Concerns about moderating policies

[redacted]

POV = Point of View

Wikipedia:POV warrior - Wikipedia

What is it on scubaboard where we are not writing articles but are often expressing an opinion or POV?

Does it have a reference in the TOS?

 

[Diver0001]

It does not.

This is a good point because many users are not fully aware of what is in the Terms of Service and Rules | ScubaBoard

R..

 

[The Chairman]

What is it on scubaboard where we are not writing articles but are often expressing an opinion or POV?

At least three users have been banned because they continually hijacked threads to further their personal agenda(s). It doesn't matter what the OP was about: they just want to talk about their thang! POV Warrior is just another name for thread hijacker. Here's how they come across to most reasonable users.

• Should I buy blue or purple fins?
  • POV Warrior: This is why I hate PADI! They allow purple fins.
• Where should I eat in Cozumel?
  • POV Warrior: This is why I hate PADI! Every shop in Coz is a PADI shop it seems!
• I just bought a small country!
  • POV Warrior: This is why I hate PADI! They didn't buy it first!
• Look at this pic of a Jaguar Shark!
  • POV Warrior: This is why I hate PADI! They'll make a specialty dive out of it.

It's OK to have an opinion and we love strong opinions. We even love it when we have opposing opinions and there's a lot of drama that's good drama. But when they turn threads that have nothing to do with their agenda into threads about their agenda, then it's time for us to act.

 

[Diver0001]

What is it on scubaboard where we are not writing articles but are often expressing an opinion or POV?

Does it have a reference in the TOS?

Just to clarify that, what we mean on SB when we say "POV" warrior is not what Wikipedia means. Wikipedia has major problems with people trying to rewrite articles from a particular political or religious point of view. Their main policy is that articles should be written from a neutral point of view. Deciding what that is and how to police that is not a job I envy.

What WE mean when we say POV warrior is someone who gets on thread after thread after thread and derails those threads with off-topic side bars that are designed to focus all attention on them or their "message". For example, we have had some users, and one in particular that I can recall, who derailed almost every thread he was in with a bitter diatribe about a certain training agency even when those threads had nothing to do with agencies or training.

There are other examples I can remember, such as the user who derailed pretty much any thread about diving in Australia with an inflammatory side-bar about how evil and dangerous sharks were.

I'm sure if we brainstormed this we would come up with a whole list.... Some gave it up. Some quit Scubaboard and are probably elsewhere ranting about us and a few have been banned that I know of.

The point is that what we mean when we say POV warrior is someone whose contribution is severely disruptive by virtue of being almost always off topic, and/or negative or ranting in some way, and/or highly narcissistic. Moreover, they must be so prolific in such behaviour as to give the impression that they care about little else. Finally, a POV warrior will stick out in a crowd because even when confronted with absolutely water tight evidence that they are wrong, they will reject that evidence and go back to repeating themselves as only a true zealot could.

Obviously all of us have our "red button" topics and we talk about them over and over. I do that too... we all do. For all clarity, this is NOT what we mean by POV warrior because simply debating the same issue again and again is perfectly fine if you are not derailing unrelated threads in order to make it about you or your message.

R..

 

[Storker]

in case I am doomed

Yes. Yes, you are.

 

[northernone]

It doesn't matter what the OP was about: they just want to talk about their thang! POV Warrior is just another name for thread hijacker. Here's how they come across to most reasonable

I have been on various forums for almost two decades now. I'm happy with how POV warriors are reigned in here. Thanks mods. The general climate of not feeding trolls is getting better too.... thread jacking POV warriors only work if we reply.

I don't envy your role.
Cameron

 

[tep]

I am quite happy with what little I've seen of the mods. I wish they would take over some other sites and clean them up.

Scubaboard is a refreshing respite from the comments sections in 99.999% of all other sites.

In fact, I've pretty much given up all the amateur radio, Infiniti and Mazda enthusiast, etc. because of the (mostly political) POV warriors, general rudeness and spam.

ScubaBoard serves the same purpose (for me) as actual diving: relaxation, learning and meeting great people.

If that means there's some moderation needed to keep things civil around here, I'm OK with that.

 

[Marie13]

DD gone? I'd had him on my ignore list for some time. Can't say him being gone makes me sad.

 

[redacted]

Perhaps the term "POV warrior" is not the best choice. I suggest that something like "chronic hijacking" might better convey the problem.

 

[Diver0001]

Fair enough. We started calling it a POV warrior in the back room when we were initially trying to get our heads around a definition of this chronic hijacking so we could moderate to a rule or principle. As a help to the discussion Pete linked the definition on Wikipedia and the term took root.

R..