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by O'Sean Aieghlans
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Reality Trash's recent article, by one moderator
from a well-known site, addressed moderated posters' complaints about
censorship but reveals a curious contempt from someone in the position of
power.
Moderated sites exist because some webmasters in the internet community are
sick of seeing people post messages filled with venom for public figures or
other posters. Some posters have no control and post obsessively about their
favorite topic. This interferes with topics being discussed and it is generally
agreed that moderated discussions more readily delve into the substance of
issues, since they don't have to deal with hack-and-destroy posters with an
agenda.
While it is clear that moderating websites have a purpose, it is an ongoing
issue that new people are constantly arriving on the internet without an
awareness -- or even the slightest idea -- of what constitutes the proper kind
of message board behavior. Some posters who have been censored are new to
computers and during their forays onto the internet's message boards, may not
even be aware that a site might be monitored, or even what posting on a
monitored site involves. These people deserve understanding and need to be
taught, not ridiculed.
More than one case has been encountered where a new, shy poster took the brave
step to actually participate in a discussion only to have their post disappear
because they may have used an inappropriate word or become too emotional
regarding a subject. Some of these posters never post again. This contributes
to a 'clique' atmosphere on some sites, where only the 'in-people' know the
'accepted language' with which to carry on a discussion.
All these things said, it's clear that the vast majority of posters who have
been censored have posted something which needed to be censored.
Interestingly enough, some moderators exhibit exactly the traits they purport
to be against. Some are angry and participate in public ridicule of certain
posters they don't like, or carry out vendettas against posters with whom they
have had previous run-ins. Finally, some excited new moderators feel they
aren't doing their job unless they delete some posts.
It has been observed that there is some 'attitude' about moderating amongst
those who have this job. Some feel it is a privileged position, others feel it
is a dirty job that somebody has got to do. Practices vary, but the best
moderators are those who remain independent and nameless. Once a moderator
begins to have a personality apart from the site itself, things can run amuck
as the moderator advances a personal agenda, and it quickly becomes a fiasco.
There are various ways to prevent or discourage moderators from developing a
'persona' that can alienate site visitors. One of these is rigorous training.
The other would be a strict enforcement of guidelines relating to independence.
Moderators should never be allowed to have a name or a moniker. Some sites list
their moderators and their names, or have threads where moderating can be
discussed with the responsible parties. The
TV Clubhouse, a large site
originally formulated as a fan club for the reality show "Big
Brother," even goes so far as letting its moderators 'sign' the posts they
have censored with a two-digit code. You might imagine that this intrusion of
personality into the moderating function is a recipe for disaster.
"Attitude" about moderators can go both ways. Moderators can approach
or regard posters as child-like and in need of discipline. On that same note,
many posters are guilty of regarding moderators as 'parent-like'. Indeed, this
attitude can even reach to the webmaster/webmistress. These website owners
appear, to some posters, like benevolent parents whose approval must be won at
all costs. This is, unfortunately, the root of many moderator-poster disputes.
The poster feels wronged by a disapproving parent and must protest such
treatment. Those who have been ejected from the 'family' are the most
indignant. They feel rejected and are in emotional distress.
Any dispute with these 'parents' becomes a heartfelt struggle with all depths
of resonance for those caught in it. Some posters play the rebellious child who
must stand up for him or herself and attack authority. Some posters observing
from the sidelines get caught up in trying to protect the parent who seems to
be under attack. The saddest posters in this struggle with the parental figure
are those who repeatedly post pleading messages thanking the website owner for
their site profusely at the appearance of the slightest criticism -- out of
fear that this 'family' will be shut down forever.
It's true that even moderators can fall prey to the temptation to regard a
website owner as a parental figure. The most vindictive and hateful arguments
between moderators and censored posters are those which appear to be a struggle
for the approval of the website owner or some other person in a similar
position to be confused with a parental figure. These arguments almost never
have a happy ending, but it's clear that the person in the place of power has
the upper hand and, with a few keystrokes can eject a person from a forum, or
create evidence to accomplish exactly that. Finally, the hardest thing to
understand is a moderator who takes pleasure in banishing a poster or even
ridiculing them in public forums.
