#RWModeration

February 19, 2013 8:44 PM

I am not sure how elusive the Metafilter moderator GUI screenshot might be to the average MeFi user, but I have always wondered about it's efficiency and I was pleasantly surprised when I finally caught a (blurry) glimpse of it during Matt's SxSW 2011 talk: Lessons from 11 Years of Community
posted by TangerineGurl to MetaFilter-Related at 8:44 PM (42 comments total)

I always figured the Metafilter mod interface must look like this.
posted by killdevil at 8:58 PM on February 19 [3 favorites]

A couple other random tidbits.
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:00 PM on February 19 [3 favorites]

The Cabal screen is organized a little better.
posted by eyeballkid at 9:00 PM on February 19 [1 favorite]

I'd post a screenshot of our "labs" menu but it'd blow your goddam minds.
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:13 PM on February 19 [2 favorites]

Judging from the lower-left corner, God must read the Green.
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 9:25 PM on February 19

I also did a double-take at the can/can't-eat-this. I think Leviticus is basically just a Metafilter in-joke.
posted by Now there are two. There are two _______. at 9:53 PM on February 19 [1 favorite]

I was told the admin panel was full of stars. It appears, on the contrary, to be full of bars.
posted by Cold Lurkey at 10:04 PM on February 19

But that show's only in its fourth season. And I have to say, while the first episode of season four was as bad as everybody said, the second episode wasn't so bad, it was just kind of disorienting - was it supposed to be Halloween or something?
posted by koeselitz at 10:16 PM on February 19

I'd post a screenshot of our "labs" menu but it'd blow your goddam minds.

Metafilter Labs
posted by dumbland at 10:20 PM on February 19 [3 favorites]

A couple other random tidbits.

Thanks for those, cortex. For years, my interest in the mod interface has been flagging.
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 11:03 PM on February 19 [3 favorites]

I always figured the Metafilter mod interface must look like this.
posted by dhartung at 11:15 PM on February 19

MODS CAN SEE YOUR PREVIOUS EDITS.
I REPEAT: MODS CAN SEE YOUR EDITS.
NO MORE COCK NOODLES PLZ.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 3:43 AM on February 20

I'd post a screenshot of our "labs" menu but it'd blow your goddam minds.

Now I'm intrigued.
posted by deezil at 4:37 AM on February 20 [1 favorite]

NO MORE COCK NOODLES PLZ.

This is a good guideline for daily life if I've ever heard one.
posted by killdevil at 5:28 AM on February 20

This really should be a "must watch" for all users. Knowing the depth of moderation might result in a little more thought before that "post" button is pushed. It may also prompt a bit more respect for Matt and the crew in terms of the amount of work they do for us in their attempts to keep the site at a quality level.

Thanks, folks....
posted by HuronBob at 5:50 AM on February 20 [3 favorites]

That's a good point, HuronBob! I just wanted to share some great news, I found a way to make six figures from home! You can do it too, just checkout this websi
posted by filthy light thief at 6:16 AM on February 20 [3 favorites]

Think Safety!
posted by slogger at 6:35 AM on February 20

I'd post a screenshot of our "labs" menu but it'd blow your goddam minds.

I've activated the flag that autocorrects every comment into something tedious.
posted by shakespeherian at 6:43 AM on February 20

This really should be a "must watch" for all users. Knowing the depth of moderation might result in a little more thought before that "post" button is pushed. It may also prompt a bit more respect for Matt and the crew in terms of the amount of work they do for us in their attempts to keep the site at a quality level.

Oh man. Now I'm envisioning a series of Metafilter training videos like the kind we used to get at Burger King. They'd all have bad actors, teach us nothing we didn't already know, and be so bad they're funny. Just like at Burger King!

"Flagging: When to move on and when to take it to Metatalk."

"Image Tags: Why we can't have nice things."

"Should you eat it? Are you seriously asking us about $.45 worth of yogurt that you left out in the sun all weekend? Fuck NO."

Sometimes I miss Burger King.
posted by bondcliff at 6:53 AM on February 20 [5 favorites]

This really should be a "must watch" for all users. Knowing the depth of moderation might result in a little more thought before that "post" button is pushed. It may also prompt a bit more respect for Matt and the crew in terms of the amount of work they do for us in their attempts to keep the site at a quality level.

As much as I would love if that were the case, it got a lot of notice when it first went up and we didn't notice any marked change in ... well anything really. The big thing that changed was that Matt talked about getting weekends off and cortex and I were like "Huh, we don't have weekends off...." and then we got taz and restless_nomad.

We're often willing to show off the admin panel (and let you ban yourself) at meetups if you want, just ask us.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 6:55 AM on February 20 [1 favorite]

I tried to get restless_nomad to ban other people around the table at a meetup but no dice.
posted by shakespeherian at 7:12 AM on February 20 [1 favorite]

dumbland, that made me laugh more than I have in months.
posted by Ghidorah at 7:15 AM on February 20

Can we see the meds menu?
posted by cjorgensen at 7:25 AM on February 20 [1 favorite]

"We're often willing to show off the admin panel (and let you ban yourself) at meetups if you want, just ask us." Wait, what...??? Are you suggesting that I .... what??? I know I screw up, but recently I've been really trying....
posted by HuronBob at 7:50 AM on February 20

We're often willing to show off the admin panel (and let you ban yourself) at meetups if you want, just ask us.

