How about an OP moderated thread

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Jul 6, 2020
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#1
Whoever starts the thread can approve posts or posters.
Just to filter out trolling and off topic posts.

it could make for more peaceful focused discussion.
Which is one big complaints I hear about "Christian" forums making them distasteful in general to many.

Granted some could use it to make the discussion one sided but eventually they would just be posting to themselves once people figure it out.
 

Mii

Well-known member
Mar 23, 2019
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#2
That might be reasonable in the blog section, but otherwise I imagine many people would complain to mods about posts being hidden and they appear to be stretched relatively thin as is.
 
S

Susanna

Guest
#3
Wouldn’t this be like creating safe spaces for snowflakes?
 

tourist

Senior Member
Mar 13, 2014
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Tennessee
#5
I believe that you would find that an OP moderated thread would quickly die out due to lack of responses. The debates / discussions / dissing tend to keep the threads vibrant and alive. You might end up banning those from a thread that are actually keeping it going. Actually, you could do something similar in creating a conversation on a certain topic and inviting those that you want to join. As the originator of the conversation it would be up to you who is invited and who must leave. I am currently involved in a conversation that has been ongoing since Feb 2019 and still receives daily responses.
 

Subhumanoidal

Well-known member
Sep 17, 2018
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#6
It isn't troll free. It creates an environment of censorship and people creating their own threads of just what they want to hear. No challenge to beliefs.
And it would, without a doubt, be horrible abused constantly. Which would create more problems and people reporting one another. Which creates more work for the Real mods.
Also once people realize they don't have the freedom to post why would they stay?

Also that means every single post has to be held back and wait for approval. So if someone is gone for hours or days then no one is able to post in a thread, or numerous threads, which slows the site traffic down.

Also that would likely require some serious customization for the site software which the software is not friendly towards.

The point of an open, public forum is the variety of views and people that can come together and discuss. Stripping that away makes the site useless.

It would be more peaceful because the site would become segregated and only people with the same views would interact.
 
Jul 6, 2020
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#7
It isn't troll free. It creates an environment of censorship and people creating their own threads of just what they want to hear. No challenge to beliefs.
And it would, without a doubt, be horrible abused constantly. Which would create more problems and people reporting one another. Which creates more work for the Real mods.
Also once people realize they don't have the freedom to post why would they stay?

Also that means every single post has to be held back and wait for approval. So if someone is gone for hours or days then no one is able to post in a thread, or numerous threads, which slows the site traffic down.

Also that would likely require some serious customization for the site software which the software is not friendly towards.

The point of an open, public forum is the variety of views and people that can come together and discuss. Stripping that away makes the site useless.

It would be more peaceful because the site would become segregated and only people with the same views would interact.
That depend on the person moderating for sure.
Just like the sites current environment depends on the persons moderating now.
Personally I like a good challenge.
But some of what you get is just noise, nothing to do with the topic at all.
In fact at times intentional efforts to distract from the topic rather then let people be challenged by it and perhaps benefit from it.
It may also open up the site to more traffic, because fellowships and group leaders could set up something for their group and other can see it and perhaps join. While private group members may look into other threads on the site and become more involved.
With Covid pastor who-it need to host his bible study without concern for trolls, what better place?

Anyway, just a suggestion.
 

Subhumanoidal

Well-known member
Sep 17, 2018
3,671
2,889
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#8
That depend on the person moderating for sure.
Just like the sites current environment depends on the persons moderating now.
Personally I like a good challenge.
But some of what you get is just noise, nothing to do with the topic at all.
In fact at times intentional efforts to distract from the topic rather then let people be challenged by it and perhaps benefit from it.
It may also open up the site to more traffic, because fellowships and group leaders could set up something for their group and other can see it and perhaps join. While private group members may look into other threads on the site and become more involved.
With Covid pastor who-it need to host his bible study without concern for trolls, what better place?

Anyway, just a suggestion.
The old version of the site had actual separate private rooms moderated by the one that started them. And they were barren. Hundreds or thousands of these rooms existed and were barely used beyond a few days or a week at most, from the time it was started.
So turning the whole site into that isn't going to be an improvement. And that was without posts needing approval.
Also drastically changing the site and limiting conversation in the hope it will attract larger groups is a big risk and if it doesn't pay off could damage the site in the long run.
Bigger churches already have their own sites and are streaming their sermons. Smaller churches are more likely to still be gathering. Along with podcasts and YouTube I don't see a big demand for using a private forum hosted by an outside source.

People will segregate and only join other groups that are of the same belief because they will be denied to post elsewhere. Or create their own so they can moderate what goes on. Thereby creating more threads with less traffic.

It's a public, open forum. It's operating how it's intended.

Look at the chat rooms. It takes three users to agree to ban another user, and that's in the open rooms, not private rooms. Yet there are always complaints about people being kicked out of the chats unfairly because a small group runs the forums and boots anyone they don't like.

And having a site full of threads that need every post approved will be such a Huge slowdown. And make the threads more convoluted. If the thread creator doesn't sign on a few days they now have a list of posts they have to go through one by one. Then there's suddenly a flood of new posts. All centered around what was said two days ago. Now two days of threads hit at once and people picking through various the various ones. The buildup and sudden multiple responses create a flood of new posts needing approval.
Seems like a lot of work.

This sites been around over 20 years and seems to be the most active one I've found. Risking that by locking everything down under the control of the users isn't going to maintain that and will only increase division.
 
Jul 6, 2020
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#9
The old version of the site had actual separate private rooms moderated by the one that started them. And they were barren. Hundreds or thousands of these rooms existed and were barely used beyond a few days or a week at most, from the time it was started.
So turning the whole site into that isn't going to be an improvement. And that was without posts needing approval.
Also drastically changing the site and limiting conversation in the hope it will attract larger groups is a big risk and if it doesn't pay off could damage the site in the long run.
Bigger churches already have their own sites and are streaming their sermons. Smaller churches are more likely to still be gathering. Along with podcasts and YouTube I don't see a big demand for using a private forum hosted by an outside source.

People will segregate and only join other groups that are of the same belief because they will be denied to post elsewhere. Or create their own so they can moderate what goes on. Thereby creating more threads with less traffic.

It's a public, open forum. It's operating how it's intended.

Look at the chat rooms. It takes three users to agree to ban another user, and that's in the open rooms, not private rooms. Yet there are always complaints about people being kicked out of the chats unfairly because a small group runs the forums and boots anyone they don't like.

And having a site full of threads that need every post approved will be such a Huge slowdown. And make the threads more convoluted. If the thread creator doesn't sign on a few days they now have a list of posts they have to go through one by one. Then there's suddenly a flood of new posts. All centered around what was said two days ago. Now two days of threads hit at once and people picking through various the various ones. The buildup and sudden multiple responses create a flood of new posts needing approval.
Seems like a lot of work.

This sites been around over 20 years and seems to be the most active one I've found. Risking that by locking everything down under the control of the users isn't going to maintain that and will only increase division.
Ok, if you say so.
Clearly your experience is greater in this regard.
 

breno785au

Senior Member
Jul 23, 2013
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Australia
#10
I was going to reply but OP has been banned........kinda ironic really.
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
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#11
ha what.
First time I heard someone banning themselves...