Policy for approving new posts.

[hyperdeath]

There have been complaints about use of the post approval feature. This holds back posts by new users, until they have been approved by a moderator. To give a little background, it was introduced due to a wave of trolling, which included two particularly disruptive individuals. One of these persisted in posting vast amounts of pornographic imagery. The other was purely evil, and repeatedly taunted a rape survivor in the most spiteful way possible, with the aim of triggering her post traumatic stress disorder. Both tried to return on multiple occasions.

Our forum software, phpBB, has an unfortunate feature, whereby if a moderator doesn't approve a post, it gets deleted from the database. Our moderators disapproved several posts, in at least one case by accident, which did not deserve this treatment. Therefore, we will no longer be using post approval as a moderation tool. It will only be used to block spam, flooding, and the blatant reappearance of banned users.

[Tinjoe]

Will mods still be able to reject topics in cases of pornography or threatening/triggering language?

I don't have a problem with rejecting topics before others have a chance to see them, I just think that the action should be auditable/reversable in cases like that other thread has brought up. I still support actions taken to ensure a safe space.

[hyperdeath]

This policy won't affect the general safe space policy. If we receive a nasty post (but one that isn't blatant spam or flooding) we'll approve it, and then treat it as if we have just received a moderation report.

[Grimalkin]

Tiny note- can we not use the word sociopath like that? Or any other names of mental illnesses*? People who trigger rape survivors are cruel, evil people. But that does not mean that they were diagnosed with an antisocial personality disorder.

*-okay, technically AFAIK sociopath is not an actual diagnosis so much as something that tags along with ASPD diagnoses. But it's close enough.

[hyperdeath]

Tiny note- can we not use the word sociopath like that? Or any other names of mental illnesses*? People who trigger rape survivors are cruel, evil people. But that does not mean that they were diagnosed with an antisocial personality disorder.

*-okay, technically AFAIK sociopath is not an actual diagnosis so much as something that tags along with ASPD diagnoses. But it's close enough.

I've rephrased it.

Edited to add: I've also rephrased his description in the list of banned users.

[Kassiane]

Wait, so now are you waiting for people to say "this post is shitty" again?

Cuz, um, that sucks. A lot.

[Flewellyn]

I think what we'll be doing, is approving it, but then saying, ourselves, "This post is shitty". Or something like it.

In other words, responding AS IF someone had flagged it.

[Setar]

I think what we'll be doing, is approving it, but then saying, ourselves, "This post is shitty". Or something like it.

In other words, responding AS IF someone had flagged it.

So as in going into the actual topic, spoilering away the content and issuing a rebuttal/mod note?

[Flewellyn]

Or splitting it to a new topic, and then approving it. Or whatever else is deemed necessary, and within the moderation policy.

[Zac]

Is this policy already in effect? Because I submitted a post yesterday following the forum rules, and it hasn't shown up yet. It'd also be severely out of place if it suddenly popped up today, so if a mod can tell me what will happen to that post, that would be great.

[ceepolk]

oh, snap. Hopefully a mod will be by to help figure out what happened.

Because I made an account before the new member restrictions were put into place, can I ask if you got a specific message saying that it would be held and approved? I have no idea what the process is, so if I want to know I've gotta ask.

[Xanthë]

Zac, I approved at least two of your posts in your Intro thread (hello, fellow Aussie). You’re past the three post stage so new posts shouldn’t be moderated any further. When/where did you post it?

EDITED TO ADD: Just checked the logs, SubMor approved your first Hi from Australia post (around 5:30 pm AEST), I approved your second and third posts in the same thread (about 5:40 and 6 pm). From that point on you should have been able to post freely. Sometimes there’s bugs with the phpBB submission process, say if your Internet connection drops out at the moment your computer is submitting? As was pointed out in another thread, this can be very frustrating when you lose what you were typing. I’ve certainly lost posts that way (especially when commenting on iPhone). There are some ways around this; a browser add-on that specially caches comment submissions; or editing in a text-editor before copy-pasting into your web browser.

Re: spam, it’s still turning up. Disapproved an online diploma spam last night.

[Siliddar]

Is this policy already in effect? Because I submitted a post yesterday following the forum rules, and it hasn't shown up yet. It'd also be severely out of place if it suddenly popped up today, so if a mod can tell me what will happen to that post, that would be great.

Yes the policy is. I don't see anything in the Moderation queue. All your posts have been approved. Perhaps the post you're talking about didn't get through or got lost on the way to the server?

[Flewellyn]

Siliddar, I did see one post disapproved because it was a duplicate of another. If Zac accidentally double-posted, and the disapproved one was one of them, and he went to delete the other duplicate, then it's possible the post got lost that way.

[Zac]

Flewellyn is checking it out for me thanks ceepolk.

When posting my first few comments (other than this one) a note came up as I posted saying post pending approval. Then I got an email right after that saying "post approved".

I haven't seen any emails about this one saying it was or wasn't approved etc, so my guess is it slipped under the radar, when things were busy or something like that.

[Zac]

Oops, new posts. I didn't double post anything, but it's quite possible it was user error when trying to post No matter, it's all gone a bit further for the post to pop up now anyway.

Thanks everyone, and nice avatar Siliddar

[Xanthë]

I remember seeing a double post last night, and seeing I made the mistake a few days ago of not handling an approval correctly I’m inclined to approve both posts and then carefully delete one.

Zac, your first three posts were all in your Intro thread. Check my edited comment above.

[Siliddar]

Thanks everyone, and nice avatar Siliddar

Psyduck is my power animal.

[Zac]

Thanks Xanthë I'm guessing that's what happened as well.

[Improbable Joe]

So you're still diverting posts to moderation, but approving them except in extreme cases? Because I wouldn't mind being active, but it is hard to be part of a conversation when your posts take hours to show up.

... and then my post showed up without moderation.

[Flewellyn]

We only divert the first three posts of a new member to moderation. Just long enough to see if they're spammers.

[ksen]

We only divert the first three posts of a new member to moderation. Just long enough to see if they're spammers.

I think this is post #5 and as far as I can tell they're still getting diverted.

It's hard to get involved and excited about a board when you have no idea when, or even if, your posts will show up. :sadcheer:

[piegasm]

We only divert the first three posts of a new member to moderation. Just long enough to see if they're spammers.

I think this is post #5 and as far as I can tell they're still getting diverted.

It's hard to get involved and excited about a board when you have no idea when, or even if, your posts will show up. :sadcheer:

You registered all of 45 minutes before you posted this...

[ksen]

We only divert the first three posts of a new member to moderation. Just long enough to see if they're spammers.

I think this is post #5 and as far as I can tell they're still getting diverted.

It's hard to get involved and excited about a board when you have no idea when, or even if, your posts will show up. :sadcheer:

You registered all of 45 minutes before you posted this...

what's that have to do with anything? Flewellyn stated that only the first three posts are moderated. I was informing staff that that wasn't what I experienced. :shrug:

[Lovely]

Because the mods have to actually approve three posts until one is out of moderation. If that means some new members experience having to wait a little longer, then on this forum consider it a feature not a bug.