ok let me explain what I mean by this moderator thing

[harpsichordcarrion]

I have been thinking for some time that it might be helpful to the board to have some sort of (unofficial) moderator to help some of the problems which several people have highlighted. It is my personal feeling that it might help to have someone to step into some of the threads to stop them going into a downward spiral and maybe calm things down a little.
I don't mean just to report personal attacks but more generally to try and change the atmosphere. I know many people have felt inhibited from posting their views about certain conetntious topics because when people have posted against what is felt to be the "orthodoxy" they have been given a hard time for it. I wonder if it might help to have someone not personally involved and not posting their personal opinion but with the specific task of calming things down and improving the atmosphere and level of debate. It might help to depersonalise it a little.
I think there are many people on this site who have the right level of sensitivity to be able to do this well.
This is just my suggestion and is in answer to the many concerns raised over the past few days/weeks/months about the way mumsnet is changing.

I have to say certain of the mods made me think 'oh fuck off' prrrpppppppptttttttttt

am I?

probably

lol at vespa

Mods were often just ignored or told not to interfere/tell us what to say by other posters anyway.

name names twig
no, I'm not particularly unhappy either. though I think there is a pretty high level of bitching and moaning at the moment.
I expect it will pass.

I avoid it

its the time of year

twas the same last October

I'm not sure your pipe goes with the pince-nez, black crochet shrug combo Enid

I've not been involved in a ruck on here for yonks now (not a proper one - I've directed "fuck offs" at a BSE-flavoured poster, but I don't believe she was real anyway).

I can't be arsed these days. I have read through kicky-off threads, even drafted a post occasionally, then just thought "oh, arse to it" and gone and done something else.

I could therefore be an unofficial mod and just actually post "arse to it" when it's all just got dull and ranty on threads...

I think that there was concern that if there were to be Trouble then any named moderators might find themselves in Trouble as well, so by not having moderators that was avoided. Or something like that... I may have got the wrong end of the stick entirely.

It is a legal point to protect MN. If they are seen to have appointed moderators then they would be expected to act immediately if anything out of hand is posted. As that would mean having someone at HQ with their hand on the delete key 24 hrs a day, it was easier to remove official mods.

buuuuut, the red exclamation mark serves that (legal) purpose now so how about if we have - instead of Mods - Monitors or Finger-Waggers whose job is only to wag their fingers and calm heated passions, not to report anything to MN Towers.

yes! that;s what I mean CarolinaM.
though I fear "fingerwavers" isn't the best spin on it

really? I thought it was quite snappy

no one took any notice of me when i was a mod anyway.

so basically form another clique on here is what your saying - mod's had no power when they we're here so making unofficaly ones ain't gonna make a difference

form another clique?
well, no not really.
I don't really care who it is tbh, but there are plenty of well respected sensible people on here.
whether any of them would be prepared to do it is another Q.
but doing soemthing has ot be better than whinging about how terrible everything is all the time.
which is just getting tiresome.

I like the idea, but am sceptical about whether it would help, for the reasons Blu cites.

Message withdrawn

Message withdrawn

well, how about if we ask MN Towers?

Justine....? Carrieeee......?? are you there?