Should mumsnet be moderated?

[QuintessentialShadows]

Is it maybe time for mumsnet to get a few moderators on board?

No. All the best boards, all over the internet (yes, there are other forums besides Mumsnet) are unmoderated.

I think we can be adult and self-mod.

but the opposite of fluffy niceness is horrible bitchyness.

Surely there must be a way of finding some middle ground?

Because threads that end up launching into serious personal attacks on individual posters and potentially put their mental health at risk and cause them to leave surely shouldn't be tolerated. And yet they are.

I'm not in favour of mumsnet being rebranded as hunsnet, but I do think that as the site is so big, perhaps it would be possible to have more people with the facility to delete offensive posts, as currently it can take several hours for this to happen, by which time the thread has degenerated and led to serious personal upset.

I like it as it is - self-moderated.

I think in the vast majority of posts that cause conflict and personaly attack are usually pretty obvious from the off. Most people know what the contentious issues are on here and if you are of a sensitive disposition then perhaps you should self moderate and stick to "safe" topics.

I have been slated on here many times for various things and whilst it's not great, it's quite simple to turn the computer off. I am words on a screen, not me, it's not personally offensive iyswim?

They got rid of the moderators for legal reasons anyway (no doubt MN Towers will be along soon to explain properly). So they aren't likely to reintroduce moderation and open themselves up to all of those legal liabilities whether we think that (in the abstract) it's a good idea or not.

(FWIW, I personally think not)

Wannabee- unfortunately, my experience elsewhere has been that the moderated fluffy niceness is just a front for the horrible bitchyness....(with the moderators being the worst perps)

I really disagree with moderating a forum like this. And, tbh, if someone's mental health is jeopardised because they came under attack from a stranger on an internet forum then I suspect it was on shaky ground to start with. If you put your opinions and ideas out there on a public forum then you have to be prepared for the potential that people will disagree with them and won't always be nice to you, and of course people are more forthright than they might be if you were having a cuppa at toddler group.

I really think it is fine as it stands, with MNHQ dealing with anything particularly nasty. Not perfect, maybe, but the alternative would kill MN.

I don't think so.

The site I used to visit before I got addicted to discovered MN was heavily moderated and became a nightmare - that's really why I left.

It was awful - if you posted anything that wasn't acceptable to a mod, even if it was a personal opinion about a situation or saying to someone that you didn't agree with them, you got warned and then it was deleted. There was an outright ban on swearing - you couldn't even write 'bloody' without being told off. It was so overmoderated they had a forum for open discussion that should have been renamed "the forum for agreeing with the moderators which is therefore a no discussion forum".

Ugh.

"unfortunately, my experience elsewhere has been that the moderated fluffy niceness is just a front for the horrible bitchyness....(with the moderators being the worst perps)"

Agree entirely, it's fab being on a site where you know exactly where you stand.

oh yes - like the bad old days of MN, where moderators were god and you got arse kissing of huge proportions = puke worthy.

no - its fine - we all moderate mumsnet - if you dont like it report it - we certainly don't need MNHQ appointed celeb posters.

No.
Who would get to decide what is moderated and what isn't? where would you draw lines? Swearing? Brand names?
Self moderation is best. We have the option whether to read something. We then have the option to tell those 'in charge' if we think something is wrong and request removal.

i would love to say something to someone on this thread.......i'm having to use all my self control to shut up.

daftpunk, saying something like that is rather against the spirit of self moderating!

No. I was on the end of some really horrid bullying when I was a newbie, but I still say no. I do absolutely hate seeing bullying on MN, and it is true that you do see it too often.

However, moderation would totally change the talk section. There would be no spontaneous real time talk, all posts would potentially have a 24 hour lag before they showed up.

thats not like you dp, well done.

No.

Can you imagine the politics, cliques and DRAMA that would occur if we had mods.

Please god no.

I'd like to call you all cocksuckingmotherfuckers while I still can.

ace

Agree with the consensus - I don't think it's a good idea. With the best will in the world, a limited no of moderators will have their own agendas/take on things - self moderation allows a wide range of views, and god knows MNers do have a wide range of views... This is more like a normal adult conversation, rather than having a prefect stand watch.

I have always wanted to be called that..

Voltaire. I may not agree that we are all cocksucking motherfuckers, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.

(Actually, you are all cocksucking motherfuckers though)