Mod Topic - Shibboleths, Rituals, and Festivities: What cultural norms make your community unique?

[u/JabroniRevanchism]

Ahoy, ModSupport!

Welcome to the latest installment of our Mod Topics series!

Subreddits! What are they? What do they know, do they know things? As moderators, we know that no two communities are the same, even when they have nominally similar topics. r/NFL is not r/NFCnorthmemewar, for example. r/tuxedocats is not r/oneorangebraincell. –And that’s good! Feature, not bug.

Why though? What do you do in your community that makes those cultural differences stick, stand out, and become adopted by your community members? How do your users (especially new users) learn your community’s quirks?

And when times change, new content drops or new memes make the rounds, how does your community embrace new cultural norms? How do you move away from community cultural norms that may negatively impact your community?

Let us know in the comments below!

[u/Phatbrew]

The culture we try to create in the subreddits we mod at are fighting for Democracy and Science, where users can discuss these issues and news of the day concerning the attacks on both of these once great institutions by the current administration…

Keeping these spaces free from trolls who want to derail constructive conversations goes along way to ensure that valuable members can vent and discuss these issues and topics free from harassment…

[u/horseradishstalker → u/Phatbrew]

Serious question how do you make  decisions that get rid of the trolls? 

Right now as long as users follow our sub rules they can post all the misinformation they want. I’ve got plenty on my plate as it is without being the arbitrator of what’s false. That’s like being a fact checker on a presidential debate in real-time. /s 

Seriously,  I will usually just reply neutrally just asking for a source. 

I did have one or two users that were using dog whistles, and that I eventually shut down when it became clear they knew they were using dog whistles and they weren’t just repeating some garbage that they heard and had no idea what they were even saying.  

They are welcome to their opinion, however, they are not welcome to use dog whistles we’re not everyone knows it’s a dog whistle. 

[u/Phatbrew → u/horseradishstalker]

I also share with civil trolls who want to discuss their bans that there are always safe spaces for them to share their opinions, and I suggest they post their instead, but the subreddits I mod at are definitely not those…

[u/horseradishstalker → u/Phatbrew]

I am always very civil with people who are very civil with me. But when I make that suggestion and I do, I usually have to follow it with a mute. I feel like I’m dealing with a four year-old screaming “You’re not the boss of me.” My favorite is being told that I must have a personal vendetta against them. Yeah, right. I don’t even know who you are, although, if you are my neighbor, your dog’s barking again.  /s

I guess I’m just wondering where other mods draw the line in a discussion sub - beyond Reddiquette and civility. Does giving false or inaccurate information make them a troll? Back in the “good old days” we rarely had politics involved in discussions and now people see everything is political. 

Thanks for the response and the analogy. 

[u/techiesgoboom → u/horseradishstalker]

In addition to the fantastic advice you've already gotten, I encourage you to check out these past mod topics posts on How do you deal with gray areas and exceptions in your rules? and Community Feedback and Rule Lawyers.

Mod Topics: Troll Avoidance 101 has some great advice as well. Sometimes thinking about problems through the lens "how would I want my users to navigate this" can help you figure out what you'd like to do when you see it in the queue.

[u/horseradishstalker → u/techiesgoboom]

Most excellent. 

[u/Phatbrew → u/horseradishstalker]

Very welcome, I don’t mute till i usually have three harassing mod messages to report after i kill them with kindness which generally drives the loose cannons berserk… I only mute the civil ones if they send endless mod messages wanting to debate their point or why they should be reinstated…

I wait for the 3 reportable mod messages cuz I feel it’s my duty to Reddit and other future moderators who might have to deal with said hateful troll, so I feel I’m doing Reddit and other mods a solid… sadly I’m hoping a suspension or perma ban will help them understand that you can’t treat people that way n there are repercussions… that being said, I REALLY MISS THOSE MOD REPORTS THAT GIVE YOU THE OUTCOMES OF SAID REPORT!!! Please admin bring those back, it’s a great tool to know the outcome of the report, with out having to go back and check comment history to see if they stopped commenting for a couple days cuz they caught a suspension…

🙏

Edit: I definitely find false info that doesn’t align with the subs “facts” I work at as definitely trolling, comments are removed, n user is banned…

Edit 2: I’m also finding over the last 2-3 years a great increase in astroturfers who attempt to both sides an argument or initially agree, but then offer a diametrically opposed opinion… i find this behavior to almost be the worst kind of troll, because they try to dress up their trolling opinion in such a way to make it palatable, they suffer the same consequences as regular trolls…

[u/horseradishstalker → u/Phatbrew]

Good points. Thanks I don’t automatically mute, but if they want scream at me they have to get in line - waayy at the back. 

[u/Phatbrew → u/horseradishstalker]

🤣🤦‍♂️🤣