can compare notes and work out who the persistent offenders are who drag down the tone of the debate and attack others.
I urge others to continue to offer their feedback and suggestions as @Oakr suggests.
DO NOT use examples of when youāve felt attacked, or felt that moderators have not responded appropriately to unpleasant hassling or barbed-politicisation - while you may think it is important to offer examples to illustrate your points - by calling out peopleās behaviour, you will be accused attacking or marginalising then. This relates to my original post, in which I argue that rules protect people from being challenged about your their tone or conduct.
Therefore, I would recommend that you Direct Message the moderators instead to offer examples of conduct youāve seen or received that has made you uncomfortable and made you want to disengage from this forum.
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Well said Leo - itās hard to find anything in your thoughtful post to disagree with.
Just to add my two cents on slow mode, which I think is clearly a helpful tool. I can understand why it would not apply to moderators, as they need to be able to intervene if necessary. However, I think it would be appreciated by users if moderators could behave as if they needed to wait an hour between posts, as there were several breaches in the now-locked thread from yesterday, which I suspect may have put others off from contributing.
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Hi @Fran_487
As mentioned above, we are trying to more pro-actively target early posts which do not meet site guidelines.
Posts that donāt meet these are moved, and either permanently consigned elsewhere, or we will ask the poster to amend their post, explaining where they have broken the guidelines. If the poster amends the post so that it meets the guidelines, we will then move it back, or allow the poster to to repost as such the new version.
In particuliar, as @LeoGibbons alludes to, we want to ensure that members do not target other members - a repeated complaint so we are being very proactive on that front. If there are concerns about about individuals, the moderator team can be messaged @moderators , or the site owner individually @ForestHull.
It is possible we will be accused of over moderation, and we may be guilty of it over the next few days and weeks, but on the balance of where we are if the matter is grey that is the approach we will take to make sure all users feel the environment is safe for them.
I hope that clarifies things for you and @starman.
Thank you Jon. I think if we are responding as users as opposed to moderators, we should absolutely do that, and if we donāt (we are human and make mistakes also) we should be pulled up on it - again the flagging system can be used. In a moderator capacity we may post more regularly (though we will aim not to) - itās new to us also and we will need to learn from it and take the feedback like yours, but certainly sometimes we will need to interject to respond to questions or alleviate issues more regularly than normal.
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Hi Leo. Your profile pic includes a LBC symbol noting that you are local councilor. While a nice feature, it could cause some confusion to readers as it would suggest that any post you make is in the capacity of a local councilor when clearly that is not always the case.
This area of confusion is not new. For a very long time it was impossible to know if a moderator was posting as a moderator, or expressing their own opinion. Particularly if one was contributing to a topic in both capacities. This led to the addition of a moderator ātagā which they could engage when appropriate so that it was clear in which capacity they were posting. The āyellowā highlighting came later.
For yourself and Sophie it might be helpful if admin can offer the same. Iām pretty sure this can be done though would require you to consciously engage the badge when in your official capacity.
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Except in this case I think it is:
Also:
Sadly not - moderators and admins have special status baked into the software. Perhaps a simple disclaimer to say āI am posting my own viewsā is enough though - in other dealings with Councillors I know they have always been clear to point out when they are expressing their own opinion rather than council policy and such, and I think Leo has done a good job to be clear here, though Iām sure he can clarify further if needed - though letās not get too far off topic 
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Hi Modās.
I know there is a 'loungeā, but given the nature of some of the other threads and the way they escalated it seems what we need now is a āplaygroundā (or perhaps boxing rink, even).
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Good idea. We all need to play from time to time. And intellectual boxing is a very useful way of keeping ourselves in shape.
This sounds promising, I joined the forum last August and have definitely struggled to feel comfortable being as involved as Iād like with the tone some threads take - spending a lot of time lurking instead, I suspect Iām probably not alone.
I definitely think the overall aim of the forum should be focused on local discussion and I support trying to keep politics out of it but despite this local focus there isnāt much of a community feel on the forum. A lot of the suggestions in this thread surround how the forum can be better policed to avoid conversations going in an unpleasant direction but it might be worth thinking about what positive actions can be taken to help improve participation.
Iām not familiar with how the Discourse platform works but I think it would be good to have more areas for open conversation - in the same vein as the mysterious #loungeā¦
Channels/groups for things like Cooking, Gardening, TV, Sports etc. might be a nice way to encourage participation on the forum even if itās outside of the core SE23 focus whilst making sure posts and topics all fit within the SE23 focus. Again I donāt know if this is possible on the platform so may be a non-starter.
I think this is along the lines of something @Swagger suggested in a post a couple of weeks ago and what @NewtoSE might be getting at in this thread.
This might be completely against the local-led direction of the forum the moderators are working towards but it feels like a way for to engender more free-flowing conversation.
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Hi @Dom_Mo if you click on the triple burger icon on the top right of the page (mobile browsing) there is a menu which will allow you to select many of the interest groups you mentioned. Any other questions please just let us know.
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I think one problem right now is that there isnāt a whole lot going on. The events calendar would normally have been full to bursting with local events this time last year, but thatās sadly not the case now. The loss of many local events, I feel, had lost a bit of the local feel and positivity here. Obviously thereās a lot drawing conversations to various wider issues in the world too.
All of this does however make the forum an even more important resource I feel.
We do have had some good general threads that cover some of the topics you mention:
- Houseplant Hill; indoor gardens of SE23
- Bakers corner photo thread
- Crochet Appreciation
- Pumpkin Carving 'Creepy' Corner
- Allotment / Gardening Chat and Advice 2020 Thread
Making more categories is certainly possible, but rather than creating a lot of niches, it might be better to use #general and see if anything rises out of that category first.
Possibly the best thing here is for people to try posting about their interests and see what sticks. Moderation is to keep it civil and friendly, but the forum is really powered by everyone that contributes positively.
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This is a really good pointā¦ because there isnāt much going on in locally in terms of events, and people canāt go out and socialise, they will be looking to interact online with their community. Especially important for those that might live alone and/or particularly missing friends and family.
Though I havenāt participated myself, I do enjoy the gardening and bakers threads as well as the pictures of wildlife, so would welcome others in the same vein. Noted that these are also the friendliest, most non-confrontational threads too, so feel like a safer space to engage with. With that in mindā¦ I have actually got a loaf in the oven now, so will post up a pic when itās done!
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Yes I think this is a good point. I also think that this lockdown maybe partly to blame for some of the arguments. It is making lots of people crazy and it may be no coincidence that we are having this conversation now. Itās having a bad effect on everyone. Every waking hour staring at screens. I have found myself getting bent out of shape over small things that would not bother me usually. Everything is āonlineā and we canāt really go anywhere to escape. I think the lack of real face to face interaction with others can contribute towards people acting in an uncharacteristically antagonist manner. I should be out and about going about my lawful business in my usual cheery way, but instead I find myself stuck indoors on some local forum or comments page on a newspaper article having an argument with someone I have never met about Brexit. Itās tragic. We must be kinder to each other and make allowances for stresses many of us are under.
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Post of the week.
It has been lovely to see a wider range of voices on the Forum over the last five or six days. Whatever the reason long may that continue.
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