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scans_dailyA subject that has been brought to the Mod Team's attention lately is the use and impact of the "Ban User" blocking function, and we have been discussing how we wish to address it within Scans_Daily.
Let us state, first and foremost, that your privacy and security should always be paramount. No member should ever take action which might, in any way, make then feel unsafe.
The "Ban User" functionality on Dreamwidth is very straightforward, hovering over a users avatar will show "Ban User" as an option. This is not a group dependent function, it's automatically available to anyone with a DreamWidth account.
We, as a Mod Team, will never use "Ban User" on a member (Our ultimate sanction for members is temporary suspension/permanent expulsion from the Scans_Daily community as part of the Disciplinary process, but "Ban User" is not part of that process).
In turn, members are not expected to use "Ban User" on a Mod, as we have a requirement to be able to reply to any and threads and posts if/when the need arises.
As and when Mod's change, the same will be true for any new Mod coming on.
If you have concerns over a particular Mod, then they can be raised with the Mod Team for discussion, we're not a monolithic entity and will seek to address any concerns fairly and equitably.
Please note that Mods cannot undo someone's "Ban User" choices, that is linked to your own account, not the Scans_Daily account.
However, something to bear in mind is that "Ban User" is VERY powerful.
If you have used "Ban User" on someone then they not only cannot reply to you directly, but they cannot reply to anyone's comments on any post you are the creator of.
Thus if you reply on a post, then someone on your "Ban User" list cannot reply to you, and if you have made a post, someone who is on your "Ban User" list cannot interact with any comments on that post.
So, whilst who you choose to block is your own affair, we would ask that it be kept to a minimum amongst scans_daily members wherever possible. Blocking prevents conversation and the general flow of discussion, which is a large part of our raison d'etre, and can also cause stress to the person who finds that they cannot comment, especially if the person you have blocked is unaware that you have done so, or the reasons you might have done so.
If members have concerns on this topic please feel free to raise them here, or contact the Mods via our usual contact of scansdailymod[at]gmail[dot]com . We can't promise we'll know all the answers immediately, but we'll do our best to address them.
Thank you
The Scans_Daily Mod Team
aeka / icon_uk / sistermagpie
Let us state, first and foremost, that your privacy and security should always be paramount. No member should ever take action which might, in any way, make then feel unsafe.
The "Ban User" functionality on Dreamwidth is very straightforward, hovering over a users avatar will show "Ban User" as an option. This is not a group dependent function, it's automatically available to anyone with a DreamWidth account.
We, as a Mod Team, will never use "Ban User" on a member (Our ultimate sanction for members is temporary suspension/permanent expulsion from the Scans_Daily community as part of the Disciplinary process, but "Ban User" is not part of that process).
In turn, members are not expected to use "Ban User" on a Mod, as we have a requirement to be able to reply to any and threads and posts if/when the need arises.
As and when Mod's change, the same will be true for any new Mod coming on.
If you have concerns over a particular Mod, then they can be raised with the Mod Team for discussion, we're not a monolithic entity and will seek to address any concerns fairly and equitably.
Please note that Mods cannot undo someone's "Ban User" choices, that is linked to your own account, not the Scans_Daily account.
However, something to bear in mind is that "Ban User" is VERY powerful.
If you have used "Ban User" on someone then they not only cannot reply to you directly, but they cannot reply to anyone's comments on any post you are the creator of.
Thus if you reply on a post, then someone on your "Ban User" list cannot reply to you, and if you have made a post, someone who is on your "Ban User" list cannot interact with any comments on that post.
So, whilst who you choose to block is your own affair, we would ask that it be kept to a minimum amongst scans_daily members wherever possible. Blocking prevents conversation and the general flow of discussion, which is a large part of our raison d'etre, and can also cause stress to the person who finds that they cannot comment, especially if the person you have blocked is unaware that you have done so, or the reasons you might have done so.
If members have concerns on this topic please feel free to raise them here, or contact the Mods via our usual contact of scansdailymod[at]gmail[dot]com . We can't promise we'll know all the answers immediately, but we'll do our best to address them.
Thank you
The Scans_Daily Mod Team
aeka / icon_uk / sistermagpie
no subject
Date: 2021-07-16 04:04 am (UTC)EDIT: not that we even have that option, of course. It’s here, presumably to stay, and we need to know how to use it. If we purposefully neuter it in order to justify a handful of edge cases (I think it’s just Velacron? These people tend to weed themselves out anyway) I feel we do more harm than good
no subject
Date: 2021-07-16 07:06 am (UTC)My concern is expecting the mods to prevent people from "circumventing" these bans. Because as it is, as tools, the bans don't do all that much. You voiced the concern of someone banning another person to have the last word. As we have seen with cyberghostface and cricharddavies, the result is: nothing happens, they keep sniping back and forth like usual, the ban doesn't do shit.
So it would be almost entirely on the mods to design and implement and enforce a policy of "users are allowed to select other users that they don't want to interact with". This is something that should be built into the code of the site. I don't believe it is reasonable to expect a team of human mods to have to babysit and intervene to keep any given pair of people from even interacting. I don't believe the current mod team is even remotely inclined to try such a thing, given that their announcement consists of: "the ban function exists, you can use it, we can't stop you, but try to keep it at a minimum, ok?"
I think it makes more sense to design policy completely independent of the ban function. If two users routinely get into toxic arguments, then ... just sanction them for their toxicity. (ex: this certainly is not the first time cricharddavies has talked to people this way, why was something not done earlier, there has to be a better solution than individual users putting them on a ban list). Trying to build a policy around a half-baked ban function that anyone can use for any reason strikes me as a bad idea.