Moderating does not have to be a thankless task. It serves a useful function
and, when done properly with appropriate guidelines and adequate peer review in
place, is usually greatly appreciated. Short of posting a rule book for good
moderating, it appears clear that a moderator's chief duty is to remain above
the fray -- while fulfilling a valued role to make the internet safe for all.
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By LadyPlumbie And OhSarcasticOne
Reprinted With Permission of Letz
Talk
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I know you are there you lurker ones
you sit and watch us all have fun
you may not feel comfy yet
but this intro will help i bet
I'll introduce a few of the friends
I know you will just fit right in
There is OSO yes shes the one
who likes to have a lot of fun
but watch out or you might get burned
she nibbles when your back is turned
There is sendadude he is such a fright
he dazzles with computer might
a computer gawd as he has said
we need to pop that humongous head
there is silkii the fun never ends
her platic surgeons her best friend
she just might give you a lil gift
a coupon for your first face lift
yes we have a mysterious gal
she would love to be your best pal
and if you give her a lot of booze
she just might show you her tatoos
Jewls is there though seldom seen
she quietly reigns supreme
but you will know when she is about
cause her typing sux have no doubt
Lilsis shes a sport i must say
when we are bad oh how she prays
we try to corrupt her everyday
but when we try she faints dead away
kiki is our polling girl
her polls will send you for a whirl
but if she asks for you to vote
just five's the line that you must quote
SendaJulie she plays here too
She hides behind that SendaDude
trying to pop that humungous head
"its not as easy as you think" shes said
We cant forget we have Mickie
she runs around with lots of hickies
A dozen kids she does raise
her typing skills will amaze
we have a troll and hes a hit
he tells us he looks just like brad pitt
if its true we'll let him roll
in this case you CAN feed the troll
Alas there is Lady, poet supreme
her thong wearin hubby is such a dream
make a poll and post it live
her answer as always, is just five
So now that you know who we are
you can buy us a drink at the bar
and then come post with us awhile
we are certain you will leave with a smile
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If you have been checking our message board, you
can see we have closed it down for a time due to a sudden outbreak of trolls.
Seems that besides the name-changing beastie named
Zeb/Tukuul/Guruchaz/whatever, BBVoyeur, who was previously banned
from TVClubhouse for his errant
ways, and a favorite defender of the Tornado Hills bashing site, has decided to
throw his ring into the hat.
Though we asked that people keep the bashing, profanity, and personal attacks
down, these two posters violated all the rules in extremis. Seems that neither
of them can stand a place that netizens can come and discuss their differences
in a civilized manner. We find their particular brands of trolling boring and
childish. Please move on children and let the adults talk on this site.
Our message board was an experiment, plain and simple, and we feel no pain in
shutting it down. As long as it served the purpose of giving posters a place to
honestly express their opinions it was useful. We think that at this time it is
not serving that purpose. We may open the board back up in the future if our
readers so desire.
Our e-rag will continue to be published on Tuesdays and Fridays for your
reading enjoyment. Please continue to send us the news and scoop from the sites
that you visit to mailto:realitytrash@yahoo.com. And
don't forget the trash! |
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October 15, 2001
Compiled by JT5292
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This week we have a lot of people worried
about the fate of The
Mole. We really think the show should just be moved to a night
other than Friday instead of canceling it now and bringing it back next year.
Survivor:
Africa is a hit with our members. That first challenge was
extremely physical and we can't wait for the next episode.
Love
Cruise comes to an end this week. This is a show where it was
hard to find anyone to like or care about.
Our members would like to acknowledge MissMary and KeEs as
great webmasters. They run a fun board. We get to state our opinions
about the shows and the people on them without getting flamed by others.
Attacking fellow posters is not allowed and neither is racist or sexist
comments, which leads me to…
Our Freak of the Week:
Recently he went by the name "Mr.Jingles”, but in the past
he was known as "D", as in Dice for Andrew Dice Clay. This guy
likes to demean women and ethnic groups and thinks it’s funny. He
was first warned but continued with his "Dice" behavior, so all his
posts were deleted and Mr. Jingles, like D before him, is now barred from the
boards. I'm sure he'll be back with another screen name that he’ll think
is clever, but he will just be deleted again. Idiocy like that can’t
remain undercover for long.
