Moderator Notification Boxes

[coffeesippin]

Okay the work 'box' is not quite accurate because a box has three dimensions while the mod notification 'boxes' have only two physical dimensions, plus the effect dimension.

In this post I'm just trying to be helpful, not antagonistic.

The effect of the BIG BOLD STARKLY AGGRESSIVE THREATENING EXCLAMATION MARK ARMED moderator notification boxes might be too intimidating and discouraging to discussion.  Some mods will like that effect, as one mod told me mods are like police enforcing laws.   I don't think that's a good comparison, as police deal with murderers and people committing other gruesome crimes too terrible to mention.  The people here are not, hopefully, murderers etc.  We are people trying to enjoy conversation and ideas in an increasingly hostile and threatening world.  Of course the boxes were designed to make sure they were seen, but I think the tone and amount of activity of this forum could be dramatically enhanced by a less overbearing approach, perhaps colour the thick black borders of the boxes pastel?  That would not only get attention, it would feel far less threatening than the thick black borders.  It's almost as if a big monster were hovering over a child roaring and gnashing its teeth like a parent.  Most of us here have learned respect or we wouldn't be interested in science.  Adults aren't children who can't make choices, we can go away freely, though sadly, from a place we hope to learn from and find enjoyment in, to share new ideas, but discerning adults as well as discerning children may be driven away, diminishing the activity of the forum, and making it less valuable to advertisers, harming any business model the forum might hope to promote.   Also, some mods discourage involvement by their very numerous subtle insults, that activity spilling over into the non-mod population, encouraging them to be obnoxious.  This forum as a retreat from the increasing brutality of the world would attract far more activity.  I have yet to see insults directed towards mods from the non-mod side of this forum, but plenty from the mod side.  If advertising revenue is not important to the forum, I suppose population here is totally unimportant, but that shouldn't need to be a consideration in how people are treated here, either from the mods or non-mods. 

[iNow]

You don’t seem to understand what parts of forum functionality are standard functionality that cannot be configured versus what parts are flexible and allow personalization by admins and members. Some things like those you mention don’t allow for edit

[studiot]

1 hour ago, coffeesippin said:

The effect of the BIG BOLD STARKLY AGGRESSIVE THREATENING EXCLAMATION MARK ARMED

Two questions for you.

1) What do you consider the purpose of the emboldened pat of your post and what do you consider the effect to be?

2) Do you play golf or know anything about it?

 

Edited November 22, 2018 by studiot

[dimreepr]

1 hour ago, coffeesippin said:

The effect of the BIG BOLD STARKLY AGGRESSIVE THREATENING EXCLAMATION MARK ARMED moderator notification boxes might be too intimidating and discouraging to discussion

 

A chip on the shoulder leads to an unbalanced discussion.

[mistermack]

29 minutes ago, studiot said:

2) Do you play golf or know anything about it?

 

23 minutes ago, dimreepr said:

A chip on the shoulder leads to an unbalanced discussion.

Apart from being one of the most difficult shots in golf, it's also against the rules.

[studiot]

MM

   +1

[dimreepr]

34 minutes ago, mistermack said:

Apart from being one of the most difficult shots in golf, it's also against the rules.

 

[Sensei]

2 hours ago, coffeesippin said:

Okay the work 'box' is not quite accurate because a box has three dimensions while the mod notification 'boxes' have only two physical dimensions, plus the effect dimension.

'Box' word has couple different meaning depending on context. In UI (user interface) programming there are control elements such as text-box, list-box, check-box, combo-box.

2 hours ago, coffeesippin said:

moderator notification boxes might be too intimidating and discouraging to discussion. 

Moderators jump in just a few cases: 1) somebody is rude 2) thread is derailed to off-topic 3) thread was put in the wrong section of the forum (e.g. to Mainstream Physics instead of Speculations)..

2 hours ago, coffeesippin said:

diminishing the activity of the forum, and making it less valuable to advertisers, harming any business model the forum might hope to promote.   

I don't think so this forum is life business for owners of this forum. And we hope so it will stay this way..

2 hours ago, coffeesippin said:

This forum (...) would attract far more activity. 

That would easily degenerate this forum..

 

[Phi for All]

2 hours ago, coffeesippin said:

The effect of the BIG BOLD STARKLY AGGRESSIVE THREATENING EXCLAMATION MARK ARMED moderator notification boxes might be too intimidating and discouraging to discussion. 

In my observations, only those who want to break the rules complain about the moderation here. Most find it refreshing that we maintain a civil tone compared to most forums, and most don't mind a bit more rigor in their science discussions. The only types of discussion that might be discouraged are the ones designed to break the rules (like mentioning religion in a mainstream thread).

