On Moderated and Un-Moderated Status

[Steve]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Dina Lerret" <redina at s...> wrote:
> Steve said:
> 
> > (I) felt very slighted. But in hindsight, my first post weren't
> > that good. ...
> > I'm here to assure you that YES it has already been discussed, 
> > but we don't let that stop us from discussing it again.

> Dina asks:
> 
> Please define 'us'?
> 


B_Boymn replies:

'Us' meaning the members of the groups of which you are one.

> Dina continues:
> 
> I'm curious... You're probably not on moderation--

B-Boymn responses:

Nope, I'm not, although I have been asked. I'm just a guy who has been
around for years, and has discussed and RE-discussed the same topics
many times.


> Dina adds:
> 
> If you post a reply to a thread, it hits the list, and a half hour 
> later another message pertaining to the same thread just hits the 
> list and you want to reply to this message on-list, will you be 
> penalized for the second reply and placed back on moderation? 

B_Boymn:

I understand what you mean, if a person on moderated status posts,
that post is delayed while it is reviewed. It's hard to have a
conversation, when your words enter the conversation a day late. But
that is something every single person has had to go through. And,
rejection or being placed on moderated status is not about quantity,
it's about form, size (to some extent) and substance.

You can see how unsubstantial, as well as incorrect, the example I
gave about myself was (Mirror of Erised). 

Form is a big factor, and as big a pain as it is, it does help insure
the quality and readability of the posts. This is a group for
'grownups' from all over the world, and it was created because the
form and substance of most groups, which are typically populated by
younger people, tended to be so low that a serious intelligent
discussion could scarcely be held. The groups were filled with
undecipherable netspeak, teen slang, and 'he's sooooo cute' and 'you
suck' posts. 

These groups have high standards, that comes with membership, and
annoying as it is, in the long run, you will be glad it's there. I
gave you examples about how I riled against the Mods for being to
strict and uptight, but in the end, I understood it was for my own
good and for the good of the group.  

Before moving back to your main point, let me say the I've had my
share of Howlers, and I've been returned to moderated status, and I
have been threatened with moderated status, I've had posts reject for
many assorted reasons over a long span of time. It comes with the
territory, and I will venture a guess that all long term members will
tell a story that mirrors mine.


Moving back to the point of the time delay. Please read posts by
Catlady (Rita Prince Winston). At one time she was a prolific poster,
but her life is too demanding now, so she reads the group and gathers
a post here and there that she wants to respond to, and at the end of
the week or whenever the mood strikes her, she post half a dozen
replies at once. Her ideas and opinions are valued and responded to (I
never miss one of her posts). The time delay doesn't hold back or
diminish the value of her responses nor does it prevent anyone from
responding to her.

As long as we are on the subject of time delays, I frequently find
that the post rate is so high, that two or three more posts have been
made in a thread while I am in the process of typing my response. So,
to some extent, even off moderated status you are still at the mercy
of time and volume.

> Dina continues
> 
> I think the OTChatter group can offer a more comfortable area, 
> unless the rules are altered to be more strict, while the main HPFGU
> group will always be a 'big brother is monitoring you - take it or 
> leave it'.

B_Boymn:

Believe it or not, big brother is watching here too, and is holding
you to the same standards of form, but since the rules are different,
this isn't pure canon with high volume, this is low volume with nearly
any topic goes, fewer posts are rejected. We've discussed dieting
tips, party decorations, recipes, had a contest using one of Shaun's
primary school photos, you name it.

But when the subject drifts to the point where it serves the greatest
good in one of the other groups, it's moved. Threads that drift and
stay off-topic are move here from the main group. Threads here that
drift very much on topic are moved to the main group. Recently, a
general complaint became so specific that we were all best served by
moving it to the Feedback group where it could be dealt with in a
focused way and where it would reach the most significant ears or eyes
as the case may be. 

In closing, I want to make one small point clear, I wasn't necessarily
addressing your concerns specifically so much as making a statement to
any and all new comers that the rules might be strict, but we all
endured them, and we all survived them, and in the end, we all
(mostly) appreciate them.

And, I agree, the Off-Topic group is a wonderfully comfortable and 
friendly place to talk about anything and everything including Harry
Potter.

Just trying to offer some encouragement.

Steve/B_Boymn