How necessary is moderation

[slynne]

I have experienced every kind of moderation on the web, from completely unmoderated to very heavily moderated. I find that often the unmoderated groups self police, especially if it is a neighborhood group where everyone knows everyone in real life and no one is anonymous. People don't want to make their neighbors angry if they can help it. I dont typically enjoy completely unmoderated and anonymous spaces though as they often just end up with people not saying anything worthwhile. OTOH, those spaces which are too heavily moderated also do not tend towards interesting or even coherent discussions. There does seem to be a rather large sweet spot between those two extremes though. I think this forum is well within it.

 

[SoulRaven]

I have only been in one forum that was not moderated, a free for all, and not every type of group polices themselves and you sometimes get "outsiders" that come in and post, well just about anything and everything. I find this forum to be very reasonable and actually quite generous with what is allowed. I know of no situation that is ever capable of making everyone happy. As I told the admin in another forum "Well, I'm not happy about it, but it isn't the mod job to make me happy." and I always let them know that I do not envy them having the job.

 

[LeeRevell]

Moderation tends, like any type of authoritarianism, to go overboard, take itself too seriously, and end up censoring valid posts and threads.
Reasonable adults can discuss certain "controlled subjects" without being pushed to the curb. Self policing can indeed work.
The most enjoyable forum I am a member of has NO moderation. But, all members are close online buddies for the last 16 years, all are retired curmudgeons with very similar views, opinions and personalities. New prospects must be voted on by the membership, and it's "by invitation only".
Only twice have members gone feral on us, and they were simply banned, after receiving stern warnings.
Works for us. Being guys, blue language and hot political rhetoric is not only okay, it's SOP. Heck, we are tough old buzzards, we can take it.
But, this system would obviously not work on a "family friendly" site, like this one. Two extremes, both are valid in the proper context.

 

[CautionToTheWind]

I have been encouraged to start a YouTube channel by several people close to me. It sounds like a fun and creative outlet, but is it really just a place to get slaughtered by hate if there is any amount of success?

Having innate sense of creativity, YT has crossed my mind and ruminated on the topic myself. While I spend much of my days in YT curiosity (learning and viewing), and reading comments, wondering IF many over-the-top malaise responses are from the younger crowd regurgitating their angst? My life's gray area is quite wide with a spiritual foundation; growth being the goal. Ask yourself how free you wish to be? Time in creativity and response versus being at ease living each day for yourself. YT can produce a sense of community and conversely having to deal with lack of boundaries with others. My dichotomy, I swing from freedom to connection. For you, being unaffected from the beginning may be the goal. If you care too much, may be not.

 

[Blanch]

Yes. That is the dilemma. And I am on the fence. My first husband, among other things, was a writer. When he died we got the boxes of short stories and several novels he wrote out of his closet. It was all tucked away like a closed chapter in his life. All his creativity, hundreds of stories written, and he never even made an attempt to get anything published.

And so I wonder, was he on to something, did it give him joy and peace to do all that work and never even make an attempt at getting recognition? He isn't around to ask.

Would it be my one big regret if I never move forward with my creative endeavors? Or is my ego telling me lies, and I would be happier without the venture?

And then, in this world or the internet, there are trolls and truly ugly people. So is it worth the bother?

I am 56 years old, disabled and weigh 250 pounds. Do I really want to read "fat cow" comments and other such gems? I have a thick skin (insert inappropriate elephant joke), but is the quest for art worth the cost? Perhaps my ex was right.


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[Wabbit]

Do you really care if you read fat cow comments? I hope not, but that's not a judging hope not thing. Do you want to share your stuff? I am like your passed hubby, in a way, I am pretty protective of my "personal mind". Don't want the accolades (what humility), the money(I'd get in trouble), or the hassle of having to deal with people(have you met people?!? Lol). If you want to aspire to certain things, put yourself out there! I do put myself out there but in a different sense. I laugh at myself all the time as I imagine others do to. Well F me and F them, I don't give a hoot about that. My sense of false pride was shredded years ago. I'm content mostly, do what brings you happiness and contentness! Either way, you will make the right choice for you. Best wishes.

 

[IanC]

Would it be my one big regret if I never move forward with my creative endeavors? Or is my ego telling me lies, and I would be happier without the venture?

Blanche, I'll tell you, in my leather work, the best things I did and the things that gave me the most satisfaction were the things I did with no customer in mind.  Sometimes I got as close to perfect as is possible for me. I'd finish it, take some artsy pictures and then put it away or give it away. Those were the things I did out of love for my craft. I relate to you husband 100% I was making some pretty high dollar stuff and I developed such a fear around my own self criticism that before I shipped something to a customer I'd analyze it to death, find every flaw no matter how invisible to anyone else, and then dread sending it.  It didn't matter how many people sent me letters of thanks and praise, what should have been a very tranquil profession turned into constant stress.  Something I've dealt with all my life.

As far as Youtube goes, anonymity shows how much hidden anger there is in the world, just looking for an outlet.  On one of Bob's most recent videos, there was less discussion about the lady's build than there was criticizing her personally.  Even the color of her urine was good for a thread of it's own.  All I could think is of the poor woman, who was surely reading the comments below her video.

Bob had mentioned possibly doing a shoot on my trailer. I was quite excited, but I'm really not sure I would want to open myself to the opinions of basement dwellers worldwide.  Like I said before, though, in general people are kind, but it's the shitheads that would make me wish I never did it. The spotlight is a recluse's worst nightmare. That's something they tell celebrities - never read comments!

