Implementation of my suggestion, or something like it, requires work. Tweaking the details of the suggested system, updating the rules, writing the how-tos, keeping the community informed and so on. There should be a plan of action that the mod team goes through. Then the suggested system itself would require continous work in the future.

Hence, with more work for moderators, it also makes sense to get more moderators. My suggestion would be trying to get some of the ex mods who already know the job back on the team and perhaps a couple of new ones.

edit :

Something I thought of earlier that doesn't really appeal to me but which might appeal to someone would be to make a moderator account(s) for rule enforcement, a bit like the MB Love Machine. That would make moderators anonymous, or at least The Executioner (and crew?) who infracts people (I know it sounds draconian, but also a bit metal and they wore hoods).

Is a trial run of one-two months feasible? Is that something this site is capable of testing out?

You're probably not serious about the last part, but you know Roxy speaks to her, so she does actually exist. Also, she pushed Urban to give me a warning, so unless he has really bad schizophrenia, they ain't one and the same.

If only! Then this nightmare would be over...
http://www.tshirtvortex.net/wp-conte...Elm-Street.jpg

As I wrote earlier, I'd take whatever I could get and would be happy to help out.

I do see some pretty big challenges with testing, of course. I expect the transition period into the system to be the most difficult and no doubt we have members who would go out of their way to sabotage it. So I expect hypothetically if it was tested for a month and then ended up being permanently implemented, that initial testing month would have been the most difficult by far.

The longer the testing period, the better. When people have accepted it and don't work actively to oppose it, I believe that's when you really see the benefits.

edit :

Back on topic please?

I don't like the anonymous generator thingy. I see problems with that tore.

Yes, I agree. It doesn't inspire trust, is a responsibility dodging strategy and could at worst be exploited.

This whole concept seems to be moving from "proposal I disagree with" to "proposal I disagree with that would also be impossible to implement".

Not very constructive, Jans. Many forums do it, so obviously it is possible.

^ The exact same idea occurred to me, but I didn't want to confuse the issue of this thread by mentioning it here. As you've brought it up though, tore, I'd like to say this :-

i) just so everyone's clear, it's an idea that's not necessarily linked to the infractions-system proposal.

ii) if it sounds sinister, or open to abuse, let's remember that the mods are a small band of trusted members. They could probably nip in the bud any maverick mod using it to conceal some particular vendetta.

iii) the only extra work for mods would be to log in under two seperate accounts

iv) mods could have fun like the rest of us, but they wouldn't feel such a conflict of loyalties when it was time to do some infracting. There might be a natural increase in disciplinary actions, but these needn't be tied to a more rigid rule system - they could still be done to the old system as advocated by Freebase.

v) individual mods wouldn't have to endlessly defend their decisions, even when posting as members rather than mods - which might be why Urban, for instance, got fed up.

How it would work in practice:

Janszoon logs in as a member and posts one of his trademark " :laughing: " posts. He then logs in again as Mr.A.Mod and infracts himself for short posting. Next, he just has to log out and consult a good psychiatrist. Simple.

If mods- or members- were at all interested in the idea, I wouldn't oppose it.

^It's been a while since the idea of mod account(s) occurred to me, but I also didn't want to mention it at first basically because I don't like the idea that much. However, I now chose to mention it because I thought it might be a compromise. If moderators didn't want to infract according to my suggestion because of the community backlash, then perhaps this could help and I guess it's better that way than not at all.

However, I prefer the honesty and integrity of supporting the rules and enforcing them under our own names and I think rule enforcement should be transparent.