For example, on weekends, and especially on holidays. It can take a long time for moderated posts to be approved at such times. IMO it would be better to focus scarce Admin resources on activities that are more important than reviewing randomly-moderated posts, and it would allow (non-moderated) TER members to better participate in discussions instead of having posts held up for a long time due to random moderation.
More than 99% of my randomly moderated posts are posted after a delay. Very annoying. Once in a while (2%?), I have to explain to a mod what I am posting and that it does not violate a rule.
If you have VIP you should be exempt from random moderation and your posts should show up more or less instantly. The rules still apply obviously, and if you have VIP you should know the rules and follow them.
Also the lite-VIP that providers have should work similarly.
Being VIP does not exempt members from random moderation. I'm VIP and get hit by random moderation.
And although I know the rules and follow them, having VIP is no guarantee that someone knows the rules and follows them. Anyone can get VIP by paying for it or acquiring VIP days in other ways.
Yes, I know, hence the "should be" bit of my message.
Obviously if you abuse it you get demoted back to the normal random moderation system. The idea is that if you have VIP, you're helping the board, and if you're getting moderated you can just buy VIP which further incentivises the service.
There is moderation and then there is random moderation and the two are quite different AND completely unrelated to your VIP status or lack thereof.
Random moderation is exactly that "Random" which means that everybody here will occasionally have a "random" post that gets kicked into the moderation queue. Breaking the rules doesn't get you randomly moderated, it means that ALL of your posts go into the moderation queue unless and until you are "unmoderated" by admin.
Here is what I posted, because you didn't read it and you're off on a tangent.
>>VIP
>If you have VIP you should be exempt from random moderation and your posts should show up more or less instantly. >The rules still apply obviously, and if you have VIP you should know the rules and follow them.
>
>
>Also the lite-VIP that providers have should work similarly.
Note "should". I get how it works. I agree with NGBE, random moderation is a pain in the ass and could be better. I'm suggesting that if you have a VIP membership you shouldn't get randomly moderated. That way, when TER is sparsely staffed, your posts would still show up.
I realize that you can get sent to moderation jail for braking the rules, and I explicitly said that having VIP should not be a get-out-of-jail-free pass.
The only thing being VIP means is that you had enough money to pay for it, or you wrote a review (2 to start), or you got a problem report approved, or someone gifted VIP days to you. It doesn't mean squat about someone's knowledge of TER posting rules and their ability to follow them.
Your idea IS like buying your way out of jail--random-moderation jail. Except for within Monopoly games, I'm not a fan of that either (although I know it happens).
I see the point of random moderation. I'd just like it to not be a roadblock to people participating in discussion threads when Admin is short-staffed.
Right, and those are in the minority.
We still have a report button recall, if someone tries something dumb, report them. You get VIP days for that too.
The fact is, TER has never, and will never be, adequately staffed. Simply turning off random moderation is a poor solution, but a solution all the same. Turning it off for VIP members at least makes sure some contribution to the board was made in exchange for the potential damage to the board.
Not for sure. As I mentioned, VIP days can be gifted. So some VIP members don't have to make any contribution to the board.
In the sole instance of it being gifted VIP days they have indirectly contributed to the board, because someone, somewhere bought those days and they aren't using them personally...
Though, fair enough point, gifted VIP days excluded, problem solved.
... until you chimed in. 