2 hours ago, coffeesippin said:

Some mods will like that effect, as one mod told me mods are like police enforcing laws.   I don't think that's a good comparison, as police deal with murderers and people committing other gruesome crimes too terrible to mention.  The people here are not, hopefully, murderers etc.  

Right, because the police only deal with murderers and gruesome crimes. Great argument.

I was asked to be a moderator by the site owners. They gave us some rules to enforce. That you question this seems disingenuous. 

2 hours ago, coffeesippin said:

If advertising revenue is not important to the forum, I suppose population here is totally unimportant, but that shouldn't need to be a consideration in how people are treated here, either from the mods or non-mods. 

It's not a for-profit site. It makes enough on Google ads to pay for the services. Other advertising is against the rules.

 

 

I was going to go over your other points, but forget that. I'll tell you straight, coffeesippin. You don't know science as well as you think. I know that from personal experience. And that would be perfectly fine if you didn't have such a chip on your shoulder about it, or insist that you're right when everyone else in a thread is trying to show where you're wrong. Then you bring up your religion every chance you get, which nobody here is very interested in (science discussion site). You argue off-topic about these things, you get testy when corrected, and you're just cantankerous in general (which I get the feeling you enjoy, since you do it so much).

Part of what you may not understand is how many of your posts get reported by the membership. Do you really think the staff has the time to hover over your every word? People report your posts, and that creates an electronic trail of procedure we need to implement to take care of the report. The mods aren't out to get you, but the membership obviously has a problem with your style. You generate a TON of non-science discussion that is a complete waste of time. Why did you come to a science discussion site just to bitch and moan about the rules you agreed to when you signed up?

[swansont]

4 hours ago, coffeesippin said:

Okay the work 'box' is not quite accurate because a box has three dimensions while the mod notification 'boxes' have only two physical dimensions, plus the effect dimension.

In this post I'm just trying to be helpful, not antagonistic.

The effect of the BIG BOLD STARKLY AGGRESSIVE THREATENING EXCLAMATION MARK ARMED moderator notification boxes might be too intimidating and discouraging to discussion. 

Did you ever consider that this might be the point? That the goal is to clamp down on such posts that violate the rules?

If you want to see fewer modnotes, you could do your part and follow the rules. That might cut down on the number of them appearing in threads in which you are participating.

4 hours ago, coffeesippin said:

Some mods will like that effect, as one mod told me mods are like police enforcing laws.   I don't think that's a good comparison, as police deal with murderers and people committing other gruesome crimes too terrible to mention. 

They also issue parking tickets and citations for speeding. But it's interesting you jump to thinking about violent felonies.

 

[coffeesippin]

6 minutes ago, swansont said:

Did you ever consider that this might be the point? That the goal is to clamp down on such posts that violate the rules?

If you want to see fewer modnotes, you could do your part and follow the rules. That might cut down on the number of them appearing in threads in which you are participating.

They also issue parking tickets and citations for speeding. But it's interesting you jump to thinking about violent felonies.

 

Yes, clamp down when needed, absolutely. But I see little need on this forum to clamp down except on lewdness, vulgarity, accusation of lying and fabrication of evidence.  The fabrication can be simple error, possibly as in the case of the sailor swallowed by the whale near the Falkland Islands and recovered alive, which because it was Smithsonian I accepted as fact without close examination, and when accused of fabrication (NOT by a moderator at least in a moderator ID) I examined closer and saw the the case is not closed whether true or false.   Yes, clamp down on accusation especially those which can be interpreted in law as libel and slander. Absolutely.  We're not drunken teenagers.  Maybe I make too much of this, but character assassination is not pleasant to the character being assassinated, and turning the other cheek too often without rebuke can cause an image of the smacked one as being a masochist.    

But a wandering statement which is a matter of interpretation as to whether it's off topic or not, whether it is intended to divert from the topic or or merely enlarge the scope of the topic?  Being so new to the forum I'm still not sure that if OT statements split off into a hijack thread can be commented on?  I seem to have run into a case where I can't comment, but I participate too often when tired, so can't right now point to the example. 

Even with tickets for parking and speeding there is grace, quiet warnings issued sometimes, and of course you will say you do that here too.  Why did I jump to thinking about felonies?  I guess that shows my deepest thoughts about some of the behaviour here.  You are aware of the cases of bullying that lead to suicide.  Of course this forum won't lead to that kind of thing, but it CAN lead to depression, a hopelessness that yet one more source of pleasure and information has been turned into mayhem.  A reason to take a drink at least.  Open wide.  

