Slashdot Mirror
Unpaid and Abused: Moderators Speak Out Against Reddit (engadget.com)
In a joint investigation, Engadget and Point spoke to 10 Reddit moderators, and all of them complained that Reddit is systematically failing to tackle the abuse they suffer. Keeping the front page of the internet clean has become a thankless and abusive task, and yet Reddit's administration has repeatedly neglected to respond to moderators who report offenses. From the report: "I've had a few death threats," said Emily, who asked to be referred to by her first name and her Reddit username, lolihull, to prevent the online harassment from spilling over into her real life. [...] "I had three death threats this past month," said abrownn, who moderates r/Futurology, with more than 13 million subscribers, and r/technology, with more than 6 million subscribers. abrownn asked only to be known by their username. All the moderators interviewed confirmed they had received death threats, which they said can take a toll.
[...] It's hard to pin down how many moderators there are: Even the moderators themselves don't know, but most estimate their numbers are into the tens of thousands. Some spend hours each day working for free on the site. Whatever the actual figure, they far outnumber the higher-ranking and paid administrators, whose job it is to respond to the evidence that the moderators collect.
[...] It's hard to pin down how many moderators there are: Even the moderators themselves don't know, but most estimate their numbers are into the tens of thousands. Some spend hours each day working for free on the site. Whatever the actual figure, they far outnumber the higher-ranking and paid administrators, whose job it is to respond to the evidence that the moderators collect.
Maybe so, but Voltaire never said it. It's a fictional quote by a biographer.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
I don't know the Reddit mechanism, but I can imagine Slashdot may provide a much better mechanism for picking moderators that have proven that they are also capable of making a valuable and civilized contribution to a discussion. Obviously, that selection begins with moderation, but thanks to this mechanism, it has had the chance to grow a culture of pretty OK moderation and pass it on to the next generation. Also, random selection of moderators helps tremendously here; this way, the culture of the group determines moderation as opposed to the individual moderators.
So, no, I think Slashdot is completely different. In fact, it is probably unique.
0x or or snor perron?!
Slashdot's moderation system is the primary reason I still visit. A cap on the upward moderation leaves more comments on equal footing. And no fixed moderator means no boogeyman. When you take the moderation out of the hands of the few you still end up with (mostly) thoughtful discussion, and the conversation is more likely to reflect the views of the users rather than the overlords. I occasionally see contradicting viewpoints sitting at 5.
The interface probably holds it back a bit. That's necessary for Slashdot, whose users have no desire for a change, but if this moderation system were transported elsewhere it would be one opportunity for improvement.
It presages the American political landscape in 2018 where if you are not with Blue Team, you are assumed to be Red Team and that's the end of the story: they will censor you, exclude you, defame you, and try to get you fired from your job, depending on level of dissent.
The problem with Reddit is the users. Having seen them transplanted to other sites where they immediately begin calling for censorship and violence, I think it is something inherent to that group which makes them so hair-trigger and doctrinaire.
This might explain why they are so quick to make death threats.
Alternative Right.