Backseat Moderating

[LunarScorpio]

Hi,

Why is backseat moderating not allowed? Surely a message to advise a fellow member could help the community as a whole. I understand that reporting is there, and I do use it for such purpose

I never found it anywhere in the FAQ or rules.

DISCLAIMER This is a completely honest question, no arrogance, or anything is directed at the owners, admins and mods here. It is just for clarification why this is not allowed, and by no means reflects on Stoppingtime the mod who has pointed this out to me before. You should not use this as a sign of me as a person, or compare it with any activity I have on VT

[Fiction]

If everyone was telling everyone else what to do it'd start a lot of arguements. No one likes to be told what to do, especially by someone they feel doesn't have the authority to tell them, so it just helps to prevent conflict.

Also often other actions need to be taken, such as locking threads or editing posts or in extreme cases, infractions. As a normal member you can't do these things and so the staff need to be informed, and if the staff are informed they'll let the member know what they're doing wrong, so you don't have too.

Staff will also usually use Private Messages to inform the member, which means that there isn't any humiliation for a member like there would be if other members where pointing out in threads a rule they had broken.

Backseat modding is not allowed because the people doing it aren't mods.

[xXl0sth0peXx]

If everyone was telling everyone else what to do it'd start a lot of arguements. No one likes to be told what to do, especially by someone they feel doesn't have the authority to tell them, so it just helps to prevent conflict.

Also often other actions need to be taken, such as locking threads or editing posts or in extreme cases, infractions. As a normal member you can't do these things and so the staff need to be informed, and if the staff are informed they'll let the member know what they're doing wrong, so you don't have too.

Staff will also usually use Private Messages to inform the member, which means that there isn't any humiliation for a member like there would be if other members where pointing out in threads a rule they had broken.

Backseat modding is not allowed because the people doing it aren't mods.

Kathy summed this up nicely. I mean imagine every time someone broke a rule, a random user made a post saying don't do that. It'd look quite sloppy and it'd be annoying.

I like Kathy's post - I think it should answer your question.

[LunarScorpio]

It did.

If there was rep, I would give it to her

[reddie]

Good point by Fiction. If a non-staff member says "please don't do this" then it could certainly lead to a lot of "well, I've been on the site for a whole year longer than YOU and MY post count is 15,000 higher than yours is!" meltdowns.

I don't have an issue with users reminding other users what to do and what not to do, but I can see where some user gets full of hormones or testosterone and then gets all raged up over it.