Do you feel weird when asked to approve someone's comment on a post? I mean, the comment made by someone of lower levels. If it were my own posts, I don't hesitate but someone else's post is another matter. Do you do it (approve or disapprove)? I do approve them sometimes because I kinda feel sorry for the commenter. I feel compelled to help out a newbie or newer member.
I find the feature a little daunting. I appreciate that the site and community as a whole operates on a system of self-governance and it's intended for the community to police and guide itself with minimal administrative interference, and in a lot of cases, posts are pretty easy to approve. But there's always that fear: what if I approve a comment that starts a flame war that completely derails an otherwise successful and productive conversation?
Yeah, I want to approve to help someone but what if it's seen as a terrible or useless comment by the person who made the post. I don't know. I don't like the responsibility. If I ignore it, I feel bad for the commenter. Hoping someone else will approve it I guess.
I like a post because I want to, not because I'm ask to.
It’s not about liking a post. It’s about approving a post. If you choose No then the comment won’t be posted (or at least theoretically that is the case). It is a perk of level 6 I think. Or 7.
@graceylou Yeah it really doesnt have that much weight. If you disapprove itll get shown to the admin, they still have to disapprove before it won't get posted. I spite disapproved one just to find out once lol, either multiple other approvals or one review from the admin cancelled it out, no big deal. no real reason to feel weird or bad either way. Your input can only help expedite the approval or flag for the admin to see sooner perhaps in the worst case. We don't have moderators and its a clever way of sharing the workload and getting a consensus without any real risks.
Not weird; it's a totally awesome feature that allows "proven" members (i.e. higher level) to help moderate content--to (hopefully) keep the site free of racism, homophobia, misogyny, etc. I think I have only clicked "no" once, because there was something hateful in the response (don't remember what it was...some totally off the wall aggro misogyny, I think). Otherwise, I read to make sure there's nothing hateful; profanity is A-okay in my book, fuck yeah! I'm not checking to see whether I think the response is "correct", or "on-topic", "intelligent", or agrees with my personal sensibilities. I have "approved" plenty of stuff with which I didn't personally agree or I thought was somehow boneheaded or off-base or something.
I don't consider myself a censor. I think of myself like a parent on the playground who's keeping an eye out: the kids can yell at each other and be stupid and mean and use naughty words...but the second I see hitting, that's when I step in and shut it down. I'm not the morality/manners/content police. I'm just doing my part to keep the playground "safe."
And the "rules" aren't even mine. Basically, I'll approve anything if I feel like it adheres to the principles and guidelines for the site. Like I said, so far that's been everything, minus one.
It's not hard, and it's not icky. I rather it.
No, it's just a way to keep out trolls which is important. If someone wants to join just to cause problems for us heathens they have to make enough appropriate commentary to level up before they can. It would be very expensive to pay people to do this task, so I really don't mind. I enjoy having a free discussion place without trolls. It is rare.
What do you mean "lower levels" once upon a time you were "lower levels" too. You did not get there all by yourself.
Are you even understanding my question or the topic? I just don’t feel right to either approve or disapprove of someone’s comment just because that person is in the lower levels. I never asked for that feature. It’s just there. I feel somewhat patronizing to be asked to approve someone else’s comment no matter their level. If it’s my own post may be it’s fine but for others’ posts it feels odd. So far I’ve approved all comments to help those in the lower levels get their comments seen.
@Jolanta This is a perk (reward) for reaching level 6 I think, I can't remember. This feature allows you to approve a comment by someone in the lower levels before admin does. It shows up among the comments on a post (anyone's post) and it asks you if you want to approve of these comments (choose yes or no). It does help a newer member get their comments accepted and posted more quickly so they get their points (but admin still gets the last say). So, by approving a comment made by a lower level member, the higher level member can help that lower level member.
With great power comes great responsibility! Just kidding. I have never not approved a message. I don't pass judgment on content or stupidity or whether a comment is off-topic. The only kind of comments I can see my self not approving are those that are attacking an individual or a group. If people want to put their "stupid" on display, that's fine with me.