- #1
DaveC426913
Gold Member
- 22,785
- 6,497
My suggestion is that members who are also moderators, when involved in a discussion, should not be the ones who moderate that thread.
If a member who is a moderator engages in a discussion, they should enage as a member, not a moderator for that thread. If, in the course of a discussion, they feel that some rule has been breached, he or she should - just like everyone else - report it to a third party to objectively intervene.
There is too much of potential for a perception of abuse if a moderator is involved subjectively in a discussion when it starts going awry. I have seen this happen more than once.
I've seen members get a warning from a debate opponent when, in any other circumstance the disagreement would have been trivially dealt with in-thread; I've seen members get banned when they crossed a debate opponent who had the moderator trump card.
Note: There will be differing points of view in every case (including the above ones) about whether the acton was justified or whether it was an inappropriate use of power. The point here is an ASSURANCE of objectivity to ALL parties.
If a member who is a moderator engages in a discussion, they should enage as a member, not a moderator for that thread. If, in the course of a discussion, they feel that some rule has been breached, he or she should - just like everyone else - report it to a third party to objectively intervene.
There is too much of potential for a perception of abuse if a moderator is involved subjectively in a discussion when it starts going awry. I have seen this happen more than once.
I've seen members get a warning from a debate opponent when, in any other circumstance the disagreement would have been trivially dealt with in-thread; I've seen members get banned when they crossed a debate opponent who had the moderator trump card.
Note: There will be differing points of view in every case (including the above ones) about whether the acton was justified or whether it was an inappropriate use of power. The point here is an ASSURANCE of objectivity to ALL parties.