 

[Gary68]

it's all a matter of perspective
98% of what some people call haters/trolls i just see blount speaking people with only about 2% being evil souled people

but if you cant handle someone telling you that your butt is big or fix your teeth utube is probably not for you

 

[ArtW]

Blanch, I spend a great deal of time watching YT videos, and have seen comment streams unmoderated, moderated, and disabled
I have the greatest respect for those with unmoderated comment streams, because most of them handle comments, good and bad, like adults, they respond appropriately to the ones worth responding to, ignore those not worth responding to, and let all of them battle between them re their beliefs

The ones who moderate, sometimes do so to make their comment threads more 'friendly' aka more of an ideological echo chamber

the ones who disable comments often seem, to me, to have the worst ideas and argumentation, and the least ability to provide citations for any thing they say, and are often spouting thinly disguised hate themselves

Obviously I'm talking about political discussions here, not van dwelling sites, though I have also seen some of the trolling on Bob's channel, too
Bob, so far as I can tell, doesn't disable or moderate his YT channel, despite the trolls
IMO that's because he has good ideas, good intentions, and deals with criticism like an adult
Anyone calling you 'fat cow' hasn't the intellectual currency for you to bother about his thoughts, and anyone who has questions that seems open to debate, might be a good person to respond to

I do suggest creating an account that can't be easily traced back to your actual identity, so as to avoid being doxxed, although as a nomad, your vulnerability to doxxing is limited, especially if you are on disability and aren't employed, in which case you can say about anything you want
I also doubt, based on your posts here, that you will be saying anything all that controversial, so doxxing will be very unlikely anyway
I wouldn't count on YT adsesnse income at this time, as the YT adsense revenue is pretty screwy right now due to a hit piece and advertisers not understanding how adsense works, but I'm sure the ad revenue will come back eventually, and if you weren't planning on monetizing your channel anyway, that will cause you zero perspiration
if you can handle it, do it, but if you get your feelings hurt easily, maybe not
If you move forward on this,try to internalize this idea
Offense can never be given, it can only be taken
people can call me mean things all day, it doesn't matter a bit unless I let those mean names get to me

 

[Blanch]

it's all a matter of perspective
98% of what some people call haters/trolls i just see blount speaking people with only about 2% being evil souled people

but if you cant handle someone telling you that your butt is big or fix your teeth utube is probably not for you

I can handle it, the question in my mind is if I really want to read and moderate the stuff.


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[Blanch]

Well that is fantastic advice.

I have no interest in the money, it just makes you work too hard to please a specific audience. Then you have sold your soul for the cash, or at least it seems that way to me.

I like the idea is being unmoderated, just let it rip. The good, the bad and the ugly.





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[Gary68]

I can handle it, the question in my mind is if I really want to read and moderate the stuff.


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then go for it,joke with the rude comments and ban the evil ones or dont read any at all
not like you have anything to lose

 

[DesertDweller]

Perhaps a blog would be a better medium? Just a thought. It depends on "why" you wish to broadcast your thoughts. To educate? To enlighten? To entertain? To purge? To ponder?

Perhaps your late husband did all that writing to purge his mind, his heart, his emotions or to entertain himself?  Not every writer wants or needs an audience, but simply wants to write for the sake of doing so? I totally get that.

 

[Gypsy Jane]

The majority of comments on my blog are thinly disguised attempts to get me to link to an irrelevant URL or otherwise promote someone else's agenda. I moderate and delete.

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[IanC]

Ha, I just watched a video (Henry Rollins on Howard Stern). The guy who owns the channel was actively engaged in ripping the trolls a new one. He was so witty and sarcastic it was more entertaining than the video itself. Maybe that's an angle to go with - engage the commenters (er, hecklers) in an entertaining way - like Don Rickles. You KNOW it's going to keep them coming back to see the responses and drive up the views.

 

[highdesertranger]

ah Don Rickles. RIP. highdesertranger

 

[caretaker]

kellys heroes,,,the 2nd best movie ever made,,,,,pulp fiction 1st

 

[Queen]

Perhaps a blog would be a better medium? Just a thought. It depends on "why" you wish to broadcast your thoughts. To educate? To enlighten? To entertain? To purge? To ponder?

Perhaps your late husband did all that writing to purge his mind, his heart, his emotions or to entertain himself?  Not every writer wants or needs an audience, but simply wants to write for the sake of doing so? I totally get that.

I had a blog, at the encouraging of family and friends, for about a minute.  Took me that minute to realize I write for myself.  The stories I have swirling around in my head entertain the hell out of me, I shared some of them verbally with my wife and she enjoyed them as well.  But when she started asking me about parts of them, wondering how I felt about this or what impacted me to make me write that, I stopped sharing as much, they're mine and I write them because I need to get them out of my head and organized... but I don't need anyone to discuss or validate them.

So, my question to the OP would be why do you want/need/desire a YT channel?  I don't need an answer to the question, it was just what I asked myself before shutting down my blog, and it helped the process along nicely.

 

[Blanch]

Ah, but I will answer. I do photography. When I post it on Facebook I get a few friends to comment, a dozen or two likes and it feels hollow.
I started instagram. I found fellow photographers who do the same thing I do, which is urban exploring and ghost towns, and that experience has been great fun. Strangers like my work, I see theirs and follow them, they follow me. It is a loose community of people with a common interest. It makes me happy to share with these like minded strangers. Now I want to include 360 degree video with my photographs, but instagram doesn't really work for 360 video, but YouTube does. So the logical next step would be YouTube, but the audience is much different. So I want to do 360 and share it with other urbex photographers.....

I am a full time travel trailer dweller, but that would not be the focus of my channel. I'm still on the fence. But I do want a way to publicly share my work with others.


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[cyndi]

Folks, this is just a friendly reminder that many of us have limited bandwidth so we ask that you carefully trim any quotes you include to the bare minimum. When you are reading on a phone, and you have to read the same post twice to get a new comment, it can be frustrating--especially if there are pictures!

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Be kind and trim!! Smile