Q Talk

[Moonchilde]

Spurt, it was me who said that about the Amazon forums (Kindle, at any rate), and many others have said it about HSN.

Another thing I see happening, which I can see would present a problem to moderators, is that someone will report to the mods that another poster is picking on them or being insulting to them and asking for posts to be deleted that aren't addressed to, responding to or referring to that poster, but just commentary in the thread that does not violate the guidelines and is not personal. But the "picking on meeee, make them stoppppp!" ploy will be used and I can understand that whichever mod gets the complaint will just zap without checking, and without caring if it's true. When in doubt, for them, delete is the answer.

One thing Amazon has always done is make the email address of the forum moderators available on the main forum pages, so that if more explanation is needed than just "report inappropriate", *everyone* has an avenue to discuss with mods if they feel the need. On the Q forums this does not seem to be available. Some people clearly seem to have this special email and use it constantly. I would love to have if anyone wants to share, or point me to the spot it's shown that I have missed.

[Moonchilde]

On 11/22/2014 KJPA said:

Agree that the post numbers change and are therefore useless. But if they would simply delete the post and leave the number in place it would work. For example, replace all words in that post with "Removed by moderator" or something like that, then the thread might continue to make sense.

If we can't copy someone's post some other subtleties might be lost. I just read another thread with lots of posts, each one stating an opinion but nice. Then one of the posters replied nastily about how she was allowed to state her opinion. What? Nobody quoted her or seemed to be responding to her but for some reason she took another comment personally. That's a shame. I don't think anyone was even speaking to her at all. In fact I've noticed that many posters seem to just answer the OP and I swear they never even read the other comments!

LOL

There are posters who seem to have "it is/must be/should be All About Me" for a motto, and post accordingly - often as you say, for no reason that others can see. These posters, as well as posters who deliberately start threads they mean to be contentious while denying same, get away with it because while they have carefully engineered the OP to encourage differences of opinion on controversial subjects, the actual OP itself is carefully worded so as to seem innocuous to a casual look by a mod, who isn't going to care about the actual intent - no blame to the mod there. It's the subtle (in their own minds) disrupters who cause a lot of intentional discord and poofing. And they can keep on doing it because it flies largely under the radar.

[kittymomNC]

On 11/23/2014 moonchilde said:

Spurt, it was me who said that about the Amazon forums (Kindle, at any rate), and many others have said it about HSN.

Another thing I see happening, which I can see would present a problem to moderators, is that someone will report to the mods that another poster is picking on them or being insulting to them and asking for posts to be deleted that aren't addressed to, responding to or referring to that poster, but just commentary in the thread that does not violate the guidelines and is not personal. But the "picking on meeee, make them stoppppp!" ploy will be used and I can understand that whichever mod gets the complaint will just zap without checking, and without caring if it's true. When in doubt, for them, delete is the answer.

One thing Amazon has always done is make the email address of the forum moderators available on the main forum pages, so that if more explanation is needed than just "report inappropriate", *everyone* has an avenue to discuss with mods if they feel the need. On the Q forums this does not seem to be available. Some people clearly seem to have this special email and use it constantly. I would love to have if anyone wants to share, or point me to the spot it's shown that I have missed.

moonchilde, here ya go... social.team@qvc.com

I used it a couple of times when I had questions as to why something I posted had been deleted, that seemed so very innocent to me. They do respond and have been helpful to some degree. I don't use it to report other posters, only if I have a question about standards, etc.

[Moonchilde]

Thank you, Kittymom :-)

ETA that as far as the uneven moderation and in particular why some very contentious threads or insulting posts remain while others are poofed, while I was reading the fine print around the site, it is stated that QVC is not responsible for taking action in every possible way on every thread or post (paraphrasing) - i.e. they may not even look at all that is reported (staffing?) and have no responsibility for potentially offensive material left untouched (again paraphrasing). That would explain why very personal and undeniably direct attacks are sometimes left up, as well as posts that are insulting of whole groups of people.

According to their statement(s) they are excusing themselves of being able to moderate with global equality, as they are stating their intervention is an option by their choice and not intended to cover every post/thread.

I'm not saying they have planned to do this or routinely do it, but as they have stated their policy, it can function as their "out."

[happygolfcartrider]

Any new thread is open to dissection, especially by those that want to find something.

I could start a thread that says maybe, What a beautiful dress so and so has on today. The trouble makers would come in and start a rant about that statement being bait to bring in the nasty comments. In my opinion If a thread starts out clean it should stay clean, disagree if you want to but leave the snark and nasty out of it. Once a derogative comment is made it is down hill from there because that is what the commenter wanted.

[kittymomNC]

On 11/23/2014 golfcartrider said:

Any new thread is open to dissection, especially by those that want to find something.

I could start a thread that says maybe, What a beautiful dress so and so has on today. The trouble makers would come in and start a rant about that statement being bait to bring in the nasty comments. In my opinion If a thread starts out clean it should stay clean, disagree if you want to but leave the snark and nasty out of it. Once a derogative comment is made it is down hill from there because that is what the commenter wanted.