We would like to congratulate Ginger1970 on her marriage. She
is a true reality TV fan and was upset about how her wedding would interfere
with watching Survivor.
Welcome back to Dreamgirl who was away on a cruise. Although
she had some problems - In her words-"food poisoning, getting into a
hurricane, having a camcorder stolen, fighting over slot machines, reminding
several people to 'grow up', taking fourteen hours to fly home (and this was on
an airplane) and having the 'room stewardress from hell,' the cruise was
absolutely wonderful," she says. We missed her lots and we wish her
luck with the Seattle Mariners. She is a big fan.
C_U_N_Jail, is doing some great recaps of The Mole so we’ve
voted him our Favorite Poster of the Week.
We’d like to say thanks to Looking For Reality, who is
C_U_N_Jail’s wife, and is a long time member of RealityTVFans.com. She
helps moderate and archive our boards.
Quote of the Week:
Supershirll was mentioned last week but I had to showcase her
again. She is so funny. Tanstaafl started a topic on our
Survivor forum as follows: “Can you imagine someone pouring out drinking
water in Africa?"
It was mentioned that: A person can survive...
3 minutes without air
3 hours without proper protection from the elements (clothing, shelter,
fire, etc...)
3 days without water
3 weeks without food
3 months without sex
To which Supershirll replied:
You mean my husband is going to die? I better do something quick!
Barboy posts a lot on The
Amazing Race board and rooted for the Grandparents to win it.
There's always a good, insightful post from Barboy.
We have interviews with Manuel Herrera, from the
first The Mole. He gives us his opinions on the second one. You can
read his latest one
here.
Last Friday we had a live chat with Ali, the second victim of the
Mole 2. You can read the live transcript
here. or
her interview with Marci Thompson
here.
If The Mole 2 continues, we are scheduled to have live
chats on Fridays at 7P.M. EST/6P.M.CST with the previous week's victim.
Be sure to check it out.
On a personal note, I'd like to thank RealityTrash for making me poster of
the week last week. I greatly appreciated it.
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This is from the poster that nominated
Goddess for Favorite Poster:
"RT, I want to thank you for not revealing who nominated Goddess. If I had
a way to post without my IP showing, this is what I would tell them: At the
time, I felt Goddess was getting a lot of flak from everyone for having an
unpopular opinion. Yet, she kept her cool and answered each person with a
detailed response. Goddess is not one of my favorite people, but at the time, I
felt she deserved credit."
From Digilady at Elite TV:
In response to your note about our Game:
>Are these people crazy?
Yes, but you KNEW that!
>Elite TV is planning on running a Big Brother type game at their site.
Yes indeed!
>Isn't this the same type of game that was run on TVCH twice,
No, not exactly, ours is shorter, with fewer people (8 peeps for 4 weeks) and
there's a twist: the BGs evict one of their own, who in turn, takes another
player with (a la Boot Camp). Now, is that a pisser or what? :) Our own Sparkly
Jewel has said she might apply. Imagine!
If we run the game, we may well send spicy tidbits for RT. There should be more
than a few of those, considering those who have shown interest.... BTW, anyone
is welcome to apply.
http://www.elitestv.com/discus/messages/8/1609.html?1002928626
Keep an eye there, we will be taking (on-line) applications soon. Who could
resist an ETV Tee shirt or mug? |
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From a fan:
I would like to nominate Ohsarcasticone/Theydeletedme from
Letz Talk. She always has a warm welcome
to everyone and she is the most hilarious poster I have ever seen.
Come check her out!!! She is great!
Thanks!! |
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Have some trash? Send it to us!
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If you have some good scoop on the reality web
scene, or want to nominate a favorite poster, send it to us at
realitytrash@yahoo.com and we will
try to get it into our next issue. And thanks to all of you who have
contributed!
We are also looking for article submissions from our readers. We will give you
your own byline and let you be part of our "Who Runs Reality Trash"
game! |
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Reality Trash is published twice weekly on
Tuesday and Friday if we get enough dirt. Please bookmark us and send us some
TRASH!
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