Re: Notification to list from the IETF Moderators team

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Dhruv & Dominque,

While I pretty much agree with John's post, I think that fundamentally it's hard to make your role a constructive one given the constraints in which you're expected to operate.   The very fact that the moderators send email to someone carries with it an implied threat whether you want it to or not, and that doesn't exactly set the best context even if you are perfectly polite.   Suggesting changes to people's language isn't always seen as constructive advice, and can seem a lot like coercion, or if not that, at least be creepy and annoying.  And the very fact that you're sending mail to someone can be seen as lending support to the intolerant side of the community that's hostile to open dialog (who are, IMO sadly, even more evident now than ever).   Under those conditions I expect it's hard to convey the message "we're trying to help you express yourself more effectively".

I've already spoken about the "calling out" problem.  I think transparency is essential here - including for early stages of engagement - since the community needs a reason to be confident that the moderators are impartial and apply the rules fairly.   But it's difficult to balance the need for transparency against the fact that "calling out" is almost never constructive.

If there's any hope of such an engagement being constructive, I suggest that listening, more than talking, is key to it.

Good luck.  I think we do still need moderators occasionally, even if I sometimes disagree with the actions, and I thank you for being willing to do that difficult work.   But fundamentally the bigger problem now looks to me not like the occasional impolite speaker, but the tremendous division and hostility that now seems to unfortunately exist in our community (and maybe in the wider world).    I don't think more moderation or control is likely to improve that situation; what seems to be needed is less adversarial process and more identification of common ground and basis for mutual trust.

Keith





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