Reply #3: Well, we are talking past each other here to some degree

[Skinner]

which is understandable, because the Admins have a very good idea of how DU3 is going to work and you are just getting a taste of it for the first time. I'll try to break some of this down for you.

You write:

There is a disconnect between the Mod system and the realities of the GLBT Forum. There is currently a thread right now where posters have alerted on an individual who has called men who wear makeup abnormal and if they wanted to do so, to become Drag Queens. It's been addressed by you before, but it's one of those cases where it's blatantly obvious to us what's going on, but it doesn't--to use a word you used in a similar situation--"technically" violate DU rules. However, it's like an acrostic, where the beginning letter of each paragraph combines to make a hidden sentence. As a people who encounter this sort of thing day after day, it's neon; but when we alert and provide the explanation, pointing it out, either nothing is done or ONE post is deleted, leaving a slew to keep the insulting poster's message going.

You also write:

In another ATA thread started by Sub Atomic where he asked about the lack of action (from the GLBT Forum's perspective) on the part of the Admins (although he used your name) Earl replied basically that it was our job to decide what was the problem and the solution; that y'all did not get "any further follow-up" from us...

EarlG was referring to the very specific proposals in http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=221&topic_id=174572">my "ideas" thread, one of which would have solved your "disconnect" problem. I wrote:

2. Do you want Democratic Underground to create a new "forum liaison" position for the GLBT forum (and any other forum that wants it), who would have the power to block any person from their assigned forum for any reason? If so, which person (or people) would you like to serve in this position?

This is what EarlG was talking about when he said we received no follow-up. You mention that you are frustrated. Well, I must admit that it is pretty frustrating for me to hear people expressing their anger about things posted in the GLBT forum, when I offered a solution to that problem back in the spring -- a solution that would have 100% guaranteed that NOBODY could post in that forum if you did not want them there.

The reason why EarlG said "Nevertheless, based on the feedback we received in those threads we decided to move forward by ourselves," is because we thought that despite the lack of consensus from GLBT forum members on whether we should do this, we continued to think it was a good idea. So on DU3 forums and groups will no longer be policed by a small group of elite moderators who are responsible for trying to deal with problems everywhere on the site. Instead, forums and groups will be policed by the very DU members who have a particular interest in those forums and groups, and who wish to take charge of running them.

We are calling these people "Hosts." If you or any of your friends wish to become a Host of the GLBT forum, you are welcome. You will have the power to lock any thread in your forum, and you will have the power to block any member from posting in your forum. (You will NOT have the power to delete posts -- that is going to be taken care of by a different aspect of the DU3 moderating system that I'm not going to go into here.)

So on DU3, the GLBT forum will be yours to deal with as you see fit. You won't have to come running to me or the moderators every time there is a problem, and you won't have to worry about us dealing with it differently to the way you would. And you should also understand that Hosting is a not a one-way street -- you will have to take responsibility for how your forum is run. I will no longer be there to screw up your forum by making bad decisions.

This is just one of the radical changes to the moderating system that I was talking about. There is a lot more too it which will be revealed soon enough, but I hope that you can already see the value of this particular piece of the puzzle.