http://www.perlmonks.org?node_id=95237

Folks, please remember the following when moderating:

Mind you, these are my personal opinions; your mileage may vary. I would appreciate being able to discuss such variation; reply as needed.

--f

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re (tilly) 1: Reminders for Friars, etc...
by tilly (Archbishop) on Jul 10, 2001 at 17:11 UTC
    My mileage varies somewhat.

    I agree that for replies to anonymous coward it is very important to approve posts, else they don't see their own questions. But registered users with even a small amount of problem usually don't have trouble finding responses to their posts. I see nothing wrong in replying and voting on mildly obscure threads.

    Also I would like to suggest that if you are thinking about reaping a node, please rethink that. Our problem is not so much ineffective reaping as too much reaping IMHO.

      But registered users with even a small amount of problem usually don't have trouble finding responses to their posts.

      Well, if we were here only for ourselves, I'd agree with you completely. However, we have a broad (and evolving) membership. Some newer (or later) recruits may not realize that there are more nodes lurking in the shadows. Verifying that a node has been OK'd is fairly painless and helps ensure that the archives remain as accessible as possible. I believe it also ensures that the replies to those nodes get a slightly larger audience, with all the relative benefits (*cough*) of that exposure.

      I know it's a minor nit. Still, since many (though certainly not all) "unapproved" nodes are basic questions, one wonders if making sure they appear in the various index pages seems like a good way to ensure that our records remain as accessible as possible.

      --f

        I feel that off-topic questions usually shouldn't be reaped and usually shouldn't be approved for their section. But replying to them is often appropriate.

        Not approving a question prevents it from showing in that section. If it isn't on-topic for that section, then it shouldn't show. This doesn't stop it from showing up via searching or Super Search. I don't think off-topic material should be maximally accessible anyway. q-:

        So I agree with tilly that replying shouldn't imply approving (with a note that AnonyMonk questions, unfortunately, should be approved with more leniency).

                - tye (but my friends call me "Tye")
Re: Reminders for Friars, etc...
by grinder (Bishop) on Jul 10, 2001 at 12:51 UTC
    If you vote up a node, please check its approval status. It doesn't make much sense to vote up an unapproved node, does it?

    eek. I hope I have never done this. The trouble is, though, that the interface lends itself to this confusion. It would be better if the title was appended with UNAPPROVED (or whatever) with the approval checkboxes alongside, rather than having the node repeated, buried down at the end of the page.

    /me goes to check if this node has been approved...


    --
    g r i n d e r
Re: Reminders for Friars, etc...
by chromatic (Archbishop) on Jul 10, 2001 at 20:18 UTC
    As a followup, a couple of high-level monks have been banging around some additional criteria and thoughts on moderating content. These are somewhat slushy, as the editors have individual opinions. Please take a look at Level 6: Friar and let's discuss the criteria here, revising it as necessary.

    Update: Fixed bad node link. Oops. And a typo. Whoops.

Re: Reminders for Friars, etc...
by stefan k (Curate) on Jul 10, 2001 at 19:18 UTC
    Hi,
    actually I have not yet cared about the approval status of a node, and I wouldn't know how to get it. I simply have not found the time yet to read some docs about what this is and how to use. Furthermore, although I'm a level 6 I don't feel like I should name nodes that are to be deleted or something.

    Maybe I'd know what I'm talking about in detail if -when I reached that level- a short introduction would have appeared. This would give the act of reaching a new and higher level some more ..uhm.. severity, just like in the old days when I was very active at roleplaying :-)

    One might feel that this is a ignorant point I take, but OTOH it might as well stand as the experience of just another (almost daily) visitor to this site.

    Oh, and since we're talking about all this: will I find the description what exactly I can/should do with that approval nodelet in the "Need Help?"-section?

    Regards... Stefan

Re: Reminders for Friars, etc...
by John M. Dlugosz (Monsignor) on Jul 11, 2001 at 01:33 UTC
    Easier said than done! I read from Newest Nodes, and when visiting a new top-level SPOW or Meditation, it doesn't tell me whether it still needs approval. They all look alike, one way or the other.

      You need to go to User Settings and turn on the "Approval Nodelet" for non-frontpage nodes. (For those watching who haven't reached level 6 yet, you can't turn on the "Approval Nodelet" yet.)

              - tye (but my friends call me "Tye")
        I did, upon reading the "Level 6" article. But the nodelet didn't show up. I think it may be a cacheing problem.