but I'm wondering if acting in a semi-official capacity like this, rather than just offering opinions when asked, might be an uncomfortable place to be

Good point, although I don't think I'm suggesting a lawyer as a Stompy would be the Buffista General Counsel or anything. It's more like having someone around who is willing to be on call to talk about those sorts of quasi-legal issues, without actually representing the board as such.

I also think having a clearly-placed disclaimer regarding the content of individual posts is a good idea.

ita, with regards to the email address, I guess I was just riffing off Allyson's discussion of the security email address they had at the Bronze.

I thought that the lurking troll free zone was the whole point of the proposal

We're talking around each other. I don't agree with the proposal is all I was saying.

We're talking around each other. I don't agree with the proposal is all I was saying.

Oh, me neither.
gets off merry go round
Now why's the ground spinning?

OK-- the thing I need cleared up in my head is whether we can e-mail stompies with problems. I thought that we could not based on a) they themsleves do not want to be moderators b) the overwhelming negative response when something is handled backchannel and c) the vote we had about dealing with problem posters.

It does sound like I would get a response and action if I emailed the stompies (which is fine, I like it that way). Maybe the issue we're dealing with has nothing to do with closing Bureacracy o non-registrants and more to do with what can be handled back-channel?

I think it depends what the problem is, Sophia. And maybe that should be stated somewhere. What is within the Stompies' Scope of Work, so to speak.

I'm not sure where to do it, but I wish to nominate 'Suela for Stompy status, provided that she's willing to be a Stompy.

I agree with Sophia--I wouldn't have known it was appropriate to email the Stompies if I were being faced with some type of harassment I didn't feel comfortable raising in Bureaucracy.

Good point, although I don't think I'm suggesting a lawyer as a Stompy would be the Buffista General Counsel or anything. It's more like having someone around who is willing to be on call to talk about those sorts of quasi-legal issues, without actually representing the board as such.

And I don't think you need to be an active member of a bar to fill this position. Just preface any quasi-legal opinions with "not a lawyer" disclaimers, and consult with some of us if necessary.

OK-- the thing I need cleared up in my head is whether we can e-mail stompies with problems. I thought that we could not based on a) they themsleves do not want to be moderators b) the overwhelming negative response when something is handled backchannel and c) the vote we had about dealing with problem posters.

See Sophia's point b. I had no problem that the whole Anathema thing happened back channel. But there was a lot of negative response after people found out about it. I didn't bring the Z issue to them back channel, specifically because of the response to the Anathema resignation (or whatever). The only thing that seemed to put out the fires on the Anathema issue, is that he volunteered to leave. In the Z case, because she was using a Buffista Forum (PF) to link to comments about Buffistas, I wanted her suspension to turn into a ban.

Now - I understand people are saying I could have emailed the stompies and they could have posted about it, saying, "It comes to our attention that Z is using Buffista threads at PF, even though she's suspended. Furthermore she's using PF to link to strange and vaguely threatening comments about Buffistas. What does the community want to do about this?"

Fine. That works for me in as far as it goes. Then what happens? Who is going to speak up and tell the stompies that the community wants troll Z banned, rather than suspended. Who is going to speak up when they realize that doing so is likely to attract negative attention from the only suspended and not yet banned poster?

I can tell you who is not going to speak up.

I completely inappropriately emailed an admin directly, to their personal profile address, but there is the "E-mail Admins" link in the left sidebar. Should we advertise that and promote its use in situations such as the ones under discussion? Or would the admins prefer a personal note?

Personally? I'm all for quick and clean, no clutter. But if the membership wants it prettier and more formal, I can get behind that too.

I just have an icky haven't brushed lately feeling about locking an existing thread (other than 'bulbs). It's not going to do what people want it to do, and making it so may add to the general discomfort. My take, anyway.