"We want you to understand, this goes a lot better when you've accepted the situation enough to ban yourself."
"Why are you in my house?"
"Meetup. Well, ok, that's just what we call it when we come to a user's house to ask them to click the big red button."
"And if I refuse?"
"Gnfti is waiting downstairs with your cat and a scanner."
"Is that really how you say goodnewsfortheinsane?"
"Yeah. I'm trying to inspire further developments in linguistics. But for now, be a good mefite and ban yourself."
"Mefite."
"No, mefite. Even your pronunciation is flagged. Now, just click the lovely red button."
"Why are you so insistent that I do it?"
"Because part of the process is helping you accept this and find peace with yourself."
"Does the mod interface even have a ban button?"
"No. We have to drive out to the user every time. It's not just your pony requests that get put on the back shelf sometimes. Why do you think Cortex hates spammers so much? He's spent years in a jet, flying from one place to another and threatening people with an ukelele until they ban themselves."
posted by frimble at 8:07 AM on February 20 [23 favorites]

Your profile lays on its back, your favorites baking in the hot sun, your profile beating its contacts trying to turn over, but it can't. Not without your help. But you're not helping. Why is that, frimble?
posted by shakespeherian at 8:26 AM on February 20 [5 favorites]

Whaddya mean, I'm not helping?
posted by frimble at 8:55 AM on February 20 [1 favorite]

"We're often willing to show off the admin panel (and let you ban yourself) at meetups if you want, just ask us."

Yeah, now that I think of it, this is how my curiosity was sparked. One of the podcasts mentioned the admin panel being whipped out at a meet up.
posted by TangerineGurl at 9:00 AM on February 20

One of the podcasts mentioned the admin panel being whipped out at a meet up.

I call mine that, too!
posted by m@f at 9:11 AM on February 20 [3 favorites]

Banhammer? I don't even know her.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 9:26 AM on February 20 [1 favorite]

The behind-the-scenes stuff always fascinates me. Thanks!

Is there a "there have been [this many] hours since the last Metatalk flameout" timer?

Are there ALWAYS flags? Like, every day, every hour, or what?

Is the most popular flag "other"?

I need to remember to use the "fantastic post" flag more often.
posted by misha at 10:15 AM on February 20

I need to remember to use the "fantastic post" flag more often.

One of my favorite things ever is when I use the "fantastic post/comment" flag and then, moments later, that post or comment is sidebarred or makes the Best Of. Whether that happened because my single flag made it happen or if I was just one of many flags that made it happen, I'd rather not know.

Mine is a sad, sad life
posted by bondcliff at 10:28 AM on February 20 [1 favorite]

Are there ALWAYS flags? Like, every day, every hour, or what?

The flags don't stop. They keep coming and coming and coming.

But yes, there's always flags coming in. An hour without any at all would be sort of spooky. Many of them don't actually require action, but they come in and we look at them and figure out what if anything to do in pretty much real-time where possible.

Though these days with a larger team and more of an actively-handing-things-off-from-shift-to-shift approach we've gotten more active about processing and clearing flags (it's like inbox zero for moderation), so the flag queue usually doesn't have much in it unless it's stuff that just got flagged.
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:38 AM on February 20

HuronBob: "Wait, what...??? Are you suggesting that I .... what??? I know I screw up, but recently I've been really trying...."

I want to believe that, if you're truly awful, the mods don't ban you - they come to your house, put their laptop in front of you, and force you to do it yourself.
posted by koeselitz at 10:45 AM on February 20 [1 favorite]

"I want to believe that, if you're truly awful, the mods don't ban you - they come to your house, put their laptop in front of you, and force you to do it yourself."

I'll be right back, there's someone at the door.
posted by HuronBob at 10:53 AM on February 20 [3 favorites]

Now I'm envisioning a series of Metafilter training videos like the kind we used to get at Burger King.

Well, it's not a video, but we do have this comic: Be Safe and Smart on Metafilter!
posted by marxchivist at 11:12 AM on February 20 [11 favorites]

Oh man. Now I'm envisioning a series of Metafilter training videos like the kind we used to get at Burger King.

Moderators? Moderators.
Look there's moderators
Moderators? Moderators.
You might not see them but they're there.
Moderators? Moderators.
Everything you type
Moderators? Moderators.
That's right, Metafilter Moderators.
posted by maryr at 12:46 PM on February 20

Be Safe and Smart on Metafilter!

Should be required reading for all new users.
posted by urbanwhaleshark at 3:59 PM on February 20

Well, it's not a video, but we do have this comic: Be Safe and Smart on Metafilter!

"Wow! 352 comments, and all by delmoi!"
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 4:02 PM on February 20

I saw the flag hotspots panel and envisioned a Butthurt hotspot... something where the user spent < 20 seconds in a regular MeFi thread and then navigated to Open New Metatalk Thread without having flagged anything. The source thread can also be weighted by trigger words, like 'hipster' or 'special snowflake'.

Feel free to send some Metafilter Gold my way... wait wrong site.
posted by crapmatic at 7:40 PM on February 20

koeselitz: "I want to believe that, if you're truly awful, the mods don't ban you - they come to your house, put their laptop in front of you, and force you to do it yourself."

I imagine it happens like so.
posted by Hairy Lobster at 5:29 PM on February 22

More like this really.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 5:36 PM on February 22 [4 favorites]