And of course my acknowledgement of my doubt in BB, and my belief in the KJV bible not only sets me up as a target for those who think BB is the only answer, and the KJV is a terrible translation, it sets me up for attack by denominations who view the KJV as Protestant, which it is not, while I am a lamb (God make that a true statement please) without a defined flock, but not lost.  And it sets me up for attack by those who vehemently deny God and Bible of any translation.  Those prejudices WILL OFTEN affect mod interpretation of my words, intents and actions unfavorably, and in my opinion account for most or many mod criticisms of my time here, along with a dark view of those who find reason to doubt BB.  I avoid membership in religious denomination and even regular affiliation because of their many prejudices.  I don't join astronomical clubs for the same reason, 'oh, you don't believe BB is true?  Poor mentally challenged infant' their attitude will be.  'Ever hear of Pasucal Jordan?' the infant asks.  'Who?' the learned one responds. 

I already see I was in error about the mod boxes always being big black and bold.  I saw a pastel coloured one today.  It was pleasant, except for the big exclamation point. 

[CharonY]

4 minutes ago, coffeesippin said:

But I see little need on this forum to clamp down except on lewdness, vulgarity, accusation of lying and fabrication of evidence.

There are rules on this forums, that you have agreed to when you signed up. See here. While you are free to make suggestions, if you cannot live with those rules and the discussion of mainstream science, then probably a Science forum may not be quite your cup of tea.

[Phi for All]

43 minutes ago, coffeesippin said:

And of course my acknowledgement of my doubt in BB, and my belief in the KJV bible not only sets me up as a target for those who think BB is the only answer, and the KJV is a terrible translation, it sets me up for attack by denominations who view the KJV as Protestant, which it is not, while I am a lamb (God make that a true statement please) without a defined flock, but not lost.  And it sets me up for attack by those who vehemently deny God and Bible of any translation.

I'm going to point out, again, that you have a LOT of misconceptions about science, scientists, and the members here. I doubt anyone here would ever state that the "BB is the only answer", since, again, theories aren't "answers", and they're subject to better evidence when it comes along. Or even being overturned by better supported explanations. What is true is that the BB is the best supported explanation we have so far.

Can you point me to the posts where anyone here attacked you for being Protestant? I haven't read all your posts so I might have missed this.

I honestly have no idea who you're talking about when you say you're being attacked by "those who vehemently deny God and Bible of any translation". That would be a strong atheist position, and I don't recall any such. Don't make the mistake of conflating  someone who refutes certain biblical claims with someone who denies there is a god(s). As far as denying the Bible though, you'd have to further clarify your concern. Denying that the Bible is accurate? Denying that the Bible is divinely inspired? Denying that the Bible has some great messages for mankind? 

I know you feel persecuted, but aren't you forgetting that most of the folks here treat god(s) like they treat stamp-collecting (i.e., they just don't see the point), rather than arguing (vehemently or not) that god(s) don't exist? Also don't forget that science requires precision, and much of the pushback you've been getting has been clarifying points where you were mistaken in your science details. We can't help that, it's the geek in all of us that has to make sure we're talking straight and about the same thing. 

[swansont]

32 minutes ago, coffeesippin said:

Yes, clamp down when needed, absolutely. But I see little need on this forum to clamp down except on lewdness, vulgarity, accusation of lying and fabrication of evidence

Is that what your <checks profile> two whole weeks on the forum tells you?

I disagree, and I strongly suspect the other mods do, as well. We’ve been around longer, and seen more.

Quote

.Even with tickets for parking and speeding there is grace, quiet warnings issued sometimes, and of course you will say you do that here too.  

Of course I will, because that’s standard. You can even see such a progression in your own treatment, if you care to look objectively.

 

 

[coffeesippin]

On 11/22/2018 at 8:34 AM, studiot said:

Two questions for you.

1) What do you consider the purpose of the emboldened pat of your post and what do you consider the effect to be?

2) Do you play golf or know anything about it?

 

Golf would be a very enjoyable and relaxing sport for a large number of people if it were played as it's played on t.v.  Lots of time to size up and ponder.  No rush.  However, that's not the reality on non-t.v. courses.   Plus, it's played with little white balls, generally.

[studiot]

14 hours ago, coffeesippin said:

Golf would be a very enjoyable and relaxing sport for a large number of people if it were played as it's played on t.v.  Lots of time to size up and ponder.  No rush.  However, that's not the reality on non-t.v. courses.   Plus, it's played with little white balls, generally.

I wish I could remember why I posted that.
I know I had a reason at the time.

[coffeesippin]

27 minutes ago, studiot said:

I wish I could remember why I posted that.
I know I had a reason at the time.

Maybe you thought I lived nearby and we could link up?