Why I Think Explanations Should Be GIven for Deleted Threads

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by KillarneyRose

Thank you, MysticCat, for your opinion. People, THIS how you do it if you want a thread to stay open. Civil, reasonable, no personal attacks, no sock puppetry.

In other words, do not post here after hitting the crackpipe and maybe, just maybe, progress can be made.

KTHXBYE

So then, what was objectionable about the oroginal Wall of Shame thread?

Originally Posted by Kevin

Sometimes you don't need an explanation.

Going back to the initial Wall of Shame thread (which of course we can't refer to to see if it denigrated in the last 10 minutes of its life or if there was some other obvious reason because it's been deleted), the only obvious reason for its deletion that I could see was that some posts in that thread criticized (again, tamely by GC standards) one moderator for locking her own thread when people questioned something she said in that thread. The only reasonable explanation for that mod's actions, to me at least, was that she want her earlier comment questioned or criticized. I think that a mod's actions in those circumstances is fair game for comment.

The only reasonable explanation I can see for why the original Wall of Shame thread (and maybe first or second repeats) was banned was that a mod was being criticized. I think that's fair game for comment.

I know that DrPhil made quite a few people angry, you included. To my mind, that's neither here nor there. The crux of this to me is that all of this could have been avoided if there had not been the appearance of heavy-handed modding to start with.

I should say that I think there absolutely are times when immediate deletions or immediate banning, without warnings or explanations, are justified. Times when someone posts ritual secrets would be an obvious example.

But many times it really isn't clear at all to anyone except the mods in question, or those involved in mods' discussions, why certain action are being taken. In those instances, a quick "thread deleted/locked because __" or "poster banned because __" goes a long way to protecting moderators from the perception of arbitrariness (or favoritism) and informs everyone else where the boundaries are. As I keep saying, as a general rule transparency is in everyone's interest, including the moderators.

And FWIW, I have no clue why Greek_or_Geek was banned. That one wasn't obvious at all, at least not to me.