Moderation queue tools are needed

feature
1

We have modified the settings on our installation in order to create a TL0 that would force selected users through the moderation queue, but even though it works it has drawbacks and limitations.

  1. it is not an option of the platform, it needs to be emulated through existing settings
  2. users that didn’t earn the TL1 before the implementation of the queue emulation are all trapped in the queue and need to be elevated manually
  3. moderators of specific categories put users in the queue for all the forum, not just the categories for which they are responsible
  4. moderators find in the queue messages for categories they are not even allowed to read

Can you please expand on these options? I feel like they are really needed and the platform is severely lacking in these aspects.

2

So your complaint is that you want to force specific “selected” users through the moderation queue? What is it about these particular users that you don’t like? :wink:

3 Likes
3

I don’t get why you’re being sarcastic about this…

Sometimes people start flame wars, usually involving only 2 or 3 people, putting them in queue would prevent the forum from being flooded in the hours when a mod is not present.

People would be put in the queue only until the flame (or whatever other reason they’ve been moderated for) has passed.

If a flame is going on in the category I am responsible for, I would want to put in queue the people only in the categories (or a specific category) I control.

4

Why not deal with the particular flame war topic? I am unclear why the users would be singled out. Are these users generally problematic?

5

How do I deal with that flame war if I don’t have the tools to remove the culprits?

If I close the topic they might open another one.
if then I silence them, they are globally silenced and not only on the category I manage.

I don’t understand what’s so whacky about asking for more detailed moderation tools.

6

From a community management perspective, I’m not convinced you’re treating the actual illness here versus putting a band-aid on the symptoms.

2 Likes
7

Does that leave 5 other mods wanting the same tool to manage the same person on 5 categories getting banned from each one in turn? Just silence the person for 24h and save the other mods the work surely?

8

Why would you not want them globally silenced? If you are concerned that they would open another topic, why would they not open another topic in another category?

1 Like
9

Because this is the forum of a non profit association, not a public forum.

I get to manage the general area where everybody can talk about pretty much anything, but there are categories accessible only to coordinators or theme managers.
If a coordinator comes in the general area and gets involved in a flame I cannot prevent him from partecipating in the coordinators section. And if I put them in queue I should not be able to see messages sent to the coordinators category (to which I have no access).

10

It sounds like the categories are almost treated like separate communities? That’s not an incredibly common way to use Discourse, which is why we don’t currently have category-specific moderation features.

Generally if someone is acting poorly it’s a detriment to the entire community, regardless of category, which is why the standard action is to silence them globally.

Category-specific moderation has been discussed previously, and might one day be available, but there’s no current timeline for implementing it: Category-Specific Moderators, phase 1 RFC and Category-Specific Moderators, phase 2 RFC

4 Likes
11

That’s awesome.

I’d still like for a “put in queue” button on the administration page of a user, instead of having to rely on ad hoc configurations.