I agree, GCR. I hate when people start arguing with each other over one little thing, but they just can't let it go. I was on a thread today where there were 4-5 whole pages of nothing but posters arguing over the meaning of a WORD! I kid you not! No one could get a word in to actually have a discussion... I just left and came back later to see if it had calmed down. A few of us got it settled down, and then someone else came in and brought up stuff from 4 pages back and it looked like it was going to start all over again. It has now settled down again, but I'm really surprised it stayed up at all. I just hate the constant one-upsmanship that people get into.

[happygolfcartrider]

On 11/23/2014 kittymomNC said:

On 11/23/2014 golfcartrider said:

Any new thread is open to dissection, especially by those that want to find something.

I could start a thread that says maybe, What a beautiful dress so and so has on today. The trouble makers would come in and start a rant about that statement being bait to bring in the nasty comments. In my opinion If a thread starts out clean it should stay clean, disagree if you want to but leave the snark and nasty out of it. Once a derogative comment is made it is down hill from there because that is what the commenter wanted.

I agree, GCR. I hate when people start arguing with each other over one little thing, but they just can't let it go. I was on a thread today where there were 4-5 whole pages of nothing but posters arguing over the meaning of a WORD! I kid you not! No one could get a word in to actually have a discussion... I just left and came back later to see if it had calmed down. A few of us got it settled down, and then someone else came in and brought up stuff from 4 pages back and it looked like it was going to start all over again. It has now settled down again, but I'm really surprised it stayed up at all. I just hate the constant one-upsmanship that people get into.

Unfortunately that is what happens when people come in h e l l bent on making trouble. you make a nice comment and BAM here they come again. Sometime you just have to keep saying nice things over and over to get the thread going the right way again.

I do however understand that the trolls (with only 1 or two posts) come in and start a thread like doesn't so and so look good in that sweater, vest, dress, skirt etc. anyone know where I can get one? They generally pick the most un liked host or vendor and hope for the nasty comments to start. I have started coming in and saying, why don't you go to the facebook page and you will get all the info you need. Usually stops the conversation.

[Spurt]

On 11/23/2014 stevieb said:

I would agree that the extent to which they make the forums unpalatable is also the extent to which I also won't potentially be on QVC's website and potentially shopping... I only phone in orders as a last result, preferring to order on-line, and almost never buy based on an on-air presentation alone without checking the website... So if the goal is to homogenize the boards, then they stand to potentially not just 'clean up' these forums, but also to lose sales... I don't think the boards have to be a hotbed of contention in order to be interesting, but do believe a steady diet of nothing more than 'closed to further discussion' and deletions of relatively minor snarkisms in favor of mindless chatter isn't going to be any draw whatsoever...

And Spurt, I think several times in your post, you meant to say that things are way open to interpretation, and I would agree...

Thanks Stevie for the heads up...I corrected my post....that's what I get for trying to multi-task----

And I agree with you about the boards not having to be a hot bed of contention in order to be interesting....and neither do they have to be nothing but Stepfordville QVC where everything in Q land is wonderful and rah rah rah QVC....that would be as boring as their programming....

[stevieb]

On 11/23/2014 moonchilde said:

Thank you, Kittymom :-)

ETA that as far as the uneven moderation and in particular why some very contentious threads or insulting posts remain while others are poofed, while I was reading the fine print around the site, it is stated that QVC is not responsible for taking action in every possible way on every thread or post (paraphrasing) - i.e. they may not even look at all that is reported (staffing?) and have no responsibility for potentially offensive material left untouched (again paraphrasing). That would explain why very personal and undeniably direct attacks are sometimes left up, as well as posts that are insulting of whole groups of people.

According to their statement(s) they are excusing themselves of being able to moderate with global equality, as they are stating their intervention is an option by their choice and not intended to cover every post/thread.

I'm not saying they have planned to do this or routinely do it, but as they have stated their policy, it can function as their "out."

Well isn't that special...

Translation... they'll do what they darn well please, when they please and to whom they please... and if you don't like it, well, hard knocks...

[Moonchilde]

On 11/23/2014 stevieb said:

On 11/23/2014 moonchilde said:

Thank you, Kittymom :-)

ETA that as far as the uneven moderation and in particular why some very contentious threads or insulting posts remain while others are poofed, while I was reading the fine print around the site, it is stated that QVC is not responsible for taking action in every possible way on every thread or post (paraphrasing) - i.e. they may not even look at all that is reported (staffing?) and have no responsibility for potentially offensive material left untouched (again paraphrasing). That would explain why very personal and undeniably direct attacks are sometimes left up, as well as posts that are insulting of whole groups of people.

According to their statement(s) they are excusing themselves of being able to moderate with global equality, as they are stating their intervention is an option by their choice and not intended to cover every post/thread.

I'm not saying they have planned to do this or routinely do it, but as they have stated their policy, it can function as their "out."

Well isn't that special...

Translation... they'll do what they darn well please, when they please and to whom they please... and if you don't like it, well, hard knocks...

Sounds like :-( But Amazon does the same, and I guess HSN too. From what I've read on the forums here, I get the impression that HSN is really chop and ban-happy. I don't have personal experience with that, though.