Just another break in the (fire)Wall

nomination.txt

I suppose I'll throw my hat in the ring here.

Why?:

I'm very active in SOCVR (outside of weekends) from usually 8.00am until around 6.00pm on weekdays,
and I'd like to help more. Considering that a present roomowner can often defuse situations more
easily and more effectively then a member, I think I could effect some positive change. 

When ever these drama filled situations come up, its usually in a time slot when no room owner is active.

I care about this room and want to see it become better and more effective at what it's doing, and
I specifically want to prevent users from getting alienated needlessly, which happened in the past and
which could have been handled better. Whether you'll trust me that I'll be capable of that, thats up to you.

I can usually be found on meta.SO, Charcoal HQ, the Tavern or in SOCVR itself.

I joined this room nearly a year ago, and the experience has been very transformative and helpful for me.
I learned a lot about procedure, a lot about how to be more kind and how to get messages across more effectively, and
I wouldn't want to miss any of the experiences made in here.

Also, waffles. Lots of delicious waffles.

Can you elaborate on why we need to be better and more effective? And what would you do to make that happen?

@rene I think that the current room owners are doing a good job, but there are time slots when none are available. As it happens, these are usually the slots when the drama we'd all like to prevent happens. The existing room owners don't necessarily need to be better, its just that having some more and especially having any in these circumstances can serve to defuse a situation before it turns to drama, either by telling people to cut it and handing out some kicks if they don't, or by trashing some borderline comments. Higher availablility of room owners means that we have more opportunity to self governance, and that its less likely that we'll draw negative attention or alienate people. Imo.

The "could have been handled better" refers specifically to situations where no RO was present. There is only so much a member can do in these, and its often not enough to cool down or defuse a discussion spiraling out of control.

Simple (and explicitly open-ended) question: what is a room owner and what does that title imply in your opinion?

@Tunaki Someone who represents the room and moderates it (should the need arise). It also comes with some higher responsibility to behave on the main site, since negative actions of a room owner always reflect back on the room. It implies that the person cares about the room, knows its rules, and is willing to enforce them when necessary. It also implies a certain level of activity.

Additionally, it means explaining and/or defending the room's actions and purpose on meta, should the need arise.

In essence, a room owner needs to lead by example (more so then members, even) and try to keep the room focused on its purpose, usually through gentle nudging, but sometimes when that doesn't work through using some of their tools (kicks, trashing messages, freezing the room for a short period to let tensions cool down).

In this room it also entails moving completed CV-PLS requests to the graveyard, but my understanding is that there is a userscript for that.

The "could have been handled better" refers specifically to situations where no RO was present. There is only so much a member can do in these, and its often not enough to cool down or defuse a discussion spiraling out of control.

All chat members have the ability to flag a message, and to call a moderator to the chat room. However, (rough numbers) in the last year we've had maybe 4 chat flags in SOCVR.

Do you think chat members should use flags or mod calls more often when they know an RO is not around?

Also, the total number of kicks in SOCVR is much lower than you might think, 2 a month if things go bad. What would it take for you to use a kick on a chat regular?

What is one thing that you would add to, change in, or remove from the current guidelines or FAQ?

@gunr2171 Chat flags are sort of a last resort. They draw lots of attention to our room, and mostly, that just ends badly. I think targeted trashing / sometimes even kicking works a lot better and creates a lot less bitterness in a chat regular then being automatically system-suspended. Now, obviously, there are cases where chat flags are appropiate (the triggering comment of the last big drama comes to mind) but they're few and far between. Mod calls are better, since a moderator is even more effective to calm down a situation then a RO. But they also should be used sparsely, since Moderator time is very limited and we crucially depend on goodwill and acceptance from the mods and the community to function as a room. Essentially, when it comes to the point where we need flags to reign in a discussion, we've already gone to far.

All in all, I think a present room owner could very easily defuse a situation before it comes to the point that the flags need to be used, which is a better resolution to any drama overall.

@Tiny-Giant I would probably emphasise the "No-pile on" rule more and try to get people to follow it more. A pile on in comments is far from the picture we want to present to the community over all, and feels really bad to be on the recieving end of.